Snowman Minute to Win it Games

Winter Fun ~ Snowman Blowdart Minute to Win it Game

Our family loves Minute to Win it Games! They are great for a simple family night or a large crowd. Plus you probably can use things you already have around the house. Love that!

The Challenge:

To blow the snowman cup stack off table using a Q-tip and straw. You need to shoot all the snowman cups off the edge of the table before the 1 minute timer runs out.

Supplies needed:

Straws ~ the narrow ones work best. They should be just larger than a q-tip.
Q-tips
Plastic cups ~ add black sharpie eyes and mouth and a orange paper carrot nose

Send the kids on a hunt for the supplies…it will keep them busy! {wink}

How to play:

Build a snowman cup tower close to the edge of the table.
Get your “darts” and “shooters” ready…the Q-Tips and Straws! Load your “dart” by placing the Q-tip right inside the straw. If you are using bendable straws, make sure you insert the Q-tip on the non-bendy end.
Instruct each player to stand on the opposite side of the table.
Aim the straw at the snowman wall of cups and blow the q-tip
The player that successfully removes all the snowman cups off the table wins.

Use as many “darts” as necessary to knock the cups off before the one minute timer runs out.

Since the kids were having so much fun, we decided to have 2 snowman cup stacks happening at one time. The kids raced against the 1 minute timer and their opponent.

The kids seriously LOVED this simple snowman Minute to Win it Game!

For more fun Minute to Win it Games, check out our:

Cup Stacking ~ Stack Attack

Bite Me and Junk in the Trunk

Don’t Blow the Joker

Floatacious

Painting with Flowers

Process Art ~ Painting with flowers

My kids love painting, especially exploring new painting techniques. A few of our favorite painting activities often are created after a walk in nature. This time we were inspired on a walk home from the park, we discovered a large area of clover flowers. We decided to bring a few home for a simple art project. The kids had so much fun painting with flowers that we will have to do it again soon.

You will need:

Flowers ~ we used clover flowers we picked
Paint
paper

A simple invitation to play and create:

I trimmed the stems of the flowers, leaving just enough for a handle. Leaving the flower head to be used as the paint brush.

We found it worked best to use the flowers like stamps. Leaving beehive a simple print on the paper. However, the kids also enjoyed printing, swishing, dragging and twirling their little paint covered flowers.

This simple activity encourages kids to explore their creativity and imagination. Being an open ended activity, there is lots of room for kids to explore the transferred flower patterns, color mixing and the fun of creating shapes and pictures without restrictions or expectations.

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the little paint pots.

A perfect art activity for preschoolers.

If you loved this simple activity, then you will love my Painting without brushes Pinterest board. It is PACKED full of creative ways to paint with kids. Leave the brushes in the cupboard, and experiment with fun new ways to paint!

When a few of the older kiddos came home, they had a blast painting with flowers as well. I love this simple fireworks display that one of them created. They used the edge of a strip of cardboard to create the lines. Beautiful!!! I guess this activity is not just for preschoolers after all;)

Looking for more creative ways to paint with your kids? Check out our:

Painting on Wet Glue

Compass Painting

Rainbow Q-tip Painting

Microwave Puffy Paint

Credit Card Painting

Preschool Art Activities ~ Magnet Painting

My kiddos are fascinated with magnets. They had so much fun playing with magnets in our Pixy Stix tray, so I knew they would love painting with them. They had a blast making trails in the paint. This is quickly becoming one of our favorite preschool art activities. I love that it blends art and science by using magnets, paint and found objects.

Magnet Painting Materials:

Paper Plate
Strong magnet ~ We usd magnetic wands
Metal objects ~ paper clips, lightweight chains, small screws, bolts and nuts
Paint ~ we used yellow, red and blue

The idea then is to put a few drops of paint on top the paper plate along with a few metal objects. The kids loved experimenting with paper clips, lightweight chains, small screws, bolts and nuts. You may find thinning the paint with a little with water will make the objects glide through the paint easier.

The kids then paint by holding the paper plate in one hand and a magnet wand under the paper plate. The kids “paint” by slowly moving the magnet and dragging the metal objects around through the paint.

This fun activity combines art and science (magnetic attraction).

Tips and Tricks:

Instead of squeezing paint onto the paper plate, place the paint into bowls. Have the kiddos drop the desired metal objects into the paint. The kids then can pick-up the objects they want and drop them on their painting surface. Making the project more child led.
Make sure you keep the magnet wand against the paper plate. We had a few paint objects drop to the table.
The focus of Magnet painting is the process. The finished products are a colorful abstract mass of tracks, and the kids love them!
You may find that as the metal object becomes covered in paint, it is harder to move through the paint. You can either wash the paint off the object, or thin the paint with a little water.

For more simple art activities, check out our:

DIY Marble Run

Paper Plate DIY Marble Run

We love simple kids activities. Especially the ones the use supplies that we have on hand and only take a few moments to set up. This simple Paper Plate Marble Cone fits the bill perfectly! The kids love dropping and racing pennies down those giant cones that you find in malls, zoos etc. So we decided to construct our own simple paper plate DIY marble run. The kids had a blast watching the marbles to spiral down and drop into the bowl.

Materials needed make a DIY marble cone

Paper Plate
Scissors
Tape
Marbles
Bowl ~ or something similar to catch the marbles in.

How to make a paper plate cone

Cut a skinny triangle shaped section out of the paper plate.
Cut a small circle out of the very center of the paper plate. Just larger than a marble.
Tape the cut edges together.

Now all you need to do is set the paper plate cone over a bowl and start rolling marbles.

Quick, simple and so much fun!

Looking for more simple kids ideas? Check out our:

Minecraft Nerf Gun Target

Elastic-Band Launchers

Popsicle Stick Harmonica

Compass Painting

How to Decorate a Christmas Tree with Jewelry

Christmas Tree Decorating Activity for Kids

Looking to add a little sparkle to your Christmas Tree? My kiddos look forward to this simple Christmas Tree Decorating activity each year. Nothing says Christmas like a box of vintage jewelry, right? Read on to learn how to decorate a Christmas Tree with a little extra sparkle this year!

My kids love any excuse to pull our my stash of vintage jewelry. They love examining each piece, sorting them and especially trying them on.

The past few years, I have set out the box of jewelry alongside a small fake Christmas tree. (If you are anything like me, you already have a few of these “table top trees” scattered through out the house.) The kids absolutely love decorating the tree with all the sparkly jewelry pieces. It is a simple activity that we add to the kids advent activity calendar each year. Easy to set up, and a sure hit!

All you nee to set up this simple Christmas activity is:

Vintage Jewelry ~ everything from clip on earrings, broaches and pins to necklaces.
Small Christmas Tree ~ We usually use one without lights.

How to Decorate a Christmas Tree with Jewelry

We found that most of the jewelry pieces slip right onto the branches so no need to add string or a hook. Earrings, broaches and pins are the easiest to hang since they have a little loop at the back already. Necklaces work just like regular Christmas garland. Simply wrap and drape it around the tree.

My kids love all the sparkle!