Giant Ghost Bubbles ~ Homemade GAK recipe

DIY GAK Recipe ~ Simple Play Recipe for Giant Bubbles

My kids made a happy recipe accident today and created the most amazing Giant Ghost Bubbles!. They have been begging to make Silly Putty, Gak or Slime for a while. I kept putting it off because I thought we didn’t have all the ingredients. Well guess what the kids found in the basement today; a bottle of liquid starch. Love it!

They came running up the stairs singing in a voice that only kids can, that they could finally make Homemade Silly Putty. I was finishing up another project, so I told them to start without me. Harmless right, it is only 2 ingredients! Well with all the excitement and 3 recipe readers, they created a slightly different version which was pretty amazing!

Giant Ghost Bubble Recipe:

1 1/2 cup white Elmers school glue
1 cup liquid starch
1/4 cup water (not necessary, but it worked great for us)
Optional food coloring ~ since we were making ghost bubbles, we decided to just leave ours white.
Drinking straws are needed to blow our Giant Ghost Bubbles

Pour the glue into your bowl and then SLOWLY add the starch. I can’t stress slowly enough. You are welcome to mix with a spoon, but I promise you are missing out on half the fun! Let the kids dive right in for some gooey sensory fun and mix the batch with their hands.

Once the GAK like consistency is reached…STOP. There is no need to add the full amount of starch. You are looking for a super stretchy consistency. Try adding different amounts of starch until you find the constancy that you find works. Not sure why, but each time we make GAK the quantity of starch needed is just slightly different.

How to make giant GAK bubbles:

Once you have made the perfect GAK mixture…let the fun begin. It is perfect for stretching, letting slide through your fingers and for making Giant Ghost Bubbles. To make a bubble…hold a ball of GAK in your hand, stick a straw into the middle of the mixture and gently blow. Seriously it is that easy!

Here are a few tips if you are struggling with mixing your gooey mixture to the right consistency. If it is lumpy after you’ve added the liquid starch, then simply let it rest. You can watch it “melt” together right in the bowl. After a few moments try working it together again. If it is still not working into the consistency that you would like, try adding a little bit more glue. Although not too much, you are looking for a Gak like consistency not a firm putty.

GAK Tips and Tricks:

If it gets on your clothes, white vinegar should dissolve it.
Store it in an airtight container or Ziploc Bag for weeks! I love how long this gooey mixture lasts!
If your mixture is a bit stringy, slimy or lumpy then play with the ratios a little bit. Try adding a little more glue. It may take a bit of mixing and playing to get the right consistency but I promise it is worth it!
If you are adding food coloring, mix it into the glue BEFORE you add the starch. Or you could end up with beautifully colored hands.

One of my sweet friends posted their version of GAK Bubbles and I LOVE them. Stephanie always has some of the best play recipes. Although, don’t be surprised if you find yourself there for a few hours. Yep Twodaloo is that awesome, you will totally loose track of time devouring all the cool kids activities. Love it!

Looking for more Play Recipes, check out our:

American Flag Craft

Spin Art ~ Simple Flag Craft for kids

Your kids will love these simple red, white and blue flags. My kids love creating spin art and this simple twist on a traditional flag was so fun to make. This simple American Flag Craft is perfect for the 4th of July, Memorial Day or any other patriotic holiday.

Spin Art Flag Materials:

Spin art machine ~ learn how to make your own here
Red, white and blue paint
White paper cut into a circle
Old toothbrush
Small sponge

To make the background, use only red paint in the spin art machine. Boring I know, but it will create simple red and white stripes.

Next, the kiddos stamped blue squares with a sponge.

The kids had so much fun making the stars. We could have simply used a stick to dot the stars, but this was way more fun. The kids rubbed, banged and scraped a paint filled toothbrush on a stick. Sending little spatters of paint flying across their art work. This was the kids favorite part of the whole project.

Simple American Flag Craft

Spin art, sponge painting and paint splattering all rolled into one simple project. This may be one of the cutest flags we have made so far! So simple and completely adorable!

We love creating spin art. A few of our favorite projects have included a spin art snowman, watercolor spin art and a homemade spin art machine (using an electric drill).

For more patriotic crafts, check out our:

Simple Cut Paper Flag Craft

Star Cookie Cutter Prints

Water bottle Fireworks

M&M Cookies

Poppies

Easy Fourth of July Crafts for Kids

Cookie Cutter Stamping ~ A Classic 4th of July Craft

Printing with cookie cutters is a classic kids craft. It’s quick and easy making it a perfect activity for little fingers. I love all the fun/unique shapes cookie cutters come in. You can find one for just about any occasion. The kids hadso much fun making simple Shamrock prints that we decided to make a patriotic version. Check out these simple star shaped prints, perfect for your 4th of July party.

Materials for our Easy Fourth of July Crafts for Kids

Red, White and Blue Paint
Star Cookie Cutters
Paper plate ~ or flat surface for the paint

The kids had so much fun with this simple activity.

This is one of those times that double dipping is encouraged.

For more simple 4th of July activities, check out our:

Simple Paper Cut American Flag

Handmade Toys ~ Button Spinners

Red, White and Blue M&M Cookies

Homemade Toys ~ Button Spinner

Homemade Toys ~ Button Spinner made from Recycled Material

Ready for a simple blast from the past? Today I made easy Buttons Spinners with the kids, and they were a huge hit! I seriously can’t believe that this is the first time that we have made a set together. I have fond memories of building these little handmade toys while spending the day at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Grandma had a large button collection and that I loved sifting and sorting. Read on to find out how easy these little handmade toys are to make.

I love creating with the kids, especially when I don’t have to make a trip to the store for a special ingredient. If you are like me, then these little button spinners are perfect. You probably have everything at home already. Love that!

Kids have been playing with homemade button spinners for years. So the concept is nothing new. However, we added out own little twist. I combined my obsession with sharpies and using recycled materials to make a super cool 4th of July Spinner. How fun is that?!?

Ready for the simple list of materials?

To make a Button Spinner, you will need:

Large Button
String ~ most any thin string/yarn will work. However, we used a wax covered string that made it a little easier for the kids.
Milk Jug or similar plastic from your recycle bin
Colorful Sharpies or permanent markers
Hot Glue Glue
Craft foam ~ (optional) to make handles

How to make a Button Spinner

They are super easy to put together. To create the traditional spinner…simply thread the string through 2 of the button holes, tie a knot and your all set.

To create our Colorful Button Spinner.

Simply cut a circle from a milk jug (about 3″ in diameter) and color with sharpies. Next, cut a circle out of the center of the plastic (just smaller than your button). We only colored one side of our plastic, since you could see the kids designs from both sides. Finally, hot glue the colorful plastic onto the button, thread the string through 2 of the button holes, tie a knot and your done! Quick and easy.

To add handles

The string can make little fingers sore, so we chose to add simple foam handles. Simply cut little rectangles of craft foam, folded it over the string and then hot glue in place. Easy Peasy. Just make sure that the handles are spaced an equal distance apart.

Holding the string in each hand, twirl your spinner until the string is pretty tight. Stretch the string out and pull to make the button spin. Pull hard stretching and then relaxing the string by moving your hands close together and then apart. This takes practice to keep it going, but once it does it’s really cool! The kids loved the little zinging noise it made as it spun around.

Seriously, could it be any easier? Perfect for your 4th of July Party.

For more simple toys you can make with your kids, check out our:

Popsicle Stick Harmonicas

DIY Paper Climber

Balloon Powered Car

DIY Duct Tape Hobby Horse

Recycled Bubble Blower

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

My kids Favorite Recipe for M&M Cookies

I will choose a cookie over cake any day. There is something about the smell/taste of a cookie fresh out of the oven, gooey and still warm. Yummy! I am debating making a batch right now. Although if I did, I may never get around to sharing this amazing M&M Cookie recipe with you. OK…my craving can wait;)

These little M&M cookies and me have a special history. This is the first recipe that I ever asked a friends mom for (I was in grade school at the time). It also was the first recipe that I added to my own recipe box. You know its a good recipe, when they are still one of my favorite cookie after all these years. Over the years I have made a few changes, but basically they are the same cookies that I grew up making.

Since 4th of July is right around the corner, we chose to make this batch all Red, White and Blue. I love that M&M’s come in a wide variety of colors.

M&M Cookie INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Butter
1 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 Eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups M&M’s

M&M Cookies INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream brown sugar, white sugar and butter.
Next, add the eggs, and vanilla making sure everything is well mixed.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined
Finally, stir in the M&M’s.
Roll into balls, flatten slightly and place an extra M&M into the top of each cookie.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. These are the type of cookie that you want to be slightly under baked. Let them stand for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. This will help the cookies hold their shape.

Simple tip to keep your cookies from spreading:

If you are finding that your cookies are spreading out too far, there is an easy way to correct it. The best part is…its not the recipe;) All you need to do is refrigerate your dough for about 5 minutes before baking. This will re-solidify the fats and stop your cookies from over spreading. Easy!

For more yummy recipes, check out our:

Frozen Yogurt Dots

Healthy Dehydrated Fruit

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Watermelon and Lime Smoothie