All posts in April 2016

  • Magic Melting Griddle Art

    Happy Meltdown Monday, everyone! It’s so nice to have a happy thing on a Monday (… oh, Monday.) Today we made Magic Melting Griddle Art, and it was magnificent!

    Here’s what you’ll need:

    Crayons

    Griddle

    Hot Pads

    Foil

    Paper

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  • Seaside Sensory Bottle

    I have always been slightly obsessed with the ocean. When I was a toddler I would physically shake from excitement when I would see water… even if was only a mud puddle. As I got into second grade Free Willy became my favorite move… and Orcas, my favorite animal. I may or not not have done a skit for my second grade class where I was Jesse and my friend was Willy the whale. Classic. Anyhow, the ocean has always had my heart. I decided that this sensory bottle project should be ocean themed and it turned out sweet!

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  • Painting with Animals

    Growing up my brother and I loved to make “tracks’ in the dirt and our PlayDoh with our trucks, toy animals and whatever we could get our hands on. So, the other night I was thinking to myself… why not make rainbow tracks with paint? I posted a tutorial a little over a week ago called Creating with Cars, and it was so fun! This week I thought we would try Painting with Animals! You little ones will love creating and imagining with their toy animals.

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  • I Heart Earth Day

    It’s April… and this weekend we had a blizzard. Thank you, Colorado (she said sarcastically, as she was really enjoying the warm weather). So, in preparation for the blizzard, I ran down to our Natural Grocers to pick up a few items. At least I would have some delicious snacks to get through the storm. As I was walking into the front doors, I noticed that someone had painted a giant “Earth Day is April 22nd” mural on the sliding glass doors. I had completely forgotten to put Earth Day into my craft calendar. Please… forgive me. Ha! I have had a lot going on the past 2 months.

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  • Creative Outdoor Sensory Play!

    I started putting together this post because the weather in Colorado was beautiful yesterday. It felt like summer was here to stay and play. Then… at about 8pm last night I found out that we are having a blizzard. Starting tomorrow. Oh my goodness. I am not sure who ticked off Elsa, but we are in the process of making our “Blizzard Grocery List” for the weekend. So, to those of you in places where it feels like summer and are blizzard free– this is for you. I will live vicariously through you.

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  • Eating Rainbows

    Rainbows are beautiful– AND delicious! If you have spent any amount of time looking up kids recipes online, I am sure that you have been inundated with images of stunning, bright and bold treats. Rainbow cupcakes, cookies, cheesecakes, ice cream sundaes… the list goes on (and on). If you made every rainbow recipe that you found on the web, you children would probably turn into a pile of sugar. My pet unicorn, Sprinkles is pretty much the only one I know that can eat that much sugar and benefit from it. Luckily, nature is also full of rainbows and healthier alternatives for your kiddos (and you!) so you can munch colorfully without feeling guilty. Here are a few of my favorite ways to fill up on rainbows– check em’ out!

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  • Magic Crayon Salt Dough

    One of our favorite things to do at Colors Are Magic is to meltdown crayons. There are so many more possibilities than just coloring in the lines when it comes to a pack of crayons– although we do love to color. :) Here is one of my favorite ways to meltdown crayons.

    Note: This craft I would recommend for older children as they will need to be able to color on the very warm dough without burning themselves. Make sure you supervise this project. 

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  • Creating with Cars

    The past few years all of my nanny kids have been girls. I used to have loads of boys. But lately all of my crafts have been full of unicorns, hearts and glitter. Which don’t get me wrong… I LOVE. Well, now I have a nephew. So I have been thinking about fun things that I could do with him as he gets older that are slightly less girly. I know it’ll be quite a wait (he is only 2 weeks old)… but I can dream. Of course if you have little girls– they can totally do these projects too! I liked playing with cars when I was little too. :)

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  • Nickey’s Bookshelf {Chapter 7: Dallas Clayton}

    Hey! Welcome back to Nickey’s Bookshelf. If you are new around here, this is my little corner of the web where I share my favorite children’s books, authors and illustrators. Those who know me, know my obsession with children’s books. Especially picture books. I love them. I may be an adult, but I get swept up into the adventure and magic just as I did when I was a kid. Sometimes on my days off from nannying, I go to a children’s book store, collect a pile of books, and sit on the floor and devour them all.

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  • Yogurt Finger Paint

    I am always looking for/thinking about things to do with baby. Just because they are little doesn’t mean that they should miss out on all the fun! Recently while hanging out with #MyLittleSweetPotatoPie, I tried out a little nanny hack I had learned from a fellow nanny friend– finger painting with yogurt. It was golden. Not only did my little buddy’s artwork turn out lovely, but it didn’t matter if she licked because it it’s totally edible. She loved it and so did I! If you want a project that is baby friendly, cheap and totally easy to make… this is the project for you!

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