{Think Outside the Toy Box} Puzzle Pieces: Painted Puzzle Wall Art

Okay, I know this is really late, but I have a million legitimate excuses! First off, we moved.. we have been moving since last Saturday. This move an hour and a half away has been exponentially harder than when we moved 32 hours away last year. Every time I thought we were close to being done packing everything up, I found another cabinet, another closet, or another bin full of crap we somehow accumulated over the past year. Anywho, we are finally getting a bit settled, but still have no internet. So I will continue to be absent until next Tuesday when the AT&T guys come to hook us up. Also, I had a birthday! Nothing special, just another year older and I celebrated by going to the laundromat and taking a glorious 3 hour nap with Myles! So here is my Think Outside the Toy Box Summer Fun Series post only four days late!
 

If you are here for the first time or want to check out all the details again, take a look at the post introducing the Think Outside the Toy Box summer fun series. Also if you have missed any previous weeks, here are the projects we have done so far:
Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling (and bath)
Plastic Bottle Waterfall
Astronaut/Alien Costume
 Foamy Bathtub Paint

Edible Sensory Bin
Marble Drop/Race
 Shredded Crayon Canvas Art

Now on to this week's fun with:

PUZZLE PIECES

Since we just moved and Myles will be celebrating his 2nd birthday in less than a month, I figured it would be the perfect time to change his room decor and hook him up with a new big boy room! Last week I showed you my first project for his room and revealed that I decided on a dinosaur theme. I am so excited to get to decorating and DIYing and this series has provided me with some awesome opportunities to get Myles involved as well. We have already made Shredded Crayon Canvas Art and this week I came up with another DIY project for his walls using puzzles:

  Painted Puzzle Wall Art

What You Will Need: 

4 boxes of small puzzles (I found these at the Dollar Tree)
Modge Podge

Paintbrushes/ Sponges

Washable Paints

Wood Decals

Glue Gun

Hole Puncher (*not pictured)

Ribbon (I used three different colors)

Directions:  

1. Start out by putting the puzzles together. I am a puzzle fanatic, so this was my favorite part :) After the puzzles are together, use a foam brush to Modge Podge the puzzles. It will need about 4 coats, 2 on each side. Brush the glue onto one side, let dry, then turn over and glue the other side (repeat).

2. Paint! This is the part to get the kids involved and let them decorate their new wall art. I used Crayola Washable Paints (they are perfect for toddlers) and just let him go at it. I had to guide him a little because I wanted to make sure all the different colors got on to all 4 puzzles and that they were covered well.

3. I let him use his hands and feet to paint as well. This way I got the paint to spread out over the whole puzzle. Let them dry.

4. Use the hot glue gun to attach the wood decals to the puzzles. I found these dinosaurs at Hobby Lobby already painted. They had tons of others to choose from if you are doing a different theme.

 

 5. Punch a hole in the top puzzle piece. Add ribbon and tie a knot for hanging. I used three colors (the main ones I'm using for his room) and braided them.

6. Hang and enjoy!

Thanks for checking out week seven of the Think Outside the Toy Box Summer Fun Series! Also don't forget to check out what all of the other ladies put together for this week's item in the link-up below. 
  And if you have a post (new or old) that you created showcasing puzzle pieces in a kid's project, craft, game, experiment, etc., submit it below as well. No post this week? No problem; join us next Monday when we will be using bathroom paper cups! 

 And in case you want to get a head start, here is the complete list for the coming weeks:
July 21 - Bathroom Paper Cups
July 28 - Plastic Milk Jugs

{Think Outside the Toy Box} Wax Paper: Shredded Crayon Canvas Art

Hi all, hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! It was almost too hot to go outside here, but we did get in on some BBQ action and an awesome fireworks show! Now that it is Monday again, it's time for the Think Outside the Toy Box Summer Fun Series!
 

If you are here for the first time or want to check out all the details again, take a look at the post introducing the Think Outside the Toy Box summer fun series. Also if you have missed any previous weeks, here are the projects we have done so far:
Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling (and bath)
Plastic Bottle Waterfall
Astronaut/Alien Costume
 Foamy Bathtub Paint

Edible Sensory Bin 
Marble Drop/Race
 
Now on to this week's fun with:

WAX PAPER

This item was a little hard to get creative with. I thought about putting together some noise makers perfect for the 4th of July using paper towel/toilet paper rolls and wax paper, but the post would be late by 3 days. I still think it would be fun for New Years or birthday parties though. Other than that, I could only think of the typical crayon melting with wax paper crafts. Although the shapes and ideas for that are endless, I was really hoping to think of something different. Unfortunately, the big idea never came to me, so I did the melted crayons, but with slight variation. We are in the process of moving this weekend, so I found this to be the perfect time to change Myles' still nursery into his big boy room. I decided on a dinosaur theme and am pretty excited to start decorating it. I figured I would do double duty and use this week's project to make the first piece of art for Myles' new room. So here is:

 Shredded Crayon Canvas Art

What You Will Need: 

Stretched fabric canvas(es)
(I used two, but use as many as needed)
Painters/Electrical/Masking Tape (all depends on the size you want the letters)
Crayons (I used certain colors from 3 boxes)
Cheese Grater
Wax Paper
Iron

Directions:  

1. Start by sorting your crayons. You will want certain colors in certain areas on the canvas(es), so the crayons need to be sorted before you shred them. I used three 48 count boxes from the Dollar Tree.

2. Choose the colors you want to use and remove the labels from the crayons. I started doing them all, before I realized I was only going to need specific ones for the colors I wanted to use. I ended up choosing 4 colors based on the room decor. This was pretty tedious, but I did it while watching a movie with my son!

3. Use the cheese grater to shred the crayons; putting each set of colors into their own bowl. This is also very tedious. I grated one color a day, and worked on them throughout the day. I laid the crayons flat along the grater and that worked fine, but my fingers were getting tore up a bit. Then when I only had a few left, I accidentally discovered a way that is so much easier and less painful on the fingers:

Keep the crayon upright and grate it from the bottom to the top.

4.  Next, get your canvas(es). Use the tape to mark out the word(s) or pattern you want to have left white on the canvas. I stuck with the dinosaur theme and spelled out 'ROAR'. 

 

 5. Time to get the kid(s) involved. Lay out the canvas(es) and have them sprinkle the shredded crayons all over. 

I thought it would be cool to mix and swirl the colors a bit, but it didn't stay that way after I ironed it. The colors mostly ended up melting together and becoming one brownish color. 

The better way to do this would be to keep the colors separated in lines. That way when it is melted, each color will have enough room to spread but not mix with the others.

6. Once the canvas(es) are covered, place the wax paper over them. Make sure the wax side is DOWN. I made the mistake of not realizing which side was which and I had a mini-disaster on my hands! Since all my colors were already mixed, I just ironed in whatever direction was easiest. 

 If you do the colors in rows, make sure to only iron in the direction of the rows. That should help keep the colors from mixing too much. Also make sure that if you have a lot of shredded crayon on the canvas(es) that you move the melted excess off of the canvas by pushing it over the edges with the iron so that it doesn't pool on the canvas(es). If it is too thick, it will still dry, but it won't stick to the canvas(es) and will easily flake off. 
Once the crayon is melted, wait about 30 seconds-1 minute for it to settle a bit, and then remove the wax paper.   

7. Peel the tape off of the canvas(es) to reveal the (mostly) white letters/pattern.

And that was our week six of the Think Outside the Toy Box Summer Fun Series is complete! Also don't forget to check out what all of the other ladies put together for this week's item in the link-up below. 
  And if you have a post (new or old) that you created showcasing wax paper in a kid's project, craft, game, experiment, etc., submit it below as well. No post this week? No problem; join us next Monday when we will be using Puzzle Pieces! 

 And in case you want to get a head start, here is the complete list for the coming weeks:
July 14 - Puzzle Pieces
July 21 - Paper Cups
July 28 - Plastic Milk Jugs

{Think Outside the Toy Box} Kool-Aid: Foamy Bath Paints

I can hardly believe we are already into week four of the Think Outside the Toy Box Summer Fun Series! Summer is in full swing and we are continuing to have a great time with this series. I hope this series has brought as much inspiration and fun for you all as it has for us. I love how involved Myles is getting each week and to see his creative and imagination growing has been really fulfilling for me!
 

Now, if you happened here for the first time or want to check out all the details again, take a look at the post introducing the Think Outside the Toy Box summer fun series. Also if you have missed any of the past weeks, these are the projects we have done so far:
Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling (and bath)
Plastic Bottle Waterfall
Astronaut/Alien Costume 

Now on to this week's fun with:

  Kool-Aid

I had been tossing around a couple of ideas for this week's project for weeks. I really didn't know what direction to take, but I was leaning towards using it as a dye in some sort of craft. I had a couple of back-up plans (Kool-Aid Popcorn and Kool-Aid Chalk Paint), but was really holding out on coming up with something more exciting and interactive. And boy am I glad I did! I happened upon this idea for bathtub paints when I was searching for nontraditional uses of Ivory soap. I changed the recipe a bit to make it finger paints and added the Kool-Aid, but it still turned out awesome! It was pretty messy, but totally worth the clean up. Myles and I love messy sensory play and this did not disappoint!

FOAMY BATHTUB PAINTS

What You Will Need: 

A bar of ivory soap

Wax Paper

Microwave 

Measuring cup

Blender

Hot water

Several small glass or plastic containers

Different colored Kool-Aid packets (I used three)

Spoon

Directions:

1. I did this project in two major steps: one at night and the other the next morning. The first step is conducting the Ivory soap experiment. I never even knew this was a thing until last week when I was searching Pinterest for uses of Ivory soap. The Ivory soap experiment came up everywhere, and of course, the pictures and videos were too astounding to not want to try it out. 
All you do it get a bar of Ivory soap, take it out of the wrapping, place it on some wax paper, and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. You will seriously be amazed at what happens next!

It becomes this big fluffy cloud of crumbly soap. This what it looked like in the microwave and then on the table. 

And this is the video I took while it was in the microwave:

2. I took the cloud out of the microwave and placed it on the counter to sit over night. I don't think this is completely necessary, but I just wanted to be sure it was cooled and ready to be used for the paints.
The next morning, we began the bathtub paint making.

3. Start by boiling water in a pot (about 2 cups). While the water is boiling, fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of the Ivory soap. Take a handful and crumble into the measuring cup until it's filled to the 1 cup line. 

 

4. Pour the crumbled soap into the blender. When the water is ready, take a small measuring cup (1/3 or 1/2 cup) and fill it with the boiling water. Add the water to the blender, a very small amount at a time. I added just enough to make it moist (about a 1-2 teaspoons). Pulse the blender on low 4-5 times or until the soap is mixed with the water and is a frothy texture.

5. Repeat steps 3-4 until all of the the soap is used up. 

*Make sure not to blend too much or add too much water, the texture should be like yogurt or a frothy milk.*

6. Pour soap mixture into small containers. I used three because I had three different colors, but you can make as many as you would like. 

7. Add the Kool-Aid. You only want to add a very little bit, less than a teaspoon. I would suggest to just sprinkle like you would when seasoning with salt. Mix and then add more to change color. You don't want to add too much because then it will just turn to a liquid.

 *Example of what not to do!*

I learned this the hard way: I let my son do the Kool-Aid dumping so he could be a part of the process. I let him dump two packets in and when I stirred it all up, it turned into a liquid! Oops! I was really worried it wasn't going to work after that, but I tried the next one and only sprinkled a very tiny bit into the soap. I mixed it up and it worked perfect!

 8. Play! I took Myles up to the bathtub to play. He loved that he was able to get all messy and there were no rules! I even got in on the action! We made a couple of very artistic and inspiring murals on the walls :)

 Towards the end, he grabbed the last chunk of the paint and rubbed it on the wall.

 Then I put the rest of the paint on him. He loved it and started rubbing it all over himself!

Then we got a nice bath! It was a pretty easy clean up though. Slippery, but also fun!  

Other options: You can use a paint or foam brush. 

Different colors and mixing colors.

You can put the paints into plastic ziplock bags with a hole cut in the corner. Then use it like you would to pipe icing onto the tub walls, etc.

  And with that week four of the Think Outside the Toy Box Summer Fun Series is complete! Also don't forget to check out what all of the other ladies put together for this week's item in the link-up below. 
  And if you have a post (new or old) that you created showcasing Kool-Aid in a kid's project, craft, game, experiment, etc., submit it below as well. No post this week? No problem; join us next Monday when we will be using Ice Cream Cones! 

 Also just in case you want to get a head start, here is the complete list for the coming weeks:
June 23 - Ice Cream Cones
June 30 - Pool Noodles
July 7 - Wax Paper
July 14 - Puzzle Pieces
July 21 - Paper Cups
July 28 - Plastic Milk Jugs

{Think Outside the Toy Box} Paper Bags: Astronaut/Alien Costume

Welcome to week three of the Think Outside the Toy Box Summer Fun Series! I so love being a part of the this series so far. Myles and I have been having tons of fun making and playing with each project so far. I look forward to the time we get to spend together each week trying to figure out what to do and how to put it all together. I have been pleasantly surprised by how much he has been actually participating and engaged with each project so far. I can't wait to see what the rest of the weeks bring us!

If you are here for the first time or want to check out all the details again, take a look at the post introducing the Think Outside the Toy Box summer fun series. Also if you have missed weeks one or two, these are the projects we have done so far:
Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling (and bath)
Plastic Bottle Waterfall

Now on to this week's fun with:

  PAPER GROCERY BAGS

For this week's project, I drew inspiration from a couple of things my son likes. One being space rangers in the form of Buzz Lightyear and the other being this bag from Mega Bloks.

He discovered the amazing potential of the bag when we were visiting his best friend Cameron. One day when we were playing at his house, Myles saw Cameron put the empty bag over his head and run around like a spaceman. Once Cameron let Myles try, he would not stop. He ran around forever with that dang bag on his head! After I saw how much fun he had with it, I was tempted to buy the block set just for the bag. However, by this time, I had already learned that for some reason toys seem to lose 90% of their appeal once they come into our house. So I wasn't about to waste $20 to have him not look at the thing more than once. Then one day I got the bright idea to just make my own bag with a clear plastic hole in it! It is a total win in our house because it is super easy for me to make and it combines Myles' desire to be Buzz Lightyear with his love for running around with a bag on his head! And that is how we came up with the....  

  Paper Bag Astronaut / Alien Costume

What You Will Need: 

A large paper grocery bag

1 zip-lock gallon freezer bag

Scissors

Duck tape

Pencil

Colored Pipe Cleaners (Optional)

Directions:  
*Because this activity involves cutting with scissors, it should be made by an adult. Kids can watch and help at your discretion, but for safety reasons, should wait until the costume is complete to play.*

1. Start by measuring and marking with a pencil where the hole for the face should be. I put the bag next to the son and roughly estimated (while chasing him around the kitchen) the dimensions of the face cut-out. If your kid (like mine) does not want to cooperate, just make it start about an inch in from the top and sides and then as long as their face is. I think the picture below is a good estimation reference. 

2. Place the zip-lock gallon freezer bag inside of the paper bag directly over the hole you just cut. Tape all four sides of the plastic bag down to the paper bag with duck tape.

3. Now you will want to cover the whole outside of the paper bag with duck tape. I tried only covering the front (as you see in the pictures), but the sides ripped within minutes of play. So I would suggest just covering the whole thing at this step. Then you will want to cut arm holes into the sides of the bag. The location and size of the holes depend of the size of your child, so have them try it on and get a quick estimate of where the arm holes should be. For reference, my son is 34 inches and I had to put the arm holes about 2-3 inches up from the bottom.

*It should be easier to tape the sides first and then cut the arm holes... I learned that the hard way. Plus from looking at my pictures now, I think it would look a lot cooler with the silver duck tape covering the whole thing.*

 
4. If you want to turn your astronaut into an alien just add two pipe cleaners to the top of the bag. I picked green ones to fit the alien theme, twirled them around my finger, and poked them through the top of the bag. 

*Again, I would suggest using the duck tap over the top and sides before play time. That way you avoid having to make another one within minutes (like me)!*

  

 5. Play! I think this would be fun for pretend play with friends; one could be the spaceman/astronaut and the other could be the alien. Or like my son, they can just run around screaming random babble and practice ninja moves.
 

And a little outtake just to show you the struggle is real over here:

Playtime in Myles' brain is synonymous with 'destroy everything mommy is trying to do'. Here he is caught in the act of premeditated annihilation of mommy's hard work. That devilish smile on his face is typical right before he goes to play his favorite (and my least) game: kick, kick, kick whatever is around me, even though I know I am not supposed to! 

  And with that week three of the Think Outside the Toy Box Summer Fun Series is complete! Also don't forget to check out what all of the other ladies put together for this week's item in the link-up below. 
 

And if you have a post (new or old) that you created showcasing paper grocery bags in a kid's project, craft, game, experiment, etc., submit it below as well. No post this week? No problem; join us next Monday when we will be using Kool-Aid! 

 Also just in case you want to get a head start, here is the complete list for the coming weeks:
June 16 - Kool-Aid
June 23 - Ice Cream Cones
June 30 - Pool Noodles
July 7 - Wax Paper
July 14 - Puzzle Pieces
July 21 - Paper Cups
July 28 - Plastic Milk Jugs