Keeping Cool with Snow Cones on It's Playtime

It's hot.  My kids are hot.  My dogs are hot.  Must be summer.  It's difficult to find motivation to play when it's so warm.  Why not combine play with a yummy, summer treat promoting both imagination and health?  

Learn Play Imagine put together a simple Make Believe Snow Cone Stand using whole food purees, offering both creative play and a healthy treat.  

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button." 

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These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)

* Rachel & Holly : Quirky Momma

* Jillian: A Mom With a Lesson Plan

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

By linking up you give us permission to grab a picture and feature you here, on a site we write for, on FB or Pinterest.   If we share your link, we will always credit you, send people to your original post and use only ONE photo.

100 Days of Play Presents: Ice & Lava Sensory Baths

Have you been following the 100 days of play?  If not, it's not too late to start.  This terrific blog hop has been put together by Sun Scholars and Life at the Zoo in order to inspire and challenge you to spend more time playing with your child(ren).

For my day of play I'm sharing one of my son's favorite activities: shaving cream in the bath.  He would do this every day if he could.  Our last round consisted of creating an ice bath one day and a lava bath another.

All you need for either bath are shaving cream and food coloring.  The shaving cream I purchased at the dollar store.

 For ice, mix blue food coloring with the shaving cream.  

Add some blue coloring to the bath water then let them go wild with the water and the shaving cream.

 My son, splashed around in the "cold" water.  He often wears goggles so he doesn't get water in his eyes.  

After playing with the shaving cream, the residue floats around in the water.  My son thought it looked like snow.  He's pretending he's "frozen".

My son does his own thing but you could add Arctic/Antarctic animals to your bath.  If you have easy access to foam sheets, cut some irregular shapes from white foam, creating icebergs for the animals to float on.  If it's a hot day, add some ice to help them truly cool down.    

Of course after taking a "cold" bath, the next night my son wanted to take a "hot" bath.  He asked me to make him some lava.  I mixed red and yellow food coloring into the shaving cream.  More red, then yellow.  

I also added red and yellow color  to the bath.  

It wasn't long before he painted himself with the lava.  

He had some dinosaurs join him in his lava bath, but my son is a fickled one.  He wouldn't let me take any more pictures.  His dinosaurs got very clean that night though.  

Now go, have a bath!  What will your kids imagine the shaving cream to be?  

And don't forget to check out the 100 Days of Play Blog Hop!  Take the challenge.  There's still plenty of time.  

100 Days of Play Blog Hop

Sharing simple ideas on how to connect with your children through play!

New ideas shared each day from 4/1 - 7/20.  

Help us spread the word!

Grab a Button to Share on your Blog!

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100 Days of Play is brought to you by these wonderful bloggers

SunScholars . Frogs, Snails & Puppy Dog Tails . Playful Learners . Train Up a Child . Fantastic Fun & Learning . Scribble, Doodle & Draw . Learn. Create. Love. . Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas .Nothing if Not Intentional . My Little 3 & Me . Buggy & Buddy . Sun Hats & Wellie Boots .Twodaloo . True Aim . The Educators' Spin On It . Blog Me Mom . Life At The Zoo . Putti's World .Kitchen Counter Chronicles . Triple T Mum . Busy Kids Happy Mom . Crystal's Tiny Treasures .Rainy Day Mum . Momma's Fun World . My Little Bookcase . Craftulate . One Perfect Day .MumCentral . Artchoo! . Creative World Of Varya . Simple. Home. Blessings. . JDaniel4's Mom .NurtureStore . Me & Marie Learning . Child Central Station . Mamas Like Me . Mama Miss. Making Boys Men . Powerful Mothering . Craft to Art . 3 Dinosaurs . Domestic Goddesque .Lessons Learnt Journal . Royal Baloo . Smiling Like Sunshine . Adventures at Home with Mum .B-Inspired Mama . PragmaticMom . Eazy Peazy Mealz . Gluesticks . TheBoy&Me . Learning is Messy . My Nearest & Dearest . Growing Book by Book . How to Run a Home Daycare . Here Come the Girls . Think Magnet . Dandelions Picked . 123 Homeschool 4 Me . Our Ordinary Life .Parenting with Professor Poppins . 2 Little Hooligans . Fun-a-Day! . The Non-Martha Mamma .Angelique Felix . My Very Educated Mother . Creative Playhouse . Go Explore Nature . Zing Zing Tree . Sense of Wonder . Childhood 101 . Crayon Freckles . KZ & Me . Serenity You . This Mumma's Life . Leapfrog & Ladybugs . Blue Bear Wood . Growing Together . KC EDventures .Mommy Lessons 101 . Nature & Play . Like Mama Like Daughter . Mums Make Lists . From Wine to Whine . Messy Kids . Babble Dabble Do . Sugar Aunts . Teaching @ Home . Preschool Powol Packets . Clothed in Love . Curiosity Creates . The Magnolia Barn . Strong Start . Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide . Learn with Play at Home . Mummy... Mummy... MUM! . Science Sparks. Toddler Approved . Thrive 360 Living . Rockabye Butterfly . Mud Hut Mama . Coffee Cups & Crayons . Playing with Words 365 . My Lil Love Bugs . Creative Connections for Kids . LalyMom .Love, Play, Learn . Kindergarten & Preschool for Parents & Teachers . The Pleasantest Thing .Teach Beside Me 

Brrrrrrrrr! Fun in the Cold on It's Playtime

I live in San Diego.  A half an hour west and I hit the beach.  A half an hour east (with some rain and some luck) and I'll be in the snow.  It's fun for us because we don't have to scrape our cars, shovel the sidewalks, or drive in it.  When the snow arrives, we drive to the mountains, park the car, and enjoy a couple of hours sledding, building snowmen, and wishing we had snow clothes warmer then jeans and sweatshirts.  The downside?  We don't get to try any of these fun ideas found on last weeks It's Playtime.   

Ok, technically we could go on a Jewel Hunt like this one shared by Days In With The Kids.  But it wouldn't be nearly as fun without the snow and the jewels would be small puddles by the time we finished.  

Of course we could try these larger Ice Jewels posted by Fireflies and Mud Pies...they'd make larger puddles.

MamaPapaBubba shared their Snow Spray Painting.  This is an activity that I've seen and have always wanted to try.  I know my son would LOVE it, as would I.  I think it would be funny to spray a bunch of snow yellow and eat it in front of other people.  "Oh this snow is so fresh and cold!"

Making Boys Men shared their Frost Writing.  Finally a cold, icy activity we CAN do.  Believe it or not it freezes in San Diego (lately we've had a lot).  My kids love to write on the car before heading off to school.

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

 

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Rachel & Holly : Quirky Momma
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

Ice Painting with Kool-Aid

Recently I shared our Kool-Aid Ice Play using frozen Kool-aid and paper towels to create some messy art and play.  Soon after that, my son asked to play with Kool-aid ice again.  I didn't have any cubes prepped so I took what we had and changed it up a bit.        

I placed a sheet of construction paper onto a cookie sheet.  My son loves orange so he always chooses that color.  Then we carefully sprinkled several colors of Kool-aid over the paper.  I let Michael help me with this as it's a good way to teach control.  

Then I gave him an ice cube.  He moved it around the page leaving wet and colorful trails as he did.  

But Kool-aid painting isn't just about what's on the paper.  It's the whole sensory experience!  He had to check out what was on the ice...

then of course he had to taste it...

and stick his fingers into the powder to taste that too.   

Once everything was touched and tasted, he was done.  For my son, as it is with many kids, especially boys, art is about the experience rather then the product (process art).  Michael could care less about what he created; for him it was all about playing and tasting ice and Kool-aid.    

Kool-Aid Ice Play

We know how much fun Kool-Aid can be when it comes to art.  Bloggers have shared everything from painting to tie dying with the stuff.  We've even used it to create Art in the Rain.  But in this summer heat why not freeze the Kool-Aid for some cool, ice painting?  Take it outdoors and enjoy the fun!    

 Set a bowl of frozen cubes out for the children to explore.  Instead of paper, I gave them paper towels for creating their works of art.  They absorb more then paper, plus construction paper tends to shred when it's wet.  You could also use coffee filters.

 "It's cold!"  

This is a great project for little ones on a warm day.  Not only is it good sensory art, but this "paint" is safe for them to put in their mouths.  If you're concerned about germs, give them each separate bowls and keep a close eye on them.

As the ice melts, it creates a unique blend of colors.  Leave the paper towels to dry and you have a colorful work of art. 


What You'll Need:

• Several flavors of Kool-Aid (desired colors).  You'll want to buy the cheap packets without sugar, not the canisters.  
• Water
• Sugar (optional)
• Ice cube tray or small dixi cups with popsicle sticks
• Absorbant paper towels  

To Create Kool-Aid Ice Paint:

• Mix packets of Kool-Aid with water.  You can add the amount suggested on the package but I went with less.  Less water gives a more vibrant color.  
• You can add sugar (knowing the kids will eat it) but it may cause stickiness.  I left the sugar out thinking they would taste the cubes and not want to eat them.  I was wrong.  Kids are not afraid of tart ice cubes!  
• Pour mixture into ice cube trays or small dixi cups.  You can add a popsicle stick, creating a handle for the paint.  My group of kids could have cared less.  
• Freeze
• Once frozen, pop those suckers out of the tray and enjoy the messy fun!  

It's Playtime: Keeping Cool & Having Fun

I know some of you are in the midst of winter, but here in Southern California, it's summer at it's finest.  Not it's hottest yet, that's sometime between August and October (yes, October, usually around Halloween!), but still hot enough to avoid the outdoors after 10 a.m.  Knowing I am not that only one attempting to beat the heat and keep my kids away from the T.V. I am dedicating this weeks It's Playtime to activities that will keep us cool while having fun.

My kids are always asking for Slurpees and slushies in the summer to keep them cool.  Well now we can make our own Healthy Slushy thanks to We-Made-That.com.  She includes the recipe for a yummy strawberry or blueberry slushy.    

Happy Little Messes made Frozen Tempera for a creative, outdoor, art experience.  

Do you have any of those cool floor puzzle alphabet pieces?  Take them outside and add water for some Alphabet Water Tracing fun!  Thanks to Crafts-N-Things for children for sharing this repurposing idea with us.

Playdough to Plato shows us how to recycle and have a bit of water fun with their Junk Boats.  

OK, one more!  There were so many good posts this week it's hard to stop.  Check out the Ice Balloons over on Sugarsnips for some cooling sensory fun.

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

  

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Anna : The Imagination Tree
* Rachel : Quirky Momma
* Jamie : hands on : as we grow
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.