My boys love dressing up and using their imaginations... so a few weeks ago, we had a Cowboy Day. These ideas would also be great for a simple DIY Cowboy Party.
We started by making some "Wanted" posters. I used my computer to make simple posters using pictures of the boys. If you were having a cowboy party, you could make posters using photos of all the party guests.
You can leave the posters "as is", or you an make them look older by ripping the edges, crumpling them up, dipping them in tea, and allowing them to dry completely.
We had some cowboy hats from the dollar store in our dress up box, but the boys wanted some cowboy belts, so we got creative with some old cereal boxes.
I cut out belts and buckles from a cereal box, and the boys used crayons and markers to decorate them. I taped the pieces together, and added slits on the ends so that the boys could easily put the belts on themselves.
We had a great day... and seriously.... don't my boys make the cutest cowboys?
I think this would be a great theme for a simple DIY birthday party. Doesn't everyone love pretending to be a cowboy?
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
Yesterday my boys and I had a "spy day", and today I am sharing all the fun DIY elements with you. I really enjoyed watching how engaged my boys were in all the fun activities I planned for them, and I hope you are inspired to plan a similar day with your little ones.
In the morning, when the boys came downstairs, they found a homemade dollar store spy kit, and a folder containing their "missions".
The missions (which you can download here) were as follows:
1) Conduct surveillance... using the surveillance worksheet you can download here.
2) Engage in a kitchen dance party... wearing disguises.
3) Navigate through a laser maze... which was made using red yarn and tape.
4) Write secret messages using lemon juice. (The messages were revealed when held over a lamp.)
5) Complete a scavenger hunt... which you can download here.
We had such a fantastic day "playing spies", and my boys are still playing with their spy kits. What do your kids love to "pretend to be"?
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
PS - Find another 5 SPY GAMES here.
Yesterday, we had snow day, so I let my boys decide how they wanted to spend their day at home. They decided we should have a special "Games Day".
Of course, we needed a special snack, so we made a domino cake. We started with a rectangle cake, frosted the cake with chocolate icing, and added some white Oreo cookies.
Then, we gathered a few of our favorite games. The boys chose Connect Four, Scrabble, Yahtzee, and Skipbo.
Finally, we did some simple decorating. We taped some playing cards to the windows, and we put our Twister mat on the table as a tablecloth. Cute, right?
I didn't go to a lot of work, but a few special touches made the day extra fun for my boys. We had a fantastic "Family Games Day".
What is your favorite game to play with your family?
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
In this house, we love Dr. Seuss. The combination of rhyming and silliness is simply irresistible. So, a couple of days ago, we gathered up some of our favorite books and had some Dr. Seuss inspired fun!
THE CRAFT: We started out by making some "Cat in the Hat" hats. To make the hats:
1) Cut a circle out of the center of a paper plate.
2) Tape the ends of two pieces of card stock together. Then, have the kids color stripes onto the paper.
3) Tape the ends of the paper together (to form a cylinder), and attach it to the paper plate with tape.
THE SNACK: For a snack, we made these simple "green eggs" {from "Green Eggs and Ham"}.
To make the eggs:
1) Melt white chocolate chips in a bowl. (1-2 minutes in the microwave on 50% power)
2) Use a squeeze bottle filled with white chocolate to make an "egg" shape onto a sheet of wax paper.
3) Give the wax paper a gentle shake to smooth out the chocolate, add a green Smartie, and allow to cool completely. (Special thanks to Little Warriors for the snack time inspiration.)
THE LUNCH: For lunch we had "Grinch" juice (milk with green food coloring) and "One Fish Two Fish" Sandwiches.
We had a great day reading, crafting and eating. Thank you, Dr.Seuss! :-)
♥
