Super Baby Album

Posts Tagged ‘children’

Why camps? Camps activities are fun and entertaining so anybody can find needed and interesting sports and activities in the camps. 
The dull routine of everyday life can get to you sometimes. Computer games don’t entertain you anymore and you haven’t seen a good movie in ages. The answer to this would be some time spent engaging in summer camp activities. It is guaranteed to provide you with fun filled adventures and new experiences. If you’re a kid reading this now its time to show your parents what a bit of camp activities could do to benefit you.

Camp activities give your kids a chance to learn and develop new skills. Your kid will learn more about life than he/she would ever have imagined before. As tradition goes, there’s nothing like a trip into the outdoor world to act as a rite of passage. The idea is not just to learn stuff like which plants can make you itch but also other skills that stand you in good stead in the real world. A camp doesn’t have to be outdoors, though, and can come in a variety of forms. Depending on which type of camp you go to, you may encounter different kinds of camp activities.

The most popular type of camp is outdoor camping where kids will learn how to spend time in the wilderness. Valuable survival skills as well as many camp activities such as hiking, canoeing, mountain climbing, outdoor living, swimming, fishing and many more activities are taught at these camps. The valuable training, wealth of knowledge and the sense of responsibility would bring out the best in any youngster.

There are plenty of camps around the country to choose from. Camp activities depend on what area you want to focus on, whether it’s IT, outdoor camp activities, or filming. Children who want to increase their knowledge of a certain area may participate in camps that cater to those looking for camp activities in that field, for example, IT. These camps are usually held at universities and are staffed by well qualified professionals. The same pattern is followed at other types of summer camps. Also there are specialized camp activities available such as sports camps. For an example there are swimming camps that cater different levels of camp activities depending on your kids’ skill levels. Most swim camps are offered to youngsters who are looking to step up to the professional level.

So it is about time you let your kid enjoy his summer with an experience of a life time. Let him enjoy the wilderness and learn more with camp activities. Camp awaits!

As a parent it is important that we understand what potential problems our child has. I think that we would all agree that the majority of children have a certain amount of fears and anxieties. In this article, I write about the types of fears that this might be and about how we can help our children to cope and to get through life in the best possible and stress-free way.

I am by now a child social worker and what I write within this article is just my own personal opinion. I actually work within the stammering therapy industry; I am also involved with a DVD authoring company and with a group of cost reduction consultants.

The majority of children are more than capable of being able to pick up on the anxieties of their parents. Money is a perfect example; the child may have listened to its parents discussing their money worries, this can then potentially make the child start to become anxious about the family’s financial situation. I am a parent myself and try where possible to only discuss serious issues with my partner when the children are out or are asleep. I am quick to re-assure my own child if I am of the opinion that he has overheard a conversation that in truth I would have preferred he had not listened to.

Children may also worry that their parents may break up and that they will end up living apart. They will no doubt hear that this has happened to their friends and may wonder and stress about how their lives would change if this happened to them.

My children have told me that they worry and that they fear that one of their parents may die in the near future. It is quite difficult to explain to them that this is unlikely to happen as it obviously could. I try and laugh it off which may not be the best policy, by stating that I am still very young and that I have no plans to leave this planet in the near future. I explain to them the age that the average male will live to in our country and that normally, I hope, makes them feel better.

School can be another area of stress for some children. Will they be able to cope and understand the work? Will they be able to obtain a good examination mark and a good report? Will they be able to make their parents proud of them? I have told my own children not to worry about these issues and to just try their best.

Socialising and meeting friends can also bring its own tensions. I am sure that we all remember our own childhoods and the fact that we regularly break friends but that we normally, eventually, make up again. When friends fall out this can be a very stressful time for any child. When this happens to my children, I make a point of saying that it has been the fourth time in a month that you and Amy as an example, have had a falling out. Your sure to make friends again in the near future.

As children get a bit older there is then the challenge of meeting a member of the opposite sex. We all know the problems and strains that this can bring. At this time I think it is just a matter of being there for your children and getting them through these difficult years the best and easiest way possible.

Camps are very searched for today. Why camps and specifically wilderness camps?
In an inhospitable environment it is most productive to test your skills on survival and achieve the hidden satisfactions of the wilder side of yours. This is why the popularity of “wilderness camps” has come up in leaps and bounds over the years.
Forest camps, dancing camps and safari camps are some of the wilderness camps available.

Not only these wilderness camps provide a chance to get absorbed in to a thrilling experience, but also it will help to overcome depression and sadness. This could also resist ones drug addiction or any bad behaviors.
Wilderness survival camps will provide a chance to challenge your fears and overcome them within the matter of days. It is a powerful aggressive method of breaking the ice inside you. Not only that, it will also prepare your mind to work with the body in any sudden situation.
Living a neutral and a nice life in the community, music & dance admiring and complimenting the causes from others, team work and most importantly the humanity are several of very great qualities that will be highlighted in this kind of a wilderness camp. Not only that, these wilderness camps will help kids to get familiarized with the nature and kill the concept of “man Vs wild”.
There is a deffiniate fear amongst some parents in sending their kids to wilderness camps. Many of them still have the fear of the danger involved in such camping. But it could be rated as just the kind of a danger involved in any day to day life activity.
Although there have been some cases where kids were not taken fully care of and had to be paid off even with their lives at times, a proper wilderness camping would include immense training and experience to make sure the safest program is carried out. Parents will have to put a more effort in finding the correct wilderness camp with experience and quality.
To make a brave child it is more than likely that a wilderness camp will be the fewer options available. Your child will be able to confront many obstacles coming ahead in the future. Help your child to become a better citizen by enrolling to the next summer wilderness camp in your state, after all it will give you satisfaction to see your kid do well.

There are many various camps like different parents, kid, {juniors and adults (camps are not just for kids!)with various needs and demands} for services and programs in camps. What are the tennis camps? 
To keep you healthier in both mental and physical aspects, tennis is considered to be one of the better sports. It is common that many people play this wonderful and great game not only as professionals, but also as people who love to live healthier and happier.
To achieve their goals in the game of tennis by handling the racket properly and controlling the ball, many Americans have turned towards tennis camps all over USA. Some wants to learn the bits and pieces of tennis, while others are trying to lay a foundation for a firm tennis career.
Starting their journey with a well reputed tennis camping provider would be important for a kid. Junior summer camps, junior day camps and also overnight camps which will provide some enjoyments in the evening are some of the kinds of crash courses available across USA.
These tennis camps will guide each and every individual according to his/her plans. A grading will be given to each player according to his/her performance. This way the players will understand where they are now and how much effort they need to put in.
Not only the junior tennis camps, there are loads of programs for the young and middle aged adults as well. These are more in to physical fitness boosting than to building up a career. These will help boost up ones physical fitness and be a better athlete in any other sporting activity.
It will give you a chance to be more active in the daily chores while making yourself relaxed. It will also teach you to become a better mannered citizen and that of a productive one for the country.
With all the online help available, finding a tennis camp should not be a harder task. Most of these camps do provide information on a personal website or through the state’s sporting council. You can also make a simple online search through a sporting directory which will then guide you to a tennis camp.
Do not waste your time anymore, make next vacation a productive one. Enjoy your time being at a tennis camp and make yourself healthy and happy.

Not forgetting your daily medication that must be taken,  bipolar support groups allow those who share a common diagnosis or interest to gather for a common purpose. The main idea of these people  coming together is to share ideas on how to cope, and offer emotional support.  Most support groups are usually administered by someone who has some experience in these kinds of dialogue, but this must not dishearten you because it is not an important factor. To come together to just SHARE IDEAS. With the right tool you as a mother or a patient can form a bipolar support group and help those that are interested.

Finding Suitable Place

In your garage, a hall or even inside your house, every group must have a place to meet and available when you as a group need it. Another important factor here is that it must be comfortable. Sitting in a circle rather than a church style setup is your ideal sitting set up.

Rules to be followed

You as a group can make your own rules as a group, but here are some that you can begin with:

Confidentiality: everything shared inside MUST stay inside.

No other sources: quoting from the bible or famous people must not be allowed into your meetings and everything shared must be from personal experience.

No preaching: words such as “don’t do that”. “don’t do this,”must not be allowed.

Offer suggestions: it is good to offer suggestions with all suggestions be from personal experience like; Use non threatening suggestion I went through the same experience and I did this or my child had that same thing and I did this.

No gossip: If you don’t allow anything to get out, you must not allow anybody to drag somebody’s name down in these meetings.

JUST LISTEN: Most would come to a meeting not to have their problem solved but to have an opportunity to share all  their  frustrations in their everyday life with bipolar victims.

Primary Goal

The primary goal of most bipolar support groups is to ensure that no one living with bipolar disease or this mental condition feel alone again, while at the same time providing important emotional support. Improving the physical health and well being of those taking part, support groups are more than just a safety net for patients or caregivers.

Other Functions

In some places bipolar support groups, also called special interest groups (SIG), form an integral part for many health organizations and a critical foundation for those trying to cope with the disorder. Support groups help fill the emptiness between medicine and the daily everyday struggles.  It generally helps patients to cope and also serve as educators and inform about the new advancements in bipolar treatment or therapies available.

Online bipolar support groups

Many have found online support a great help, with modern technologies at our doorsteps. This online support network is ideal for those living in very remote areas or those who are scared of leaving the security of their homes. This online support can be a backup to the already existing bipolar support groups in the community.

I have two children and even though I love them to bits, I have to say that at times they need motivating to do their homework or to help out around the house, for example. This article describes how I go about this child motivation. The methods have helped my own children no end and I am sure they could help other parents in a similar situation.

Now I do not work with children and therefore would certainly not class myself as any sort of expert. I am a speech coach by day helping people that have a stuttering problem to achieve fluency. I also work on various other projects including helping a company that offer a DVD duplication and also within the fostering services UK sector.

I remember when I met my step-daughter, she was five years of age and quite a character. I felt a bit sorry for her however as she spent a lot of time at a childminders. The childminder would take her and pick her up from school. On some days her mother would not be able to collect her until around 8pm.

After a few months of dating her mother, I offered to help out by stating that I could take her to school and pick her up. My step-daughter said that she wanted me to do this and it was all agreed.

Up to this point she had never really been made to do her homework, either by her mother who was very busy and often tired or by the childminder.

When we arrived home from school on the first day of me picking her up, I asked her if she had any homework. She passed me her reading folder. In the folder was a book which she was supposed to read. OK; we can read the book together; I suggested. Mummy does not make do any homework, she replied. I stated to her that that was the past and that from now on she would be doing it.

My step-daughter had a bit of strop and started to cry. Your not my dad, you can not make me do it, she continued. I basically had to be very strong and made her read the book. There were a number of words which she could not read and I wrote them on a list. We then spent around ten minutes where I attempted to teach her the words. This happened to be oh so boring as she told me in no uncertain terms.

I then told her that we would now play a game, which is called the mouthing game. She would pick a word from the list and just mouth the word without making a sound. If I could guess what she had mouthed, she would get a point and then it would be my turn.

She really enjoyed this game and on the way home from school on the next day, she asked if we could play the game again. Of course we can but we need to read the book first, I said. She replied that this was fine. This is one example of many games we play when doing homework or any other task which the children see as mundane.

I also compliment both children and tell them how much I love and am proud of them at regular intervals. I give them rewards when they have a good school report and encourage them to always give things ago even if they believe that they might fail in the specific task. In my opinion there is no such thing as failure if you have tried your best.

Here are a dozen play-time ‘recipes’ to help keep your children entertained on school holidays or rainy days.  Learn how to make homespun goop, papier mâché, cinnamon ornaments, soap crayons and much more. Pull out this printed article and stick it on your fridge – it will be one of your best weapons against the ‘boredom’ gremlins!

Washable window paints
A selection of tempera paints (powdered or premixed)
Clear dishwashing liquid
Mix powdered paints with dishwashing liquid until they resemble house paint. Line the window sashes with masking tape and spread newspaper under the window area to protect flooring. To erase paint or touch up mistakes just wipe paint away with a dry paper towel.

Home-made coloring books

Go online and download a dozen or so coloring book pages and collate them into a coloring book. Put this aside for rainy days or for long car/train/plane journeys. Little girls love to color images from fairy tales and of Princesses while boys prefer images of cars and trucks and of favorite characters such as Pokemon’s Pikachu. At sites like Pokemon Coloring Pages you’ll find  an array of Pokemon printables

Cinnamon ornaments
3/4-1 cup applesauce
1 (4.12-oz.) bottle of ground cinnamon
Mix applesauce with cinnamon to form a stiff dough. Roll out to a thickness of 5mm. Cut out a shape with the cookie cutter and make a hole for the ribbon using the end of a drinking straw. Carefully put this aside to dry for several days – turning occasionally. This recipe makes 12 sweet smelling ornaments/drawer scenters.

Goop

2 packets of cornflour
2 cups of water
Several drops of food colouring

Place newspaper or plastic sheets on your work surface. Mix the ingredients in a large bowl. Children love goop’s squeezy and squishy consistency. You can also use black or coloured paper to make goop paintings that are very different – if you wish. To remove goop from carpets, allow it to dry, then brush vigorously or vacuum. The great thing about goop is that it may be re-used after it has dried out. Crumble it into a powder then restore it to its original consistency by adding water a tablespoonful at a time.

Funny putty
2 tablespoons of white glue
1 tablespoon of liquid starch
Food colouring
Mix glue together with the desired food colour. Pour starch over top. Swish so that all the glue is covered. Let set 5 minutes. Squeeze off extra starch and knead until mixed.

Bubbles
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of glycerine
2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap
Mix water, glycerine and soap. Pour in sugar. Add food colouring if desired.

Papier mâché

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
1/2 inch strips of newspaper
Balloon/s

In a large bowl, mix flour and water – add more flour is mixture is too sloppy (dripping). Place newspaper strips into mixture, then smooth onto blown up balloon. Cover the balloon completely twice, letting it dry in between layers. Do not cover the balloon’s knot. Dry in a nice, warm place for two or three days… then hold the knot and pop the balloon with a pin. Paint, glitter and decorate the balloon as is or cut in half so you have a bowl/hat shape to embellish.

Modelling/play dough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
water
food colouring

Mix the ingredients and knead to a dough consistency. Place the dough artwork in the oven on a low heat to speed up the drying process.

Soap crayons

1 3/4 cups of soap flakes

50 drops food colouring
1/4 cup water

Mix water and soap flakes together. Add food colouring and put mixture into an ice cube tray. When hardened, pop the ‘ice cubes’ out. These soap crayons are fun to write with on the tub and tiles during bath time. If grouting stains – make sure to spray with a weak solution of bleach.

Sand dye

Fine sand

Water

Food colouring

Paper cups

Plastic spoons

Fill paper cups half full with sand. Next, add water to cups to completely cover sand. Add food colouring to get the desired colour. Stir thoroughly with a plastic spoon and let set for 15 minutes. Pour off water, spoon sand onto paper towels and spread the sand out to dry. Use sand to make pictures (spread glue on paper and sprinkle sand on top) or to fill pretty bottles in layers.

Cornstarch Art/Finger-paint

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

2 drops of dishwashing liquid

1 cup boiling water

Food colouring

Combine cornstarch and cold water – stir until smooth. Add dishwashing liquid. Pour boiling water into the bowl and stir until the mixture thickens. Add food colouring and then set aside to let it cool. Use as you would finger paint.

Puffy Paint

Flour

Salt

Water

Tempera paint

Mix equal parts of flour, salt and water in a bowl. Add a small amount of tempera paint to the mixture and pour into a small plastic squeezy bottle. Repeat this over and over to make as many colours as you wish. Squeeze this onto heavy paper or cardboard to make crazy designs. This mixture will harden into puffy shapes.

Colourful Salt

1/2 cup salt

5 to 6 drops of food colouring

Add food colouring to salt. Stir it well. Cook this in a microwave oven for 1-2 minutes or spread on waxed paper and let salt air dry. Store in an airtight container and use whenever you please, just as you would glitter.

The average child spends 900 hours in school per year and a staggering 1,023 hours in front of a television. In fact, most children plug into the varied world of television way before they even enter school and when they do, statistics show that 70% of child-care centers use television during a typical day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children watch around four hours of television a day. The AAP guidelines however, state that children older than 2 should watch no more than one to two hours a day of quality programming. Further, children under age 2 should have no ‘screen time’ whatsoever (that’s no TV, DVDs, computers or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, television can get in the way of exploring, learning and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which helps the young develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally.

While there are many entertaining and educational experiences for children to have on ‘screens’, it is important to keep in mind what children need at different ages for their healthy development. So, how much time is okay?

• Children under 2 years – very little time, preferably none.
• Preschoolers – an hour of age-appropriate programmes a day is plenty.
• Children 5 to 8 years – an hour a day maximum.
• Children over 8 years – an hour and a half to a maximum of two hours a day is acceptable.

To follow these guidelines means that your children have the time and opportunity to build strong bonds with real and caring people, have time for active physical play and ‘hands-on’ activities of all kinds.

Therefore, plan what you watch and limit your child to the amount watched each day. Decide together what programs will be watched and only have ‘the box’ on then, rather than on all the time. This teaches children to think, to plan, to make choices and allows time for them to do other things important for their development.

Other issues to be aware of or implement include:

• Remember to lead by example – your child’s viewing habits may be copied from yours.
• Television viewing for a very young child should always take place in your company.
• Record programs so they can be played at a time that suits your family.
• Encourage children to talk about how they feel after watching a program.
• Play ‘spot the gimmicks and tricks’ when watching commercials.
• Decide on bedtime based on your child’s age, rather than the time a certain programme ends.
• Children need to relax and unwind between television and sleep, so turn the volume down or off before bedtime.
• Make television one of the many varied activities your children do – so organise outings, play-dates and activities for them that don’t involve ‘screens’. Fun arts and crafts such as coloring and drawing are always well received – especially if you join in – and especially if you choose coloring pages of a favourite character – so for example at sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Spongebob to color

Television has its advantages. It can be educational and entertaining. It can open up new worlds for kids, giving them the opportunity to virtually travel the globe and learn about different cultures. However, many pitfalls also exist; many children are exposed to violence, advertising and adult material that is not age appropriate.

Like maintaining a balanced diet or regular bedtime, establishing healthy television habits is one of the most important things you can do for your family.

The average child spends 900 hours in school per year and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a television.  In fact, most children plug into the world of television long before they even enter school and when they do, statistics show that 70% of child-care centers use television during a typical day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children watch around four hours of television a day. The AAP guidelines however, state that children older than 2 should watch no more than one to two hours a day of quality programming. Further, children under age 2 should have no ‘screen time’ whatsoever (that’s no TV, DVDs, computers or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, television can get in the way of exploring, learning and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which helps the young develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally.

While there are many entertaining and educational experiences for little ones to have on ‘screens’, it is important to keep in mind what children need at different ages for their healthy development. So, how much time is okay?

• Children under 2 years – very little time, preferably none.
• Preschoolers – an hour of age-appropriate programmes a day is plenty.
• Children 5 to 8 years – an hour a day maximum.
• Children over 8 years – maximum an hour and a half to two hours a day is acceptable.

To follow these guidelines means that your children have the time and opportunity to build strong bonds with real and caring people, have time for active physical play and ‘hands-on’ activities of all kinds.

Therefore, plan what you watch and limit your child to the amount watched each day. Decide together which programs will be watched and only have ‘the box’ on then, rather than just on all the time. This teaches children to think, to plan, to make choices and allows plenty of time for them to do other things important for their development.

Other issues to be aware of or implement include:

• Remember to lead by example – your child’s viewing habits may be copied from yours.
• Television viewing for a very young child should be in your company.
• Record programs so they can be played at a time that suits your family.
• Encourage children to discuss how they feel after watching a program.
• Play ‘spot the gimmicks and tricks’ when watching commercials.
• Decide on bedtime based on your child’s age, and not on the time a certain programme ends.
• Children need to relax and unwind between television and sleep, so turn the volume down or off before bedtime.
• Make television one of many activities your children do – so organise outings, play-dates and activities for them that don’t involve ‘screens’. Fun arts and crafts such as coloring and drawing are always well received – especially if you join in – and especially if you choose coloring pages of a favourite character – so for example at  sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Spongebob and Patrick coloring

Television has its advantages.   It can be educational and entertaining. It can open up new worlds for kids, giving them the opportunity to virtually travel the globe and learn about different cultures.  However, many pitfalls also exist; many children are exposed to violence, advertising and adult material that is not age appropriate.

Like maintaining a balanced diet or regular bedtime, establishing healthy television habits is one of the most important things you can do for your family.

Here are a dozen play-time ‘recipes’ to help keep your children entertained during the school holidays. Here you can learn how to make homemade goop, papier mâché, cinnamon ornaments, soap crayons and much more besides. When the kids say, “I’m bored!”, print this article and stick it on your fridge – it will be one of your best weapons against the ‘boredom’ gremlins!

Washable window paints
A selection of tempera paints (powdered or premixed)
Clear dishwashing liquid
Mix powdered paints with dishwashing liquid until they resemble house paint. Line the window sashes with masking tape and spread newspaper under the window area to protect flooring. To erase paint or to touch up any mistakes, just wipe the paint away with a dry paper towel.

Home-made coloring books

Go online and download a dozen or so coloring book pages and collate them into a coloring book. Put this aside for rainy days or for long car/train/plane journeys. Little boys love images of cars and trucks while little girls prefer coloring book pictures of fairytales and princesses. At sites like Pokemon Coloring Pages you’ll find many Pokemon coloring

Cinnamon ornaments
3/4-1 cup applesauce
1 (4.12-oz.) bottle of ground cinnamon
Mix the applesauce with cinnamon to create a stiff dough. Roll out to 5mm thickness. Cut out a shape with the cookie cutter and make a hole for the ribbon using the end of a drinking straw. Carefully put aside to dry for several days – turning occasionally. This recipe makes 12 sweet smelling ornaments/drawer scenters.

Goop

2 packets of cornflour
2 cups of water
Several drops of food colouring

Place newspaper or plastic sheets on your work surface. Mix the ingredients in a large bowl. Children love goop’s squishy consistency. You can also use coloured or black paper to make goop paintings if you wish. To remove goop from carpets, allow it to dry, then brush vigorously or vacuum. The great thing about goop is that it may be re-used after it has dried out. Crumble it into a powder then restore it to its original consistency by adding water a tablespoonful at a time.

Funny putty
2 tablespoons of white glue
1 tablespoon of liquid starch
Food colouring
Mix glue together with the desired food colour. Pour starch over top. Swish it about so that all the glue is covered. Let set 5 minutes. Squeeze off extra starch and knead until mixed.

Bubbles
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of glycerine
2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap
Mix water, glycerine and soap. Pour in sugar. Add food colouring if desired.

Papier mâché

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
1/2 inch strips of newspaper
Balloon/s

In a large bowl, mix flour and water – add more flour is mixture is too sloppy (dripping). Place newspaper strips into the gooey mixture, then smooth onto blown up balloon. Cover the balloon completely twice, letting it dry in between layers. Do not cover the balloon’s knot. Dry in a warm place for 2-3 days then hold the knot and pop the balloon with a pin. Paint, glitter and decorate the balloon as is or cut in half so you have a bowl/hat shape to embellish.

Modelling/play dough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
water
food colouring

Mix the ingredients and knead to a dough consistency. To speed up the drying process, place the dough artwork in the oven on a low heat.

Soap crayons

1 3/4 cups of soap flakes

50 drops food colouring
1/4 cup water

Mix water and soap flakes together. Add food colouring and put mixture into an ice cube tray. When hardened, pop the ‘ice cubes’ out. These soap crayons are fun to write with on the tub and tiles when bathing. If grouting stains, spray with a weak solution of bleach.

Sand dye

Fine sand

Water

Food colouring

Paper cups

Plastic spoons

Fill paper cups half full with sand. Next, add water to cups to completely cover sand. Add food colouring until you get the desired colour. Stir with plastic spoon and let set for 15 minutes. Pour off the water, spoon sand onto paper towels and spread the sand out to dry. Use sand to make pictures (spread glue on paper and sprinkle sand on top) or to fill pretty bottles in layers.

Cornstarch Art/Finger-paint

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

2 drops of dishwashing liquid

1 cup boiling water

Food colouring

Combine cornstarch and cold water – stir until smooth. Add dishwashing liquid. Pour the boiling water into the bowl and stir well until the mixture thickens. Add food colouring and let cool. Use as you would finger paint.

Puffy Paint

Flour

Salt

Water

Tempera paint

Mix equal parts of flour, salt and water in a bowl. Add a small amount of tempera paint to the mixture and pour into a small plastic squeezy bottle. Repeat this over and over to make as many colours as you wish. Squeeze onto heavy paper or cardboard to make designs. Mixture will harden into puffy shapes.

Colourful Salt

1/2 cup salt

5 to 6 drops of food colouring

Add food colouring to salt. Stir well. Cook in the microwave for around 1-2 minutes or spread on waxed paper and let the salt air dry. Store in an airtight container and use as you would glitter.