Hanging Balloon Painting

It was Little B's 2nd birthday so we had balloons around. 

I hung some up under the deck stairs outside to let the boys paint them with washable paint. 

They had SO MUCH FUN with this! Not only did they paint the balloons, but there was lots of spinning, batting, kicking, punching...it ended up to be a gross motor activity for sure. 

At first Little B was frustrated because the balloon kept moving away from him when he tried to paint it (which was really funny to watch actually lol) He figured out how to get a good grip on it while bending over to get the paint and then keep a hold of it while painting. Toddler problem solving! 

L liked to get a bunch of paint on his hand and then spin the balloon to completely cover it with paint. 

By the end, they looked like this...which is pretty much the norm around here.

Although that red all over is a bit unnerving haha! :)

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Homemade Washable Face Paints

The boys had so much fun painting their faces (and arms..and legs..and feet) with very

  easily washable face paint 

Recipe for Washable Face Paints

Baby Lotion + Washable Paint (liquid or powdered tempura works too) 

+ Dishwashing Soap   (and it isn't an exact science) 

OR 

2 tablespoons Cold Cream + 4 tablespoons Cornstarch + Washable Paint 

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I've tried both and they both work great! If you go with the 2nd recipe, just buy the cheaper generic white cold cream. Pictured below is the first recipe.  I put some lotion into each bowl, added a 1/2 teaspoon or so of powdered tempura paint, and 1 squirt of dish soap then stirred. If your going to use liquid tempura or washable paints such as Crayola, there won't be much difference in texture except maybe it wont be as thick. You can add a bit of cornstarch to thicken if needed. It can be easily removed with soap and water, just try to keep it away from the eyes. It's not tear free.

I set the boys up outside with their own mirrors and and brushes. My oldest was fine with the instruction to keep it out of his eyes, but I kept a closer watch over little B. 

   A beautiful mess!

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Concoctions and Potions Themed Birthday Party

I threw a "Concoctions and Potions" themed party for L and B's joint birthday party.
This party was so crazy simple to put together, but it turned out to be a HUGE hit!  It really was incredible how long the kids were into this activity..HOURS of mixing and pouring and creating their concoctions!

I raided my sensory collection and kitchen 
for all the concoction ingredients such as 
Colored and Scented Rice
Colored and Scented Epsom Salt
Waterbeads
Shredded Paper
Coffee Grinds and Coffee Beans
Koolaid Colored Ice Cubes
Glitter
Dry Beans
Dry Noodles

About an hour into the activity, I brought out the 
SECRET INGREDIENTS...
Baking Soda and Vinegar!
I put lots of baking soda into a big bowl and vinegar into squeezy bottles so when the kids added the baking soda to their concoctions and then squeezed in some vinegar, their concoctions bubbled and fizzed!
THIS WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE PARTY!


I made sure I laid out  lots of different sized bowls, cups, spoons,
measuring cups, droppers, pots and pans, etc.

Giving instead of receiving gifts
We started a new birthday tradition a few years ago where instead of party guests bringing gifts, I choose a charity close to our hearts and gently ask our guests to bring donations. This year we chose the non profit organization Art Feeds, which is a mobile arts program based out of Joplin, MO which brings fun and free art classes to elementary students and schools who have undergone trauma. I am always SO very impressed and thankful of how generous our party guests are each year with these donations! In the previous years we've asked for donations to The Northwest Arkansas Children Shelter and our local Animal Shelter. This is a tradition we have come to love and my oldest son is so amazing and thoughtful about it. We always talk about the charity we are giving to and I make sure he understands how important giving to their cause is.
 He has never complained about not receiving "gifts" at his party and he has come to love this tradition of giving instead of receiving :) It is a tradition we will no doubt continue!

To read more about Art Feeds, visit http://artfeeds.org/!

Here's the other themed birthday parties we've done in the past..

Messy Art Party
Pancake Themed Party

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Birthday Sensory Bin

I made a Birthday Sensory Bin as one of the homemade gifts for my son's 5th birthday.
I used rainbow rice mixed with confetti as the filler, and then threw in other dollar store birthday supplies.
It was so colorful, festive, and fun!

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