Super Easy Summer Craft For Kids~Paper Plate Fans

Summer Easy and Fun

Paper Plate Fans

I am dying in this heat!

Here in Ohio, the last three days have been above 90F.

I was not made for Winter...but this heat, no rain, no breeze is about to kill me.

I have this very persuasive four year old that is determined we are going to do a craft every day..Every. Single. Day. this week. OUTSIDE!

Yes, she is also very specific. 

So...an outdoor craft that is quick, easy, and...cheap!(saving up for my iced coffee!)

I jump over to my wonderful Pinterest board filled with tons of great ideas. Seriously, my biggest addiction next to my babies and coffee!

I found this craft...

over @ The Pinterested Parent

By the way...She is awesome! Check out her stuff! I have been following her for awhile and she always has something new.

These are so cute and easy to make.

The supplies are things you probably already have on hand. Bonus!

Supply List:

paper plates

popsicle sticks or "crafting sticks"

Elmer's glue or glue gun and sticks

crayons, paint or markers

scissors(my brain is melting. I just had to google...how to spell scissors!)

optional:

stickers, googly eyes, stencils, foam stamps...

Directions:

Cut plates in half(2 fans)

Decorate, design and embellish your half plate

If using paint or anything glued, wait until dried.

Glue 2 popsicle sticks into a "V"(wider is better) for gripping your fan/handle

Then glue the other 2 ends to the back of your "fan"

(press firmly)

Allow to dry

Fan away!!

So, I survived the heat and we got them all finished. I think we made about 8 in total. I even got the middle daughter to join in!

They turned out super cute and...very useful!

Now...fan mommy!

I hope you give these a try and always check back for more fun, cheap, easy crafts!

We have great ideas!

CoffeeWastedMomma kid craft ideas!

Happy July!

Share your fun ideas!

My Homemade Slime...FAIL! (How NOT to do it!)

The Slime Nightmare

Let me just begin by saying, I am not a scientist! I am however pretty confident in my creative, DIY, Pinterest, Momma skills...until now!

It started out great. Little E wanted to make "slime"(thanks to the annoying commercial/ads posted at the beginning of, every. single. Youtube. video!)

I began by doing a quick...Pinterest search of...

How to make homemade slime

Y'all, there are seriously 100s of recipes! With borax, without. Shampoo, dish soap, cornstarch, contact lens solution, Epsom salt, shaving cream, Elmer's glue, glitter, food coloring, liquid laundry detergent...it goes on and on!

Just look <<HERE>>

The biggest factors for me were: 

A) What is the safest for my four year old, and

B) which recipe do I have all the ingredients for.

We started out with the simplest one I found.

Slime with Cornstarch

1c water(heated but not boiling)

3to 4 drops of food coloring

(mix those together)

2cups cornstarch

(slowly add to water mixture)

slowly begin to "work" mixture with hands until cornstarch dissolves and mixture becomes..."slime"

Sounds pretty easy, right???

This has got to be in the top 10 of grossest, weirdest things I have ever put my hands into.

Seriously...I'm a Momma. I have kneaded bread, made meatloaf, touched poop, vomit, dirt and a few un-identifiable substances!

This was worse!

I have NO idea, WHAT we made!

It was not slime!

It kind of had the texture of chewed gum you'd find in your kid's pocket after the wash but before it has been heated and dried. Add in a little grit from the dirt and lint that is now wrapped up and became a part of it.

One more close up pic....

Now...On to recipe #2!

Or as I like to think...almost slime. 

Slime with Epsom salt and Glue

4Tsp Epsom salt

4Tsp warm water

(combine)

in a separate bowl

8Tbs Elmer's glue

food coloring(2 drops)

combine and add to Epsom salt mixture

Again, work mixture together with hands until "slime" is made

Now, This one started out great! We thought we had finally gotten it! Real slime!

We has all the ingredients.

We had done everything just like it said.

And the "slime" was actually starting to form and feel like slime!!

Although there seemed to be a ton of extra "blue water" that the glue just wouldn't soak up. No matter how much we dipped and tried to work it into our slime.

I let Little E give it a try...

She LOVED it....for about two minutes!

And then, I don't know if it was the air or just that we didn't get all that water absorbed but it started to harden.Like first into a putty texture, then a dry playdough...then just a big, dry, gritty blob...

Like the cotton candy that sits out and gets air!

Hard. as. a. rock.!!!

I have no clue what we are doing wrong!

Making slime cannot be this hard!

Have you ever tried either of these recipes?

What works best?

I'd love to know of one we can easily make that really...works!