Ever since I first ran across the idea of "soups" on Teach Preschool's amazing blog, we've been hooked!  We've shared our Googly Eye Soup and our Valentine's Day Soup here on the blog, and now we have added a new favorite to the repertoire - Polka Dot Soup. 

I love the bright little pops of color!

And grabbing them is great fine motor practice!

The polka dots spin and whirl if you rapidly stir them.

And they're even great for practicing color theory.  :)

Plus it takes about 2 minutes to make.  Total.  Win.

To make polka dot soup, you'll need:

Bingo Chips

Water

Miscellaneous kitchen supplies

We love playing with bingo chips - they are a fun sensory experience by themselves (one of X's favorite things to scoop and dump), they are great for practicing counting and/or sorting, and they are fun for making art - either on regular paper or on contact paper.

Please note that they do pose a choking risk - so they are not for children who are still mouthing.  If your child is too young, or if you don't want to buy bingo chips, circles cut out of foam sheets make a great substitute (just be sure to cut circles that are big enough to not pose a choking risk!).

If you liked this, be sure to check out our Polka Dot Slime!

Follow along with Fun at Home with Kids on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest or Subscribe by Email or Bloglovin'!

All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children.  As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family.  I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies).  Observe caution and safety at all times.  The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

I am SUPER excited to report that I have finished writing the first draft of the Fun at Home with Kids book (due out this November!), so I am back to regularly posting!  Thanks for bearing with us through the past few quiet weeks. :)

I've been waiting to share this new activity we invented with you all - we love it so much!!!!!  And when I say we, I literally mean all of us - even Grandma and Grandpa!  Our salt sculptures are just TOO much fun to paint.  Though one or two were painted by S, most were collaborative pieces by 4 or even 5 of us at once.  They're kind of addictive, so it's good that they only cost around a dollar to make!!!

You can use anything as a mold for the salt sculptures - this was shaped by the bottom 2/3rds of one of our drinking glasses - but by far the easiest thing to use are those hard plastic sandcastle molds.  We found that the glass gripped the molded salt for a few hours even after we tipped it upside down, whereas the hard plastic sandcastle molds released the salt sculptures right away.

Any shape of sandcastle mold works - though the longer shapes are slightly less stable than the square shapes.

The square shaped sand castles are the hardiest.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

To paint the salt sculpture, we really recommend using liquid watercolors.  If you don't have some, you can mix up some diluted food coloring.  Though you can use a paintbrush to paint them, the bristles can disturb the salt a bit, so we recommend using eyedroppers if you can.

It's so beautiful to watch the color fan out through the salt!  We never tired of it!!!

To make your own salt sculptures, you'll need:

Some sort of mold (sandcastle, drinking glass, anything you can think of!)

Table salt

Water

Add 3 cups of salt and 3 teaspoons of water to a bowl.  Stir extremely well - every bit of salt should appear wet/crumbly.  If there is still dry salt, continue to stir.  It shouldn't be necessary to add more water, but if for some reason after a lot of stirring you still have dry patches of salt, add 1/4 teaspoon of water.  Once your salt is uniformly crumbly and damp, spoon or pour it into your mold and press hard to compact it.  Leave it in the mold for at least 12 hours (24 hours or more is best).  After that, you can flip it over and it should slide out of the mold.  Allow it to dry for an additional 12 or more hours (24 hours or more is ideal) after it's been removed from the mold.  Because it takes so much time to dry, I made these after the kids were asleep one night, and didn't mention it to them until they were ready (so they didn't get frustrated with the dry times).

Check that it is dry and solid to the touch before painting it with liquid watercolors (or dilute food coloring).  Before painting it, transfer it to a container or paint it in a spot where you can leave it to dry undisturbed for 12 or more hours.  Once painted, it will be very delicate until it dries once again and moving it by hand will result in a crumbled sculpture.  

Once it has completely dried, it is pretty solid.  I'm sure if you dropped it, it would shatter, but you can easily handle/move it.  You can keep the sculptures on display, or you can break them with a hammer or mallet and use the salt for sensory play or art!

Follow along with Fun at Home with Kids on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest or Subscribe by Email or Bloglovin'!

All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children.  As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family.  I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies).  Observe caution and safety at all times.  The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

For our final guest post, we have the talented Ana of Babble Dabble Do.  The beautiful projects and colors on Ana's site always bring a smile to my face.  Two of my favorite posts of hers are her Marbled Milk Paper and her Cosmic Suncatchers.  Be sure to check them out!

Thank you so much for letting me join in the fun (at home with kids) today, Asia! I am a long time fan of the amazing resource Asia has built here with her amazing blog and so happy to be a part of it for a day! I blog over at Babble Dabble Do and as an architect and furniture designer by trade, I am very passionate about introducing design to kids.

Before we get started I wanted to take a moment to ask what is design? I mean really, what is the difference between design and say, art? And why is that important for kids to understand? There are many definitions of what design is, but to me design is problem-solving. And better yet it's CREATIVE problem solving. Designers are faced with a challenge and try to solve that challenge in a way that addresses the concerns of everyone involved: users, clients, the public to name a few. Take a building for instance. An architect looks at all the needs and desires a client has and incorporates those along with structural information, materials choices, budgets, and the best part, aesthetics. Designers take functional needs, add in innovation, and then pepper on aesthetic value so that a product is not only useful but desirable. I could go on and on but the main reason I think kids should know about design is because it is an opportunity to incorporate problem solving skills with creative expression. Encouraging kids to think differently and to look at problems from multiple perspectives is a skill that will last them their entire life and goes way beyond just making things. Ready to start trying design projects with your kids? There are many, many design fields out there and for this round-up I’m going to introduce you to a few of them.

1. Architecture

First up is my favorite, of course, architecture. Architects design buildings. They design the exterior, interior, have a hand in the structural design for the building, and deal with clients directly. My father is an architect as well and I was drawing floor plans at age 8, laying out dream houses for myself! It was a hobby of mine, no joke!  We had fun with architecture in this project: Paper Houses. Included are 3 templates for printable paper houses your kids can make and decorate for a mini village!

2. Lighting

If I had to pick a runner up in design fields I love, it would be lighting design. I love playing with light. Many people don’t think much about the lighting around them but lighting can make a huge difference in whether you want to be in a space or not. And think about all the fun created with light at theme parks, stage performances, and civic spaces. We had fun with this easy lighting project that uses EL wire: DIY Lights. It looks much more complicated than it is, trust me!

3. Structures

While I’m on the subject of space, structural design is often overlooked as a design field because it is highly technical. That said, amazing structural design and innovation has made for some of the most memorable structures/buildings you know, think the Eiffel Tower, pyramids, and the Brooklyn Bridge. We had fun with structures using this simple activity: Wood & Clay Block Structures

4. Toys

Toy Design is forever popular. All those toys in the aisles at Target were designed by someone. Encourage your child to design their own toy with these easy to make Pieces Dolls. No sewing involved.

5. Product

If you think about it, every single product you come into contact with on a daily basis was designed. The next time your child is frustrated with a product, engage them in asking how they could improve it. Can they modify it to make it better? A very simple way to start asking these questions is to make a quill pen. It’s a great introduction to ergonomics.

6. Landscape

And what about the outdoors? Landscape design is burgeoning field as people discover how well planned landscapes can dramatically change people’s experiences of a building and space. The most famous landscape design in my opinion is Central Park in New York. It is a brilliant design for a lush getaway from city life in the very heart of the city itself. There are places for big groups to gather as well as small intimate spaces where you can literally feel alone for second in New York City. We tackled a sweet little landscape design project with this Insect Hotel. Make one to house all those insects that are vital to a healthy garden.

 

7. Jewelry

Jewelry design is a favorite of mine on Babble Dabble Do because what kid (and parent) doesn’t love glamming it up? Jewelry projects are small scale and very easy for kids to make. My favorite jewelry design project on Babble Dabble Do are these Polymer Clay Bracelets.

8.Textiles

Another career I briefly considered was textile design. All those beautiful fabrics used in fashion and decor are the product of textile designers' imaginations! Textile design ranges from weaving to printing, embroidery and more. Get your kids thinking about the possibilities of working with fabric with this easy project: Burlap Embroidery.

9. Graphics

Last up is graphic design. Graphic design usually involves the placement of text and images in print or online. I’m expanding that view to include bookmaking. We recently made these 3d Pop-Up Books which are a great way for kids to rethink what a book is and can be.

  

 

What do you think? Are you ready to encourage the designer in your child? Hop on over to Babble Dabble Do where we regularly post design projects for kids! Your child’s inner Charles and Ray Eames thanks you!

You can follow along with Babble Dabble Do on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram!

I am wrapping up the last of the Fun at Home with Kids book and should be back to posting next week!  Today we have Blog Me Mom guest posting.  She always has the most fun play recipes and the most beautiful art projects!  In addition to the posts below (many of which are on my favorites list), I also love her Fresh Flowers and Colored Sand sensory play and her Rainbow Rolling Pin Yarn Prints!

I'm so excited to be guest posting for the first time for my good blogging friend, Asia here. I have been a long time admirer of all her sensory play posts. We at Blog Me Mom are just as excited about sensory play as you folks here. Here are some favorite sensory play recipes from our blog!

Rainbow edible water beads

1 ingredient rainbow slime

Princess Snot

Chilled Play dough kids can make themselves!

Beach Dough

1 minute salt painting

 

Color changing goop

Rainbow Goop

Sudsy Goop

Silky Smooth Goop

Lemony Sudsy Eruptions

Rainbow Lemon Eruptions

Thanks for the opportunity to share our ideas with your readers.

If you'd like to follow along with Blog Me Mom, you can find them on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!

Next in our series of guest posts (as I finish the work on our Fun at Home with Kids book) is the lovely Kate from Picklebums. I first fell in love with Kate's site when I saw her free printable hexicards (below), but two of my other favorite posts of hers are her gorgeous post on chalk and loose parts and her amazingly fun looking sludge! Be sure to visit Kate's site - you will LOVE it!

Hi, I'm Kate, and I have an obsession with printables.

It all started back when I discovered digital scrapbooking and learned how to create digital scrapbook kits. Then I had twins, and then I two more babies, and for some reason I never find time to scrapbook these days. Instead, I fill the need to 'make stuff' by creating printables for my kids to play, and I share them on my blog, Picklebums.

My philosophy as a preschool teacher has always been 'learning through play', and that same ideal influences the printables I create. All of the free kid's printables on my blog are designed to inspire our children to play, explore and learn.

I hope you and your kids enjoy these playful printables as much as my kids do, and as much as I enjoy making them. 

Imaginative Play Mats

Add something new to your small world play with these one page printable play mats.

Design Your Own Play Money 

Playing shops? Print this blank play money and design your own currency!

Crazy Glasses 

Choose from four different shaped glasses and have fun decorating and wearing your crazy glasses.

Printable Roads

Do you have a car lover? Print them some roads!

Hexi Cards 

There are so many ways to play and learn with these simple coloured hexagons!

Design Your Own Masks 

Paint or colour these printable masks and add ears, or a hat to make them extra fun!

Five Little Duck Puppets

Sing your favourite ducky songs with these cute puppets.

Make a Crown 

You only need one piece of paper to make these crowns.

Space Crazy Play Dough Accessories

Lots of space characters and accessories to add to play dough or small world play.

Road Trip Drawing Prompts 

Going on a holiday? Need something to keep the kids busy in the car? Print these out.

An early childhood educator and Mum of four, Kate lives on a small property called ‘The Pickle Farm’ in rural Australia. Kate’s  blog, Picklebums, has articles about gentle parenting, family food, activities for kids, free printables and anything else that pops up in her crazy life.Read more about Kate's adventures on her blog Picklebums and you can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.