Quick, Time Kill Activities

Ok it's HOT in SB.  Am I complaining?  No, I love this kind of weather and it is pretty much 80% the reason why I moved from the East Coast to here (20% was based on the birth of my beautiful niece, Olivia and the need for a life change).   The problem with the heat is that the kiddos can get overly hot and cranky and while I would love to just sit on my deck with a margarita, read a book, get a tan, and enjoy the view, the kids need to do something that will not make them too hot, is still fun, and let's face it EASY for mommy.  Here are some of my go to activities for just these kinds of situations, nothing new and fancy just in case you just need a little reminder; I know I often forget things and then see someone else doing it and am like "oh yea"

• Milk Painting:  put milk in a larger shallow bowl (pie tin), drop in some food coloring in various places, dip a toothpick in dish soap, touch the color and VOILA  work of art begins.
• Water and Sand Table Play
• Home made Puffy Paint  (I found this on a blog, One Crafty Mumma)
• 1 tablespoon self-rising flour (different from just plain ol flour)
• a few little drops of food coloring
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Then add some water to make a nice smooth paste
• Paint onto cardboard
• Microwave for 10-30 seconds
• Paper Bag Puppets 
• Leaf Tracing  Remember elementary Art class?  Place paper on top of leaf and rub crayon over leaf to get the leaf outline...so easy can lead right into coloring!
• Bird Counting/Watching from the yard
• Coloring, but using more than crayons, glitter glue is a HUGE hit in out house and you can buy the big thick ones that are perfect for little hands,
  
• Homemade Band:  Old Bubble containers filled with beans or rice become shakers.  Decorate 2 paper plates, staple together, fill with beans/lentils, finish stapling and voila, tambourine; make a box into a drum
• BOXES....Any old box can become ANYTHING!  Flatten it out for a different type of drawing surface, make it into a car, plane, submarine, house...ENDLESS fun with boxes.