DIY Toy Catapult

What kid (or adult) doesn't love launching things through the air? This DIY TOY CATAPULT takes only minutes to put together and your kids will play with it for hours...days even! I love how kids naturally experiment while playing with this toy. Even as young as three, L was moving the can (the fulcrum) around, placing the balls in various slots, and went on to launch her toy parachute, as well as her shoes! So much fun!!!

Materials needed:

-yard stick

-can of food 

-egg carton

-scissors

-hot glue gun

-permanent markers (optional)

Things to launch:

-ping pong balls

-pom poms

-cotton balls

-DIY Pocket Parachute

-plastic figurines (fairies, dinosaurs, army men)

-marshmallows or cereal (to catch in one's mouth)

First, cut your egg carton in half.

Using a hot glue gun, glue the egg carton onto one end of your yard stick. (Don't worry...when your kids are done playing with their catapult, the egg carton and glue should peel right off the yard stick! I take ours apart every time we're finished playing with it!)

Next, number your egg carton slots and your ping pong balls. This step is optional, but it makes it easy to keep track of what ball goes the farthest and which slots you're putting things into...especially if you're launching multiple balls at once!

The set-up of your catapult is easy...just place the can on it's side in the grass (keeps it from rolling) and place the yardstick on top. Fill the slots with your projectiles!

Now, time to play!!!

Launching balls...

 Parachutes...

 And L's shoes...

What will you all send flying through the air???

If your kids like the catapult, they'll definitely love making POCKET PARACHUTES...another "make something from nothing" craft! Enjoy!

Fairy Doors and Gnome Doors (#2)

After making a fairy door out of sticks and hiding it in our neighbor's garden last Summer, L and I thought we'd spread the fairy love a little farther this year...we've been making FAIRY DOORS and GNOME DOORS and hiding them all around town! It's so much fun surprising the young and the old -- just imagine the look on anyone's face when they're out in the garden and suddenly discover a teeny, tiny door that wasn't there before. Ha! These fairy doors are so simple to make and all you need is rocks, paint and clear sealant (which is optional). To draw a little more attention to the fairy doors, we like to leave a tiny button or painted rock trail as well. 

Materials needed:

-medium-sized rocks

-acrylic paints

-clear sealant spray (optional)

After cleaning any dirt off your rock, start by painting on a door. 

Next, add some windows, if you have room.

If adding any glitter paint, apply that next. We like to paint a little glitter over our windows.

Next, outline the door and windows carefully with black paint. Add a doorknob as well. 

Now for my favorite part, paint connecting black lines on the rock, resembling a stone wall.

If you'd like to add a flower pot or lil window box, add one now.

Finally, finish with some green vines, leaves, and flower details. 

Once all your paint is dry, you can spray the rocks with a coat of clear sealant to make the fairy doors even more weather resistant. Permanent paint usually doesn't wash away, but I always like to add a coat of sealant just in case.

Now for the real fun...time to hide your fairy doors and gnome doors. (Gnome doors go on trees, generally speaking.) 

I like making some of our fairy doors to resemble our neighbor's front porches and gardens...

Enjoy!!!

See also this DIY for fairy furniture!

Fairy Mud

I first saw a recipe for FAIRY MUD a year or two ago on a blog called Happy Hooligans. When L's cousins came over to play on a hot day last summer it was the perfect activity! Fairy Mud is just as much fun for the kids to make as it is to squish between your fingers and play with! With the temperatures rising and our fairy garden in full bloom, we'll be making it again this week! 

Materials needed:

-1 1/2 bars of soap

-2 rolls of toilet paper

-food coloring

-1.5 to 2 cups of WARM water

-glitter, sequins, buttons, jewels, flower petals

-cheese grater

-2 large bowls or tubs

First, grate the bars of soap into a large bowl. If you have older kids, they can certainly help with this process!

While you're busy grating soap, have the little ones unravel 2 rolls of toilet paper. So silly, they'll just love it! Gather the toilet paper into the second large bowl. 

Once the soap is grated and the toilet paper unravelled, pour the WARM water into the bowl with the soap and add a few drops of food coloring as well. Squish and squeeze the soap shavings until you have some consistently melted and mushy soap blobs. 

Pour the water and soap over the toilet paper in the second bowl and continue to mush and mold the fairy mud concoction. 

While the kids are playing, add some glitter into the mix. Followed by jewels, flower petals, anything you and the kids can come up with!

Don't forget to pull out some measuring cups, spoons, and muffin tins so you can make some fairy mud pies as well! Amazingly fun!!! Enjoy!