Getting our Hands Dirty!!

Afternoon. It's amazing how a compound word can give you the shakes. That time of day is usually very trying for us homeschool moms. Quiet time is over. Dinner responsibilities are looming over head. Boys want to FIGHT. NAKED. And the baby, well, she's needing all sorts of everything that you just can't give because of everything else going on.

These are my top 3 go-to activities that are guaranteed to keep my boys busy for at least 60-90 minutes.

SLIME

Mix 2 Cups clear Elmer's school glue (ends up being about 1.5 bottles of glue) with 2 Cups of very warm water. Stir well and add beads, confetti or glitter. In a separate bowl, mix 1 tsp borax with 1 and 1/3 Cups very warm water and dissolve. Combine two bowls and watch the slime immediately begin to form!

As it cools, it hardens a bit. The next day, I put it in a metal bowl and heat it on low in the oven during breakfast and it's ready to go again!!

Moon Sand

This stuff is cool but the store bought moon sand is expensive!! Instead, I give the boys equal parts corn starch and very cheap shaving cream. They mix it up with their hands, add a few zoo animals and you've got the next 2 hours to yourself!! This stuff does dry out but can be revived by adding more shaving cream.


Fizzle Sizzle Drips (as the boys have named it)

Put baking soda in a container (square dish, muffin tin, etc.). Use old medicine droppers to drop colored vinegar onto the baking soda for colorful sizzling art!

All three of these activities count as science lessons. The kids learn about how different materials interact with each other and they have a great time doing it!