Here are some FREE & Discounted events going on this weekend. Many may seem to have consistent national participation- but it is always wise to call your local location to be sure they are participating…

BARNES & NOBLE: Sunday, December 1st,... there will be a reading of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Grinch themed activities, treats & more. Coming Soon! – On Friday December 6th at 7 pm there will be a reading of the Polar Express with Activities & holiday treats. Plus on select dates in November and December at 11 am – there will be fun activities and adopt an Elf/Name your elf at the The Elf on The Shelf Event

BASS PRO SHOPS: Santa’s Wonderland is thru Dec 24th! Bass Pro Shops is hosting FREE holiday Events daily including a FREE Photo with Santa, games, crafts & more

HOME DEPOT: Saturday, November 30th from 9 am to 12 pm. Kids can build a small toolbox for the holidays

MICHAEL’S: Check out Michael’s Kids Club for fun craft sessions for your child while you shop! For $2 per child, you can reserve 30 minutes of creative time. Sessions are held every Saturday and start every half hour from 10 am – 12 noon. Coming Soon! – Saturday, December 7th kids can make a fun Melted Snowman Ornament

Have a safe and fun week ahead from everyone at Kids Klutter!

kidsklutter.com

Home Made Bouncy Ball

Who knew you could make a homemade bouncy ball that *actually* bounces?! And that you could make it out of household items?

 

Experiments with Borax

A quick word of common sense caution before the details on making a DIY bouncy ball: Although experiments with Borax makes great DIY for kids projects, , Borax is not edible, so don’t let you toddler chew on the ball.

Materials to Make a Bouncy Ball

*Note:  The first time we did this experiment we followed a post from a fellow crafter and there  instructions   We were disappointed that the ball was not translucent the and wasn’t that bouncy.  So, we modified the experiment a few times until we got a Super Bouncy Ball. The ingredients listed below are from the original recipe, but we encourage you to try our version, which reduces the cornstarch to 1/2 tablespoon, adds the food coloring to the second cup instead of the first cup, and mixes the second cup’s ingredients first before adding the borax solution from the first cup.

• two cups
• measuring spoons
• a coffee stir stick (or something to stir the solutions)
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon borax (find it in the laundry detergent section of your local store)
• 1 tablespoon glue
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• food coloring (optional)
• plastic bag (for storing your ball)

How To Make A Bouncy Ball

Step 1

Pour the water and borax into the first cup and stir the mixture until it is dissolved.  We used just boiled water from the kettle, so it was more hot than warm.

Step 2

Pour the glue, cornstarch, food coloring, and 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture from the first cup into the second cup.  We got the best results when we mixed the glue, cornstarch, and food coloring first, and then poured in the borax mixture.

Step 3

Let the ingredients in the second cup interact on their own for about 15 seconds, then stir.

Step 4

Once the mixture becomes difficult to stir, scoop it out of the cup, and roll it into a ball.  
Super easy. Super bouncy.
Great for Races, Estimating, and just plain fun!


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With School almost out we thought it would be fun to post some fun ideas you can do at home with little or no cost this summer.

I love all the different bugs, animals, people, and other designs you can make  by just finger painting. In my own experience I have tried  many variety's  of stamp pads,  painting pads,  the list can go on forever with the variety of items you can purchase in todays market.
When working with kiddos I found the end result most times ended up with a muddled mess that didn't showcase the true colors.

 

So we set out to make our own and here's how we did it;



I found these great shimmy's at our local Dollar Tree.  I   cut the shammy into small manageable  pieces. I sprayed them down with a water bottle to lightly moisten. The first time I over wet them so be sure to just mist. Add a small amount of tempera paint , about a quarter sized to each square,  using a brush or fingers you then can paint with ease.  As the paint thins out it really turns into a unique stamp pad.  You can wash out the shammy when your done and reuse .

www.kidslutter.com

Using this idea for finger paint is simple, cost effective way of making your colors pop and setting your kiddos up for success
visit;
www.kidslutter.com for more ideas and tools to help your child be successful in school and at play.




 

we used minimal paint for this effect

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We’re huge Crayola fans around here at kids klutter.   We encourage all ages from 1-99  to take up a marker, crayon,paint brush or chalk and enjoy being creative.At www.kidsklutter.com we have never bought a Crayola product for our kit's that wasn’t absolutely top quality.  If it says it’s washable, it is.  We won’t let other so-called washable paints and markers into our kits because We've been burned before by other so called washable items. We want the best product for our customers and Crayola does that for us!

To celebrate all the artist old and young We are offering our  great Crayola give away pack! 

 All you have to do is

1.Leave a comment on this post letting us know your favorite crayola memory and or product is.

2.  Stop over at facebook and "like" us! www.facebook.com/kidsklutter

3. Have one of your  friends "Like" us on face book- be sure they leave your name when they drop by.  You can have as many friends leave your name but they must "like" kids klutter.

 Prize pack includes-

Color Wonder Watercolor Paint Set

Pip-Squeaks Mix ‘Ems Markers

24 count Crayola Crayons

8 Count Washable Crayola markers

Crayola glue

Twistable Crayons

And More!  Value at $45.00

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Crayola and kidsklutter employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, July 29,2012  at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.

Good luck and dont forget to share!~

www.kidsklutter.com

A New Day!

Welcome one and all!

This is our first blog entry and so I thought that a small sample of what we will be sharing here going forward would be nice.

kids klutter is committed to helping parents and teachers find new and innovative ways to help children to become better organizers. We believe that "children who are well-organized experience a greater level of self confidence and usually become more successful". This is one way that we can help at providing some tools or resources to help you create that successful organizer in your children and get them off to the right start.

It is somewhat fitting that we as educators and adults could always use a refresher course in these areas as well! Just as I am going through the process of writing this and a few other ideas down, my three kids are combing the house for the mailbox keys as we have misplaced them! You must love the irony!