Here are a few ways to have some summertime fun when you’re stuck inside:

Have an indoor picnic: Spread a blanket on the den floor and share your favorite summertime treats like watermelon and lemonade!

Make your own popsicles: All you need is an ice cube tray and toothpicks!  Pour your favorite kind of juice into the ice cube tray.  Cover the tray with cellophane wrap.  Stick a toothpick through the wrap and into each cube.  Place in the freezer overnight.  Voila!  The next morning you’ll have a very yummy treat waiting for you!

Go camping indoors:  Pitch a tent in the living room (use a blanket held up with a line of string if you don’t have one) and let the kids pretend that they’re on a camping trip.  Pull out the sleeping bags and even tell a few ghost stories!

Build a fort: Take apart the sofa and use cushions, blankets and pillows to assemble a secret fort that will rival any tree house!

Check out JumpStart Get Moving: Family Fitness: If you have a Wii™, playing a videogame like Get Moving will help keep kids up and active, even when they’re stuck indoors!

Do you know of any other activities that are great for spending summer days inside?  Let us know here!

Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.

As you all know, summer is a time for fun, games and family travel! However, when traveling, there’s always the risk of encountering boredom. Whether you’re driving to a campground or off to Grandma’s house, sometimes the long roads seem even longer when you have nothing to pass the time. Here at JumpStart, we’d like to make road trips a time for family fun so we’ve come up with a few solutions that might help! Next time your kids start to get restless in the car…

For more suggestions, click to see Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Sweet and Sour. A true classic. When you’re on the road, wave to kids in other cars. If they wave back, they’re sweet! If they don’t, then they’re sour. Try to get as many sweets as possible!

Jello. Another car game classic! When you’re packed in the backseat like sardines, what better way to make the best out of the situation than to play a game of Jello? As the driver turns, pretend that you’re made out of Jello and move when the car moves – for once, the person in the middle will be glad to be in the middle!

The Stuck in Traffic Song. When you’re stuck in traffic, take turns singing along to the radio while substituting your own words in place of the real words. Make your lyrics about the traffic – it’s a great way to get a laugh out of sitting in a jam and it’s a sure way to make the delay seem shorter!

Popcorn Storytelling. Have one person start a story with a sentence, then go around the car and have everybody add on a sentence. Agree on a set amount of times you’ll go around before ending the story. Then enjoy the twists and turns as the story unfolds!

We hope you all have fun with these ideas! Let us know if you enjoy playing any of these games or share some suggestions of your own!

We’ll teach you how to make these cute critters for the top of your pencil!

Here’s what you need:

• Red and black construction paper (one piece each)
• Small black pom-poms
• Scrap black pipe cleaner
• Tacky glue and scissors
• Black permanent marker
• One small brass fastener (optional)
• Wooden pencil (optional)

Here’s what to do:

1. Cut a circle that measures 3 inches in diameter out of the black construction paper.

2. Cut a circle out of the red construction paper that is just a little bit bigger than the black circle (maybe 3.2 inches in diameter).

3. Cut the red circle in half.

Step 3

4. Cut a small circle, about 1 inch in diameter, out of the black paper

5. If you want the wings to be able to flap, read this step. If not, follow step 6. Place the corner of one red semicircle over a corner of the other, and place this over the larger black circle. Once they are aligned, push the brass fastener through all three levels and flatten the ends against the back of the black circle. Color the top of the brass fastener black with the permanent marker. Younger children will need some help with this step.

Step 5

6. Follow this step if you don’t mind the wings being fixed. Glue the two halves of the red circle onto the larger black circle so that the corner of one semicircle is overlapping the other but some black is showing between the two semicircles. See the photograph after step 5 to get an idea.

7. Glue the pom-poms onto the red wings of the ladybug.

8. Glue the small black circle to the back of ladybug, leaving a little showing to form the head.

Step 8

9. Use two small scraps of black pipe cleaner for antennae by gluing them to the back of the ladybug’s head.

10. If you’d like to turn your ladybug into a pencil topper, simply glue or tape the top of the pencil to the back of the ladybug.

When you’re all finished, your ladybug should look something like this:

Done!

Beautiful Butterfly

Here’s what you need:

• A wooden pencil
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Markers, craft foam, and other decorative materials
• Pom-poms
• Glue

Here’s what to do:

1. Fold the sheet of construction paper in half. Draw the outline of half of a butterfly, with the fold down the middle of the butterfly. This will ensure that your butterfly is symmetrical.

Step 1

2. Cut out the half outline you just drew, keeping the fold in the construction paper intact.

Step 2

3. Unfold the butterfly and decorate it with markers, craft foam and anything else you can think of.

Step 3

4. Glue the pencil onto the front of the butterfly, right down the middle.

Step 4

5. Glue pom-poms to the pencil to form the body of the butterfly.

Step 5

Here’s what our finished pencil toppers look like:

Done!

What other spring pencil topper ideas can you think of?

#1 Egg in a Bottle

What you need:

• 1 glass bottle with a wide mouth (Snapple or other juice bottles work well)
• 1 sheet of newspaper
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• Matches

EGG-speriment:

1. Peel the egg.
2. Have your child cut a few small strips of newspaper and place them into the bottom of the bottle.
3. Drop a lit match into the bottle. (An adult should do this step!)
4. When the paper catches on fire, set the egg onto the opening of the bottle.
5. Wait and closely EGGS-amine the egg.
6. The egg should be pulled into the bottle anytime now…POP!

#2 Shell-Free Egg

What you need:

• 2 eggs (NOT hard-boiled)
• 2 cups of vinegar
• 1 clear glass jar

EGG-speriment:

1. Place the eggs into the container. Be very careful not to break or crack the eggs.
2. Pour the vinegar over the eggs. If 2 cups of vinegar doesn’t cover the eggs, add more until they are both covered.
3. EGGS-amine the eggs to see the bubbles form on the outside of the shell.  Let stand for two nights.
4. Remove the eggs from the jar and put under slow running water. Gently rub the shell with your fingers. If the shell doesn’t come off easily or completely, then return the eggs back to the vinegar for another night.
5. Once the shell is fully removed, you and your child can observe what the egg looks like on the inside by holding it up to the light. Watch the yolk rise and sink by flipping the egg upside-down carefully.

#3 Shell-Free Egg Part 2

What you need:

• 2 clear jars
• 2 “Shell-Free Eggs” (from the last EGG-speriment)
• White corn syrup
• Water

EGG-speriment:

1. Fill one jar halfway with water and the other one with corn syrup.
2. Record the size of both the eggs.
3. Drop one egg into the corn syrup and the other into the water.
4. Let sit for three days.
5. Remove and rinse the eggs. Re-EGGS-amine the size difference. What did you find?

#4 Soda SHELL-fish

What you need:

• 1 glass or jar
• 1 white-shelled egg
• 1 can of cola
• 1 old toothbrush
• 1 tube of fluoride toothpaste

EGG-speriment:

1. Pour the cola into the glass or jar.
2. Place the egg into the container.
3. Let the egg sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Remove the egg and notice the staining power of brown cola.
5. Set an EGGS-ample! Teach your child about the damaging effects of soda and the importance of brushing your teeth by brushing away the brown stains.

Enjoyed these ideas?  Share them!

• Chatty Critter: Does your child have a pet lizard, bunny, hamster or other critter that lives in a cage? If so, place one walkie talkie behind the cage and wait until your child is in the room. When everything is quiet, use the other walkie talkie and do your best impression of the pet’s voice. Your child will be amazed that their friend can suddenly speak!
• Mystery Milk: What is better than a big bowl of cereal for your child to start off his or her day? If your child loves pouring cereal and milk in the mornings, add a few drops of food coloring to the milk carton the night before (this is best for cardboard cartons of milk). Watch his or her face as the white milk they’re expecting comes out green or blue or whatever color you choose! It’s harmless and will surely start your day off with a laugh.
• Bug Bluff: Does your child despise insects, snakes, or other creepy-crawlers? If so, purchase a few realistic toy models of their most loathed creature and plant them around the house in places he or she will be most likely to see them! We suggest places like in the bed sheets, the shower, or in the car.
• Bouncing Blizzard: Stock up on ping pong balls at the store and carefully stack them in the kitchen cabinets after your child heads to bed. In the morning, ask your child to get something out of that cabinet and they will be shocked by a shower of bouncing balls!
• Trouble Trick: Is your son or daughter one of those students who rarely get calls home? If so, wait a little while after he or she has come home from school and then call your house phone with your cell phone. Go in another room to have a shocking “conversation” and come back out with a stern look on your face. Tell them that it was the principal and that you know all about the trouble they caused during lunch time. They will frantically try to defend themselves! Just make sure to let them in on the joke before the panic actually sets in.
• AM Alarm: After your family goes to bed, move all of the clocks in the house up one hour. Wake everyone up at the normal time, but insist that they are running horribly late! After everyone rushes to get ready, yell April Fools, then take advantage of the extra time to enjoy a leisurely family breakfast of pancakes and gummy worms or some other April Fools appropriate grub!

Need more ideas? Stop by our post from last year for even more family-friendly pranks.

Enjoy and Share!

*To learn more about Johnny Appleseed, visit Answers.com here. That’s where we got our info!*

Today is Johnny Appleseed Day, a day to celebrate Chapman’s growing accomplishments and have some fun with apples! You can make an apple tree, too – and, unlike a real apple tree, you won’t need to wait five years to enjoy it!

Materials:

• Large piece of white paper
• Brown construction paper (or a brown paper bag)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Red and green paint
• Paint palette or paper plate
• Play clothes that you’re willing to get paint on
• Fingers!

Get painting!

1. Cut out a tree trunk shape from the brown construction paper and glue it onto the white paper.
2. Put some green paint on your palette and dip one of your hands in. (This is where those play clothes will come in handy!)
3. Use your hand to stamp handprints at the top of the tree trunk. The green handprints should look like branches.
4. Put some red paint on your palette and dip in a finger or two.
5. Use your finger to stamp fingerprints in the branches of your tree. The fingerprints should look like apples.

There you have it – your very own apple tree, ready to be displayed! Now all that’s left to do is sit down with a Red Delicious or Granny Smith and enjoy your beautiful artwork!

Celebrate with your friends!

Our first leprechaun craft is great for older kids, so they can have their own leprechaun cup to place coins in, as if the leprechaun is protecting his pot of gold!  The second, simple craft places a pot-of-gold at the end of a rainbow as a door handle decoration and is probably best for your younger children, but even older ones might find it fun!

The Crafty Leprechaun

The Crafty Leprechaun

What You’ll Need:

• 12. oz paper cup (like those used for coffee)
• 2 Green and 2 orange pipe cleaners
• Green, peach, yellow, and black construction paper (one small sheet each)
• Green paint
• One pair of googly eyes
• A black pen, black marker, and red marker (or pen)
• Glue

Here’s what do do:

1. Paint the paper cup green and let it dry.
2. Cut out a circle from the peach construction paper. Make sure it’s big enough to hide the cup’s rim when looking at it straight on.
3. Cut out a hat from the green construction paper and make sure the brim is a little bit wider than the peach circle that will create the head.
4. Use a black marker to make a band on the hat, but leave room in the middle for a buckle!
5. Cut out 3 small squares from the yellow construction paper and then cut out their middles for the hat’s and shoes’ buckles!
6. Glue a buckle onto the center of the hat and then glue the hat onto the top third of the peach circle.
7. Glue the googly eyes a little under the brim of the hat.
8. Draw a nose in black pen and a mouth in red marker (or pen) and then set the face aside.
9. Coil an entire orange pipe cleaner around a pencil or pen and slip it off.
10. Glue the ends of the coil onto the peach circle, making a beard.
11. Cut two small, straight pieces from another orange pipe cleaner and glue these above the googly eyes for eyebrows.
12. Glue the head onto the cup to cover near a third of the cup in length.
13. Take one green pipe cleaner and make a small loop at one end (secure it by wrapping a small part around).  Make a loop in the pipe cleaner right next to the one you just made and twist it so it stays in place. It should now resemble a flower stem with leaves. Take the straight edge and make a third loop that meets the other two in the center, making a clover shape!
14. Repeat the previous step again for the other hand.
15. Attach one on each side of the cup using tape or glue.
16. Cut out two small shoe-shaped pieces from the black paper and glue one yellow buckle to each shoe before gluing them to the bottom of the cup.

The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

What You’ll Need

• Paper plate
• Scissors
• 1 sheet of yellow and 1 sheet of green construction paper
• Black marker
• Markers for each color of the rainbow
• Gold and green glitter (optional)
• Glue or tape

Here’s what to do

1. Cut a half-circle into the bottom of the plate.
2. Cut out two pie-shaped pieces on the edge of the plate where the half-circle’s corners line up.
3. Have your child color a rainbow that follows the arch of the half-circle
4. Color the rest of the plate with black marker and be sure to color in a pot rim at the corners of the half-circle
5. Take the yellow construction paper and cut out a shape that resembles a pile of coins, making it as long as the diameter of the half-circle.
6. Run a clear glue stick over the “pile of coins” and sprinkle gold glitter over the construction paper to make it look real!
7. Glue or tape this to the back of the paper plate with the glittery side facing frontward
8. Cut out the shape of a shamrock from the green construction paper and glue it to the center of the pot. Optionally glue green glitter to it.
9. Hang it on any door knob in the house!

Have fun making these crafts with your children! They are a pot-of-fun!

Share These Great St. Patrick’s Day Crafts with Friends!

Sock Bowling

What you’ll need:

• One pair of rolled up socks
• 10 empty plastic bottles (any size will do)

Directions:

1. Place the 10 empty bottles in a pyramid shape, just like bowling pins, at the end of a hallway.
2. Stand at the opposite end of the hallway and toss the rolled up socks at the bottles to see how many you can knock down.
3. Too easy?  Try different techniques to throw the socks:  Spin around 10 times before bowling at the pins.  Turn backwards and throw the socks between your legs.  Try bowling with two pairs of rolled up socks at one time.  See who can make up the most creative way to bowl.

Balloon Tennis

What you’ll need:

• Two wire coat hangers
• One pair of old nylons (cut in half so that the legs are separate)
• Masking tape or tin foil
• One balloon or ping pong ball
• Scissors

Before you can play, you’ll need to create nylon rackets!

1. Start with one wire hanger.  Pull on the hook and the opposite side simultaneously in opposite directions, to create a diamond shape.
2. Take one leg of the nylons and pull it all the way down to cover the diamond shaped hanger.  You may need to squish the diamond a little bit to make it easier to pull the nylon over the hanger.
3. Tie a knot in the nylon right at the coil of the hanger so the nylon is snug and tight over the diamond.  Cut off any excess nylon.
4. Have an adult pinch the hook toward the rest of the hanger.  Tape the end to create a safe handle.  If you do not have tape, tin foil works just as well to wrap around the handle.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 to create a second racket.

Once you and your child have crafted two rackets, all you need is a ballon or ping pong ball and you are ready to play. Passing the balloon back and forth or counting the number of consecutive hits are great ways to stay entertained.

Share These Indoor Sport Ideas with your Friends!

A Simple and Thoughtful Craft

What you’ll need:

• Red and Pink construction paper
• Long piece of white yarn
• Your child’s photo or picture to be cut
• Markers
• Glue / Tape
• Scissors
• Optional: Hole Puncher

Directions:

1. Cut out a large heart from the red construction paper
   

   Base layer red heart

2. On the back of this heart, draw a pair of dots a centimeter apart. After you draw them, measure an inch away following the border of the heart and draw another pair.
   

   Centimeter separations between sister holes, inch separations between pairs.

3. Poke these dots with your scissors or use a hole puncher to make small holes
4. Beginning by going through the back of the heart, first, weave the yarn in and out of the holes you poked out! Make sure to secure the yarn with a piece of tape on the back. (If you are having trouble getting the yarn through the holes, tightly circle the tip of the yarn with a piece of tape, like the end of a shoelace.)
   

   Finish the lace effect.

5. Cut out a smaller heart from the pink construction paper and glue it in the center of the red heart
6. Cut your picture so it fits into the pink heart. (We used some pets from JumpStart!) You can also cut this into a shape of a heart.
7. Decorate the heart with more hearts, flowers, or whatever you want!
8. Write your Valentine’s Day message.

Have a super-special, fun-filled, absolutely amazing Valentine’s Day!

Share this Valentine’s Day Idea with Your Friends

A great Valentine's Day-themed activity!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Paper bag or gift bag (Try to use a color appropriate for your child’s animal choice)
• One pair of googley eyes
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue or tape
• Decorative materials (markers, crayons, paint)

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Have your child choose any animal he or she wants to make. (If you are using a colored gift bag, skip to step 3.)
2. If you are using a brown paper bag, you’ll want to cut a piece of construction paper to cover the side that the bottom flap doesn’t fold toward. If the construction paper is shorter than the bag, this is fine, but be sure to cover the entire lower portion of the bag’s side. The remaining space at the top will be covered by the animal’s head.
   

   The entire bag face should become the animal's color.

3. Using the right-colored construction paper, cut out a circle for the head. Make sure it is larger in diameter than the bag.
4. Draw a good-sized half-circle on the head (this is for the mouth that valentines will be placed through) and cut this out as well.
   

   Size the mouth to be card-friendly!

5. On the bag, place the head where you plan for it to be. Trace an outline of the mouth. Cut out this traced outline.
6. Take the animal’s face and glue on the googley eyes wherever they need to go. For instance, this octopus’ eyes are further apart than the polar bears’.
7. Continue to decorate the face until you get the desired animal. For example, we had to cut out these heart shapes for our polar bear’s ears!
   

   We set this octopus’ eyes further apart than the polar bears’. To decorate, we cut out these heart shapes for our polar bear’s ears!

8. Now we need to make the legs! Although the number of legs will differ from animal to animal, the technique is the same. We used construction paper to cut long, rectangular strips and then folded these strips in an accordion-like manner.
   

   An accordion fold makes for fun limbs!

9. Glue the face to the bag, being sure to line up the open mouths. Also glue the legs to the bag wherever you think they look best! If you want more detail (like this Polar Bear’s paws) simply cut out what you need from construction paper and glue it on!
10. Decorate the animal with hearts, messages, or anything your child wants!
    

    Valentine-ready!

As this polar bear would say, we hope your Valentine’s Day is beary special!

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