A Camping We Will Go!

It's hot. Very hot. And humid. And we're in the nine days preceding Tisha B'Av, so no swimming or laundry! The laws/customs of the nine days are lenient for kids, and fresh air and natural light are so important to us all that I'm still including morning walks with S and plenty of opportunities to splash in his kiddie pool. Our theme this week for Mommy and Me Camp is all about camping. We will not be camping out this week, but we are camping in. I've set up a play tent in the living room and S loves playing in it, reading together in it, and even napping in it during nap times. Nature and the great outdoors are inherently vital aspects of camping, but given the current heat wave and current restrictions on pool time for the grown ups, many additional theme related activities are being enjoyed indoors.


One outdoor theme of camping that I can far more appreciate from the safety of my living room is bugs! Yesterday we read Eric Carle's The Very Lonely Firefly and adapted this fun craft using my favorite washable ink pads and our fingers/thumbs.

One would certainly hope not to run into any bears while actually camping, but my son LOVES the book We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, so we have enjoyed reading that again using some props and movements along with it. I loved the idea posted here to make story themed sensory bottles...

...but alas, I have made WAY too many sensory bottles over the last year! 

We are also having a lot of fun making shadow puppets and playing with flashlights. I may recycle an empty diaper box from Costco to build this star box. It will also lead nicely into our theme next week, Outer Space!

My husband really would like to take S fishing when he is older. In the mean time, I used some craft foam to cut out different colored fish shapes. S has loved playing with them in the tub, the kiddie pool and on "dry land" as well.









One other activity S really enjoyed this week was finger painting on canvas with homemade baby-safe fingerpaints. Although S has become age-appropriately more picky about what he will and won't put into his mouth food-wise, he *always* manages to put paint into his mouth when we're painting. Although I always use only non-toxic and child-friendly art materials, I still feel a bit better letting him fully explore when the ingredients all come from my kitchen. The recipe, as stated in the original post, can be a bit finicky when it comes to getting the texture you like.


Homemade Baby-safe Fingerpaint

1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water

Mix cold water with cornstarch until it dissolves. You've just made Oobleck, stop here and play for a while because nothing is more fun and fascinating than a non-newtonian fluid! Next, slowly add boiling water. My paint immediately thinned far more than I had wanted even though I followed these directions. I toyed with heating it on the stovetop (which worked the best to thicken) and adding more cornstarch (which also worked somewhat). Lastly, divide into cups and add food coloring of your choice. Food coloring can stain skin, so I try to remember rubber gloves. Nonetheless, if you occasionally forget like I do and happen to touch blue barehanded like I do on occasion, you will look like a smurf.

I love using artists' canvas for children's artwork. It always comes out with such a clean and polished look--even if there is nothing clean or polished about artwork with children! My husband liked the finished product so much, he's already commissioned a piece for his office. S will certainly be glad to oblige after his nap this morning! Painting with S is inherently a full body sensory experience--my nice way of saying 'messy.' My favorite way to enjoy these types of projects is outdoors either in a contained or designated space (large shallow bins, kiddie pools or plastic tablecloths work well) and then having an immediate transition to the kiddie pool or tub!