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homemade scented play dough

Make homemade scented play dough with your children. Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1/2 cup of salt. Add 2 envelopes of kool-aid (any flavor except lemonade). Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to the boil. Add the boiling water and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the dry ingredients. Mix together. Be careful, it will be hot for a little while. Let the kids play with the scented dough. Dough can be stored in plastic bags for a few days.

Reading to Your Children - Great advice

Encourage reading at a very early age. Even if you think your child is not listening, he or she is hearing different sounds and words when you read to them. Very good advice for new moms.

At the Beach

Take baby powder with you to the beach. After the children get out of the sand, sprinkle them with baby powder, and the sand will fall right off of them. (This also works great for getting hair off of them after a haircut.)

Mom! I´m Bored!

Create a job jar. Cut those "to-do" lists apart with games and chores mixed together. Every time a child complains "I´m bored" have them draw a slip from the jar and do whatever is listed. This will be used more if the "jobs" are mostly fun, but it´s all right to slip in a few real chores to make it more sporting.

sleepover activites

Try this great activity for young children - when friends sleep over, use fabric markers to decorate big t-shirts (to be used as nightshirts) or pillowcases. This is a fun activity for kids of various ages.

Great advice for moms - Always Pack a Nightlight

Try this great advice - pack a small night-light when traveling with small children. When staying in new places, it makes for easier moving around in the middle of the night. It can also help young children more comfortable falling asleep in a strange place.

Summer Activity - The Importance of Swimming Lessons

Be sure your child takes swimming lessons. Even if you aren´t inclined to hang around water for fun, consider it a safety issue. This skill will also be helpful as you travel with your young children. It is a wonderful summer activity, and needs to be taken seriously.

Try this great idea - pudding painting activity

Make a box of instant pudding. Take your children outside and let them fingerpaint with the pudding. After, they can lick their fingers and you can get out the hose for some water fun!!! A great activity for young children. A wonderful summer craft.

Quiet Time For Children

To keep children quiet and busy in church or meetings, keep small magnets and paper clips in your purse for them to play with. Not suitable for children under three who still put everything in their mouths.

Benefits of Keeping a Journal

Encourage your grade-school child to keep a journal. This is excellent writing practice as well as a good outlet for venting feelings. Encourage your child to write about things that happen at home and school, about people (s)he likes or dislikes and why, things to remember or things the child wants to do. Especially encourage your child to write about personal feelings--pleasures as well as disappointments.

Avoid Baggage Mix-Up

Tie a cotton bandana scarf to the handle of your bag, making it easier to identify at airports.

ice cream watermelon activity

Halve and scoop out most, but not all of the flesh of a honeydew melon. Pack the honeydew with rasberry sherbert and freeze. Slice the honeydew into pieces, and let children press chocolate chips into the sherbert to look like seeds. A fun activity for young children, and very refreshing!!

Allow Extra Time

If you think it will take seven days for a vacation, plan for eight or nine. If you think it will take four hours to drive to your vacation spot, prepare for five or six. If you allow a little extra time, you will be able to rest and not be upset because you are late or lost.

Motion Sickness?

If you´re prone to motion sickness, you must take anti-motion sickness medication before leaving. Once you´re on your way and starting to feel ill, it´s too late for the medication to be of any benefit. If you are unexpectedly hit with a bout of motion sickness, try frequent stops, fresh air, and alternative treatments like ginger and chamomile to quell your queasiness.

Avoid Leaks When Packing

When packing bottles of shampoo and other liquids that are in plastic bottles, squeeze out some of the air and reseal. This creates a partial vacuum and helps prevent leakage.

Playing with Pots & Pans

Have a special drawer of older pots and pans just for your toddler to play with. They love to play with them when you are in the kitchen.

Preventing Musty Odors in Suitcases

To prevent musty odors in suitcases, place an individual fabric softener sheet inside empty luggage before storing.

Vacation Journal

When going on vacation -- whether it be a trip to the city or camping in the wilderness -- get your kids to create and maintain a vacation journal. Even if they´re too young to write, they can make picture collages (using photos from brochures, bits of old road maps, leaves, pressed flowers, etc.) to serve as a reminder of their journey. By the time they´re grown up, they will have a tangible reminder of where they´ve been and what they´ve seen.