S.I.M.P. Squirrels in My Pants: Disney's Phineas and Ferb the BEST Live Tour Ever

What Does SIMP stand for? Ask Phineas and Ferb!

So, the show started out odd. I mean, way odd. We drove in only 45 minutes early and got a parking space directly across from the stadium for only $5, and it was nearly empty. That can't be good- right? I said nothing.

Banker's Life Fieldhouse.

My eight-year-old son feared Phineas and Ferb would just be people in costumes, so when the girl came out to prep the crowd he said, "Hey, this might not be so bad after all; I like it."  

I said nothing. 


She asked trivia, had them singing and dancing, and got everyone psyched- including Mr. Downer.

Getting psyched pre-show.

Then, a cartoon came on- Mr. Downer said, "Hey, this might be okay. I didn't know it was a movie."  

Again, I said nothing.

Phineas and Ferb for real.

Phineas and Ferb slid onto the stage straight out of the movie. Mr. Downer crossed his arms over his chest and said, "See! I was right after all. This is going to be dumb just like I said."

I said nothing.

We love Perry the Platypus.

But, when Perry and Dr. Doofenshmirtz hit the scene, I caught him leaning forward in his seat and smiling, of course; I said nothing.

Perry was a hit. Did I mention, we just love Perry?  Anyway, all was going well until a mash-up scene with giant beach balls golf balls. The entertainers actors tossed the balls out into the crowd. 

How fun! Everyone cheered and Mr. Downer smiled, but so did Daddy. He was having the best time; he sang all the songs; he batted the ball that finally came to our seats... did I mention he was having a great time?

Stupid Daddy, he batted the ball away. Mr. Downer was excited to hit it. It was clearly the highlight of the show. Little sister, Mayhem stood in her chair, and Daddy was oblivious. That was that; the ball never came back to us.

Sister cried and put her head under her chair. Brother crossed his arms over his chest and said, "That was the worst show ever!"

I said nothing, but I scowled at Daddy. He shrugged his shoulders, "What? I thought it was going to hit them on the head." Giant, cushy balloon Daddy, poor excuse.

Final Scene with lots of fun confetti.

Confetti, magical confetti. Did you know it has healing properties? Even as they tried to kick us out the kids collected confetti.

Oh, the confetti.

So, what was your favorite part of the show?  "I liked the confetti!"  Well, that's fair, I mean they spent a lot of money on the Monster Truck, performers, and those Squirrel Pants were pretty funny, (I'll be singing that song forever: "S-I-M-P. Squirrels in my pants. I've got squirrels in my pants.") but if you liked the confetti who am I to judge? 

Oh, wait. I only thought that; what I said was... 

Nothing.

Ringling Brothers Dragons.

Can't wait for Disney on Ice, Worlds of Fantasy with
Lightning McQueen and Buzz Lightyear.  

Bring a fat wallet for party favors.

The show was a little long for little ones, and it was a school night. Many seats were empty, but I think everyone must have been at the COLTS game. I mean, I liked the show. I thought it was fun. You should go- just don't let your Dad come.



Recommended:

Phineas and Ferb Stencils

Perry the Platypus DIY Costume

Phineas and Ferb Printables

Summer Messy Play Activities for Preschoolers

Fun In The Sun - 6 Tips For Creating A Mud Kitchen For Your Kids

Kids love mud! And as dirty as they may get, it’s time to advocate messy play so they can learn new skills the fun way. The fastest and easiest way to encourage your kids to get outdoors is to build them a mud kitchen.They'll be tripping over each other to get outside

Building your own mud kitchen is a creative, cost-effective way of enabling messy play for your kids while saving money on an expensive play kitchen. 

You can build your mud kitchen in your own way, and in the end, your kids will have the perfect environment in which to get their hands dirty anytime.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience.

Photo: Jelleke Vanooteghem/Unsplash

Six tips to create your own mud kitchen

1. Use What You’ve Got

Poke around your garage and see what you can recycle to save money on your mud kitchen. You can use wood, recycled pallets, and old timber for the construction. Old cookware and bakeware, utensils, and decorations can also be used to finish out the kitchen,

Remember, the idea is to ignite your child’s imagination, so your DIY mud kitchen doesn’t need to resemble a brand-new toy kitchen set. 

2. Stove Tops Add to The Fun

While it’s great to leave some things up to the imagination, it’s a good idea to make your play kitchen resemble a real kitchen by creating a stove top. You can paint the burners on a piece of timber or wood, and you can even add broken or thrifted appliances to your outdoor kitchen to enhance its appearance. You can also use good, old cardboard to create a play stove.

3. Bake Mud Cakes

The fun part of having a mud kitchen is that your kids get to play with mud and get as dirty as they want. All you need to make mud cakes is some sand or soil and water. You can use old cookware and bake ware to contain them and shape them like cakes and cupcakes.

Parents can get involved by showing kids how to create funky-shaped cookies with cookie cutters and molds or add colored pasta to the mud for added texture. This kind of sensory play is an important part of childhood development, but above all, it’s a whole lot of fun.

Pistachio Pudding Play Dough

4. Set the Table

A mud kitchen is a fun way to teach your child table manners. Guide your preschoolers through setting a table and laying out the dishes. Show them the way to arrange cutlery and allow your children to bring some garden leaves to create napkins for a rustic table setting.

5. Add a Sink

Since you’ve introduced messy play to your preschoolers with colored pasta and mud cakes, it’s a good idea to take care of the cleanup. The most logical way to do this is to add a sink to your mud kitchen! To create your sink, use a silver or grey bucket and fill it with water or a big flower put with the bottom plugged works nicely too.

Add a hose in the bucket so that there’s an accessible faucet. This is a great way to teach children how to clean up after themselves. Add some dish washing liquid and a sponge so you can wash all the cookware the kids used before bringing it back into the house!

How to Make your own Dish Washing Soap

6. Dress For The Occasion

Every chef needs a chef’s hat and apron, so make sure to get these for your child. They will love it! Plus, the apron will offer some protection from mud splatter while playing. Rubber boots are a good idea too. Preschool age kids and toddlers love to wear galoshes!

How to Make your own Chef Hat

 

Have fun with your kiddos and their mud kitchen. You may want to wear some rubber boots yourself! Encourage your children to enjoy free and imaginative play, and you can bet they’ll learn tons of kitchen tricks in the process. Pretend play is the best way to learn!

Recommended Reading:

Pretend Play and Play Date Ideas from Adventures of Kids Creative Chaos

Fun Books about Galoshes from Amazon

How to Make Clay: Air Dry Clay, Homemade Clay Recipes for Home School Art Project

How to make clay is simple: Here are some recipes.

We've been crafting with Air-Dry clay. We purchased a clay kit and then we also made our own clay at home. It can be used with a Potter's wheel or shaped into free forms for home school art projects. Enjoy!

Air dry clay pig and diy homemade clay recipes.

Attach pieces by adding a little water to each piece. This is Jake's Pig (From Jake's Journey in Art). He enjoyed playing with the clay just enough to complete the assignment.

Alextoys.com sells boxes of air dry clay refills perfect 
for your animal  sculptures.

Clay is wonderful for Sensory play. In the homemade recipe below, just add some scented oils like vanilla or cinnamon.  TOUCH, SMELL, TASTE (I don't recommend it), SEE- hmm... When it dries you can gently tap it onto the table for SOUND encompassing all senses or get CREATIVE and make a rattle/maraca or a base for a drum just stretch tissue paper over the top and attach with a large rubber band.

Mayhem made many animals and embellished each one.

 Get your Air Dry Clay Refill Pack  by Alex Toys.

The baubles in the photos above came with the air dry clay refill for the pottery wheel from Alex Toys.

How to make Homemade Clay Recipe:

Click here for how to make clay without cream of tar tar

Easy/recommended for preschool and early elementary

1 cup flour
1 cup water
2 tsp cream of tartar
 ¼ cup salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized pot. Decide on a color  for the clay. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly. The dough will eventually become difficult to stir, and it will stick to the spoon. At this point, dump the dough onto wax paper. Allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes, and then knead it until it is smooth. Store the dough in a plastic container or a plastic bag when not in use. Refrigerate the clay when not in use.

Homemade Clay can be painted and it will last for years to come. Make cute Holiday Gifts: Think napkin rings, 3D wall hangings, necklace medallions, trivets, and pretty catch-all bowls.

Looking for Toddler or Preschooler Activities? 
Try this:  Sensory Dough playtime Activities.

Recommended Reading:

Craft a Minecraft Marshmallow Pig

Happy Pig Day! *

If You Give a Pig a Pancake*






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Activities: 10 Fun Things to Make at Home with Kids of all Ages

Stuck Inside on a Snowy or Rainy Day? Make staying at Home with the Kids a fun adventure with these Activities

In this list of 10 fun things to make at home, we've included something for boys, girls, preschooler, and teens. Kids of all ages will enjoy these fun activities to do inside on a rainy or snowy day! Best of all, you don't need a lot of fancy supplies or expert crafting skills.

1. Make a homemade lava lamp minus the light - but grab your flashlight to illuminate it. Click the link above to see a YouTube Tutorial. If you aren't so diy-iee or crafty try this kit from ALEX® Toys - Make your own Lava Lamp at Home.

Make a Lava Lamp at home with a few supplies or use this kit from Alex Toys.

2. Make Homemade Rainbow Slushies at home. Slushes, Slush, Slushy, Icee, whatever you call it - you can make a fun party one at home with popsicles!

Make a slush drink at home for a birthday party.

3. This Gift bag purse can be fun for little girls or teens. Do an extra good job, and it makes a great coin purse. So, for a fun teen birthday party activity recycle the gift bags and make purses for kids.

Girls' Birthday Party activity to make at home.

4. Cardboard Play Kitchen - Save Money and Make your own pretend stove at home.

Make a stove at home with a cardboard box and wrapping paper.

5. Make a Homemade sleeping Mask like this one from Henry Happened.

Want to know how to make a homemade sleeping mask? Click the link above. This is a great activity for a pre-teen or teen girl's birthday party.

6. Make an Art Exhibit at Home How about having a an Art Exhibit at home. Have the kids each draw their favorite cartoon characters and place them on display. This is a fun Art Lesson for Kids.

This is from Bunsella.com Use clay or markers to create your own art exhibit at home. Give the kids ribbons to vote for their favorite entry.

7.Make your own Homemade Bath Crayons at home from Teach Beside Me

See the link above to learn how to make these soap bath crayons from Teach Beside Me blog. The kids will love this fun bath time activity.

8. That reminds me of our Fun Shaped Crayons in Soap/Candy Molds. Crayons are a fun thing to make at home.

Make your own fun shaped crayons at home.

9. Make Mini Cheeseburgers at home to eat after you craft up all of these other ideas!

10. You can make metal butterflies at home using Pop cans. butterflies for Mobile. 

Make metal butterflies like these from Gingerbread and Snowflakes.

More fun things you can make at home

Homemade Doughnuts - you can make your own donuts at home. It is easy, fun, and affordable. We have 3 Doughnut Recipe posts.

Recycled Plastic Bottle Crafts

A secret growing, living garden Playhouse

Weaving wall art for Kids

Recommended Reading:

Things to Make at Home for the home and garden

How to Grow a Living Playscape: Willow Playhouse Cave for Kids

How to Grow a Living Playhouse for Kids from Willow Tree Branches: Plan for Earth Day

Building an outdoor playscape is just one of many fun garden projects you can do with your kids in the summer. We experimented by making a living playhouse from a willow tree. If you aren't sure how to get started on an outdoor design project, visit our post on diy outdoor design templates.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

How to Make a Living Play Space

We shopped for various styles of playhouses, but they were very expensive. After a storm, tree branches covered the yard, so we gathered several willow branches and stuck them in the ground. Then, we cut a few skinny branches off the tree and wrapped them around the bigger branches forming a loose connection. Click here to see examples of  living willow tree play spaces from dengarden.com.

Miracle Grow gave our living willow playscape a boost. The kids generously watered the base of the branches. You don't need to have a green thumb to grow a Willow tree. Take a stem cutting or cut off a branch and stick it in soil. That's all you need to grow your own organic playhouse.

This is an easy project that keeps on giving year after year. Our little gardeners anxiously awaited for Spring in hopes their playhouse had survived the winter. To make sure your trees are well maintained, check with a tree care service and garden maintenance expert.

Our living willow playhouse ended up looking more like a cave than house. The kids crawled inside letting their imaginations run wild. In the spring, it was incredible to watch the miracle of rebirth. In the winter, our little play house looked like a pile of sticks, but a few months later it was well on it's way to becoming the centerpiece in our secret garden. It's the perfect place for sensory outdoor play. 

Recommended Reading:

Playhouses You Can Build

Treehouses and Playhouses You Can Build

Easy Preschool Snowman in a Jar Preschool Activity with Cotton Balls

Snowman in a Jar is the Perfect, Easy Preschool Activity for Winter 

This post contains affiliate links.

This easy kids snowman activity gem, an adorable snowman in a jar, was designed by my 5 yr. old. It is perfect for developing preschool fine motor skills. 

The little hands stuff the cotton balls or marshmallows (we used fiber fill) into the jar and then carefully add in his facial features. 

Sure, you can draw the face on the outside, but little hands will develop more skills if they work to find the perfect placement of that carrot nose. It's a great sensory play activity too. You might also DIY Sensory Snow for play-based learning.  

This is my all time favorite snowman preschool activity.

You Will Need:

Fiberfill, cotton balls, marshmallows, or popcorn

Candy canes and peppermints

Buttons, Pom-poms

Scrap construction paper, felt, or foam pieces

Permanent Marker

Stuff a jar full with popcorn, marshmallows, cotton balls, or fiber fill. Have kids squeeze in cut-out shapes for eyes, nose, and buttons. The kids can also do the mouth inside, but it is more fun and gives a 3D effect if you draw it on the jar with a permanent marker. Glue a pom-pom to the top or tie on a scarf.  Voila!

Recommended Reading:

Olaf Story

The Snowman

Snowman Activities for Toddlers


Pin it!

Preschool Sensory Play Activities: How it all got started!

Sensory Messy Play and Preschool Activities

We've had many great years teaching messy play and preschool classes for The Play Connection and hope the future will send even more blessings our way. Here are our top sensory and messy play preschool activities from 2013. What a blast from the past!

This post contains affiliate links.

Here is a listing of our top posts of 2013. Many offer great ideas for fun, preschool activities, clip art, and lots of fun for kids! Enjoy!

1. Christmas Eye Candy: Photos of Christmas Trees in Snow Clipart
2. Angie's Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe
3. New Year Preschool Party Ideas and Activities for Kids
4. Lots of Snowmen and Marshmallows Christmas Crafts and Activities for Kids
5. Fun for Kids with Phineas and Ferb Printables
6. Lots of photos of Bread Clipart
7. Cute Valentine Clipart and Free Printables for Kids Classroom Valentines
8. 9 New Year Activities for Kids with games for kids too
9. Marshmallows: Fun for kids SENSORY game great for preschoolers
10. The Tooth Fairy Sagas: Free Toothfairy clipart and true Mommy Drama
11. Activities for Kids: Make your own snow for Sensory play fun for kids
12. Birthday Party games for Kids and Moms on a budget
13. Our new Series Made the cut! Creative Country Sayings and Inspirational Quotes

Memories from 2008 - 2012.

Here's my favorite Homeschool Lesson from 2013.

Primary and Complementary Color Homeschool Art and Science Lesson.

Jake's Journey in Homeschool Art Lessons and Projects for Kids

(Pre K to Elementary)

There are many Homeschool Lessons in this series, so make sure you click the labels under each post. (Still Life, Water Coloring for Kids, Weaving, Self-Portrait activities, Building Models for Science, Christmas Gingerbread House how to diy, Color Theory Lessons, Primary Colors, and even some History  along the way - it's art to me how we've designed our lives throughout the years. I hope you will follow along on the journey.)

We published a Kitchen Kids Cookbook with mix and make recipes for kids. We helped fund raise for Santa's Elves of Indy, we started Homeschooling through INCA (Indiana Connections Academy,) and we moved to a house in the country. 

2013 holds many dreams as we look forward to gardening, raising chickens, goats, and hopefully bunnies and alpacas, get that YA novel published, and share a few of the many stage plays and skits for kids I've written over the years. Bring it! I am excited to get started :-) 

What does your future hold? Leave a comment and let us know.

Follow us on Pinterest (Kids Creative Chaos and Pin it! Online Scavenger Hunt for Pre school Curriculum) and Google +  Can't find us on Twitter? Check the right sidebar for a link we're @playconnection. 


Recommended Reading:

Fun with Messy Play: Ideas and Activities for Children with Special Needs

Play Out: How to develop your outside space for learning and play

October Calendar of Special Days and Unique Holidays for Kids 2020

Printable Unique Holidays and Special Days October Calendar 2020

The FREE Printable October calendar 2020 is full of fun autumn activities. It's fall in the states! Time for carving pumpkins, hiking, and enjoying friends and family around a campfire. It is also full of fun, unique and special days and holidays for kids. What will you celebrate? Enjoy!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

This Free Printable October Calendar of Special Days and Holidays can be edited to your liking. Just save a copy and rename it. Click the link to download and save yours!

October 2 - World Farm Animals Day

Farm Animal wall art available at Tinytotties.com

Read the Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown and make a paper barn and silo from an envelope and cardboard tube.

Pretending with Farm Animals
Trader's Point Creamery near Indianapolis offers Farm Tours.

October 4 - National Taco Day

Taco Appetizer Recipe

October 6 - World Habitat Day

Habitat for Humanity joins with partners around the world to rededicate to a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Show your support by attending a local World Habitat Day event or organizing one in your own community!

World Habitat Day - Get involved!

Community Service Project Ideas for Kids

October 10 - Angel Food Cake Day

Spooky Angel food cake by Matthew Mead. See the link below to get his book.

We found this spooky angel food cake from the book Cakes for Kids: 35 Colorful Recipes by Matthew Mead. The best part is, you start with a store bought cake. Easy and fast! We once make a pumpkin from a store bought cake. Hmm... I wonder if I have any pictures.

October 14  - National Dessert Day
This is my kind of day! Yum!  Want to learn how to make doughnuts at home? Just click the link for a fun recipe to make with kids on National Dessert Day!

October 15 - Global Handwashing Day
I like this day too! I like to wash my hands, even better I like other people to wash their hands! I know my germs; I don't know theirs!

October 25 - World Pasta Day

You should make some Harvest Skillet Pasta with the kids.

October 30 - National Candy Corn Day
Make Candy Corn S'mores!

Make candy corn s'mores with candy corn marshmallows.

October 31 - Carve a Pumpkin Day and Halloween, of course.
Halloween, is our favorite holiday! You'll find lots of diy costume ideas and Halloween treats for kids- just do a search in the sidebar for more fun ideas! Get started with, Things to do with Pumpkins.

Recommended Reading:

Halloween Is... by Gail Gibbons

The Reasons for Seasons by Gail Gibbons

The Pumpkin Book