We have tons of coloring pages for you, and they are FREE! You can right click on the images and save to your computer, but they might not come out the right size. We use Media Fire as our cloud storage for coloring sheets. Click the link on each downloadable free printable to see all of free coloring pages, and download free to your computer to print out. Enjoy!
Rushed Time before School can Turn into Memorable Moments with a Daily Conversation added to your Family Mission
Make everyday count with Breakfast conversation bites.
If you are like me, your early morning routine is rushed, scattered, and not always in the best of family spirits. We try, but getting ready and organized for school is hectic. If only, we were well organized and had enough time to prep he everything the night before- but our lifestyles don't always allow for such structured free time. I'm a Homeschool Mommy. It sounds far easier than it is - well, it did to me. As the principal, teacher, gym instructor, and music director, (plus my full-time job as a social media manager) life is often stressed, and I rarely have time to focus on the little things... the important things.
Kellogg’s® Frosted Mini-Wheats® and Scholastic partnered and then contacted me to write about #mini-missions™ it hit home. We do a lot of things for others. We are always up to something for community service or helping friends. It is time to focus on us! So, this week, we did just that. Thanksgiving is nearing, and it is a good time to remember what we are thankful for this year. Our Mini-mission is to continue to collect toys and clothing for area Christmas drives. November is a great month to collect donations as people are beginning to get into the holiday spirit. Sometimes, we collect gift wrap and tape to donate. Other times, we get clothing, books, or toys. Always, we remind ourselves how giving back does the heart good.
Each day at breakfast, we focused on a simple conversation starter. This is a great way to learn more about your kids' interest and what makes their mind tick. My children love to explore theoretical concepts... you know, why is the sky blue? So, I went with it. Plan out a conversation starter each day. Do your homework. If you are going to ask and answer questions like, 'why is the sky blue', you better know your stuff. Research ideas online the night before. Here are a few of our conversation starters, and the fun answers we came up with for our conversation bites #mini-missions™.
Day One
Q: What is your favorite memory from helping with community service this year?
A: I don't know.
Momteruption: Try again.
A: Cake Pops?
Momteruption: What about them?
A: They were good!
Momteruption: Well... they were good weren't they, but what else?
A: I am happy April made the cake pops and donated her time for Santa's Elves of Indy.
A: I was happy to help Daddy that day.
Mom: It is nice to spend time as a family working to help others!
Day Two
Q: Today is the first day of the rest of your life what are you going to do?
A: Ride on Nebu (our pet bird.)
Momteruption: Try again.
A: Ride on a Tiger.
Momteruption: Something, you can do today!
A: I don't know.
Momteruption: Well.. I would try to be more positive from this day forward and always think about what I can do to make life better.
A: I will take care of the chickens!
Momteruption: *sigh* Well, that's a good start.
Day Three
Q: Why is it important to sit down and eat a healthy breakfast?
A: Because food is fuel!
A: Because you are hungry and need food to live.
Momteruption: Those are both good reasons. Food is like fuel it gives us important vitamins and mineral.
Kidteruption: Yeah, like these on the Frosted Mini-Wheats™ box.
Momteruption: Exactly! It is a part of a healthy breakfast, we should have fruit and milk or juice too so we'll be ready to learn!
Kidteruption: Like Bananas!
This is just a sampling of our conversation bites. You can see, it is harder than it looks, but as the days the progressed, the kids began to warm up to the idea :)
Breakfast before School: Introduction to the Every Day is a Big Day program
When your family completes a Mini™ Mission, you can earn free Scholastic books for your family and a chance to win prizes for your school and community. Visit scholastic.com/minimissions to register your family for the Every Day is a Big Day program. Each month, log in and complete a new Mini™Mission to earn 2 free Scholastic books for your family.
When your family completes a Mini™ Mission, you are also entered into a sweepstakes where 131 prizes will be awarded to schools and communities each month. Download free monthly stories chronicling Mini’s™ adventures against the evil Skipper. Kellogg’s® Frosted Mini-Wheats® and Scholastic have partnered to bring you the Every Day is a Big Day program, created to benefit families, schools and communities across the country.
Your family is invited to complete monthly Mini™ Missions to get free books for your family. Also, each month you’ll be entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win one of 131 valuable prizes for your school and community. As you earn books and enter the sweepstakes, your family is sure to have a blast and learn something new along the way!
Start here and register for your first monthly mission!
This is a sponsored conversation by me on behalf of Kellogg's(R) Frosted Mini-Wheats(R). The opinions and text are all mine.
Like Agent P? So, do we! 5 Perry the Platypus Holiday Crafts
It's my blogiversary! Today, the blog is officially 5 years old per the first post, although, I am certain I deleted some less than perfect posts from those first few months. Mayhem and Jake have grown so much over these last 5 years! We wanted to share our favorite things and that includes Perry the Platypus. Enjoy!
And, this little image, sealed the deal ;) Thanks again, friends!
When I started, I never believed I would make it this far. I never thought it would be possible to not only make a real living with my blog, but also to employ others who needed income and wanted to stay at home.
Now, 5 years into it, blood, sweat, and tears behind me; I leap forward into a new career as an internet entrepreneur. I have never felt so empowered, and I am excited to see what gifts and lessons the future has for me.
Thank you for reading our posts. Thank you for sticking with me all these years! If you've just stumbled upon us, welcome! Help us celebrate by leaving a comment or giving us a G+ 1 high-five.
We leave our failed attempts, messy chaos, and more for you to review. The future is a gift to you. The blog will share more and more ideas for homeschool projects, preschool activities, and crafts for adults and kids alike as well as my chaotic musings on life.
The post that started it all- I've come a long way baby! Spiffy title though, "Watch me Pull a Chicken Sandwich out of a hat", a la the Amazing Mumford from Sesame Street ;)
In 2014, we'll be introducing a whole team of bloggers here. Each with a special creative talent or skill. Want to get in on the action? You can submit a post for publication and get paid! Paid Submissions? Yes, I can do that ;)
To celebrate, here are 5 Holiday Crafts and Printables honoring one of our blog's favorite characters to craft, Perry the Platypus!
Say What? Did you know there is a Platypus day? Apparently, it is March 2. That is very close to my birthday; Perry and I must be soul mates! 4. Okay, so these aren't all Holiday Crafts for Perry the Platypus, unless you consider Platypus Day a holiday, but you could add a fun Santa hat to this paper bag puppet to make it so! The kids will love learning how to craft Perry into a puppet like this one from Chatting Over Chocolate.
Perry the Platypus Christmas Card paper craft to make.
Here is a bonus Perry the Platypus crocheted Christmas ornament decoration for you Christmas tree. You could make your own or buy it. It is the cutest thing! I found it on Etsy.
Perry the Platypus Christmas tree ornament decoration by kiki and jojos.
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Use your old plastic bottles to create a fun flower project for kids: Bottle Bloom
Things to do with a Plastic Bottle. This is a special guest post written by my very creative brother, Jamie. Watch how he makes a plastic bottle into a flower in this fun, recyled activity project. We'll be unveiling many cute coloring sheets for kids and lots of fun projects little boys will love. Welcome Jamie in the comments below the post. Enjoy!
Wondering what to do with all those empty plastic bottles? Make them bloom into something new.
Looking for things to do with plastic bottles? Have you ever seen an old plastic water bottle bloom into a beautiful flower? Take your recycled items to a new level, and give them new life with our fun, recycled project ideas for kids. Use this as a companion project for a science lesson on naming the parts of a plant.
Supplies Needed to make your bottle bloom.
This is a fun way to turn those constantly piling up plastic bottles into a cute craft that anyone can make. All you need is a pair of scissors, a glue gun, and a straw. Well, of course, you will need a bottle.
Cut the bottom off of the bottle.
How to make a flower from a plastic water bottle:
Cut the bottom of the bottle off near the end.
Carefully space and then cut out leaves from the remaining bottle.
Use a cap full of glue to secure the straw in the bottle's cap. You need to use a lot of glue to anchor the finished flower.
Now, glue the bottom of the bottle to the top of the straw.
Finish with your choice of paint. We chose water colors- not the best coverage but an interesting look. If you want your paint finish to last use an acrylic or even spray paint made for plastics.
Cut the leaves from the bottle.
Be careful not to cut them all way off, leave the sides (leaves attached near the lid).
Attach the straw with lots of glue.
Glue bottom of the bottle to the other end of the straw.
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Here are some fun games for your holiday party for kids or adults:For many years, I was a party planner. The office Christmas party got me started, and then I became a catering and special events manager. I had to come up with creative, innovative ideas for icebreakers and party mixers. We also have some fun ideas for New Year's Eve with the kids. Scroll to the bottom for Cotton Ball games that you can swap out for Marshmallow games. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*
Shh... I paparazzied Santa during a summer picnic. He was wearing this discreet disguise.
Divide groups into pairs. Each pair of people stand around a table in front of a piece of wrapping paper, a roll of tape, scissors, ribbon, and shirt gift boxes. Each pair of players stands with one arm around the other person. Say "Go!' and the players must race to wrap their box with one person using only their right hand and the other person using only their left hand. (Keep the other hand wrapped around the partner's waist.) The first pair to wrap their gift box wins!
Toothpick Tower Marshmallow Game
Supplies: Toothpicks, mini-marshmallows, and adult supervision or use uncooked spaghetti noodles to make an edible game for preschoolers.
Who can build the tallest marshmallow tower? It may sound simple, but you have to be super fast and some what creative to win. Suggested for ages 10 and up. Game details and instructions
Divide into pairs. Each pair decides who will play Santa. The Santa covers his face with shaving cream. The other player is Santa's barber. Jingle a bell to start! The teams race to "shave" their Santas. The winning team is the first to have a clean shaven Santa and sit their spoon onto the table. To signify they are done, Santa lets out a loud "Ho ho ho"! Tip: Make this an edible game for kids with Non-dairy whipped cream.
Balloon Stomping Game
Grab a bag of Dollar Store balloons and give one to each player with some curling ribbon. The players blow up their balloon and tie them to their ankles. Now blow a horn or ring a holiday bell to start the stomping! Each party guest has to stomp the other player's balloons. The more you stomp, the better your chances of winning the game. The last person to have a balloon wins! Use masking or painter's tape to mark a circle of play area on the floor.
Before the party collect little known surprising facts about 5-10 employees or party-goers. Collect photos of them as a toddler. On a colorful poster board, tape photocopies of the baby pictures and write the secret fact underneath the photo as a caption. Label the images from 1-10 (or how many co-workers you chose). Hand out paper and pens as guests arrive. Point them to your board and tell them to number the paper from 1-10. Can they guess who is who?Winner is the one who gets most correct wins. If several get all the answers correct, place their papers (with their names) in a Santa hat and draw for a winner!
What’s in your Stocking
Before the party, fill several stockings with two or three non-breakable items. Tie the stocking closed with a ribbon. Divide party-goers into teams. Have them spread out into different corners of the room to work. Now, each team must guess (by touch alone) what is in their stocking. The winning team wins the contents of all stockings!
The Amazing Maze Game
This is a fun party idea for a child's party. Choose a variety of Christmas curling ribbon colors in a single roll or ball. One for each player. Tie a prize or party favor to one end of each ribbon. Hide the end with the gift on it somewhere in the house. Now, unwind the ribbon and wrap it all over the room, all around furniture, over tables, under doors, anywhere it will be a fun challenge. Tie a candy cane to the other end of the ribbon. Repeat for each player, tangling the ribbons if necessary. When the guests arrive, give each one a candy cane and have them follow the ribbon to untangle it (wrapping it around their candy cane as they go). Let them know it leads to a surprise! Then, let the chaos begin!
Wrap three large boxes. Line players up single file behind each box. Give each player a giant sticky bow, spin them around and jingle a bell to start. They must walk around the box and then pin the bow on top, return to the opposite end and sit down before the next team member goes. The first team sitting down wins.
Buy some cute Dollar Store holiday plushies Reindeer, Angels, Santas, etc. Hide them around the house. The reindeers must be found to drive Santa's sleigh. Attach a clue to each stuffie of where the next one can be found. When they find a reindeer, they line it up next to the Santa stuffie. There are 9 reindeer to be found. When all reindeer are placed next to Santa you announce the winner. The winner is the one who found Rudolph and/or placed him in the lead position next to Santa. They win the stuffie of their choice!
Cotton Ball Games for Parties Fun Adult or Kid's Activity
We have lots of games with cotton balls which are a great sensory activity for kids.
Shoveling Snow – Cotton Ball Game
Supplies: Vaseline, bowl, cotton balls, stop watch, camera
How to play game: Everyone sits in a circle on their knees or around a table. Place a dab of Vaseline on the tip of each player’s nose. Place a bowl in front of each player with a pile of cotton balls next to the bowl or scattered in front of them on the table.
The object of the game is to have them use their noses to pick up a cotton ball and then somehow get the cotton ball off their nose and into the bowl without using hands. Hands should always be clasped behind their back. After 1 minute, the player with the most cotton balls in their bowl wins! The prize can be a wrapped surprise gift or a stocking full of goodies.
Sticky Cotton - Another Cotton Ball Game Fun for all Parties
Supplies: Bag of cotton balls, two large bowls, a blindfold, and a large wooden spoon or ladle.
Blindfold your guests and place them in front of two bowls, one empty bowl and one with cotton balls. Give the players a wooden spoon. They must move as many cotton balls as they can from one bowl to the other using only 3 spoonfuls. Tally the number of cotton balls per player. Have them go to the end of the line when done. Everyone gets two chances! The person with the most cotton balls in both turns wins!
Cotton Ball Relay Races
Supplies: Bag of cotton balls, two large bowls, a blindfold and a wooden spoon (Note: these are the same for another game above, you could play both at the same time.)
Divide the co-workers, family members, or kids into groups. Place a bowl of 10 cotton balls at a starting line (Use painter's tape on the floor) and the other bowl 15 to 20 feet away. To begin the cotton ball relay game, player number one takes the spoon, selects a cotton ball, and walks it down to the bowl on the other end dropping it in. When the player drops the cotton ball into the bowl, they must race back to the start. When they touch the bowl, the next player takes their turn, and so on. If the cotton ball falls off the spoon, the player must return and start over. No hands allowed! The first team to empty their start bowl and fill their finish bowl wins.
Cotton Ball Spoon Race
Supplies: Bag of cotton balls, bowls, wooden spoons
This is similar to the game above, but in this one there are no teams just individual players.
Set your start line, halfway point, and finish line with painter's tape of chalk. Divide the players and put them on opposite ends of the halfway point. Give each player a cotton ball and a spoon. Ring a bell to start the race. Players must place the cotton ball onto their spoon, and race to the halfway point and return to the start without losing their cotton ball. They cannot touch the cotton ball after initially placing it on the spoon. If it falls they must return to the start line and begin again. The winner is the one who returns to the start line first.
Snowman Building Contest
Supplies: White trash bags, recycled items, plastic grocery bags, duct tape, etc. Get white trash bags and have the teams/players stuff them with recycled plastic grocery bags or old paper (shredded office paper). Get a basket to fill with office or recycled items (you choose what you have on hand). Ask a trivia question about the holiday, your boss, your company, or team members. The team who answers correctly first gets to choose an item from your basket. These items will then be placed onto the trash bag snowman with duct tape. When all of your items are gone the team with the best snowmanwins!
Supplies: Cotton balls, drinking straws, space
Use a long dinner table or the floor for this fun, competitive, sensory game for kids or adults. Hint: Teens love it!
1. Set a Start and Finish line (10 to 15 feet apart.)
2. Give each player a drinking straw and a cotton ball.
3. Let them know they must move their cotton ball from the Start to the Finish using only their Straw. (Keep hands clasped behind back)
4. Tip - Do not demonstrate how to play. They can use it like a hockey stick, folded as chopsticks, or as a straw blowing air toward the cotton ball.
5. The first one across the finish line Wins. You can make a dot on each cotton ball with a marker so you know who is what color. This will eliminate any confusion as to who won.
*This cotton ball game can also be played as a relay race.
Cotton Ball Target Drop - Easy and fun game for toddlers.
Supplies: Cotton balls, bowl or jar
This is an easy games for the little ones. Toddlers and preschooler will enjoy this party game just as much as teens or adults!
1. Player stands on a step stool.
2. Give each player five cotton balls.
3. They are to hold the cotton ball to their nose and let it drop into the bowl below.
4. Each player gets five tries. Give a party favor for each cotton ball that makes it into the bowl. If playing with adults or teens, the team with the most balls in the bowl wins.
Cotton Ball Snowball Scoop Up Game
Supplies: 1 or 2 bags of cotton balls, bowl, spoon, blindfold
This is a simple game. Players form a circle. Blindfold the first player and sit them in the middle of the circle to scoop up as many cotton balls as they can within thirty seconds. The middle of the circle is filled with snowballs (cotton balls). Hand the bowl and spoon to the player once they are seated. Jingle a bell to signify the start. The player with the most snowballs in the bowl wins. Enjoy!
Look for more Christmas Party Games in our site. In the meantime, add some Christmas Stories to your kids' holiday party.
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Got Chocolate? Quotes Memes for Facebook or Instagram
We've got quotes and memes to go along with your crutch or vice. Chocolate soothes the soul, and now they say it has health benefits too! Count me in. What does chocolate mean to you? Do you crave chocolate or use it as a pick me up? Chantbou chocolate is waiting for you. Here's annother chocolate quote meme. Enjoy!
Here is a chocolate quote meme for your Pinterest Board or Facebook Posts.
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
We host lots of coloring pages at Mediafire.com. Yeah... don't look too closely at the Wampanoag Indianboy. I draw these Coloring sheets freehand. His arm holding the bow and arrow is a little wonky. You can copy these Thanksgiving Coloring Pages and save them to your computer too, but you might have to edit the size to print. Enjoy! I'd do a test, but someone put a starburst fruit chew in my printer this week. Alas, the title, Kids Creative Chaos. Always an event going on here. The image captions link to media fire where you can print them all nice like :)
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Fall quotes? The author of Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery, had many well-known quotes. Imagine being in the country, with the nip of October in the air, straw in you hair, and pumpkins everywhere. The bump of the hayride bounces you through the fields as the intoxicating sound of children's laughter erupts all around. Feel free to share this picture meme quote on Pinterest or Facebook, but do not crop the watermark.
Photo by Lora Langston. Taken at Waterman's Farm in Indiana at the pumpkin patch hayride.
Today, Alaina from, The Cooks Next Door is guest posting. Homeschooled herself, she now homeschools her own children. Alaina is living proof homeschooling works! She is a Dental Hygienist by trade, and her brother is studying Architecture. So, sit back, relax, and learn about Afghanistan in this country study lesson for homeschoolers. Enjoy!
Afghanistan Homeschool Craft Time.
One of our favorite homeschool activities is to study different countries and cultures! I like that it develops an interest in the world, gives an appreciation of other cultures, and includes many subjects. We studied the country of Afghanistan and made flags out of construction paper (you can find images of the flag online), listened to music (youtube), identified and colored Afghanistan on maps, made a traditional dish (see below), read books (check your library) and wrote the capital and country. There are many free activities and coloring pages available online that make preparing for nearly any country study easy! I found several free geography printableshere. We spent time talking about the political and religious climate of the country as well as the culture and traditions.
Afghanistan Flag Making.
I like that these homeschool activities include art, home economics, music, writing, cultural studies, and geography. We will often assemble a simple book with pictures, copy work, flag and anything related to the country we are studying – it’s nothing fancy but it helps the kids remember our work and they are so proud of it! Country studies are definitely a highlight for us!
Here is the delicious recipe we made. The kids were able to help with supervision, and I find that it makes them so much more inclined to try new things.We loved it on naan or pita bread - kind of like a pizza! It made the perfect lunch and ending to our country study.
Recipe for Afghanistan Dish: Sabse Borani.
Sabse Borani Recipe
4 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 cup lightly drained plain yogurt (drain about 1 hr – easiest method is to place the yogurt in a coffee filter and let stand)
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Cardboard Toilet Tubes turned Holiday Hats How many rolls of toilet paper do you go though each month? We've got to recycle that ca...
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