Spring Break fun

We had lots and lots of fun over Gabe's spring break.  The weather was very cooperative and everyone was able to play outside every day.  I had so many ideas and plans and we were actually able to do a lot of them.  At the very bottom are links to the activities we did.

Painting with this cornstarch/water/tempera paint mixture was so much fun for the boys.  We did it again for Gabe's birthday party.  The link below says to put the paint in spray bottles, but we just used paint brushes.  I have halved and fourth'ed the recipe because a little goes a LONG way.  If you don't want to have a lot left over, I suggest you cut down the cornstarch and water, but keep the tempera paint the same otherwise the color is really faint.

Bubbles are always a huge hit and I'm so glad I made the big batch and saved it in a bigger container, only pouring out a little at a time.  Bubble mix = 2 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/2 cup dish soap.

I ended up making the rock candy, but the boys picked the colors.  Just a warning, this recipe makes A LOT of sugar-water.  Because you have the sugar to water ratio of 3:1, I used 9 cups (a whole bag) of sugar to 3 cups water.  I only had 6 jelly jars ready to pour the mixture into, but I think it would have made 9 total.  Otherwise, I followed the blogger's advice to roll the Popsicle stick in sugar before putting it in the jelly jar.  It took 7 days for us to get significant crystals.  I think if we decide to make it next time, I might add a flavor extract to the mixture.

Soaking up the sun and warm weather

We got together with friends and planted vegetables and strawberries in empty milk and juice containers.  It's a great way to reuse old plastic.  Also, it's a great way to get the kid's involved in planting.  They were able to scoop the soil into the planters, plant the seeds and water them all by themselves.  I'm so glad the strawberries are thriving, no progress on the peas yet.

The nights were nice and warm.  Warm enough for the boys to have squirt gun fights into the night.

The last day of spring break, we went to Biggs Park on base.  It is AWESOME!  The park is completely covered, so we don't have to worry about the intense heat of the sun.  The equipment is brand new and clean.  It was lots of fun for everyone!  We made a picnic of it and spent most of the morning there.

We had a great break, it was hard to get back into the school routine.  Only a couple more months until he's done with Kindergarten.  It's hard to believe but exciting at the same time!

Here are the links to activities we did over spring break:

Kid's Comic book template

Chalk spray paint

Making rock candy