Marble Maze!!!!

So we have a pack we are starting up this fall. I have been on the hunt for inexpensive ideas for our recruitment events that are still fun and captivating. I was reading a book on Stem learning and decided this was the right direction. We spent less than $5 in supplies. 

You will need a small thick chunk of wood

nails

paint

rubber bands 

a marble

We used a scrap piece of wood and not realizing it the wood was bowed which honestly just adds to it. 

The longest I took was measuring out the boarder and marking my squares. 

Then I started painting my squares

The center is all done and drying right now.

Starting my boarders.

Then I painted the trim and back.

I painted a white trim to help break it up a tad.

 I decided I wanted a sealer to help protect the board in the upcoming years. This is not required but will help protect the tracks.

 Each corner needs to be nailed so you can change the tracks as often as you want.

Then add the rubber bands. Feel free to make it as easy or as difficult as you would like. Gill-G quickly attached himself to this game and has us feeling like we should make more for home. Check out the kids blogs about making each their own.

Lessons in chalk

 Sitting around the table doing lessons get boring after awhile. With my ADHD and Hulk Man's never ending energy we need to come up with new ways to learn. Besides who does not like playing with chalk? Depending on the day will really determine what we do in chalk, some lessons just does not work outside. 

I think our favorite lesson was trying to draw the solar system and then realizing we needed more space. Next time we will search for a massive parking lot to try that. After that first solar system project I realized how excited the kids were to do their work with chalk. At our next trip to Hulk Man's speech group Yasser, Gill-G, and I practiced our writing.

                                                                   

Gill-G was actually thrilled to trace this way, not that school work has ever been a struggle with him. Some days he fights with us because he does not want to go to sleep because he is doing school work. Yasser is the really stubborn one and will fight. But for 40 mins she happily sat sounding out words and writing in chalk.  

Honestly the hippy in me was screaming for joy because this was a never ending supply for writing. The next rain storm or the next spraying of water gives us new writing space. It is a win win either way we look at it. 

Tie-dye with the kids

I have talked about doing tie-dyed projects with the kids but never did it. I was concern they were a little young. Man was I missing out and wrong. First the kids loved it. Sure they had a hard time with rubber bands but it was well worth the hassle.

You need :
Tulip One-Step 12 Color Tie-Dye Kit Super Big
white tee shirts or what you plan on coloring
water and a safe space just incase color falls on the floor
if you want extra rubber bands

 We looked up shirt designs on pintrest and then started.

 Yasser picked a stripe design

 Gill-G picked a swirl (mommy got the honors of doing all the rubber bands)

 All you have to do is add water and shake the containers then pour on.

 Yasser was trying to be super careful.

 Daddy got tired of waiting.

 Hulk man even made his own!!

 Gill-g was trying to only get it on the shirt in the tiny section.    

Yasser feeling comfortable and just went for the coloring.

 The kids finally finished using up the colors they wanted and left to go play while Justin and I made our own stuff.

 We did the bulls eye pattern for Justin's.

Hulk playing in the dye run off trying to become a chameleon. (It will wash off, at some point.)

 Now discussing, I think, colors.

 And we are off.

 I convinced Justin  to do mine so I could take pictures, besides I did all of the rubber bands.

Hulk man "Earth" shirt.

 Justin's Bulls eye

 Yasser's stripe shirt.

Gill-G swirl shirt.

 My dress. I love what Justin did. The top was a stripe pattern and the bottom was swirlish.

The shirts need to dry. I let it dry for awhile then I unrolled it and let it dry some more. 

The more you let it dry before rinsing the more intense the color. 

 You need to rinse it until the water runs clean. You do not want extra dye to get in your washing machine. Skipping this step can and will result in color change with everything you put in the washing machine.

After the water runs clean, wash it and it is ready for wear. 

Now proudly wear it!!!

The kids had so much fun we decided we will be doing this again. If you save the containers you just have to buy the replacement colors.  If you want to tie in a school lesson, this lead to a color conversation with the kids and experimenting with mixing colors.