SUMMER TOYS TO KEEP YOUR KIDS HAPPY
Despite living on an island with the nearest beach only a few hours away, going there cannot be done every day. So to keep the children from complaining, keeping them occupied is a must. Here are a few activities that are fun and easy to do and at the same time will give the kids some great summer-themed toys to keep them occupied for the rest of this hot season.
Ocean in a bottle. Watching the movement of the ocean waves always keeps one amazed despite how many times one has already seen it. With this project, there is no need to go to the beach to witness such magical scenery. Just take a clear bottle, one which can be sealed once it's done. Fill up the bottle one-third of the way with water. Add a few drops of blue food dye to the water until it is the shade of blue you want. Fill up the rest of the bottle with oil and add in shells or small items that one might find to look fun. Seal it all up and glue on the lid. Shake the bottle and look at the waves.
Ocean Slime. This slime can be modeled to look like the ocean and will be an interesting toy for both children and adults.
Just place clear glue on a bowl and mix it with a drop of blue food dye add some glitter if one wishes to do so and add saline solution/eye drops until the mixture comes to a slimy texture which will no longer stick on the surface. Don't add too much saline solution; otherwise, the mixture will get tough and will no longer be moldable. Place this in a container and add a few small toys on the slime. The next morning the slime will be clearer and the toys will have sunk in beneath it. Children will have fun discovering the toys hidden beneath.
Kaleidoscope. Full of wonders at every turn, a kaleidoscope will never fail one who wishes to find wonder. To make a kaleidoscope, use a used-up roll of tissue paper. Tape together three metallic cards in a triangular form with the reflective matter facing inward. Insert it into the roll and make it secure. Create a lid on one end of the roll and bore a hole because this will be the end where one will look into. Make an object chamber with the same diameter as the roll and add a few colorful cutouts inside it and seal it with clear plastic on each side. Add an extra bit of card around the object chamber (make it longer to allow one to attach the object
chamber to the roll with a view finder). Attach both parts and decorate the kaleidoscope with nice wrapping paper.
Ice Cream in a Bag. In this heat, the creation of this sweet and refreshing treat will keep the children occupied and amazed even after the ice cream is gone. Place milk or whipping cream and sugar in a Ziploc bag and seal. Add vanilla or cocoa for flavor and chocolate chips. Put ice and salt in another bigger Ziploc bag and place the smaller bag into the bigger bag and then shake the bag continuously for 10 minutes until the mixture is mixed together and achieves that frozen ice cream consistency.
These activities will not only keep the children busy, they will also impart some valuable scientific lessons for them to learn despite the scorching heat of the sun.