Turn Off Your TV Week

So this week is Turn Off Your TV Week. It's a national campaign to get kids off the couch, away from the cell phones and video games, and outside (or inside with all the rain we're getting this week) having fun, being active, and exploring their creative side. This past Saturday at Walker's we kicked off the week with a fun kids event. We had science experiments, crafts, a bounce house, games and more. Even with the rainy, cold weather we had a great turnout and the kids had a blast! Parents were shocked by how much kids could do with simple stuff you already have laying around the house. Here are some of the crafts and experiments we did. We hope they inspire you to get your kids away from the couch and out having fun!

1. Make Your Own Kites

 

So one of our biggest hits was making your own kites. This is so simple and fun. We collected horse grain bags (dog food bags, garbage bags, or even newspaper works as well) and cut them into triangles. The kids then were able to draw on the inside (white part) of the grain bags. They LOVED being able to decorate their own kite! We used colorful permanent markers which worked well and didn't create a big mess. 

Then we went to our local hardware store and bought 1/4 inch dowel rods 36" in length. We cut the rods so we ended up with 20" and 16" pieces. We used string to tie the 16" and 20" rods into a t shape. Then we used scissors to cut two small holes in the kite to tie the dowel rods to. You can use hot glue, but that creates a lot of mess and requires more adult supervision. Then we used ribbon for the tail and popsicle sticks to reel the string on for them to fly the kite!

2. Pine cone Birdfeeders

This is a classic, I'm sure a lot of you have done when you were kids. The theory is simple, take a pine cone and cover it in peanut butter. Then roll it in birdseed, add a string to the top or bottom of the pine cone, and it's ready to hang for the birds to enjoy. Hang it somewhere where the kids can see what kind of birds they attract for added enjoyment!

3. Make Your Own Lava Lamps

Now this one was another huge hit- and super easy to make. All you need is to peel the label off of a water bottle (those labels typically come off easier than soda bottle labels) and fill it 1/4 full with water. Then fill the rest of the way with vegetable oil.  Once the oil and water settles, add about 10-12 drops of your favorite food coloring. Then break an Alka Selzer tab into 4 pieces and drop it in. The alka selzer forces the water to bubble up through the oil, picking up food coloring along the way, then it drops back down to the bottom of the bottle. Making your own lava lamp! Once it runs out, just throw in some more alka selzer to let the fun start up all over again.

4. Color Symphony

Kids loved this colorful science experiment. All you need is a tray with a lip, some whole milk, dish soap, q-tips, and food coloring.  Pour the whole milk in the tray until the bottom is covered. Then, ad a bunch of different colored food coloring to the center of the tray. Then take a q-tip and soak it in dish soap. Take the q-tip and stick it in the center of the tray and twirl slowly. Then watch in amazement as the colors move and twirl! The movement of the food coloring happens when the dish soap breaks down the fat in the whole milk and spreads the colors all over.

  Looking for more ideas? Check out our Kids Crafts Board on Pinterest! What fun things do you do with your kids to keep them off the couch and away from video games?