When you’re stuck at home with the kids and have nothing to do, don’t despair! It’s easier than you think to grab the crayons, glue, glitter, and paint and let their creativity shine. These fun activities for kids are easy, DIY, and can mostly be done with everyday items that you have around the house. (Your kids can do their part for the environment and keep themselves occupied at the same time.) You just need these sparks of inspiration to get the ideas flowing. What’s that you hear? It’s probably the sound of laughter and concentration, and certainly not a kid yelling, “I’m bored!” from the other side of the house.
If it’s rainy and you’re stuck indoors, there are tons of painting projects, inside crafts, and small-scale obstacle courses and activities that’ll hold their attention for long stretches of time. Or, if you’re able to head to the backyard, there are fun ideas for bubbles, water-based activities, and activities that get their little bodies moving. Either way, we’ve got your recipe for happy kids. Best of all, none of these require an electronic device or an app, so you don’t have to worry about too much screen time.
Glow-in-the-Dark Jellyfish Craft
My girls have been fascinated with jellyfish since seeing hundreds of them washed up onto New Smyrna Beach last summer. Together we crafted a sting-free variety out of paper bowls, yarn and glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint. Would you like to learn how?
Materials
- heavy-weight paper bowls
- white yarn
- glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint (we used FolkArt and Martha Stewart brands)
- paint brushes and painting supplies
- scissors
- zipper sandwich bags
- skewer or sharp pencil
Directions
Paint the bowl inside and out. Use two or more coats of paint for a brighter "glow".
For the tentacles, cut 10 - 12 pieces of yarn approximately 36 inches in length. Place them in a zipper sandwich bag with several squirts of glow paint and seal the bag.
Squish! Squish! Squish! until the yarn is completely covered, adding more paint if necessary. If the paint is too thick, add a little water to the bag.
Hang the yarn to dry.
At the center of the bowl, punch two holes about 0.5 inch apart using a skewer or sharp pencil.
Cut a piece of yarn approximately 40 inches long. Thread it through the two holes so that both ends come out the bottom of the bowl.
From the inside of the bowl, pull the yarn up to form a small loop. Thread the tentacles through and roughly center them under the loop.
Flip the bowl, pull the yarn taut and tie a double knot.
Back on the inside, grasp the tentacles as one bunch and tie a single knot.
The frilly appendages flanking the mouths of some types of jellyfish are called oral arms. To recreate these, unravel a few pieces of yarn that hang close to the center of the bunch.
Charge your jellyfish creation in bright light for at least 30 minutes. Turn out the lights and enjoy its luminous glow!
