A little old fashioned frugal fun for kids

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A little old fashioned frugal fun for kids

 

A little old fashioned frugal fun for kids

Frugal kids' fun isn't always easy to come by. TV and games and other

technological wonders attract them - and cost money or encourage

spending it. In this day and age of electronic entertainment, kids

are still kids, and that means they like to do things. They like to

experiment and create and watch nature. Try these fun and frugal

things when they get bored.

Modeling clay

 

1 Cup of flour

1 cup of salt

1 cup of water

1 T. vegetable oil

1 T. alum

 

Knead for a few minutes until well mixed, then add drops of food

coloring until the color is as deep as you like. This will dry hard,

and is good for making anything from picture frames to Christmas

decorations.

 

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Antfarm

 

2 liter pop bottles work great for this, as the ants find it 'almost'

impossible to climb the steep sides upside down. Fill the bottle

about half way with sandy soil, adding a small rock or two for

interest. Catch a dozen or so ants and put them in. Feed them an

occasional grain or two of sugar along with tiny pieces of ground

beef or dead bugs. Don't forget to give them water. Just add two or

three drops of water with a straw onto a rock or piece of wood.

 

Ant farms don't last because ants don't live long, and there is no

queen to lay eggs and hatch new workers, but this is fun while it

lasts.

 

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Compass

 

Which way is north? Make a compass with a small needle, a piece of

paper about 4 by 6 inches, and a small bowl. Fill the bowl about half

way, or more, and fold the paper so that it's an inch longer and

wider than your needle. Carefully lay the paper on top of the water,

and position the needle in the center of it. Put the bowl in a place

where there is no interference from electric motors or magnets, and

the needle will turn to true north.

 

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Button dolls

 

You'll need elastic thread and a stash of buttons of different kinds,

plus a wooden bead at least 1 inch in diameter, or make a ball with a

hole all the way through with the modeling clay recipe below.

 

Starting with the body, cut a piece of elastic thread 6 to 8 inches

long and thread it into a large eyed needle. Start threading buttons,

each one through one button hole, and keep them all on one strand.

Make a square knot with the ends. Trim, but not too closely, because

elastic thread tends to 'unwind'.

 

For the legs, fold a piece of elastic thread around this piece, and

tie, making the knot in the center, a few buttons up. Thread your

needle with one end of this and add buttons until the leg is the

length you want it, then thread the needle on the other end and go

through the other button holes from the body side to the end, as for

the body. Do the same for the other leg, and for each arm. Tie the

thread for the arms about a half inch down from the top of the body

string.

 

For the head, use the wooden or modelled bead and loop a piece of

elastic into the body and through the head. Tie securely. You can add

yarn or cotton for hair, and draw eyes with pen, pencil or marker.

 

These dolls bounce with grace!