Yesterday I got this huge box from Fedex (have I mentioned how much I love the Fedex man?) and the kids opened it in a frenzy of excitement to see what had come.There in the bottom of this huge box full of packing peanuts was this little bottle of mosquito repellent that someone had sent me to try. I'm afraid if someone writes me about their latest brand of mosquito repellent I jump at the chance to see if it works because hey, usually by this point in the summer I've become anemic from all those pesty bites and I'll try anything to keep the bugs away. Anything. We'll tell you if it works . . .
But that's not really the point. The point is that with that huge box full of peanuts the kids and I got into this spontaneous packing peanut art contest where we stuck them together with toothpicks to make some wild creations. You see here Spencer's masterpiece which was the most stable of all of them all--though David's monster was pretty good. Styrofoam has never looked so scary.
Anyway, it kept us busy creating for 45 minutes on a lazy rainy afternoon. Not a bad way to spend some time together.
Sponsored by: Rick Rack Attack--Beautiful and genuine vintage aprons
Technorati tags: activities, crafts, children
29 comments:
Great idea - far beats my approach of yelling at the kids, "Don't touch those! I don't want them shredded all over the house!"
You guys are always doing the greatest things...I am storing this away for the next time I get a package, which I am sure happends 1/100th less than it does for you.
I love all the creative ideas you do with your kids! It (almost) makes me want to raise mine all over again...
But I think I'll just wait until my grandson is old enough.
ok if you were ever needing proof that you are crafty and creative, here it is. when you can make art out of packing peanuts. i love it!
What a novel idea. This is going to be fun with the kids.
Spontaneous and creative in one. Can't beat that.
Cheers
Ooooooo....I just put an order in at Amazon the other day. Woohoo!
My daughter and I just used Repel Lemon Eucalyptus on a recent class camping trip and we walked away with not 1 mosquito bite, despite a healthy population of them. I wanted something without the chemicals, but that was still effective. I saw the review on the REI website and decided to give it a try. If you haven't already tried it yet, you might look into it.
I must confess I am an e-bay addict. We get a lot p-nuts around here at times. This looks like fun. We do this with marshmallows too. Fun to mix up the mini & large ones and they come in different flavors/colors too! :D
For your daily dose of vintage goodness & a bit of silliness, stop by Confessions of an Apron Queen
Great idea! I've found myself looking at trash in a whole new light now that my baby is reaching crafting age!
how come you are so creative? your a good mom.
That is such a great idea, I should have done that with the kids when we had all those packing peanuts laying around. :)
Oh and if you're looking for a mosquito repellent...how about mouthwash??? I know it sounds crazy, but I just found this out from another blogger, just pour some into a spray bottle and then spray in the area your going to be..not on yourself.
I hear it works good!
I was wondering why I was saving a huge garbage bag full of those things. Next time my husband wants to throw them out I can tell him that I am saving them for a crafts project with our Grandkids!
PS I'm sure you want to know that I just posted a meme.
I'll have to remember this when the Christmas stuff starts arriving.
And let me know about the mosquito repellant. If I'm around no one else bothers with the bug spray.
I never would have thought of that!
Fun and creative idea! You just gotta love the way kids think...
45 minutes may as well be a lifetime in Mommy-time. WONDERFUL!
You're incredible. And all these years all I saw was MESS.
We had fun with them one time just throwing them around. Then they had more fun sweeping up afterward! :)
lazy summer days are the best... it's thee only way to tell that it's "vacation"...
This activity falls under the "Now, why didn't I think of that" category.
i think that is a really excellent idea. but it makes me angry to hear about excess packaging and unnecessary filler...
that wouldn't work in Japan because the toothpicks are blunt on one end....
i don't mean to sound so negative... I hope that the stuff works.... those mosquitos can drive you crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!
You clever woman! Sounds like fun - although, my daughters would make one peanut into 10 pieces and we'd be cleaning the floor for weeks ! Cute post Michelle :)
oooh, fun. got a whole box of them in the garage!
excellent idea!
Oh good heavens' we could scare the pants off of our neighbors with a giant monster. What fun is that!
You are just so ingenious; I've a basement overflowing with these. Now why didn't I think of that?
Thanks Michelle; you're just the cats meow!
Those little beauties are also excellent in the bottoms of pots for drainage and wetness control--especially in dry weather, or if your plants like to stay a little wetter than most. (It's basically the same material in the fancy/expensive "moisture control" soils, too.)
Grand idea! Next time I get some I'll have to put them away for a rainy day...not that we have many...but 45 minutes of free time seems wonderful.
My kids love packing peanuts and bubble wrap! They loved the creation in the picture!
BTW, I am having a book giveaway that is open to those in the 'continental' U.S. and beyond:)
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