Boredom Buster: Become a Puppeteer #1

Building a theater:
Creating a Puppet Theater can be a wonderful craft with a few supplies. It can be used to incorporate the fun of crafting with the expansion of literature. I have one little one still so… we won’t be doing Shakespeare quite yet. Just remember to keep it simple in order to keep the interest of little ones (puppet/scene making and the stories used). You can let your imagination carry you away. My daughters suggested having actual shows that we invite people to.
I am all for creativity, but to make things nice sometimes it seems like we need to spend money.  My husband came up with the plan for the theatre that I built, all with supplies that we already had.  The price couldn’t have been any better…. free.  
First I sat down with my husband and we talked about what I wanted out of this theatre.

• Portability.  It being small enough to take to our parents homes, for future shows, with simple breakdown and rebuild that I could handle by myself.
  
• A Stage.  In the case that the kids might want to use props they would be able to enhance their shows with them.
  
• Space for a Backdrop.  I think plays that have scenes in the background really help you see the whole picture better, especially for kids.
  
• Free.  I didn’t want it to cost anything if possible.
  
• Simple.  I wanted to be able to build it myself without help. I knew that if it is simple enough for me to build, that anyone reading this could do it too.

Next we talked about the materials and he drew out a plan for me to build.

• Large Box.  We used our flat screen TV box.
  
• A Marker.
  
• A Ruler
  
• Masking Tape
  
• Box Cutter
  
• Scissors

The Plan

I Drew the pattern onto the box.

• 5” in from the top and bottom and 7” in from each side.
  
• Breaking the vertical lines inside the inner box into thirds.
  
• Bisected the center piece. 
  
• Now our box opened at the top so we placed the flaps at the bottom, we will add weights to them later to hold the theatre in place.
  
• Bisected the bottom half of the center piece

With the Box Cutter I cut along all of the blue lines.
I folded along all of the green lines.  There will be a small piece left over.
Next Step to work on the back of the box.

• Making a rectangle on my box by drawing lines 5” in from the top and bottom,and 7” in from the sides.
  
• Using my box cutter I cut out my rectangle.

Back to the front now.  I measure the width of the opening of the box, horizontally.  I measure the depth of the stage area and the depth of the ceiling area.  We need to fill in the gaps, the stage and ceiling need to be up against the wall piece for structural support.
Using the scrap piece I took out from the back of the box, I measure out two strips.

1. Depth of the stage by the Width of the box opening
   
2. Depth of the ceiling by the Width of the box opening.

  Then I tape the strips I just cut along the underside of the ceiling and the stage pieces.  I then am able to tape the walls against the ceiling and stage pieces and I have made a complete opening.

From the back:

From the front:

In Boredom Buster:  Become a Puppeteer #2

• Priming and Decorating Theater.
  
• Hanging a curtain on the front and for backstage.

In Boredom Buster:  Become a Puppeteer #3

• How to make puppets and costumes.
  
• Choosing Stories to play out.

Mix It Up: Popsicles

Popsicle are one of those summer must haves with kids in the house.  You can easily pick up a holder at a dollar store to make them.  I bought ours at the Family Dollar for $1.  It makes 8 small pops.  I have compiled a list of different things you could use to try for you next batch of popsicles.

1. Juice or Juice Blends
   
2. Drink Mixes (lemonade, cool-ade)
   
3. Puddings (chocolate-makes fudgsicles,)
   
4. Smoothies (Yogurt, fruit, vanilla, sugar with a touch of milk to thin it a bit in the blender)
   
5. Coffee Drinks
   
6. Herbal Teas sweetened with honey
   
7. Ice Creams (softened)
   
8. Yogurts (frozen yogurt softened).
   
9. Jell-O's
   
10. Sodas
    
11. Flavoured Waters
    
12. Fruit Puree

If you have any additions to this list or if you try any of these, leave a comment I would really love to hear from you.

Snacks In No Time: Easy Cheesy Quesadillas

On super hot days, or days when you are exhausted, this is an easy recipe and a great alternative to fast food.


Ingredients:

• 2 flour tortillas
  
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Mild Cheddar, Colby-Jack, or American)

Instructions: Heat large frying pan to hot.  Turn off the heat and lay a flour tortilla in pan spread cheese in a thin layer over tortilla then top with second tortilla.  Cover with lid and in 4 minutes flip over.  Let set another 3 minutes and remove from pan to a plate.  Slice with a pizza cutter into 8 equal pieces.  Serve with sour cream and salsa. Tips:

1. Add any leftover sliced cooked meats (chicken, beef, or pork)
   
2. Add sliced onions, or green onions.
   
3. Since Cheese Quesadillas are somewhat of a simple bland snack/light meal.  We spice things up in our sour cream.   1/4 c. Sour Cream; 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder; 1/4-1/2 tsp. Cumin; 2 Tbsp. Parsley, then mix.  Yummy!

* I understand my recipes are incredibly easy and sometimes even self explanatory, but my kids are able to make them by themselves with little to no help.  These are to help them feel confident in the kitchen.

Snacks In No Time: Tea Sandwiches

-Great for spring and summer, kids enjoy helping in the kitchen and making decisions.  Giving them choices gets even the pickiest of eaters to eat.


Ingredients:

• 8 oz. Cooked Meat (Pork, Chicken, Ham or Beef)
  
• 1/4 cup Shredded Cheese  (Parmesan, Swiss, or Cheddar)
  
• 1/3 cup Salad Dressing (Ranch, Caesar, Mayonnaise, or Miracle Whip)
  
• 2 oz. Fresh Vegetables (Carrots, Celery, Pickles, Onion, or Green Pepper or a combination of these.)

Instructions: Using a food processor combine all ingredients until smooth.  Spread onto bread and make into Sandwiches.  Slice into triangles, and serve on a plate for snacking.  Store any extra spread in a reseal able container and store in refrigerator, use within 3 days. Tips:

1. Kids like variety, so try as many combinations as possible to eliminate boredom.
   
2. Pre-schooler’s also like sandwiches that are cut into different shapes, try using cookie cutters to make it more interesting.

* I understand my recipes are incredibly easy and sometimes even self explanatory, but my kids are able to make them by themselves with little to no help. These are to help them feel confident in the kitchen.

Boredom Buster: Hunt for lost treasures!

It is only the beginning of July and I am already hearing "Mom, I'm Bored!". Well the temperature is in the mid 90's, and its a beautiful day today. Lets go out and take advantage of this wonderful Sunday weather. It’s perfect for games that have been hidden away in storage.  I think its time to go on a treasure hunt!  After a short mission, we found a croquet set (We bought for a birthday party game about 2 years ago) in the garage.
A lot of us go out and buy things for special occasions, then they collect dust in the garage, basement or attic.  These are free activities that we can utilize in an era where money is tight.  I call these our “lost treasures” because, they are just waiting for us to pick them up again.  Why not use them and have fun with our kids!  We are the only ones allowed to choose for ourselves what we do with our time. 
Our Choice:  Time to go set up a game with the kids, and make a quick snack for a nice afternoon!  Good luck finding your lost treasures, let me know what loot you find!