Marshmallow Paint

I came across this marshmallow paint a while ago, but I have been putting off trying it because I expected it to be a flop.  I'm happy to report that I was wrong; it was a HUGE success!  We will definitely do this again.

The paint was easy to make; it only took me a few minutes.  I thought it might be sticky and difficult to use as paint, but it was not.  I even tried finger painting with it, and it felt like regular paint.  The paint does dry a little tacky, but who cares!  The colors are bright and fun, and this paint is even edible.

I had to try this for myself; here is my art:

Reagan painted the following:

This flower is my favorite painting she created.

The following two works of art were painted by Kate:

Collin wasn't interested in painting, but he did taste the paint.  He gave it two thumbs up for deliciousness!

Here are the directions copied from Smart School House:

You will need:

• Marshmallows (I used the mini kind because they’re easier to measure)
• Water
• Light Corn Syrup
• Food coloring
• Water color paint brushes
• Paper

To make the melted Marshmallow Paint:

• Put 1 cup of mini marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl and microwave them for 30 seconds. The marshmallows will expand (it’s really cool actually).
• Add 1/4 cup of water to the microwaved marshmallows. Stir the water into the marshmallows. The marshmallows will continue to melt.
• Put the mixture in the microwave again for 30 more seconds.
• Add 3 table spoons of light corn syrup to the marshmallow water mixture and stir it in really well.
• Microwave it again for 30 seconds.
• Stir it together until all of the marshmallows are melted and mixed well with the corn syrup.
• Let it cool just a tad and then separate it into different containers
• Using a little food coloring, make whatever colors you desire! I used craft popsicle sticks to stir up our paint colors.
• Let the marshmallow paint cool for a minute or so before handing them off to your kids. 

U is for Unicorn

I know this ice cream treat doesn't look like a unicorn, but Kate thought it was great.  Whatever works!

We also read Goldilicious by Victoria Kann and Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea.

Mud Race

Tom ran in the Samurai Sprint Mud Run this morning.

It was fun to see him complete some of the obstacles; I wish we could have seen all of the obstacles!

Reagan actually went to the race with Karlie because Karlie's family was there cheering on Karlie's aunt.  While we were there, Reagan decided she wanted to run the kids' mud race with Karlie.  The kids' race was the final quadrant of the adult race.

The woman behind Reagan in the above photo is Karlie's aunt, Ashley.  She ran through the kids' race with Karlie and Reagan.

They both did great!  I'm so proud of them for running this race.

Tom captured most of Reagan's race on video:

The race was held at Westport Rivers Vineyard, and it was a nice place to hang out for a while.

The kids ate cotton candy, shaved ice, hot dogs, chips, and popcorn.  Is there anything better than being a kid in the summer?  Running around barefoot and eating lots of junk on a beautiful day; what could be better?!

Reagan tried out the rock wall.

Kate enjoyed hanging out with Karlie's siblings.  They are three year old triplets.  I cannot even imagine having three three year old children all at the same time.  Anyway, Kate, Kayla, Korinne, and Kamden were all sitting in a row until I took the picture.

Collin did not run the race, but he was not to be outdone during our time there.  There was a table set up to advertise a race that includes puzzle challenges.  We saw many people (mostly adults) visit the table and attempt to solve this puzzle without any success.

Collin solved it in a matter of minutes.  It may not have even been minutes; I turned away and he was done!  The people running the table were shocked!  I was not; Collin has a very mathematical, logical, puzzle oriented brain.  Nice work, Collin!

It was a GREAT day!  Reagan's day has not ended yet!  As I type, she is still out with Karlie's family.  They went to a camp ground in Carver to swim and enjoy a Christmas in July theme at the camp site.

She is going to be WIPED OUT when she gets home!

Gymnastics Camp

Reagan attended gymnastics camp at Strive Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 3:30 this week. On Tuesday and Thursday, she happily returned to the gym for her gymnastics team workouts from 6:30 to 8:30.  The owner of the gym said it best, "She has stamina!".  AND, there is NO AIR CONDITIONING in the gym!

 Kate LOVES to get on the equipment.

Reagan is learning how to do a bridge on beam.  YIKES!

Here are two videos of Reagan in action at the gym:

Xcel Bronze is great for Reagan so far.  She has a smaller group, which obviously means more attention, and she is thriving!  I am so happy with gymnastics and Strive, and so is Reagan!

Frozen Dinosaur Eggs

 I put tiny plastic dinosaurs in regular balloons with a little water and stuck them in the freezer.

 We added the frozen dinosaur eggs to a bin with a little sand and more toy dinosaurs and toy snakes.

 Reagan and Collin were curious.

Boo had to check it out too.

 When most of the ice had melted, we added a little water and food coloring to the bin.

After a while, Kate asked for bubbles so that she could clean all of the dinosaurs and snakes.

Around Here

What a week!

Collin took a robotics class at The Wheeler School in Providence.  The class was Monday - Friday from 9 to 3.  He really enjoyed the class and said he learned a lot.

Kate came with me to drive Collin to and from robotics each day.  On Tuesday, she noticed the Brown University mascot in their athletics complex. She insisted that we visit him for a bit.

Reagan attended field hockey camp from 9-11 each day this week.  Since Reagan and Collin both had activities beginning at 9:00 (one in Somerset and one in Providence), we needed a little help with the logistics.  Grandma Susan was a huge help getting Reagan (and Karlie) to field hockey each day.

 Reagan and Karlie 

I took a bunch of pictures of Reagan, and in most of them she had her eyes closed.

Reagan enjoyed this camp so much that she is asking for her own field hockey stick and hoping to play at Teamworks in the fall.

With Collin and Reagan busy at camps, Kate and I had some time alone.  One morning we went to the playground.  She repeatedly told me that she missed Collin and Reagan!

Karlie, Reagan, Kate and I swam in Grandpa's pool after field hockey one day.  It has been hot all week and the pool was nice!

Today, Reagan went to Howland Beach with Allison.  They saw Karlie there!

I don't have any gymnastics pictures from this week, but I have to mention that Reagan's coach and the owner of the gym both told me that Reagan is "like a totally new gymnast" since moving up to Bronze.  She has more confidence, is trying even harder, and is hitting skills she was unable to do before.  Woo hoo!  I am so proud of her hard work!  I am also THRILLED with Bronze; she has a lot more one on one attention.

Reagan also slept over Karlie's house one night and went to Miranda's house to swim one afternoon.

 After robotics one day, Collin, Kate and I went to Eskimo King.

Eskimo King has great trees!

To celebrate a GREAT week of robotics, we ended the week with a trip to Friendly's!

Phew!  That was a busy week!  I am tired from all of the driving; Kate is certainly tired of the driving too, but she was SO GOOD!  Even though it was an exhausting week, I would not change a thing.  I am VERY grateful for the wonderful opportunities my children have been able to enjoy, and I know they have fun and learn so much from these camps.  They have met new friends, tried new activities, and learned new skills.  So, maybe we are all a bit tired, but we are all very happy!