Bounce and Go Seek

Bounce and Go Seek

This is a good way to play hide-and-go-seek with kids who can't count yet.
One of the people who is going to hide must throw a ball for the person who is “it” to run and get. The idea is to give everyone enough time to hide before “it” can get to the ball. Everyone hides while the person who is it goes and gets the ball. Then, while still holding onto the ball, "it" starts the search for the hiders. When "it" finds someone who is hiding, he must tag them with the ball (while still holding onto it, not throwing it). This continues until all the people who are hiding are found. You may use a base if you wish.

The first person who was found and tagged is it for the next round – or however you want to go about choosing the next “it”.



Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC. www.todabble.com

Mummy Wrappers

Mummy Wrappers

Let your children wrap each other up in cheap toilet paper.
If they wrap each other up so that their legs can move, they can all play a game of Marco Polo in a cleared area of the room. Saying “Ma-a-a-r-co” “Po-o-o-o-lo” the way a mummy might.

Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC.

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Pancake Fruit Topping

Pancake Fruit Topping

Bring to a boil:
2 c. Frozen fruit
¼ c. Honey
¼ tsp. Almond extract

Then dissolve:
2 tsp. Corn starch
in:
1 T. Lemon juice

Slowly pour the lemon juice/corn starch mixture into the boiling raspberries as you stir them.
Continue to stir until the mixture begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and allow to sit until it's a little thicker (about 5 min. or so).

You can use the same recipe with canned fruit (16 oz., drained) instead of frozen -- like pitted, water-packed cherries!



Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC.

Edible Fun Peanut Butter

Edible Fun - Peanut Butter

Play with your food!

Mix together:
1 c. Creamy peanut butter
1/3 c. Honey
3/4 c. non fat dry milk

You can mold and make objects like you would with playdough, and you can use raisins or chocolate drops for eyes, etc. then eat! Adjust ingredient ratios for desired consistency.



Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC. http://www.todabble.com/



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Dragathon

Dragathon

Try giving your kids a couple of beach towels and letting them drag each other around the house (parents are welcome to join in the fun, too). Just have one child sit or lay on one end of the towel while another child bunches up the other end of the towel and uses it as a handle to pull with. Mark out a course, make sure the furniture is out of the way, and let “The Family Dragathon” begin!

Tools:
-Beach towels
-People

Optional Tools:
-Cones to mark out a course
-A helmet and other pads to prevent injury





Note: Riders tend to tumble in the opposite direction they are being pulled, so riding backwards (facing away from the person who is pulling) or laying down may be a good idea.

Photo by Photostock



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Changes

As you may have noticed, I'm making some changes around here! All Dabble Magazine articles will now be in "blogazine" format. Now you will be able to come here, choose a category tab, and select the article you want to read. You can also print the article by clicking on the printer symbol at the top of the article:


Print
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Popcorn Ceiling Fix

Popcorn Ceiling Fix

Are you tired of your popcorn ceilings? Tired of all the cobwebs and the little bits of ceiling that come off when you try to clean them? Here are a couple of ways to get rid of popcorn ceilings. Beware, your popcorn (aka. acoustic) ceiling may contain asbestos. Asbestos was used in ceiling products installed as late as the 1980s. Doesn’t that make you love them even more?!

To give your ceilings – and the whole room – a softer, homier feel, just follow these instructions.

You'll need:
-A face mask with air filters that covers your nose and mouth.
-Goggles
-Plastic tarps
-A putty knife or taping knife
-Paint
-Paint roller
-Paint brush

For the first step, cover everything up you don't want to have to vacuum. If you have something like a piano near by make sure you wrap it thoroughly with plastic tarps so the dust can't float into the works.

It's also a good idea to put up “walls” of plastic tarps where there aren't any walls or doors dividing you from a room you aren't going scrape. Otherwise, the dust from scraping travels in the air from room to room quite easily. Scrape the ceiling by using the putty knife or taping knife. Push it away from you with the handle pointing down or slightly away from you, but keep the edge of the blade flat against the ceilling. Do this evenly all around the room until you reach your desired level of texture.

After you are finished scraping, sweep the ceilings with a broom to knock off any loose pieces. Remove the plastic and dispose of the fallen popcorn. Recover everything you don't want paint on. Paint the ceiling with a roller or paint brush. If your popcorn isn't well adhered to the ceiling, it may come off in sheets when you apply the wet paint. Using a paint brush instead of a roller may remedy this. Second option: If you want to completely remove the texture so that you’re down to the sheet rock, spray the ceiling with water before scraping. Push the scraper away from you with the handle pointing toward you and the edge of the blade flat against the ceiling. You can then retexture and paint, or use a primer and paint that works for bare drywall.


Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC.

Foam Friends on a Stick

Foam Friends on a Stick

Tools:

-Craft foam sheets

-Markers

-Scissors

-Popcicle sticks

-Cookie cutters

-Craft glue

Optional:

-Hole punch

-Paper

-Cotton balls

-Other decoration

Place the cookie cutter on the foam, trace around the outside, cut the shape out.

Flip the cookie cutter over, trace around the outside, and cut it out as well.

On one of the shapes, put glue in the middle for the stick and around the edges.

Place the popcicle stick in the middle with more glue on top.

Put the other foam piece on top of this, matching up the edges.

Add decoration.

To add fur, pick small clumps off of a cotton ball.

Then put a light coat of glue on the foam, and put the cotton on in a thin layer.
Don't forget to add eyes. If you don't have the right color paper for something, use markers to make your paper the right color.

Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC.

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus

Break the tough bottoms off (usually about 1-1/2”) of the stalks from:

- 2 pounds fresh asparagus


Toss with:

-Olive oil, up to ¼ c. (enough to lightly coat the asparagus)

-Salt, to taste, about ¼ tsp.

-Lemon Pepper, to taste, about ¼ tsp.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min., until tender.


Top with:

- Freshly grated Parmesan

- Roasted almond slivers (optional)


Bake at 400 for another 1-2 min., until cheese is melted.

Copyright © 2012 Joanna Corley & Dabble Magazine, LLC.