Sensory Crafting and Creative Fun

    If you've followed us for any length of time, you know that we love to craft. I think I was born with it because I come from a long line of crafters. So when the weather changes and gets rainy and gross, we head inside and to be creative Thanks to Craft City, I usually have fun kits on hands for yucky days.

Sensory Crafting and Creative Fun

    Liam loves to make slime. It not only gives him something to do, but it promotes STEM learning. You know what else it does? It fulfills his need for sensory input. So making slime is a huge winner in our book. We happen to love the DIY Slime Kit from Craft City. It has everything you need to make opaque and crystal slime.

    This kit even comes with tablets to color the slime. There's glitter to make it sparkle too. Oh, and for added sensory fun, there's glow powder, and water gel too. The glow powder makes slime shine so bright! (You can even use it in dyed slime too!) The water gel makes the slime more gooey which is wonderful for kids that seek out more sensory input.

Squishy Art

    Squishies are all the rage. We've always had them on hand because they're a great way for Liam to keep his hands busy while doing his lessons. Well Craft City just upped the ante on squishies. Their DIY Squishy Art kit comes with everything you need to make you own custom squishies. There are three of them inside for your kids to decorate. The kit comes with puffy paint and chalk to color them. When you're done, you can add some faux sprinkles on top too.

    It's a great way to let your kids' creative juices flow. While also making themselves a sensory tool for school, homework time and more. We had a blast decorating our squishies. I did the cupcake, while Liam did the doughnut and surprise squishy too. Then he gifted it to his cousin, since he too loves toys to fidget with.

    The holidays are right around the corner. So why not gift your kids some of Craft City's kits. That way you know they'll have something to keep them occupied on snow and ice days. Also, it's a great way to spend quality time with them, and keep their devices out of their hands (even if it is only for an hour.)

Sensory Input for Back to School

A few days ago I got an email from the amazing folks behind Craft City. They wanted to know if Liam would like a Slime Swag Set for back to school. Of course that answer was a resounding yes!

Sensory Input Back to School Style

Now I know all too well how much fun it is to make slime. It’s one of mine and Liam’s favorite ways to spend time together. However, we don’t always have that time, especially during the school year. With that being said, there’s still a need to have slime because it gives Liam wonderful sensory input, and also keeps his hands busy during lessons. Busy hands means he focuses more on me instead of looking around the room and trying to find something to occupy his empty hands.

So when Karina and her team from Craft City asked if we wanted some premade slime, our answer was yes! They did not disappoint! A mere two days later a bunch of slimy fun arrived on our doorstep.

Soda Slime

Let me tell you, this slime smells absolutely fantastic! When my son opened it, I could smell it sitting across the room from the him. He got Orange and Grape soda. Craft City also has Cherry Cola scented and Lemon Lime Soda as well. Your kids are sure to love this four pack of premade slime.

Super Slime

This may very well being one of Liam’s favorite types of slime. He loves the colors and glitter. His favorite is Fire and Ice. It’s an orange slime with gold glitter (two of his faves,) and it even has plastic chunks of “ice” inside. He loves manipulating this slime to expose the ice and pick them out. The four pack also comes with Mood Ring slime which changes colors with heat.  Metallic slime, and Glow in the Dark Rainbow too.

Galactic Slime

Inspired by space, this four pack of Craft City premade slime is out of this world! It comes with Blackberry Blast Off, Martian-mallow, Milky Way Cereal, and Green Apple Goo. The green apple smells exactly like a hard candy. The Milky Way Cereal looks and smells just like a fruity cereal. Plus it has foam balls for even more sensory input.

Glitter Slime

If glitter is your thing then you’re going to love the Craft City Glitter Slime four pack. It comes with glittery fun in blue, gold, rainbow and pink.

More Fun From Craft City

These are just a few of the fun activities and sensory items from Craft City. You can make slime, lip gloss, and more. There are even kits to color your own squishies too! Karina sent Liam two keychain squishies, and two of those balls that you squeeze and parts of it pop out. He hasn’t put them down since they came!

Back to School Sensory Style

    We're not a typical family. Which is why our back to school list always includes sensory items. Liam is home/cyber schooled and he needs things that can keep his hands busy so his brain can focus. We just got this awesome kit, check it out!

Back to School Sensory Style

    Explorer's Choice 2018 Slime Kit is amazing! It has twenty-four colors of crystal clear slime. There's also an egg packed full of Galaxy slime, and fruit slime as well. Tons of slimy fun to fulfill their sensory needs, and keep their hands busy. Keeping hands busy helps to keep people focused. It works wonders for my son, and we don't do lessons without something for him to fidget with.

    However, slime isn't just a sensory tool. It's an amazing stress reliever too. I often sit in my chair and stretch slime, or make bubbles in it an pop them. Believe it or not, it helps me unwind after an especially rough day.

Add Ins to Make it More Fun

    The Explorer's Choice kit even comes with add ins to make your slime even more sensory fun! There are six glitter jars to make your slime sparkle and shine. With six packs of foam balls your kids can add more texture to their slime. The different sizes of the foam will make slime bumpy and exciting to stretch in your hands! There are even some fruit slices that they can add into their slime!

    The creators of Explorer's Choice 2018 Slime Kit even included stuff to play with your slime! There's a three piece tool set to cut and smooth out your slime. With six animals, you can hide them in the slime and let little hands dig them out. There are even three straws to blow bubbles into your slime. (We love making bubbles in our slime because then you can pop them, and it really fulfills those sensory needs!)

Make it with Mica

    Before we know it, winter will be bearing down upon us. As much as I hate to think of that, I know it's coming. So I've already started thinking of crafts to keep Liam and I busy. Today we're going to talk about things we can make with Mica pigmented powder.

Make it with Mica

    If you're not familiar with Mica pigmented powder, you may be using it and not even realizing it. If you wear eyeshadow or lip gloss, it's colored with mica. Do you burn colored candles or wax tarts? Again, many people use mica to color them. It's even used in soaps. So let's talk about ways we can use it. But first, you may want to grab yourself some Mica. Liam and I got this awesome set from Evol Concept. It comes with twenty colors of pigmented powders.

Slime!

    Pigmented Mica Powder looks amazing in clear slime. It colors it and makes it shimmery. It's seriously the prettiest slime ever! So I want to give you our Crystal Clear Slime Recipe. All you do is make the slime, then put your slime on the table. Sprinkle a bit of mica on the slime, and knead it in. That's it. So here's the recipe:

Crystal Clear Slime

• 1/2 cup of Elmer's Clear Glue
• 1/4 teaspoon of Borax Powder
• 1/2 cup warm water

Put your glue in a bowl. In a separate cup, mix warm water and Borax powder until dissolved. Add to glue and mix well. Voila. Crystal Clear slime. Now roll the slime onto your table, and color with your Mica powder.

More with Mica

    Another fun craft is making melt and pour soap. It's so much nicer than store bought soaps, and super easy. You can create fun color by using your Mica powders in it. If you enjoy doing nails, you can use your mica for that too. 

    You can easily create eyeshadows and even lip gloss with mica powder. I want to share my favorite lip gloss recipe with you. It makes amazing Christmas gifts and kids can help too!

Lip Gloss

• 3 tbsp shea butter
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp grated beeswax
• 2 drops of essential oil (optional) 
• mica pigment powder

    In the microwave, melt the beeswax, coconut oil, and shea butter. (Or you can use a double boiler.) Once it's all melted, mix well, then add essential oil if you choose to. Next add in your mica. Mix well and pour into little lip gloss pots. That's it.

    If you want an easier version, grab some Vaseline. Melt it in the microwave, add a drop or two of essential oil and mix well. Then add your mica, and pour into pots. Voila! Lip gloss.

Blast Off For Family Game Night

    Are you ready to blast off for family game night? If so, then we have the perfect game for you.

Blast Off for Family Game Night

    Summer and fireworks go together like winter and sledding. Goliath Games new game Pop Rocket makes the premise of fireworks safe and fun for the entire family. Grab this super fun game, gather your kids, and get ready for an evening of explosive fun!

Pop Rocket

    Pop Rocket is sure to make your kids squeal. Fill it with all of the stars, pull the fuse and wait for it to explode. (Have no fear, it's not a dangerous "explosion." When the top pops up, a shower of safe stars come out.) When it does, the stars will shoot out. The player that catches the most stars of their color, wins the game. Then just collect all the stars, refill Pop Rocket, pull the fuse, and wait for more fun!

Schools Out for Summer

    For most, school is out for summer. That means in about five seconds, you will hear, "I'm bored. There's nothing to do. Mom! He/She is touching me." Just wait for it. Or, grab some fun games from Goliath Games, and give the kids something to do. They have fun things to do for all ages. From games, and puzzles, to outdoor toys. There's something for everyone, and a great way to beat summer boredom, and spend less time on devices.

Slime!

    Liam is all about slime. When he saw that Goliath Games has the Dr. Toxic Slime Lab he was stoked. In this lab kids can create slime and experiment with tension and elasticity. For those that seek sensory input, it's therapy made fun! Check it out!

You can shop all of the fun at Goliath Games.

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Make That Slime More Satisfying!

 
    If you're the parent of a tween or teen, then I'm willing to bet you're well versed in the making of slime. However, there are ways to make that slime more satisfying!! There are different kinds you can make, but you can also take a simple recipe, and add in some fun!

Make That Slime More Satisfying!

    We make slime a few times a week here. Not only is it a great lesson in mixing stuff and reactions, but for us, it serves a sensory purpose too! We recently made some Fluffy Slime, and that was a huge hit with Liam.

    Though it has lost a bit of its fluffiness, its currently his go to slime. He lays it out and cuts it, rolls it, scoops it and more. But I thought it would be fun if we added something to it. Which is where this Slime Supplies Making Kit comes in.

Loads of Fun

    This kit is a ton of fun! It's packed full of slime add ins to make them more satisfying to play with and even look at. The Slime Supplies Making Kit comes with twelve bags of foam beads in colors such as pink, white, blue, black, purple, and more. It also comes with two bags of mini foam beads in a mixed variety of colors, as well two bags of large foam beads in the same colors.

   

    You get one bag of colorful pom poms, a bag of clay fruit slices, a bag of loom bags, and a bag of fish bowl beads. Everything you need to make some crunchy, cool slime!

    It also comes with three tools for cutting, slicing, scooping your slime and more!

Fluffy Slime Recipe

    Let's talk slime making! I am going to share Liam's recipe for Fluffy Slime. I've added the measurements in an easy to reference image, but first, let's talk.

    Okay, so let me first say that generic glue does NOT make for very good slime. We have made TONS of slime, and it has to be with Elmer's. 

    Secondly, in order for this recipe to work, the contact solution MUST HAVE BORIC ACID in the ingredients. (The Equate brand at Walmart works great!)

     Third, only use 1 tsp of contact solution to start. You can always add more later. Also, don't add too much because once the slime "rests" it will be perfect. I always start Liam with one tsp, then add a bit more if needed. But don't make your slime too stiff or once it rests, it will be hard.

   And lastly, make sure you're using shaving cream foam. Don't use gels! This is important too!

     Gather your ingredients and you're ready to make some slime! 

    Are you enjoying your fluffy slime? I bet you are. But not it's time to add some texture! Add some foam beads, the fish bowl beads or both!

    If you're making slime with clear Elmer's, try adding some of the fruit slices! They look so neat in there! As you can see, we are loving our Slime Supplies Making Kit. If you have a slime lover, they're going to love it too! With Easter quickly approaching, it would make a great addition to their Easter basket!

Put More Than Candy in Their Easter Baskets

    Spring is coming! I know this not because of the calendar, but because one days it's seventy degrees, and the next it snows. Oh and the mud. ALL OF THE MUD! I digress. With Spring comes Easter, and I don't know about you, but I don't like filling my son's basket with candy. And frankly neither does E.B. (We're good friends, he and I.) So how about some fun, disguised as learning?

Put More Than Candy in Their Easter Baskets

    Craft City has the coolest kits that both you and your children are going to love! Karina Garcia is my new jam! Seriously, I think we could be soul sisters. (Heyyyy Karina!) Her kits are amazing, and she actually creates every kit herself! They will not only give your kids hours of fun, but in the process, they're learning. (And they're going to love it by the way!)

Slime For Days

    If you're the parent of a tween or teen, I'm willing to bet you hear A LOT about slime. As a special needs mama, we use slime as a sensory tool too, so when we saw the Craft City Make-Your-Own Slime Kit we knew we had to have it!

    Liam's bud, the UPS man brought his yesterday and within five minutes we were making slime. Glow in the dark slime to be precise. The ingredients are kid friendly and safe, so there's no worries of your eight and up kids using the ingredients. It's super easy too so with a little supervision, your children will be creating some really cool slime!

Please ignore our messy craft table! Tons of projects have left their mark here. ;)

    By following the recipes in the kit, your child will be doing hands on STEM learning. From measuring, to adding, and more. This kit is a science lesson disguised as fun! Check out Liam making his batch of glow in the dark slime.

Make-Your-Own Bath Bombs Kit

    When Liam took this kit out of the box he was grinning from ear to ear. He loves making bath bombs with me, and was even happier to have his very own kit. Geared towards kids eight and up, they can craft a few of their own bath bombs, then drop them in the tub and relax. Another STEM lesson conveniently disguised as crafty fun for kids.

Everything your son or daughter needs to create their very own bath bombs! They even included gems to hide inside the bomb.

My Child Needs These in Their Life!

    I know by now you're chomping at the bit. "Spill it Court, and tell us where we can get these!" Well you're in luck, you can head to your local Target and pick them up. While you're there, check out the Craft City Make-Your-Own Lip Kit. If you don't like being "peopley" then order them online and wait for your UPS guy or gal to deliver you and your kids some fun.

 You can check out Craft City on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube too!