Frozen Fun Inspired Art & Sensory Camp

"Winter's a good time to stay in and cuddle but put me in summer and I'll be....

a happy snowman!"

-Olaf

My kids fell in love with this movie the first time they watched it and I can't deny that I did too. I don't know if I'll ever tire of hearing Idina Mendez sing Let It Go (I'm a huge fan since seeing Wicked on Broadway) and my daughter's version just makes my heart melt. 

Emerson asked me if I would do a camp day themed to her new favorite movie and I couldn't say no.....

Olaf Bean Bag Toss

1 & 4) Do You Want to Build a Snowman? We did two different versions using toilet paper and marshmallows. 

2) Snowball Fizz Melt using baking soda mixed with water left to harden overnight. The kids used vinegar dyed with various shades of blue to spray on the snowball. They loved watching the snowballs fizz down to beautifully colored gems. 

3) Snow Slime using glue, Borax and silver glitter. The mushy/moldable/drippy texture feels amazing and the kids LOVED it!

Knox gelatin left clear and colored with shades of blue and glitter to explore using characters from the movie and a large mirror to reflect the shimmer and their imaginative play.

1) Elsa's Castle Bowling using recycled boxes spray painted white and a big ball.

2) The favorite activity of the day: Gelatin castle molds made from sand castle buckets and Knox gelatin. The kids were given droppers and blue colored water to inject color into the castles. They loved the marble effect it had and were also able to exercise their fine motor skills. 

3) We made our living room cozy with big blankets and pillows and served the kids lemonade and pizza--the perfect recipe for watching their favorite movie.

4) Homemade glittered playdoh with shapes and tools for exploring.

1 & 4) We froze beads and clear gems into various shaped ice structures we made using recyclable bottles and loaf pans. We gave the children salt we colored with powdered tempera and warm water as we discussed how ice melts. 

2 & 3) Snowball Fizz Melt

(Hunter paid homage to one of his favorite characters Marshmallow.)

Digging gems out of the glittered Snow Slime.

The afternoon proved to be lots of fun and I think my kids may love the movie even more!

Just like Olaf, Emerson and her bestie love warm hugs!

 (The dress she begged me to buy her for camp and then claimed it was too itchy to wear....

until she heard Elsa singing Let It Go.)

"The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play."

-Anna

Art & Sensory Mini Summer Camp - PJ Party & Yucky Fun

"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning."

-Diane Ackerman, Author

Camp has continued to be the highlight of my summer and we just completed another great week. 

A number of the kids have gotten to know each other in past weeks and it was nice seeing them interact with each other by helping and inspiring new ideas.

These are just a few of the photos of the fun we had...

The kids painted a mural of a bedtime classic, Goodnight Moon, drawn by Kathleen using paintbrushes and pink foam rollers. (I can't even hear the words Slumber Party without remembering foam rollers!)

They could also design their own Pajamas using crayons, construction paper shapes and glitter glue.

We drew lots of beds on the driveway with chalk that we used for a fun listening game with the kids.

Snack was sweet potato pancakes in the shape of bears and a "Tucked in Tight" snack the kids created using a graham cracker for the quilt (later decorated with icing), marshmallows for the pillows and animal crackers. After tucking in our animals we sang some goodnight songs before eating them (this was a practice in patience but they all did well).

This was most of the kids' first time doing a potato sack race and they loved it! We also brought out some big balls to roll and throw around (thank you so much Sara for these!)

The kids enjoyed telling each other about their beds and the stuffed animals that keep them company at night. 

 We sang songs and read bedtime stories. 

I started laughing and was actually amazed at how all of the kids began yawning and laying down as Kathleen read Goodnight Moon. This was the end result and no one told them to do this...

Another day this week we let the kids get extra messy with lots of fun materials and tools to explore.

It usually takes the kids a few minutes to get acquainted with the messy textures but its not long before they are experimenting with the various tools and mixing the different colors and materials.

One of my favorite childhood memories is making mud pies in our family's greenhouse so I knew this would be the ideal way to end our messy day.

The kids had the option of adding colored and scented conditioner to their pies and also glitter.

Looking forward to sharing more photos soon...

In the meantime, you can check out other camp days by clicking on the following:
Art & Sensory Mini Summer Camp - Part 1
Art & Sensory Mini Summer Camp - Candyland

"A child loves his play. Not because it's easy but because it's hard."

-Benjamin Spock, American Pediatrician