Who doesn’t love summer’s relaxed schedule!? It is the perfect time to have friends over for a get-together and eat. If you are having pals over for a playdate in the afternoon why not get different types of watermelon, pop on the sprinkler and chose a few of these games and activities to do! Materials Invitations FREE printable watermelon Standard envelope Pencil Scissors Garland Coffee filters Watercolour paints or food colouring Paint brush Cord Beads/ Buttons Glue Play Dough FREE printable TAGS 1) Thank you: water melon thanks 2) Happy Summer: water melon summer 3) Happy Summer with line to write your name water melon summer2 Circle punch or scissors Tape Containers/ Mason Jars (Glass or plastic) Spoon or Item to push down play dough Black buttons/ beads Pink/Green/White play dough (you can purchase this or we provide our favourite recipe below) Watermelon Tic Tac Toe Canvas or wooden plaque Lid (smaller than the plaque) Acrylic paint (rind and inside colours) Sponges/paint brushes Ruler Pencil/eraser Sharpie Buttons/Beads/Glass Gems etc. (10 total: 5 of 2 colours) Watermelon Bowling Juice containers Acrylic paint Sponges Water Ball We always find these items useful too: Directions Invitations Print your invitations, fill them in, cut them out and pop them into your envelopes and address them to your friends. Garland We used industrial sized coffee filters so the process would be really clear to see, but you can purchase regular ones inexpensively at grocery or dollar stores. You can dip your filters into the paint, but for more accurate lines we painted the different colours onto the filters. *Remember that the filters are really absorbent, so underestimate the lines to which you paint to. We drew the lines lightly with pencil prior to painting. Allow to dry overnight. We then glued on buttons and beads for watermelon seeds. We used a glue gun, but you could use white, craft glue. Play Dough Purchase or make green, white and pink/red play dough. Here is our favourite homemade recipe below. Make a batch of green, white and 2 of the red/pink. Please note this is a recipe to made by an ADULT. Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1 cup water 1/2 salt 3 tbsp cream of tarter 2 tbsp vegetable oil Food colouring Directions: Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium pan. Add water and oil. Cook on medium heat, adding the food colouring. Stir continuously. When the dough mix pulls away from the sides and forms into a large ball, the dough is ready to be placed in a small bowl to cool. Store in a plastic container or re-sealable bag. Source: Japer Place Child and Family Resource Centre Put a small amount of green into your jar to form the thick part of your rind. Add a thin layer for the white portion of the rind and then fill the rest of the jar with your pink play dough for the flesh of the watermelon. If you like and you are giving it to children who are older than 3 and are unlikely to put it into their mouths, then you could pop in some buttons or beads for watermelon seeds. Print your tags and punch them out with a 2 inch punch or cut them out with scissors. Make a tape donut (or you could use a sticky dot) and pop on your labels. Give them to your pals! Watermelon Tic Tac Toe Use your lid smaller than your surface (plaque or canvas) to create the interior/ flesh portion of your watermelon. Paint the colour you would like your watermelon flesh. Allow to dry overnight. We recommend that you do the two painting pieces separately, so as not to smudge them. Paint the edge of your canvas with greens to create your rind, leaving a bit blank to create the white portion of the rind. All to dry overnight. With a ruler, measure out 3 lines (creating 9 cells) for your tic tac toe board (depending on your age and abilities, you may need some adult help with this portion). Trace over this carefully, using your ruler again and a permanent marker. Allow to dry. We then put 5 black buttons and 5 white buttons in a small containers for the board markers in a small container to play with. Play with this at the party (it is always good to have a few quiet games too) or pop it in a gift bag (See below) for your pals to take home! Watermelon Bowling Wash out each container with soap and water and allow to dry. Using a sponge paint the outside of the container. We created the seeds, by using the corner of more of a square sponge. (Once the pink was dry) If you are concerned about smudging, be sure to let each colour dry before applying the next. Fill the bottom with approximately 1-2 inches of water. Paint several containers like this. Line them up on a flat surface at a distance and try to knock them over. Pin this idea Purpose Getting active, creating for the purpose of celebration, learning strategy games, strengthening hand muscles. Safety Notes We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces. Use scissors with care and direct, adult supervision. Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose. Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths. Please like & share: Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
