Crayon Craft: Make Hello Kitty & Lego crayons!

Make a regular day into a fantastic, fun day with silicone molds and your extra crayons.  Handmade Hello Kitty & Lego Crayons for Valentine's Day is easy.  All you need is a few supplies in which you may already have at home. Re- purposing crayons by melting them into cute designs is also Earth friendly. Before starting this project, we suggest you purchase the Hello Kitty and Lego Molds. We bought our silicone molds on Amazon and it was delivered within 5 days. You may purchase other similar style silicone molds at your local craft stores such as Hobby Lobby, Michael's Craft or Jo-Anns in the baking section. Target  may carry similar molds in their baking section. Please note, you must make sure the molds can withstand oven temperatures so make sure they state "Oven Safe".  

Supplies: Crayons, silicone molds, baking sheet, hot pads and an oven. 

Step One: Separate your crayons by color or the color combination you want your crayon to take shape.  First, remove all of the paper wrappers off the crayons with an X-Acto knife by slitting the crayon down the side and peeling. Once the paper is off the crayon, cut them into small pieces.  We recommend cutting the crayon in 4 or 5 pieces.  The smaller the crayon the easier it will be to fill the silicone slot.  We used approximately 3 to 4 crayons in each of the mold slots but it will vary dependent on the size of your mold.  On these cute little Hello Kitty faces we used a dash of white on the bottom of the mold.  The rest of each mold had different shades of pink, red, bits of orange and yellow. When you bake the crayons in the oven, multi colors will not mix together but instead create a swirl pattern.  It's okay to slightly over-fill the silicone slot with crayons however try to break up the crayon pieces to fill in all of the gaps in the mold.

Step Two: On a cookie sheet, place your silicone mold with the broken crayon pieces and bake in the oven. Bake the crayons at 230 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20 minutes.  Check to make sure the crayons have completely melted and that it's a complete liquid crayon.  If it looks like the silicone slot is only partially filled then add more crayon of the color you desire and put the silicone mold back in the oven.  You will want to bake for another 5 minutes until the entire crayon is melted. Tip:Do not use Crayola Twistables crayons as they do not melt very easy. 

Step Three: Now your crayons should be nice and hot and will need to be cooled off. We suggest you leave them to cool overnight. It will be easier to remove the crayons from the silicone when it has completely cooled off. Otherwise, wait at least 2 hours before popping off the crayon from the silicone mold. To speed up the cooling processes you can put them in the freezer for about 45 minutes. You will have to check to make sure it has completely cooled off before removing. Otherwise you run the risk of breaking the crayon.

Educational Tip: We discussed with our kids the solid to liquid effect. 

To make these cute Lego Brick crayons you will need the Lego mold, which I purchased on Amazon.com. They are worth the wait and money. Use the same method mentioned above to fill the silicone mold and repeat until you make your desire quantity. We made two batches. 

We made a few in solid colors and some in mixed color combinations. These cute crayons make a great gift idea for Valentine's day, birthday's or just because you love to have fun. Get inspired to have fun. 

Wrap these beautiful crayons with some googly eye monsters and other fun items in a clear bag as a gift. Watch the kids and adults get inspired.

Have a great Valentine's Day!

Disclaimer: Not a sponsored post. This is a personal blog. All thoughts and ideas are all our very own. Questions: fieldtripmom@gmail.com 

Norm of the North.

What happens when a polar bear and his three Lemming friends decide to go to New York City to stop a land developer from destroying their home?  Coming January 15th, 2016, Norm of the North movie is showing in theatres nationwide and our kids are excited to view it.  As movie goers, we usually do crafts or something fun related to the topic at hand.  This time we are doing a Polar Bear science experiment and a Polar Bear drawing. Continue reading to find fun activities that will inspire you to love Polar Bears.

We drew our best "polar bear" art! We used crayons, pencils and our imagination to make our best Polar Bear pictures!  We discussed polar bear facts and made a fun educational game out of it.  

Did you know that Polar Bears: 

1. In the wild, polar bears live an average of 15 to 18 years, although biologists have tagged a few bears in their early 30s. In captivity, some long-lived bears reach their mid- to late 30s. Debby, a captive bear in Canada, lived to be 42 years old. 
2. Polar bears live across the Arctic. There are five nations with polar bears: U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia,Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark), and Norway (Svalbard). Polar bears do not live in Antarctica.
3. Polar bears have black skin and although their fur appears white, it is actually transparent. 
4. The largest carnivore (meat eater) that lives on land. 
5. Polar bears use sea ice as a platform to hunt seals. 
6. Polar bears diet is mostly eating seals. 
7. Male polar bears can weigh up to 680 kg (1500 lb). 
8. Female polar bears are thinner than the males by half. 
9. Polar bears spend most of their time at sea. 
10. Scientists estimate that there are around 20,000 polar bears. 
11. Polar bears have 42 teeth. 
12. The scientific name for the polar bear is ‘ursus maritimus’. 
13. Polar bears keep warm thanks to nearly 10 cm of blubber under the skin. 
14. Polar bears have an excellent sense of smell, with the ability to detect seals nearly a mile away.

We also had a little fun with a Polar Bear Science experiment.  The goal was to find out how a Polar Bear Paw experiences the cold.  First, we filled a bowl with ice and cold water.  We put our hands in the cold bowl of ice water and counted up to 20.  We all had freezing hands after this step.  Next, we used a Ziploc bag and placed Lard (Crisco) inside.  Then, we placed another Ziploc bag inside the first by flipping it inside out and zipping the two bags together.   You should have a sealed pouch with the lard in between the two bags.  For an extra layer, we wore a plastic glove as well however this is not required.  We put our hands inside the Ziploc bag and placed it into the cold, ice water.  Each person took turns dunking our gloved hand into the ice water with the lard being used as a layer.  The temperature was very different with the layer of Lard.  It was much warmer and we could weather the cold far easier.  We all had a good laugh about the blubber.

We hope that you go and watch Norm of the North and enjoy a great movie adventure. The activities above are meant to capture your inner Polar Bear spirit. See you at the movies!!!

Disclaimer: Media post. We have been invited to view the movie a few days before it opens. Visit the Norm of the North website. No polar bears were injured in the making of this post. 

Handmade paper flowers that will inspire love!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  Why not make beautiful paper flowers for the person you love and watch them get inspired by your craft.  A few months back, we had the opportunity to make two dozen paper flowers that we gave away.  The kids were amazed how paper, a stapler and scissors created some beautiful large bouquets of flowers.  The adults that received them asked where we bought them?  When they heard they were handmade by us their hearts melted and were extremely thankful. 

Supplies you will need:

• Card stock paper - We used Reflections purchased from Joann's Fabric and Craft store.  Buy several different colors of paper. We used size 8 1/2 x 11 inches.  
• Sharp Scissors
• Staplers
• Tape 
• Ruler
• Hot Glue Gun and glue sticks.

Instructions:

First, decide how big you want your flower to become.  Then cut the petals different sizes into tear drop shapes.  Your first flower will be a tester as it will become easier the more you make. We made three different size patterns: Small, Medium and Large.  Use a whole 8 1/2 X 11" piece of paper for the large petals, half of a sheet or 5 1/2 X 8 1/2" piece of paper for the medium petals and a quarter of a sheet or 4 1/4 X 5 1/2" piece of paper for the small petals.  We made the large petal first and then worked our way down.  You will need to cut 5 - 6 large, 4 - 5 medium and 3 - 4 small petals for one flower.  We played around with the combination of petals to make the flowers look different.  You can also start with medium or small sizes as the outer petals and cut smaller pieces of paper for the inner petals. 

Once you have all your petals cut and arranged, you can then start cutting a small 1" to 4" slit on each petal.  You will cut the slit on the bottom pointed part of the tear drop.  The longer the cut, the more flexibility you will have in the curve of your petal.  The purpose of this cut is to allow you to cross the two slits together and staple to make a small bend in the flower.  The paper slit should over lap a little to make it look like a tiny curve in the petal.  This process will make it stick up and look like a blooming flower. Experiment with crossing the slits over one another to see how it affects the curve in the petal.  See picture below.

You will need to make the slit on all the petals.  Once they are made you will need to staple the two sides by overlapping one side over the other to make a small curve cup design.  Each petal should have this detail before gluing together.  Arrange the petals the way they are suppose as a finished product.

To making the middle stigma of the flower, you will need a piece of paper 12 inches long and 4 inches wide.  You will first fold it in half so that it is even.  Next, you are going to cut small slits along the folded edge approximately 1/8 - 1/4" apart to make the item shown above.  The slits should stay 1/3 - 1/2" from the unfolded edge, not cutting through.  After you have cut slits down the 12" strip, use a pencil to bring it together by wrapping it tight into one piece.  Staple the bottom unfolded edge together and gently fluff the cut strips to bring flare to the edge.

Finally, you have all the pieces cut.  Lay them out starting with the large outer petals and slightly overlap your 5 - 6 petals so they create a uniform circle.  You will use a hot glue gun to put all of these pieces together. Glue them together at the stapled tear drop edge.  Start by gluing the large pieces first, next the middle, then the small pieces and lastly glue the stigma in the center of your flower.

Once you have completed one, you will see the process and it is easier to create a large bouquet by cutting multiple colors and sizes of pieces of paper at once.  Make an assembly line and the process becomes quick and easy!  Enjoy!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Field Trip Mom Blog

Things to do on New Years Day

It's New Years Day, Christmas, Hanuka, and Kwanzaa festivities are over and countdown is complete with the last glass of champagne served.  Now, what to do?  There are many things a family and singles can do to start their 2016 memories.  Here are some of our favorite ideas.

• New Year's Day is a typically a slow admission day at most Southern California theme parks.  Most will be sleeping off a late night or nursing a really good hangover while you can get an early jump on the rides at places like Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland San Diego and Universal Studios Tours.

• Be part of the Venice Beach Penguin Swim, held annually on January 1st.  Registration is free but require calling 310-390-5700.  The swim starts at noon.  Learn more by going to Visit Venice.   If jumping into the fridged waters of the Pacific is not your thing, there are plenty of great bars and eateries off the boardwalk like Danny's Place, The Sidewalk Cafe and much more.  See some photos of the previous years' fun at Penguin Swim.

• San Francisco offers an ice skating event at Union Square called the Polar Bear Skate where bikini clad females and chiseled Speedo sporting males strap on their ice skates and enjoy the day on the ice.  In Los Angeles, they hold their version of this event at Pershing Square.  For more information go to Polar Bear Skate.

Photo Credit: Unionsquareshop.com

• Take a walk down the streets of Hollywood where visitors can enjoy amazing sites such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a movie at El Capitan Theater or TCL Chinese Theater, or take photos opportunities with dressed characters lining the street.  Lay on the sidewalk where your favorite actor and actress have imprinted their signature, hand and foot prints into the sidewalks of Hollywood for a unique social media photo opportunity.

Photo Credit: Mark Ralston AFP/Getty Images

• Gather the family and camp out to watch the Rose Parade live and in person.  Tickets for the grandstands are still available at Stub Hub and Ticket Office Sales or Google Rose Parade Tickets 2016.  Don't forget, you can also view the floats up close after the parade.  Located at E. Sierra Madre and E. Washington Blvd, the Tournament of Roses parks all of the float entries so that you can see the detail up close.  Tickets are $10 per person and children under 5 are free.  Bring cash for the food vendors and your walking shoes and arrive early because it gets very busy.  To learn more visit Tournament of Roses

Photo Credit: Google Maps

• Visit the Baby Beach at Dana Point Harbor.  This ideal location is great for picnics and simply playing in the sand.  Located off the Harbor, the bay has a very gentle wave motion that is perfect for toddlers just starting to walk.  Shelters and BBQ grills are available as well as many great Harbor eateries.  Take a bike ride, a stroll along the beach, play Frisbee or just dig in the sand.  The weather is scheduled to be sunny in Southern California, pack up and enjoy a day out.

Photo credit: Google Maps

• Get a jump on your spring cleaning.  Take down the Christmas Tree, put away the holiday lights, throw out all of the old broken ornaments and pack away the stockings.  The New Year is always a great day to spend cleaning out the old and replacing with the new.  Go out into the garage with a great play-list on your I Phone and purge those items cluttering up your life.  The golden rule, if you haven't used it in a year...ditch it.  There are many people who can re-purpose items that you are not using.  Take your stash to your local Assistance League or Salvation Army and get a jump on your 2016 tax deductible donations.

• Nothing cures a hangover better than a bowl of Pozole or Menudo, a Mexican staple with beef, pork, chicken or tripe.  This soup has long been claimed as the cure all for the hangover.  Served in a red chili broth or in a white broth, the soup has hominy, onions and the meat of the chefs choice. You then garnish your dish with cabbage, onions, oregano, red chili flake and all the hot sauce you can handle.  So good...my mouth is watering thinking about it.  Try Corazón Cocina Mexicana in Garden Grove or go to Yelp for places serving near you. 

New Years Day is a great time to get out and play, dine on delicious food that will help with that incredible hangover, or simply start the New Year off clean and tidy.  We would like to wish you a very happy and safe Happy New Year from the Field Trip Mom family.

Southern California Museums "Free-for-All" Day

Over 20 Southern California Museums are offering free admission on *January 30, 2016.  Take advantage of this great opportunity to visit some of the most amazing places in Los Angeles and Orange Counties for free.  While the admission is free, please keep in mind that special-ticketed events, parking or IMAX is not included in this special offer.  Plan to take cash for food, incidentals and souvenirs.

*  A few museums will be closed on January 30th, for this reason they will extend the offer on January 31, 2016 to help you take part in the 11th annual Free-for-All Museum Day.
SoCal Museums' website is putting this event on.

List of the museums that are participating in the event. 

• Annenberg Space for Photography
• Armory Space for Photography
• Autry Museum of the American West - Includes free admission to the Autry in Griffith Park and the Autry's historic Southwest Museum Mt. Washington campus
• The Broad
• California African American MuseumCalifornia Science Center-Offer valid for general admission only. Does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions or IMAX films. Timed reservations are required for space shuttle Endeavour.
• Craft & Folk Art Museum 
• Descanso Gardens
• Fowler Museum at UCLA
• Getty Center
• The Getty Villa -Timed tickets are required. Visit www.getty.edu.
• Hammer Museum
• Laguna Art Museum
• The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum- Does not include Ice Age Encounters or 3D Theatre
• LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) -Offer valid for general admission only. Does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions
• Japanese American National Museum
• The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA)
• Museum of Latin American Art
• Museum of Tolerance
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Orange County Museum of Art
• The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits
• The Paley Center for Media
• Pasadena Museum of California Art
• Santa Barbara Museum of Art
• Skirball Cultural Center -Offering free admission on Sunday, January 31, 2016 as part of Museums Free-for-All Noah's Ark timed-entry, one-hour tickets are limited and distributed first-come, first-served
• Sunnylands
• Torrance Art Museum
• USC Pacific Asia Museum
• William S. Hart Museum
• Zimmer Children's Museum -Closed Saturdays, offering free admission on Sunday, January 31, 2016 as part of Museums Free-for-All

Disclaimer:  Although we complete trendous amounts of research to ensure the information we share with our readers is accurate; we encourage you to always call ahead and confirm hours and dates of any events posted on Field Trip Mom.  The vendors, museums and third parties have the right to change their event without notification.

Graham Cracker "GingerBread House" craft

The Holidays are a fun time to bake cookies and build Gingerbread houses.  At the Bosek house, we enjoy easy and fun ideas.  This easy to make Gingerbread house idea will help kids get creative and have loads of entertainment.  All you need is a few ingredients that might already be in your pantry.  Here are some of the items we gathered from our pantry and Christmas candies.

Supplies:

Graham Crackers (I used 4 for the walls of the house and 2 for roof. I also had two boxes on hand just in case we had broken graham crackers)
Icing - Betty Crocker frosting
Jelly Beans or M & M's Christmas (red and green)
Christmas Sprinkles (Green and Red)
Christmas candy (Peeps)
Mini Marshmallows
Candy Canes
Gum drops or other small candies of your choice for decor
Optional: Food Coloring to paint your gingerbread house a themed color

Ensure the (6) Graham Crackers that are not separated, cracked or broken. Design the house with these pieces. 
Grab two graham crackers and position the long edges vertically.  Cut two crackers, one at a time, so that you form a triangle at the top of one end. Your cut should be from the mid point of the short end of the cracker to the mid point of the long end.  Use a gentle "sawing" motion with a serrated or butter knife.  Helpful hint: use gentle pressure when sawing.
(See photo to use as a guide.)  

Grab two of the other four unbroken crackers. You will then have the four walls on your cookie sheet.  It is now time to secure the walls together.  Once you have all the house pieces, you can start adding frosting to secure all of the wall pieces together.  The frosting should secure the graham crackers nicely once you add some gentle pressure.  Be careful when putting it together because the graham crackers can break easily.  

You can fill a Ziploc sandwich bag with frosting, squeeze it to one corner of the bag and cut the tip of the bag off to pipe the frosting onto the graham cracker. Another method is to use a butter knife to gently spackle it on your pieces. Ensure the end pieces with the triangle roof cutouts are placed inside the other side walls, otherwise the rooftop will not fit correctly.  

Pipe out the frosting to the inside edge of the short end of the sidewall cracker and the edge of the bottom half of the triangle cut piece and push together. Repeat with the other triangle cut piece and side wall.  See below.
You should now have two halves of the walls secured together. Then, pipe frosting to their edges to bring these two halves together to form the completed exterior house structure.  Next, pipe frosting across the top edges of the walls and gently attach the rooftop to each side.  Apply as much frosting as is needed to secure your pieces together.  

Sometimes letting the frosting dry out a bit helps keep the pieces in place.  Lastly, apply colored frosting to your walls and rooftop, then place frosting on your candy pieces. Gently place them on your completed house to decorate as you wish.  Use your creativity, think of a theme and make your design amazing!

Our family played together making this gingerbread house that looks very shabby chic. Making this Gingerbread house brought out love and laughter because it's so much fun eating sugary treats.  Enjoy making your memories!

44 Things To Do On Christmas Day in Southern California.

Winter break is here and the kids are home restless. Wait, its Christmas Day and the family wants to explore the city!  Okay, you want to get out and explore the city because the kids are driving you crazy.  Christmas Day is a holiday that not every business and store is open.  Southern California offers many indoor and outdoor opportunities.  To help you find the one for you, we have broken down the list into categories: nature, theme parks, food, entertainment, crafting at home, local churches and volunteering in your community. *By the way do not forget to use your AAA card or look for special offers in your area. 

Nature is open 365 days of the year; find a regional park or beautiful beach to play in the sun.  Discover which theme parks are open on Christmas Day as not all of them are.  Hungry, tired of turkey and don’t want to cook?  Find out where you can go for a delicious meal.  Take a drive through a “Candy Cane Lane” and be amazed by your neighbor’s exterior elumination talents. Building a gingerbread house with the family can be exciting in the comfort of your own home.  Attend mass at a local church and discover some history.  Help others through volunteering your time or talent.  Keep reading to find out more about some incredible things to do.

Nature

Beaches are open all year long and can be a great place to relax, play and enjoy the outdoors without spending too much money.  Find a local beach with a fire ring and take your S’more makings, hot dogs and hot cocoa in a thermos to enjoy the cool, ocean breeze and the gentle crash of the waves.  Danger, you may get sand laced throughout your shoes and car.  This is just part of the California lifestyle. Some of our recommended beaches include Belmont Shores, Crystal Cove, Huntington Beach Pier, Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, Paradise Cove, Aliso Beach, Salt Creek Beach Park, Baby Beach at Dana Cove, Correnado, San Clemente Cove, South Carlsbad State Beach, La Jolla Cove, and Mission Beach Park

Visiting a local park is another fun way to spend the day with your family. You can also go on a nature hike, bicycle ride or just picnic in the park. Living in California you have amazing parks that you camp for the day and reconnect with nature.

Themed parks

Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, LEGOLAND San Diego and Sea World are all opened on Christmas Day.  While the extended family members are all in town, take this opportunity to join in some good old fashion family fun while riding “It’s a Small World”, “Minion Mayhem”, “The Dragon” or watch beautiful dolphins dance for their guests. Book online and find deals or discounts on tickets to your favorite theme parks. Here is a link to the latest deals for Legoland: mousesavers.com

Food

Venture out for a non-traditional Christmas turkey or ham dinner by travelling internationally to experience new customs and traditions with Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian and Mediterranean food.  Try the following restaurants which have been visited by or recommended to the Field Trip Mom family.  Dim Ho in Lake Forest, China Palace in Tustin, China Station in La Habra, Benihana in Anaheim, Newport Beach, Puente Hills, Noodle World in Alhambra, Downey, Pasadena, Westwood, Upland and Hollywood, Doner G in Irvine and Anaheim, Luna Grill in Irvine, Lake Forest, and Aliso Viejo, Shogun and Wabi Sabi in Corona, China Garden in Irvine, Annapoorna Indian Cuisine in Irvine, and of course don’t miss Cielito Lindo on Olivera Street in Downtown Los Angeles. World renowned for their rolled tacos with avocado chili salsa and the chili verde burrito!

Entertainment

There are plenty of new movies out this holiday season.  Go to Costco or Sams Club for discount tickets or check your local theater for matinee prices.  Edwards Irvine Marketplace 10 offers $6.00 tickets for all show running prior to noon. Visit Pirates Dinner Adventure, Medieval Times Dinner & Show for a great dinner and show.  Drive to a Candy Cane Lane in your neighborhood, just Google “Candy Cane Lane near me”.  One specific is Lake Forest Christmas Lights located at 22981 Belquest Dr. Lake Forest, CA.  Looking for more fun on Christmas Day, visit Catalina Island, Queen Mary - The Chill in Long Beach, the Palm Springs Aerial Tram, the San Diego Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, or Harbor Breeze Cruises and Whale Watching.  Go to their websites for more information.  Go to the snow at your local mountains for sledding, skiing and snowboarding.  Take a walk through Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles where plenty of shops, bakeries and restaurants are open on Christmas day.

Crafting at home

Build a gingerbread house with white frosting.  Bake chocolate chip cookies and eat them with a glass of milk.  Invite neighbors and host a small party.  Take up crochett and make yourself a scarf or beenie for the upcoming winter chill.

Churches

We want to encourage you to visit a Catholic Church on Christmas day.  Most Catholic churches offer beautiful architecture designs.  The Christ Cathedral of Garden Grove, Cathedral of our lady of Los Angeles, Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano and Mission San Fernando all offer a look at the history of California. While at the church light a candle and say a prayer for the ones you love.

Volunteering

The Christmas spirit is about giving to others and expecting nothing in return. Volunteering in your community could be as simple as delivering cookies to the local fire house.  There are so many opportunities this time of the year to serve food to the homeless or visit the elderly in a retirement home.  Any form of giving back to our community is very much appreciated by the person you are serving and the community.  Doing so benefits all of us in the end.

photo credit: Convoy of Hope

ICE Skating

MoonLight Rollerway, LA Holiday ICE and Ice Skating Pasadena, dust off your skates and go out to the ice rink to have some fun.  Not all ice rinks are open. Here are a few that had open hours online.  Check your local area for other similiar places. 

Southern California offers so many opportunities to explore and experience.  To help you have a great holiday season we have a few suggestions.  We recommend you get out and explore the city in comfortable shoes.  Friendly reminder to always check weather conditions before going on a family field trip.  We suggest that you contact the vendor, business or church to confirm their hours of operation.  Our research on this subject reminded us to always call ahead.  Social Media and online websites sometimes do not reflect correct times or dates.

Merry Christmas!!!