The Great Bash-up

My little man loves his toy hammer

(he loves Dad's hammer even more!)

Even though he has a toolset, complete with nails ,screws and pieces of pretend wood, he still prefers hammering cupboard doors, windowsills and under-counter pipes!

Today, he got to 'fix' stuff in a great, messy bash-up!!!

Equipment :

 * baked cotton balls

 * water beads

 * jelly-filled eggs

 * safety glasses

 * a hammer

****** Try to do this activity outdoors or cover the floor with a plastic sheet. Messy with a Capital M!!!

Water Beads

 I soaked a packet of water beads a few days before our bash-up 
so they were really large and plump.

Next, I filled a ziploc baggy with the water beads and let Ethan at them.

I'm so glad that the water beads were safely packed into the baggy.

I didn't want water beads shooting off all over the floor - major safety hazard, especially when you have 2 left feet!

Jelly-Filled Eggs

These need to be prepared the night before your bash-up so the jelly has plenty of time to set.

Step 1 : Cook Spanish Omelets for breakfast..... :D  Basically, you need empty egg-shells.

Step 2 : Carefully paint egg-shells. Allow to dry. 'Is it Easter Egg time, Mommy?' asks Ethan.

Step 3 : Prepare jelly and allow to cool slightly.

Step 4 : Pour jelly into egg-shells. The Butterballs loved using the funnel and toy teapot to fill up the eggs.

Step 5 : Refrigerate until set. I placed the eggs back into the egg box - made it easier to store.

                ****Place eggs on a tray before smashing - 
                      things are about to get REALLY messy!!

Ethan LOVED smashing through the crunchy egg-shell into the squishy jelly. He couldn't resist digging through the crunchy slime with both hands!!!

Baked Cotton Balls

I got this idea from http://www.makingboysmen.com/2012/04/bashing-baked-cotton-balls-goggles.html

The Butterballs had fun preparing these cotton balls.

How to :Mix a cup of flour with a cup of water. Stir until it forms a smooth paste. Mix in a few drops of food colouring. Dip cottonballs into the paste and place on a lined cookie tray. Bake for 15minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

Allow the cotton balls to cool before smashing.

The baked cottonballs are simply cotton balls with a colourful, hard shell. Nothing special to an adult but sheer magic to a two year old!

 Ethan had the time of his life...he would have happily spent hours 'fixing' cotton balls and jello eggs at his messy workstation.

Even Tamlyn got in on the action!

Just one more activity left on Ethan's Birthday Bucket List now!