Disney DVD Replacements

If you have children I am certain that you also have some scratched or damaged Disney movies...am I right? Well, get this...

I just found out that Disney will replace any scratched or damaged Disney DVD for $6.95. How cool is that? That includes shipping! If you have Blue-Ray then it is a bit more expensive at $8.95 per disk. All you have to do is click here and fill out the replacement form, write a check and mail it in with the damaged disk. In about 2 weeks you will receive a brand new replacement disk.

I love that Disney offers such a great service. We have several DVD's that need replacing so I am going to get right on that. My kids will be so happy to get Cars back:)

Thanks Disney!

Make A Reed Whistle

These reeds are often found near rivers or streams. Locate the reed and pick one.

Known as snake reed by my children, it looks like pieces of reeds hooked together.

Pull off the longest piece of reed found at the end. Look inside. One side is blocked and the other side open. Rip off the blocked end so that when you look through the reed you can see through it. Press the other end of the reed together and put this end into your mouth, keep the end pressed together while you blow through the reed. Each reed whistles slightly different. It took me 3 tries to get one to actually whistle. I had to put it further into my mouth than I expected.

The kids thought it was great and whistled them all the way back to the car.

Fun Summer Activities with Kids

With summer here we have the opportunity to spend more time with our kids. I love taking my kids and having them experience new things as well as time tested favorites. I put together a list of some of the activities that we enjoy doing as a family in the summer here in Utah.

Flying kites
Barnes and Noble summer reading challenge
Water Park
Overnight backpack trip in the Uintas - there are a number of lakes 1 mile from the car which makes for an easy trip with little kids.
Day hikes - I will be reviewing/posting hikes as we do them this summer.

The Grotto

Silver Lake

Lakes Mary, Martha and Catherine

Twin Lakes

Dog Lake

Whiting Canyon

The Y

Stewart Falls

Scout Falls 

Elephant Rock

Hot Springs in Spanish Fork Canyon

and many more....

Visit local reservoirs - Tibble Fork reservoir, Spanish Fork reservoir.
Movies/concerts in the park

Visit Cascade Springs

Visit local museums - 

 BYU museums

 Utah Natural History Museum, 

 The Children's Museum,              

 The Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point, 

 The Eccles Dinosaur Museum in Ogden

 Springville Art Museum

Biking - 

The Jordan River Parkway

Provo Canyon Trail

Hobble Creek Canyon

Rail Trail in Park City

Mountain Biking at Round Valley in Park City

The new trail in Davis County

Art Projects - I find mine all on Pinterest these days

Visit National Parks

Camping

Orienteering courses

Frisbee Golf at Solitude Ski Resort

Geo-caching

Chalk Art Contests

Lemonade Stand

Visit different parks

Snowbird - day pass to use the slide, zip line, climbing wall, ride the tram, etc.

Alpine Slide in Park City - such a BLAST!

DIY Clay Art Project for Kids

This project came by complete accident. Last year my son wanted to enter the Reflections contest at school. He decided to make a clay sculpture. He spent hours on his project. When he was done I suggested we put it in the oven on low so the clay would harden. I did not read the instructions (I am not an instruction person...I always open them up and hand them to my husband to read:) and was horrified to open the oven and find the clay sculpture melted all over the pizza stone that was on the bottom shelf. We happened to have more clay. My son decided that it looked pretty cool and so he arranged the clay where he wanted and we put the stone back in the oven. Here is the final result.

This project has been shrink wrapped for the reflections contest. Otherwise, when the project comes out and the clay cools it stays somewhat soft. We have since done this project a few times and the result is always fun. I suggest not using a pizza stone :) as they are expensive. (I learned the hard way). I went to our local home improvement store and purchased a cheaper piece of tile for the project. It is currently proudly displayed in our home.

Crayon Art Work

We saw someone on Pinterest who used melted crayons to create a piece of art. My son decided to use this idea to make his own art. He made a city scape and then we melted away...this is the result. This is such an easy and fun activity for all age groups. 

How to do it: Hot glue crayons to a canvas in a design that is appealing to you. Place the 

canvas on an old towel or rag so it won't drip on your flooring. Get the blow dryer out and start melting. The crayons melt quickly and will start to run down the canvas. Move to the next set

of crayons when you are satisfied with how much "melt" you have.