Oodles of Fun With (Pool) Noodles...

These are hoooooot summer days. It's no fun being outside and being cooped up inside is just sometimes plain boring. So, in an effort to make some fun for the kiddos I get to hang out with one day a week (and for myself since I can still be a kid in sooo many ways) craftiness, projects, games etc have been happening in their kitchen.

The kiddos are spread in age from 6th, 4th, and 1st grade. The oldest are girls. The youngest a boy. So, coming up with a variety of activities all three will enjoy has involved a little more work than in the past when I've been able to spend time with them.

They really had fun with dollar store pool noodles, beads from around their house, and some extra packing tape left over from their recent move. I was expecting maybe 15 minutes of fun, largely for the boy, but I was pleasantly surprised when over an hour was spent thinking, planning, scheming, learning, and being creative during this activity.

I cut the noodles in half with a knife and they were off... 

The younger two had fun trying to race their marbles/beads down the noodle on the stairs. They added loops and mountains and tested different theories. Then they got a bit more creative and started cutting, taping, punching holes... just like their big sister whose creation looked a bit more elaborate... 

What you can't see in the pictures is that she added holes and had the marble traveling from the top all the way to the bottom of her creation. Talk about fancy pants. Reminded me of indoor recess days  and the game MouseTrap.

Total cost to me: $2.14
Totally worth over an hour of fun!