Mix It Up Monday #7

Welcome to the first Monday in May. The weather feels like spring and are itching for some cool and outdoor activities. Well look no further than this week’s Mix It Up Monday. And because our artsy activity can be a little messy, we’ve combined them and added a new category for this week- something creative. Don’t forget to check out the previous Mix It Up Mondays for more activities to keep everyone having a great time.
Something Active: Up In the Air
Here is a simple and classic game that everyone loves. Blow up a balloon and play keep it up! You can do this inside or outside. Grab a sibling or parent and turn it into a competition, or create your own version of the game.
Something Yummy: DIY Ice Cream
Something almost every Camp Chi camper and staff member looks forward to during the week is the special ice cream sundae bar on Thursday nights. Here is a really fun way to make your very own homemade ice cream with ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
– 1-gallon Ziploc bag
– 1-quart Ziploc bag
– 1 cup milk
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– ½-1 teaspoon vanilla extract (up to you)
– 1/3 cup salt
– Ice
– Your favorite ice cream toppings (optional but encouraged)
Directions:
1. Pour the milk, sugar and vanilla into the smaller, quart sized bag.
2. Fill the larger, gallon sized bag 3/4 full of ice, then add the salt to the ice.
3. Place the smaller bag inside the larger bag and close the seal. make sure you close them both tightly!
4. Now shake the bag good and hard for 5 minutes.
5. Rinse the small bag off with cold water before opening to keep the salt water from getting into your ice cream.
6. Plop your ice cream in a bowl, top with any toppings of your choosing and enjoy!
Something Artsy & Messy: At Home Tie Dye Crayons
Have a bunch of old crayons laying around? Here is a fun and creative way to turn those old crayons into super cool tie dye crayons! Here is what you need:
Supplies:
-Mini-muffin pan/ or regular muffin pan
-As many broken/unwanted crayons as you can find!
-Oven mitt
-Refrigerator- To cool melted crayons after “baking”
-Dish towel
-Oven
-Refrigerator
Directions:
1. Gather, break up, and remove the paper off of any old crayons you want to upgrade.
2. Fill up your muffin pan with the broken crayons in any color arrangement you would like. We suggest filling the tins almost to the top as the volume will be a bit less when they melt.
3. An adult with an oven mitt can now place the crayons in your preheated oven for about 10-13 minutes. Keep a watchful eye!
4. Have an adult take the muffin tin out of the oven and allow them to rest for about 25 minutes until cool, then place the tin in the fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes to completely harden.
5. Your new tie-dye crayons should pop right out ready to use, test them out and see how the colors change as you draw and color.
Something Creative: Socially Safe Picnic
A fun way to enjoy the warmer weather that is slowly creeping in is a good ole picnic! Grab your favorite blanket (maybe even the Chi map blanket) and set up your meal or snacks outside! See some of our previous Mix It Up Mondays for some tasty camp treats to enjoy on your picnic! Pro tip grab your speaker, some arts and crafts, or a board game and have some fun with the whole family!