I so love this simple and brilliant idea by my friend Marie at the Craftzine blog. Since it’s still cold outside, your dollar store (and every other store on the planet, pretty much) will probably have these magic stretch gloves, so pick up a few pairs to make a fun Velcro catch game. Kids of all ages will enjoy this game, and it looks like it would be a great way to expend some energy when it’s too icky to go outside. Marie just came up with another twist on the game, too, using a hat to catch the ball with. [click here for Velcro Catch Ball how-to]

If you can’t find the round self-stick Velcro at the dollar store, try cutting your own circles and gluing them on. You can also use diaper tabs from disposable diapers in place of Velcro.

Project Estimate:

• Magic knit gloves (or hat), $1
• Wiffle balls, $1
• Round self-stick Velcro, $1 and up

Total: $3

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I love the shower curtain play mat made over at Filth Wizardry (one of my favorite blogs for creative ideas for kids!). It looks like a play mat like this will provide hours of fun for house-bound kids (still have any rainy days left this summer? We do here in Oregon!) You can customize this for any interest, for example, making it a fairytale-themed map with castles, dragons, etc. [click here for full project and lots of great photos]

You can get clear shower curtain liners at the dollar store, and permanent markers and crayons will work on a textured liner. Completely optional, but fun, are traffic sign stickers, which you might also find at your dollar store. If you are afraid of drawing, never fear, there are some good tricks for drawing straight roads in the instructions, and your kids will be happy with whatever you come up with.

Project Estimate:

• Clear vinyl shower curtain liner, $1
• Permanent markers, on hand
• Crayons, on hand
• Additional stickers (optional), $1

Total: $1 and up

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