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The kids and I just returned from a little mini vacation at the Jersey Shore with my sister and her family.  The kids had a blast with their cousins and I was excited to snap this funny photo "capturing" the cousins under a huge sand bucket. Check it out... I originally saw the idea on Pinterest from THIS Flickr photo.  My photography skills aren't as good as the original, but it was a simple shot to capture.  I just asked the kids to go a little ways down the beach, then held the beach bucket in my left hand and the camera in my right.  I told the kids to pretend something was attacking them from above (which they gladly acted out).  Because I just used the auto focus on my camera, I had to lock the focus on the kids, then move the bucket into the shot (otherwise the kids would have been too blurry and the bucket would be in sharp focus) .   I got a few funny looks from other beachgoers, but it was worth it for this cute photo.

Summer is the time for memory making.  More relaxed schedules allow for the extra time to do fun things with your kids.  For five really fun ideas, check out these great activities linked up to our Summer Fun party !  They're all pretty simple to do and free or inexpensive, but they're sure to bring smiles to your kids' faces and create memories that will last a long time. Get ready to create some fun memories.  (Click on each picture or title to get all the directions and details)   1. Giant Squishy Water Bag {Go Kid Yourself} Tell me your kid wouldn't love jumping  on this giant water-filled mat? You can make it using some inexpensive plastic sheeting  and duct tape and then let the kids go to town  jumping and playing on it. 2.  Have a "Backwards Day" {Creative Family Moments} I LOVE this idea (and it doesn't cost anything extra!). Have a whole day when you do everything backwards ~ starting with a bedtime snack when you wake up and ending...

I can't remember in what magazine or book I originally saw how to make these cute fireworks shirts, but I first made them when my youngest was just a toddler.  Now, nearly 5 years later, we decided to make some more fireworks shirts for the Fourth of July! Don't they look a lot like real fireworks? They were really simple to make and the kids had a blast (pun intended). Here's how we made them... 1.  Gather your supplies ~ plain t-shirts, fabric paint in spray bottles and puffy fabric paint.  (You'll also want a piece of cardboard or several sheets of newspaper to put inside your t-shirt so the paint doesn't bleed through and something to cover your work surface with.) NOTE: I happened to pick up the Fabric Spray Paint with a coupon at the craft store.  However, last time I just watered down regular fabric paint and put it in my own spray bottle  (about 2 parts paint to 1 part water) and it worked just as well. 2.  Spray several bursts of color on the fro...

The 4th of July festivities here in the U.S. are just a week away.  Since it's the perfect, middle-of-summer reason for some fun crafts and tasty treats, I went to our awesome Summer Fun Party themed collection in search of some great patriotic ideas.   Check out these 5 great ideas that were linked up... Salad Spinner Fireworks { Mom's Crafty Space } I'm going to have to break out our old salad spinner to  try out this cool technique. Don't the paint splatters look just like fireworks? I can only imagine how much fun the kids will  have spinning some fun designs. Patriotic Folded Flag { The Chocolate Muffin Tree }  When I first saw these flags, I thought the poles were made out of  some sort of stick or straw. Upon reading the whole post, I discovered the flag and pole  were both made from a single sheet of paper. We'll definitely be making some of these. Handprint & Colored Rice Fireworks { The Iowa Farmer's Wife } What a perfect craft for ...

When I posted our Jello Watermelons the other day, I promised an easy recipe for a refreshing drink using the actual watermelon that I scooped out.  Well here it is!  You only need two ingredients (watermelon and lemonade, duh!) and you can whip up just a glass or a whole pitcher. Here's what you need to do: 1.  Using your favorite lemonade mix, make some double strength lemonade.   (So, if the directions call for 1/4 cup powder, make it 1/2 cup instead but use the same amount of water.  Or if it's frozen concentrate, and it calls for mixing it with 3 cans of water, only use 1 1/2).  Pour your strong lemonade into ice cube trays and freeze. You'll also need some watermelon, so cut up your watermelon into chunks.   (This is a perfect way to use up some of those end slices or the extra watermelon that you have when you use a melon baller).  You'll want your watermelon chilled, so either keep it refrigerated, or pop it into the freezer for a few min...

I've been wanting to make jello like this for ages now.  In fact, I first bookmarked this awesome idea from Gourmet Mom on-the-go way back in 2009.  (just the fact that I bookmarked it instead of pinning it tells you it's been in my to-do files for awhile!).  Anyway, I finally had all the ingredients on hand and made some for the kids.  They loved it ~ and I thought they were pretty neat too. Don't these look cool? Here's how I did it... 1.  I got a small watermelon and a few boxes of cherry jello (the larger 6oz size). NOTE: I just used three boxes of jello, but if you're making this for a crowd or you have a big watermelon, you'll need a lot more. 2.  Scoop out the watermelon until just the rind remains.   (Put that watermelon aside and use it later to make the Frozen Watermelon Lemonade ~ it's a great way to use the actual watermelon!) 3.  Prepare your jello liquid.  You'll basically be using the recipe for Jello jigglers, so use 1 1/4 ...

Like much of the country, we're in the middle of a heat wave here.  With temps in the high 90's and heat indexes that are even hotter, you need to find some fun ways to keep cool (or at least make the most of the hot temperatures!)  Here are a few fun ideas from past posts that might help. Survival Idea #1 Make this Fun PVC Sprinkler Your kids will LOVE playing with this sprinkler . They can even ride their bikes or scooters through it. Plus, it's surprisingly inexpensive and easy to make. I made ours last summer for under $20  and it only took about 30 minutes. (Get the tutorial HERE ) Survival Idea #2 Make some Hot Car Crayons Yes, you're seeing that correctly, we were able to make molded crayons on the dashboard of our van! It's a fun twist on the regular oven method and it's a good lesson on why you should  never leave kids or pets in a hot car. (You can find out the details HERE ) Survival Idea #3 Make a bunch of Spongeballs Just grab a package of sponges, ...

I'm really excited to be sharing my blog this summer with several fabulous guest hosts.  About once a week, you'll be treated to a fellow blogger sharing some of the ways they've come together with their own kids.  I'm thrilled to introduce our first guest post with an awesome idea for a frozen summer treat.  Here she is... I am thrilled to be guest posting here on Come Together Kids today. My name is Deirdre Smith and I am visiting from my blog JDaniel4’s Mom . My blog is about raising my four year old son, the adventures we  have, the special meals we create, the crafts we make, and the learning we do. With the 4th of July right around the corner I thought I would share with you  strawberry, blueberry, and vanilla pineapple smoothie stars. They would be wonderful  dessert to pull out for guests attending a 4th of July picnic or playgroup gathering treat for both moms and kids.     Our smoothies are made of three basic ingredients. We start with ...

  Welcome to our Summer Themed Collection This themed collection of fantastic ideas to fill your summer days  with fun projects and activities was started in the Summer of 2011.   I'm continuing it this year so you'll have a great resource  to turn to as you plan your summer vacation ! Ah, summer vacation! Two months of no school, relaxed schedules, and a chorus of the inevitable "Mom, I'm bored!"  I hope this themed collection gives you  plenty of inspiration for projects and activities  you can do with your kids. There are ideas for outdoor play, art projects, recipes, games and more! Use this link party to share and be inspired during these summer months.  Link up any ideas you might have  to keep kids having fun this season. A few guidelines: 1.  You can link up as many ideas as you want, as long as they are summer-related.   (NOTE: Your posts don't need to have been written  during the summer as long as the activities...

Today was the start of summer vacation for my kids.  To celebrate the last day of school shoes and the beginning of flip flop season, we made these cute Nutter Butter flip flops.  I've seen fancier versions where the cookies are dipped in colored or decorated with various edible embellishments, but we kept it SUPER simple and just used a tube of decorating icing gel and the package of cookies.  Still lots of fun for the kids and the results were pretty yummy! There's really nothing in the way of directions.  Open up the package of Nutter Butter cookies, open up a tube or two of decorators icing (we used sparkly gel ones) , and squeeze on your flip flop straps.  I kept my sample ones really simple, but the kids added a lot more color and decorations to theirs.  (They're no dummies, they know that the more decorations they add, the more icing they get to eat!) Check it out!  Sharing our super simple edible footwear at: Tatertots and Jello