All you need to entertain your kids are marshmallows, sticks, and a free hour or two

Guest post by Amy
#Teaching and Learning#big kids#crafts#creativity#diy

With fall and winter weather on the way, I start to collect ideas for indoor projects that will keep my kids busy for longer then five minutes. This simple activity is perfect and the materials are readily available and cheap.

You simply need toothpicks, mini-marshmallows, and willing hands! I use the cheaper store brand marshmallows and did not notice any difference from the name brand. It is inevitable that a few marshmallows will get eaten, so you might want to buy two bags if you are doing this activity with a large group of children or with older children that will make more complex designs.

All photos by Amy.

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When I do this activity with my boys, I lay out a bowl of both materials, show them how to push the toothpick about halfway through the marshmallow and their brains start to go into overdrive. They will gladly spend up to an hour playing with these simple materials and compete to create the tallest structure.

So tell me… what will your children create today?

Guest Post By: Amy

Amy is a professional wedding and lifestyle photographer, mama of three boys, and chicken tender when she isn't blogging!

Comments on All you need to entertain your kids are marshmallows, sticks, and a free hour or two

  1. My kid will create a dirty diaper for me today, as he is only 3 months old….but I’m totally going to do this marshmallow/toothpick activity with my niece and nephew, 7 &10. They also got a kick out of a little sticker making machine that I got for scrap booking….it was cheap at the store and we can put any little scrap of paper or small picture into it and make a sticker. Every kid I know loooves stickers!

  3. Thanks for this idea!!! I am always on the lookout for new activities to do with my little guy. He’s only 2 3/4 so I know I’ll have to watch him carefully with the toothpicks, but he’s pretty good about stuff like that and I think even at his age he’s going to love this! (And the fact that he gets to munch on marshmallows will be an easy sell!) 🙂

  4. mmmm now i’m craving marshmallows! What a fun project! And then afterwards you toast some marshmallows in the fire place, gas stove, or even over a candle! : )

  7. This is a great activity, I do it with my class every year but with tooth picks and dolly mixtures – stronger than marsh mallows.
    It’s great for teaching about 3D shape to count edges and corners and each stick is an edge and each corner is a dolly mixture!

    We also use spaghetti and big marsh mallows in a challenge activity to see who can build the tallest tower/ or structure that will hold a tenis ball.

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