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Tag Archives: gifts for creative kids

DIY Slime Kit

8 / 2 / 188 / 2 / 18

DIY Slime Kit

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love putting together fun gifts for kids.  It’s my jam.  There was a period in time when Miss G was a preschooler where I’m pretty sure every one of her friends got a play dough kit of some sort when their birthday rolled around, but we’ve also done LEGO kits, writing kits, art kits, car kits, baking kits, sensory play kits, craft kits, science kits, peg doll family kits, travel activity kits – wheeew.  The list could go on.  The kit-style kid gift is obviously my go-to.  It requires no actual making of things…  Simply collect items, pop them into a container of some sort, make the kit look somewhat pretty / organized, and you’re good to go.  Truthfully, when we make kits as gifts, we don’t even bother wrapping them.  We just add a tag with some baker’s twine and call it good.

This DIY slime kit is one of our more recent diy gifts put together for my sweet, slime-loving niece Kinslee for Christmas last year. Well, apparently it was well liked, because guess what we’re putting together for her for her upcoming birthday….  Yup – another DIY slime kit!  {G’s also got one on her birthday wish list, so maybe I should just shop for two while I’m at it?}

DIY Slime Kit

Here’s a peek at our collection of kit items once we had done our shopping…

DIY Slime Kit

{this post contains affiliate links}

The first step in the collection process?  Picking out a slime recipe book to include in the kit.  There were a surprising number of options at our local bookstore, and while they all looked pretty good, I ended up picking The Slime Book over the others simply because I liked the fact that it didn’t advertise its recipes as ‘borax free’ like the others did.  {Silly, I know… I don’t know why it bothers me, but slime recipes that are made using laundry starch, detergent, contact lens solution, etc. all work because those products contain some form of borax.  Therefore, not borax free. Hmmm…}

DIY Slime Kit

I also really liked how it included this little shopping list in the front…  Made the job of collecting things super easy!

DIY Slime Kit

We were able to find everything else between our local dollar store and the big box grocery store we often shop at, which I thought was pretty good.  Here’s exactly what we included in the kit…

– 2 bottles of this clear glue {though this clear glue is a much better deal and what I was looking for in the first place}

– Bausch + Lomb re-nu fresh contact lens solution

– a large bottle of Elmer’s white glue

– a box of baking soda

DIY Slime Kit

– a can of shaving foam

– a container of cornstarch

– a couple of bottles of glitter {which is terrible for the environment, I know…  we’ve stopped buying it for use at home, but I’d love to find a more earth-friendly version for situations like these… any suggestions?

– a package of neon liquid food colouring

– a package of regular liquid food colouring

DIY Slime Kit

– a set of silicone spatulas

– a set of silicone measuring spoons

DIY Slime Kit

We also included loads of fun add-ins, some of which were from the list at the front of the book and some of which were inspired by flipping through the slime recipes themselves:

– googly eyes

– acrylic snowflakes

– sparkly pompoms

– faux rhinestones

– rainbow sequins

– big acrylic jewels

– small acrylic jewels

Of course you could really add any fun little bits and bobs you find to your kit!

DIY Slime Kit

We also picked up some little containers to put all of the little bits in:

– taller glass craft bottles {these ones are similar but have cork tops}

– shorter glass craft bottles

– interlocking craft containers

DIY Slime Kit

DIY Slime Kit

The containers aren’t necessary, but I do think it makes it easier for slime kit recipient to manage all of the loose parts and it certainly makes the finished kit look more put together.

DIY Slime Kit

With everything ready to go, we placed everything neatly in a white bin we’d picked out…

DIY Slime Kit

And that was it.

DIY Slime Kit

To finish it off, we slid the book into the back and attached a big old-school mail tag that said ‘Kinslee’s SLIME KIT’ onto one of the bin’s handles, and our DIY slime kit gift was done!

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Create Your Own Peg Doll Family Kit

11 / 25 / 1711 / 27 / 17

Create Your Own Peg Doll Family Gift Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

This summer, just before we left Vancouver for good, we were lucky enough to sneak in a birthday party for one of Miss G’s special little friends.  We had been swamped with the move and we were living with next to nothing and sleeping on foams by the time we got around to putting together a gift for the birthday girl if I remember correctly, but we just couldn’t help but put together something special.  {Miss G’s totally inherited my love of gift giving.} 

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The Ultimate Gift for Kids’ Book Lovers

11 / 25 / 1711 / 27 / 17

The ULTIMATE GIFT for Kids Book Lovers | Mama Papa Bubba

If you know me well, you know just how much I love putting together creative gifts for kids.  I don’t know what it is…  I know I could just pop into a store, buy something fun that’s all ready to go, wrap it, and be done, but putting something special together for a particular kiddo is just so much more fun.  I love it.  

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Inventing Kit for Kids

11 / 19 / 176 / 18 / 19


Inventing Kit for Kids | Mama Papa Bubba

Last fall, Miss G went through a huge ‘inventing’ stage.  She loved nothing more than putting random bits and bobs together to create these elaborate structures and objects… It was SO cool to watch her imagination come to life.  Since she was constantly rifling through our craft drawers and recycling bins to find what she needed {and often wanted help locating specific things}, I asked her if she’d like to help put together a DIY Inventing Kit – a collection of items that she could have organized and in one spot whenever the urge to invent struck – and of course she did!  The result was this awesome kit full of colourful recyclables, materials, and adhesives, plus a couple of inspirational books.

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DIY Science Kit for Kids

10 / 24 / 1510 / 27 / 15

DIY Science Kit for Kids | Mama Papa Bubba

For the last week and a bit, Miss G’s been having a total blast experimenting with all sorts of open-ended science activities and challenges…

IMG 3960{this post contains affiliate links}

And it’s all because of this book – The Curious Kid’s Science Book by Asia Citro.  We are big fans of her first book, 150+ Scree-Free Activities for Kids {which actually inspired us to create a taste-safe sensory play kit for a friend last year}, and this second book certainly does not disappoint!  What I think I love most about it is that it really gets little ones into the scientific process {but in a totally organic and child-led way} – asking questions, testing different methods, making observations, making adjustments, re-experimenting, and coming to conclusions.  What I also really love about it is that at 5 years old, Miss G is very capable of leading many of these explorations completely on her own, giving her a huge sense of pride and independence. Win!!

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So, when I asked my good friend what her little guy was into a few days before his birthday party and she responded with, ‘He loves doing science experiments!’, there was no question what we’d put together for him.  A DIY science kit it would be!

Luckily for us, Asia {the author of the book} has made this part extremely easy by providing a list of the most common materials needed to do the experiments in the book both on her blog and on page 28 of the book itself!  And in case you’re wondering, most of what’s on the list is really easy to find either at a grocery store or at a dollar store.

Here’s what Asia recommends including:

  • salt
  • sugar
  • corn syrup
  • cooking oil
  • vinegar
  • lemon juice
  • baking soda
  • pinto beans
  • food colouring
  • coffee filters
  • plastic cups, short and tall
  • zip-close bags
  • straws
  • masking tape
  • cotton balls
  • cotton swabs
  • dish soap
  • potting soil
  • children’s safety goggles

IMG 3959

We took a few liberties with our list, but included most everything {save the darn children’s safety googles that I waited too long to go out and find!} and also included one of Miss G’s favourite science tools – plastic pipettes.  In the case where something came in a monstrous size bag that we felt was excessive for the size of our kit, we simply re-packaged the goods into smaller sets / bags and used some funky washi tape to pretty things up a little bit.

IMG 3963

IMG 3965

Next up, Miss G created a personalized book plate and stuck it just inside a copy of The Curious Kid’s Science Book.

IMG 3966

Then we tied the book up with some baker’s twine and placed everything neatly into a pretty plastic bin.

IMG 3977

As a finishing touch, we added a little label to the front of our kit, and it was done and ready to be given.  ☺

IMG 3978

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‘Mix It Up!’ Colour Exploration Kit

10 / 16 / 1510 / 17 / 15

Colour Exploration Kit with  Mix It Up | Mama Papa Bubba

Yesterday, as Miss G and I were reading two of our favourite Hervé Tullet books {Press Here and Mix It Up!}, I was suddenly reminded of the fun colour exploration kit we put together months ago for one of Grae’s little friends.  It was nearing the end of our time in Kuwait, so things were crazy with our upcoming international move and me being deep in the throws of early pregnancy sickness/exhaustion, so I never got around to sharing it, but after hearing Grae talk about it so excitedly yesterday afternoon, I think we may just have to whip up a similar kit for her to enjoy this weekend.

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Princess Play Dough Kit

9 / 13 / 159 / 14 / 15

Princess Play Dough Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

Today was Miss G’s first birthday party back in Canada and she was thrilled that a) it meant she got to finally see one of the friends she’s missed terribly while away, b) that it was princess-themed and involved art, and c) that it gave us the perfect excuse to create a ‘princessy’ gift.  

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Tackle Box Craft Kit

6 / 24 / 157 / 27 / 15

Tackle Box Craft Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

Miss G and I made several little portable craft kids for her friends in Kuwait, but when we got back to Canada last summer and wanted to create something similar for she and her cousin to take along on our house boating trip, we had zero luck finding carrying caddies like the ones we’d always found easily in the desert.  

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Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site Play Dough Kit

5 / 1 / 155 / 23 / 15

Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site Play Dough Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

After his dad’s Facebook post about the number of times the word ‘and’ shows up in the book Where the Wild Things Are, I knew that we had to get today’s birthday boy a new book {something with more than 8 sentences, preferably – that nifty fact also learned through a FB post about  the dreaded/beloved Where the Wild Things Are ☺}.  

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Cupcake Play Dough Kit

4 / 18 / 155 / 23 / 15

Cupcake Play Dough Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

Another birthday party, another play dough kit. ☺  I don’t think we can help it.  I mention an upcoming birthday party, and Miss G automatically thinks, ‘play dough kit!!!’  This one, a cupcake play dough kit, was actually inspired by the little cupcake play dough favours that we gave out at Miss G’s very low-key birthday celebration we had here in Kuwait.

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Little Chef’s Baking Kit

11 / 15 / 141 / 21 / 15

Little Chef s Baking Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

When Gracen gets invited to a birthday party, she’s usually excited about two things – actually going to the party of course, and coming up with a fun gift to bring along!  This gift was for a friend who was celebrating her 7th birthday this time around, so Miss G knew she wanted something ‘big girlish’.  We brainstormed ideas throughout the week {a hair dressing kit and a card making kit were other options in the running – two of G’s favourite things}, but in the end we decided on a little chef’s baking kit since our friend enjoys baking with her mama just as Grae and I enjoy baking together.

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Frozen-Themed Play Dough Kit

11 / 9 / 1411 / 15 / 14

Frozen themed Play Dough Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

I’m pretty sure Gracen’s obsession with Frozen has reached an all-time high recently.  She’s always really enjoyed the movie, but since removing the YouTube app from her iPad a while back, I’m fairly certain she’s spent at least a portion of her allotted screen time watching it every single day.  Of course, when your start your day with a dose of Frozen, it translates into into a whole lot of Elsa dress-up, many Anna hairdo requests, non-stop ‘Let It Go’, and daily reenactments of the ‘do you want to build a snowman?’ scene {accompanied by plenty of door knocking}.  Welcome to our world.  

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Rainbow Play Dough Kit

11 / 1 / 1411 / 11 / 14

Rainbow Play Dough Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

Grae and I absolutely love putting together fun play kits as gifts, especially when they involve sensory play materials.  While we’ve made a very simple homemade play dough kit previously, time around we decided to make the birthday boy a colourful kit filled with a rainbow of play dough and a bunch of fun tools and loose parts to up its play possibilities.

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Portable Activity Kit for Little Travellers

5 / 22 / 149 / 3 / 16

Portable Activity Kit for Little Travellers | Mama Papa Bubba

Another birthday party means another opportunity for Grae and I to come up with a fun, homemade gift {which we love doing}.  This time around, we decided we’d put together a tinkle trunk filled with fun dress-up costumes and accessories similar to what Grae has in her dress-up station.  We were really excited about the idea until we realized that the birthday girl is headed home to the States just a few days after her party.  A tickle trunk simply wouldn’t do.  After some brainstorming, we opted for something she could bring along on her travels – a portable activity kit!  Our goal was to keep it as compact and lightweight as possible, while cramming in tons of fun {and quiet} things she could explore and play with during her travels.  Here’s what we included…

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Little Artist’s Drawing Kit

2 / 15 / 1411 / 11 / 14

Little Artist s Drawing Kit | Mama Papa Bubba

There’s no doubt that we’ve been all about the ‘kit gifts’ this year…  Since moving to Kuwait, we’ve brought craft kits, play dough kits, and sensory play kits to Grae’s little friends’ birthday parties, and today we added type of kit to our gift list…  A drawing kit!  As soon as the birthday girl’s mom told me that she loved to draw, I knew we could put together a fun and easy kit filled with items that any little artist would love.  

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