Fun, easy activity for playtime or gifts: The amazing crayon ball!
Lily and I found a cool activity in the latest Real Simple magazine. It might be the only thing in my house that Martha Stewart would want to take credit for.
It was easy, and as crafts go, quite fun.
Assuming you use old crayons that you have lying around all over the place, including all those red, blue and greens the restaurants give you to color menus with, you only have to purchase a styrofoam ball for this craft.
I'm also assuming you have some kids' paint lying around.
You buy a round styrofoam ball at the crafts store. It's about $6. (I know, overpriced. I was surprised.) Cut the bottom so it's level. Paint it. Let it dry. Stick crayons into it.
The one I show you in the photograph above isn't quite done. You're supposed to stick crayons all over the ball, but we stopped mid-way because all the rest of the crayons we had around here were broken.
It's a very cool way to store crayons, and I think it looks pretty great. If you used all new materials, I think this would make an awesome kid gift, packaged with a new coloring book.
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
Joy Oglesby has a preschooler...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s.
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters.
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby. 
South Florida Parenting is your guide for local events and things to do with your family. Our site offers resources, features and insightful columns on all types of parenting issues.
Parents and their children can access a multitude of free educational resources.