Spider Bulletin Board!

I love Halloween and I love decorating. I was so thrilled that I was back to work as a preschool teacher just in time for the fun holidays :) This bulletin board is super easy and it gets the kids involved in decorating the room for Halloween. 

 

Materials:

• Black Butcher Block Paper
• White Construction Paper
• Glue
• Glitter
• Black Sharpie
• Stapler
• White Butcher Block Paper
• Shaving Cream
• Black Paint

   Start by covering the bulletin board with white butcher block paper or sheets of white construction paper if you don't have access to butcher block paper.  Next, starting in a corner, draw several diagonal lines with a black sharpie to create the base of the spider web  then connect them with swoop shaped lines to finish the web.
    To create the small spiders on the web, trace the kids hands back to back on white construction paper. Cut out the kids' hands the day before you are going to paint them. Now that they are cut, let them paint them a mixture of shaving cream, Elmer's glue and black paint. Use one part glue to two parts shaving cream then add in paint to get the black color you desire.   I let my kids paint the hands with q-tips but a paint brush will work, too.
   To make the large spider, start by cutting two large circles out of black paper.  Staple the sides of the spider ever 1/2"or so. Leave the top of the circle un-stapled until you stuff it with scrap paper or anything you can find that is light weight (packing peanuts are great, too).  Once he is stuffed, staple the top shut and do the same process for his head, just a smaller circle.  Now, cut 8 strips of butcher block paper for the legs; 4 long, 4 short (and two for the fangs if you wish).  Roll them up length wise so they are 3 dimensional and set them aside until you are ready to assemble the spider.  
   Use Elmer's glue to create the spots, or any design you wish, on the spider and dust it with glitter. Allow it to dry before you staple it to the bulletin board.  Create the eyes by using white and black circles from the left over paper.
   Staple the large portion of the body to the bulletin board and continue with the staples until you are sure he is securely up there.  Now attach the head and legs the same way, as well as the kids spider hands! 
   My kids were so excited when they came in the next day and this spider was there to greet them. Happy Halloween, everyone!

 

DIY Thomas the Train Brick Tunnel

  My son LOVES Thomas the Train right now and any other mom experiencing this stage of childhood is also experiencing the cost. Thomas is adorable.  I have to admit they are pretty durable but they are pricey! We have found several pieces at the thrift store that I was able to clean but whenever we splurge and buy any new piece my stomach turns a little bit. However, we can create many awesome Thomas accessories at home! Check it out!

 Materials:

• Shoebox
• Paint (red, brown and green)
• Large, flat tipped paintbrush
• Trains (of any sort)
• Scissors

   First, I cut the two 'tunnel' holes into either side of the upside down shoe box. You can cut them into any shape, but I made ours rounded becuase it was easier not to have to make a sharp corner turn with the scissors. 
   Now, paint your tunnel however you want to. You could just let your child paint all over with no pattern, or if they're old enough (my almost 3 year old did this) you can show them a new kind of painting technique. We used modified stippling technique. To achieve this, dab the end of a flat paintbrush against the outside of the shoebox over and over.  I showed my little guy that if you dipped the brush in brown then red that it would give it a shadow effect. He got it and our bricks turned out really great!
  Then, he decided we needed trees on the outside of the tunnel. Easy Peasy.  Just use the same stippling technique as you did with the bricks, but with green paint.
  After the tunnel has dried you are ready to play! Just set the tunnel over your Thomas tracks (or any train or truck or car for that matter) and enjoy the hours of entertainment! We have already made an egg carton tunnel and a paper towel roll castle (posts coming soon) all using recycled materials!
                                                              Happy Tunnel Making!!!

Recycled Alligator

My son had so much fun making this little guy. He loves learning about any kind of animal and especially loves painting new things so this was right up his alley. I had all the 'recycled parts' laying around so I was excited when this project came to mind. It's also a great opportunity to teach your kids the importance of recycling. My little guy got a brand new toy from practically nothing and he really enjoys making his alligator CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!

Materials:

• Half an Egg Carton
• One Toilet Paper Tube (or half a paper towel tube)
• Construction Paper  
• Craft Glue (or hot glue gun)
• Green Paint
• Googlie Eyes

  Start by cutting your egg carton in half long ways to create the alligator's body. Now cut the two egg holders off of the top of the strand and keep them to use for the Alligator's eyes later.  Allow your child to paint the egg carton pieces and the toilet paper tube together.  We took a break to allow the parts to dry and ate lunch. It's hard to assemble when it's wet so I reccommend letting them dry first. You could always let your child color the 'parts' with marker if you are in a time crunch or just don't have the patience to wait :)
   When all the parts are dry, attach the eyes (the two egg holders) to the Alligator body (egg carton) by applying craft glue to the base of the eyes. Hold it in place for about 20 seconds until the glue sets.  Then attach the toilet paper tube to the eyes the same way.  Put two dots of glue on the eye egg holder and apply the googlie eyes wherever you think looks best.
   I created the alligator's legs and teeth from construction paper. Simply cut rough leg shapes out and glue to the underside of the alligator.  Cut a zig zag pattern from white construction paper and glue them to either side of the toilet paper tube, creating the teeth on the snout of the alligator. 
  Check out the alligator canvas on Etsy I made after being inspired by this project! Happy crafting!
   What are you going to do with the other half of your egg carton??? Why, make an Egg Carton Caterpillar of course!

Scrap Paper Project!

Scrap paper. Should I save it? Toss it? No! Don't throw it away, save it for goodness sake! If you are into crafts with your kid at all, you know what I am talking about. Those little pieces of construction paper left over after you practice cutting, gluing, etc. that really start to get on your nerves. I started doing this little project with my son to utilize all those extra scraps. Just save all your left-overs in a ziploc bag and use then when you have enough for this fun art project. When they are gone...start saving again!

 

Materials:

• Scrap paper (any old kind will do!)
•  Glue Stick
• Washable Markers

   Start by drawing a shape of an animal, letter, number, anything you can think of! I used an octopus because this is what my son requested. We did a car after that.  
   Tare up all your scraps that you have saved in your little ziploc baggie.  Make the pieces small enough so little hands can grab them and glue them on, you also want them to fit throughout the entire shape. You could even tare up longer pieces for legs, arms, etc.  Now let your child glue the little pieces of scrap onto their 'octopus.'  This project is great for hand eye coordination and can really help them with patience.
   Try to encourage them to glue 'inside the lines' and talk to them about why they are putting the pieces where they are. "Are you gluing the eyes? Good Job! Where is that green piece going? Oh cool...the tentacles!" Kids are more likely to get into something if they see that you are enjoying it, too. Enjoy this time when they will sit down and communicate with you because I am told that will not last long :)

  Do they want more?!?! Give it to them! Use your scraps from this project to add buttons to your Recycled Race Car, or add little feet to your Egg Carton Caterpillar! These are just a few of many ideas! Happy crafting, everyone! :)

Cotton Ball Polar Bear

   With the weather so unbelievably cold lately that even us Georgians are getting snow flurries, I thought this wintery craft was appropriate.  The last time it snowed Eli was still a newborn, so I wanted to explain to him what was happening and where the snow came from. Naturally, I turned to a craft and some printouts to do the trick. Now Eli is well versed in snow and we have a beautiful craft to show for it! 
Materials: 

• Construction Paper
• Cotton Balls 
• Q-tip
• Blue and White Washable Paint 
• Paintbrush
• Elmer's Glue
• Googlie Eyes  

  You can use any color construction paper, but I suggest not using white so the 'snow' sticks out a bit more (we used gray).  Draw a line about 2/3 of the way down the paper and ask your child to paint snow on the top section of the page, above the line.  It's important, especially for toddlers, to learn to follow instruction. Guiding them through a craft is the perfect way to teach them how to be patient and how to follow the rules.  Now, let your child dip the Q-tip in blue and white paint to create the snow falling from the sky.   Show them how to dot the paper so they make little dots of snow, instead of using the Q-tip like a paintbrush to create strokes.
   Now grab the cotton balls and the Elmer's glue. Coat, or have your child coat, the bottom portion of the paper with glue. Then show them how the cotton balls stick to the paper when they place them on the page.  My son really loves to use his glue stick so this is probably his favorite part :) Explain to them what snow looks like, what it feels like and why it happens.  If you need some help explaining the scientific details on snow, play this educational video all about snow while you are creating your own!
     Now that your 'snow' is covering the page, you are ready for the polar bear. Trace a polar bear outline on white paper, cut him out and let your child glue him on. If you'd rather print out a polar bear or need some drawing inspiration, (come on, you can draw one!) go here to see some cute polar bears.  All that's left to do is give him some googlie eyes-everything looks better with googlie eyes!  Happy Cotton-ballin', everyone!
  *** I love new ideas~ Share your crafts or DIY projects on my facebook page! If you are out of ideas, check out my Pinterest boards!***

Shaving Cream Fish Bowl

      I did this craft with my son after we saw an aquarium at the Dr.'s office. He was fascinated by the fish, the coral, the movement. A light bulb went off over my head. What a perfect opportunity to teach him about the ocean, and give him his own little piece of it! This is a simple project with just a few steps. It is not your run of the mill paint brush to paper craft, and sometimes a change is nice.
Materials:

• Shaving cream
• Fish stickers (or cut outs)
• Washasble liquid watercolors
• White cardstock
• Construction paper
• Spatula
• Cookie Sheet
• Scotch tape

   Start by getting out all of your supplies and setting up your 'assembly' line before you bring your kids over.  First cut out a fish bowl shape from a thicker type paper (do not use construction paper for the fish bowl!)...it doesn't have to be perfect, a circle with a small lip at the top is ideal.

   Let your child spray the shaving cream on to the cookie sheet.  Then, allow him to squeeze several dots of watercolors on top of the shaving cream. Push the fish bowl down about half way into the shaving cream/food coloring mixture.
   Remove the fish bowl from the shaving cream mixture and place it onto a few paper towels. Now scrape off the shaving cream using a spatula. Get as much of the shaving cream off as possible and allow the fish bowl to dry for about 20 minutes or until it is dry to the touch.
  Now you can decorate your fishbowl with your fish stickers! I found this was the best time to talk to Eli about different types of fish, where they live and what they eat, etc. (as well as remind him that the Dr. had an awesome tank that we got to see at every check-up!) He also enjoyed counting the total number of fish in his bowl and naming their colors.  I used some cute (free) printouts to teach him the actual fish parts and their actual names. My biggest pet peeve is when parents dumb things down for their toddlers...you'd be surprised at what they can learn if you just explain things to them!
    Lastly, glue your fish bowl to some blue construction paper (or any color for that matter) and enjoy your fish tank on the fridge for several days before it gets over run by new projects :) Happy crafting, everyone! 

If you haven't heard of liquid watercolors, check them out! 

Tin Foil Paint Tray Clean-up

   
Sometimes just thinking about doing a painting project can make you tired, especially when you have a toddler to look after while cleaning up. This idea really came out of necessity.  I needed something that was going to help me clean up his easel after we used it. 

Materials:

• Aluminun foil
• Paint
• Paint brush
• Messy child

   Although it isn't necessary for me to get the easel completely clean after each use, the big blobs that would stick to the easel paint cups after only 10 minutes really bothered me.  I needed something that was going to buy me some time so I could get my little man cleaned up before I had fingerprints all over my walls and before the paint would stick to the easel...what.a.pain.  Then it came to me----Tin foil!!!!  Why hadn't I thought of this before? I use tin foil when I am painting (it is easier to mix colors on, more so than plastic) so I felt really dumb when I finally started using this technique with Eli.
  All you do is line the easel paint cups with tin foil! Shape the tin foil the best you can to fit inside whatever you will put the paint in then when you are done you just ball it up and throw it away! Genius if I do say so myself.  Especially when I am busy with +Blossoming Buttons Custom Stationery and Art!
   Most parents who avoid painting projects are mostly worried about the mess and the clean up. You can't control the mess, you have a kid, but you can make the clean-up a little bit easier! Got any other tips I haven't thought of yet? Please comment and share them! Use this technique for any other painting project, see us use it in the packing peanut project! Happy painting, everyone :)

Coffee Filter Butterflies

My little man lovvvved this project. It was pretty simple and doesn't make too big of a mess. I like multi-step projects like this every once in a while because it really teaches Eli to work on his patience while exploring an new medium.  These coffee filter butterflies can be made with things you have on hand and are really cute hanging on the fridge!
  
Materials:

• Coffee filters
• Washable watercolors 
• Pipe cleaners
• Glue gun
• Magnet sticker strips
• Old plate/tupperware
• Paintbrush 
• Paper bag 
• Tongue depressors 

   I always loved a technique similar to this when I worked as a preschool assistant so I just tweeked it a little bit so we could do it at home.  Start by finding an old plate or tupperware container you don't mind getting paint on...it will wash off in the end so I just used a normal plate we had in the cabinet.  Grab the coffee filters, too. You need 1-2 filters for each butterfly so grab accordingly.  Flatten the coffee filter onto the plate and have your watercolors ready.
  Let your child paint the coffee filter with the watercolors. The filter will get soaked in paint and at some point you have to stop your child and give them a new filter.  Put the wet coffee filters on a paper bag to dry, I find the paper bag soaks up the excess water the best and doesn't stick to the wet filter...you could also use paper towels.
  If you want to make a butterfly without magnets, fold a pipe cleaner in half, gather the filter in the middle, and wrap the pipe cleaner around the middle. This is the butterfly's antenna.
  If you want to make a butterfly that will go on the fridge, gather two filters and hot glue the centers to a tongue depressor.  These are the butterfly's wings, put them close together or far apart...where ever you child thinks looks best :) We did a few of both.
  Now bend a pipe cleaner in half leaving a small loop at the bottom to attach to the tongue depressor. This is the antenna. Attach the antenna to the topside of the tongue depressor with your hot glue gun, on the same side you previously glued on.
   Once the glue on the wings and antenna is dry, cut two, one inch strips from a magnet sticker strip. Peel the backing off of the magnets and apply glue to the areas on top of both wings. (see pictures.) Place the magnet pieces on top of glue and allow it to completely dry.
   All you have to do now is stick them to the fridge, or make more! We made extras while we had all of the supplies out because I plan on using them as gift toppers! Cute, right?!
   If you really want to get into it, check out my egg carton caterpillar to explain to your kids how a butterfly is born! Or, make a packing peanut painting of a caterpillar!

Packing Peanut Paintings

Sometimes painting on a flat piece of paper gets old.  Try this smart trick to give your kids a new sensory experience. Packing peanuts are good for so many crafts and people are so quick to throw them away! So save those peanuts!  One day your kids will get stir crazy and you will need a new project for them to pour themselves into.

Materials:

• Packing peanuts (hopefully left-overs from a package but if not you can buy them cheap.)
• Thick paper (I used dry-cleaner shirt boards.)
• Kid's glue
• Any size paintbrush
• Washable paint
• Sharpie

   Start by choosing the paper you are going to use.  We save the cardboard pieces the dry-cleaner uses when they wrap up your shirts, they are great for so many craft projects.  As a matter of fact, you should start a 'craft scrap' bin in your house somewhere.  We save all of our scraps and store them in a big basket that we call our 'supply box'. Eli loves sorting through it and it's fun to figure out what to make out of your 'left-overs'.
   Now grab your packing peanuts. Glue them to the board in any shape you want.  We did a snake and a rainbow. They were the first things that came to my mind, but you could do any animal outline or shape. This is a great holiday craft, too...snowmen for Christmas, shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, flower's for Mother's Day, there are so many options!

   Let your packing peanuts dry for a few hours and come back to the project ready to paint.  Use any size paintbrush and let your kids paint the packing peanuts and the surrounding paper/board.  This is a cool new thing for them to paint and it will be exciting for them to experience a new technique. Explain to them the difference in texture, the sounds it makes when they paint over it, etc.  Texture is a difficult thing for kids to understand so this is a great opportunity for them to learn something new!
   Once the paint is dry, use your sharpie to label what they drew.  When you label it, spell it out-loud and your kids to spell it back to you.  Having the name of their drawing right next to it will be effective recognition and it will help them when they learn to read.
  Enjoy your kids and help expand their imagination! They are never to young to craft!

Recycled Race Car

   This recycled race car will give you hours of enjoyment and will double as a toy box when your kids are done with it!  It was another rainy day when thought of  this old favorite.  Like any boy, my little guy LOVES to 'play cars'.  It doesn't matter how old, beat up or how many missing wheels there are-a car is a car to a two year old.

Materials:

• One cardboard box (usually the grocery or liquor store will give you one, or several, if you just ask!)
• Spray Paint (you only need one color, and any you have on hand is fine.)
•  Two paper plates (Styrofoam works, too.)
• Black sharpie
• Washable markers
• Crayons
• Stickers (we used 'transportation' themed stickers but any kind will do.)
• 4 Brads (if you don't have these, and don't want to make a special trip for them, you can use glue instead.) 
• One excited kid!

Who doesn't love sidewalk chalk?!

    I don't care how old you are. Can anyone seriously hold a piece of sidewalk chalk in their hand and not smile? This is one of my favorite past times and I am sooooo lucky my son loves it, too. We could sit out there for hours drawing until we run out of space and have to venture into the cul-de sac...that has actually happened.

   I think it is so important for a child to learn while playing. I always try to think of fun ways to teach my little guy things without him knowing it. He is only two, so our 'learning' mainly consists of letters, colors, shapes, etc, but there is so much more you can teach a child with chalk. Math is a big one.  I remember doing my times tables on the driveway as a kid. And hop-scotch! That's a simple counting game and kids have loved it for centuries.

    One thing that bothers me, though, is how un-inventive adults have become when it comes to their 'chalking.' Come on. We can only draw a rainbow, or a smiley face so many times.  I am always amazed, and a little jealous, of a kid's imagination. I mean, who would think to draw a purple cupcake castle with icing slides and sprinkle trees? Not me!
   Think out of the box. Who cares if you mess up, it's going to wash away in the next few days! Think about drawing scenes, or repetitive patterns. If you have any kid of brick near your home you've hit the jackpot. Color each brick one color. Then another on top of that, then another, and another until you have a beautiful rainbow of colors that is so much fun to look at! (And much more interesting than those basic rainbows you learned to draw in first grade.) You can turn it into a game by asking each child to hop onto a certain color, or count the number of 'blue' bricks.

Silly Monster Party Favor!

   

    I recently started planning kids parties and I must say it is soooo much fun. I loved being able to use my talents to really go all out on a themed party. I was able to create fun activities,  invitations,  party accessories, thank you notes and a birthday banner! This was a party for my good friend's little guy, Graham, who was turning one. She kept telling me not to out-do myself but it is so hard when all these ideas are running through my brain! Check out my Etsy shop for printables  and decor to instantly customize your kid's next party!

Materials:

• Chinese-take out container
• Pipe cleaners (any color.)
• Foam paper (any color.) 
• Sharpie
• Googlie eyes
• Hot glue gun (or Elmer's)
• Easter grass (any color.)

   One of the first things I thought about was the party favors. That was always my favorite part a birthday party growing up, so I knew I wanted to do something awesome for the kids that would also coordinate with the theme.  So this little monster was born :) I used them as party favors but you can just as easily make a few for your kids to play with at home. We still have ours that my son uses to tote things around in. He loves it.
   I found these great little chinese take-out containers at the dollar store in a 4-pack....Yes, 4 for a $1! How can you beat that?! They even came with the handle attached-score!
   I started by filling them up with candy, stickers, erasers, the typical party favor loot. After they were all filled I added the googlie eyes with my hot glue gun. You can glue them on with Elmer's but I didn't have the patience to wait for them to dry- I was making a bunch so it was easier to use the faster drying glue on my assembly line.  Make sure you add extra eyes on some and give some a single, centered eye. These are monsters so they shouldn't all look the same :)
   Once all the eyes were in place I used a sharpie to draw on the faces. If you don't feel so confident in your monster-face making abilities, Google it to get some ideas.  Now you are ready for the feet.

   Use any type of foam paper to cut out the monster feet. Any shape will do and there is no need to trace a shape before you cut it out, monster feet are supposed to lop sided. I used a shape that looked like a heart with an extra bump in the middle, pretty simple to cut in mass quantities. You can place a few sheets on top of eachother to cut more than one out at a time; this is convenient if you are using them as favors.  Then, add toenails with a contrasting sharpie color. Attach the feet with hot glue (or Elmer's, it will need to sit to dry) and stick them to the underside of the take out container.
  Now it's time for the antennas. Cut a full size pipe-cleaner in half and wrap the end 2-3 inches around a pencil to give it a little swirl.  Slide the pipe-cleaner off the end of the pencil and attach it to the side of the container by using hot glue. I glued my antennas in between the two flaps on top so you wouldn't see the glue.

  The last step is what really gives these monster's their character.  Add their wild hair by placing a large area of glue on the top of the closed container.  Wod up a tennis ball size of easter grass and push it into the center of the glue. Hold for a second, and re-arrange the hair so most of it is sticking to the glue. Easter grass is so long that you don't have to worry about every inch of the grass sticking. You may have a few stragglers that didn't quite stick, just blow on the monster once the glue is dry and the excess hair will fall off. That's all, folks!
   Now you have a silly monster tote! Let your kids make multiple monsters for even more fun or check out the other projects I did for this party HERE! 

Here are some more monster party decor ideas!

  

   

   

Pipe Cleaner Accessories!

   This is a great project for developing hand eye coordination.  It will also help to avoid alot of frustration for the little one's who can't quite string beads onto a wobbly strand yet. We happened to inherit a TON of beads from my mom, Gigi, so we decided to take full advantage of our surplus :)

    

Materials:

• Pipe cleaners
• Beads (use beads with larger holes for the little ones who can't string them yet.)
• A happy kid!
• Buttons (these are a new, fun type of 'bead' to string.)

   This project is pretty self-explainatory.  Simply show your child how to string the beads and buttons onto the pipe cleaner and encourage them to be patient as they fill it.  Leave about an inch bare on either side so you can create the bracelet enclosure.

   Once they are happy with the amount of beads on their pipe cleaner, they can decide whether they are making a bracelet or a pair of silly glasses...or both!

    *To make a bracelet, once you are through stringing beads, shape one end of the pipe cleaner into a circle and use the other side to fasten it by wrapping it around the end of the circle.  

    *To make a pair of silly glasses, make a bracelet but don't create the enclosure at the ends.  Instead, wrap the ends around each other to avoid the sharp ends of the pipe cleaner sticking out.  Now make another circle but attach it to the other circle the same way you closed the first one. Use two additional pipe cleaners without beads to create the rest of the glasses. 

 

Egg Carton Caterpillar

   This is such a cute and easy project. My two year old is really into animals lately and loves learning about new creatures! Projects like this really give your child a chance to learn more about his/her surroundings. After we made this little fella' we went outside to look for some...after he learned about where caterpillars live he was fascinated with finding one! We did end up finding a worm, which he quickly pointed out was not a caterpillar due to it's lack of legs :) We will find one in the backyard eventually....

   Materials:

• one old egg carton
• stickers
• crayons (don't use markers for this one, they don't stay on the carton and rub off EASILY onto your child's hands.)
• piece of scrap paper
• black sharpie (for parent's use only.)
• scissors (for parent's use only.)

   First, completely cut off the top flap of the egg carton leaving the bottom detached. Once you have the bottom portion of the carton all by itself, you are ready to make TWO caterpillars! Yay! Now, cut down the middle of the carton, long ways, splitting the 'egg holders' in half.