Cinco De Mayo Craft

Hey, guys!

You know I like to incorporate holiday themes into my crafts, so today I'm going to introduce you to a Cinco De Mayo craft I found online (as I have never made a craft for this holiday before.) What I found was a link on how to make paper sombreros. These are neither difficult nor expensive to make and they allow children to use all of their creativity. I was thinking, if you're going to make these hats with your child anyways, it might be a fun idea throw a Cinco De Mayo party! At the party you can have the kids make paper sombreros and paper mustaches (which I mention below.) And don't forget the Mexican food!

To make a paper sombrero you will need:

Large pieces of construction paper
Scissors
Paint and/or markers/crayons
Any kinds of decorations (Yarn, pom poms, stickers)

http://gmgart.wordpress.com/

Directions:

1) First you will need to draw the shape of a sombrero onto a piece of construction paper. Make sure the drawing is big enough to resemble the size of an actual child-size sombrero.
2) Next, cut out the sombrero.
3) Your last step is to decorate the sombrero.

To add to the "Cinco De Mayo look" I came up with the idea to make paper mustaches. All you have to do to make these is cut the shape of a mustache out of a black piece of construction paper. (Tip: If this is difficult, try drawing two sideways "S"'s which connect at the bottom.) Tape these on to the kids upper lip and you're golden!

Mason Jar Craft

Hey, guys!

Check out this really cool craft I found on Pinterest. It's a mason jar vase. The link below provides clear and easy instructions on how to make this fun craft. Keep in mind Mother's Day is coming up. This would be such an easy project to do with your kids for a Mother's Day gift (and if you are their mother, try making one for a grandmother!) Although the craft is simple, allow them to use their creativity. Instead of filling the jar with one paint, maybe try combining two paint colors, just a suggestion!

http://christinasadventures.com/2011/05/kids-craft-mothers-day-mason-jar-vase.html

Tie Blankets

Hi, guys!

I figured with spring here it's time to get rid of the heavy down comforters and resort to something with a little less material. So, why not use this opportunity to craft with your kids? Tie blankets are the perfect kinds of blankets for this volatile weather, and they're very simple to make. And although they are great to have around the house, they are also great gifts. It might be nice to show your child how to make one of these blankets and encourage them to make one as a gift for a holiday such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, or even a birthday. Whether they are making one for themselves or for somebody else they will have fun choosing a fabric, so don't forget to take them to the store with you!

What you will need:

Two pieces of fleece. For an adult size blanket- 54in. wide, 2 1/2 yards long. For a child size blanket-       42in. wide, 1 3/4 yards long.
Fabric cutting scissors
Ruler

Directions:

1) In a large, clear area lay the fabric down, one piece on top of the other. Make sure the fabric is even.   If it's not, cut it so that it is. (Note that the shape of the fabric is a large, even rectangle.)
2) Measure 5in. in from any corner. Make a cut here that is 5in. deep.
3) Move over 1in. from the incision and make another 5in. cut. Keep doing this until you are 5in. from the opposite end.
4) Once you've finished on one side, use the same instructions for the adjacent side of the blanket. Make sure you remember to make your first incision 5in. from the corner, this way the cuts are even on both sides.
5) After finishing the second side, follow the same steps on the remaining two sides of the blanket.
6) Remove the 5in. pieces of fabric from all four corners.
7) Once all cuts are made, take the two strips of each cut and tie them in a knot.
8) Enjoy your blanket!

I found these pictures online. This is a child-size Cars blanket. That's what is so great about these, they have so many fabric patterns.

http://www.allkindsofbabystuff.com/no-sew-fleece-blanket-pictures2.html

I included this picture of my own tie blanket so that you could see a close-up of the knots. They're very simple, just a single knot.









These blankets are fun to make and are very durable, but you need to watch out because the fleece fabric can be pricey. I like to purchase fabric from Joann Fabric stores which are located in many areas. They have all kinds of prints and frequent sales. Listed below is their website.

http://www.joann.com/fabric/fleece-fabric/

Painting Flower Pots

Hey, guys!

April showers bring May flowers, right? So why not paint some flower pots?

This is so simple, yet so fun! Although a lot of the crafts I post on here are in the interest of the kids, this is one craft I really enjoy, because I love to paint. All you will need for this craft are some flower pots, (any shapes and sizes will work) and some paint and paint brushes. Once you have these things, you're ready to start painting!

If you want to make this a learning experience, which I usually do, allow the child to plant their own plant once the flower pot dries. Make sure they remember to tend to it daily once they do this. Giving them this responsibility will make them feel independent!

Coloring Craft

So, today I want to share a really cool idea with you guys. This craft is very simple and should not cost you any money (as long as you have traditional coloring supplies.)

Basically, you just fold a regular sheet of paper in half, horizontally. Then, you ask the child you're doing this craft with to use their imagination and draw half of a face. It can be any kind of face they want: a human, an animal, a monster, a mix of all three, anything. Once they're done have them flip the paper over so that you can't see what they've drawn. Now, it's your turn! You follow the same directions. Once you've finished your drawing, you guys can unfold the paper and see what kind of face you've created! How cool is this!? Also, if you're working with more than one child, have them do this activity together and see what they come up with. This is a great way to keeps your children entertained and to get their imaginations going!

The pictures below will show you how to divide the paper incase of any confusion.

Birdhouse Craft

Hey, guys!

So, spring is finally here, meaning it's the perfect time for springtime crafts! I figured why not start with a birdhouse? If you don't feel like searching for wood scraps, nails, and a hammer then try this out!

The only materials you will need are:

A milk/juice container

Bird seed

A popsicle stick

Tissue paper/construction paper (really anything to decorate the container.)

Stapler

String

Directions on how to make this simple birdhouse are listed at the site below:

http://rhythmofthehome.com/2010/05/summer-crafts-activities/

Countdown Ring Craft

Hi, guys!

This week Alex and I made a "countdown ring" craft. The rings count down the days until Sunday which is not only Easter, but also Alex's 10th birthday!

For this craft, as you will see in the picture below, Alex and I used any arts and craft supplies we had including: construction paper, markers, crayons, scissors, glue, stickers, and a stapler. Once we had our craft box out, we  cut out strips of paper about 3in wide, 8in long. These will serve as the rings. We each decorated a few rings. He chose to color on his, I decided to glue on paper cut outs. Both of our decorations followed the themes of Easter and birthdays. Some examples of these decorations are Easter eggs and birthday balloons. Once all of our rings were decorated (we only had five since Sunday was five days away at the time) we linked the paper rings together and stapled them into ring shape.

Check out these photos:

This is a great idea for any exciting upcoming holiday or events. Alex and I do this every year for Christmas and he loves it. Normally, we make a chain on December 1st so it's much longer and takes more time. I definitely suggest it to you guys because the one thing Alex looks forward to every morning is pulling a link off the chain, it reminds him of his special day and gets him very excited!

Egg Dying Tips

Hey, guys,

I just wanted to share a couple of egg dying tips with you. The first one is to use kool aid packets in lieu of egg dye. It's easy, cheaper, and the colors seem to come out brighter. Just make the kool aid as directed, pour the colors into separate bowls, then, dip away! Another idea is to use a wisk to dip your eggs in the dye. All you have to do is place the egg inside of a wire wisk and dip it straight into the bowl of dye. I know how hard it is to clean egg dye off of your hands, so I personally love this idea! Have fun egg dying!

Gold Hunt!

Alright, you have one more day to work on a St. Patty's day craft! I found two really cute ideas that I wanted to share with everybody.

So, the first activity is explained in the link posted below. It shows you how to make leprechaun's gold. All you need for this activity is rocks (FREE!), gold paint, and black or green paint.

http://www.parentmap.com/article/17-st-patricks-day-crafts-for-kids?page=2

The other activity I found is how to make a leprechaun's hat. For this you will need a clear solo cup, green glitter, black and yellow felt, glue, and a piece of ribbon. 

http://kidfriendlythingstodo.com/2013/03/making-a-leprechaun-hat-for-st-patricks-day-a-fun-craft/

So while I was thinking about these two crafts I came up with a great idea. Why not have a "gold hunt!?" Let your child invite his or her friends over, and while you go in the backyard and hide the gold, have them work on making the leprechaun hats. Once they're done, give all of the little leprechauns plastic baggies and send them out to find as much gold as they can. Trust me, they will have so much fun with this, especially if they're 10 years or younger! It may even be fun to have some prizes for the top three "gold hunters." And, if you're planning to go to the parade tomorrow with a big group, this is something you could do earlier in the morning to release some of the kids energy and excitement!

Leprechaun Trap

So, I was over my friend's house last week and her six year old son came home from first grade with an assignment to make a "leprechaun trap." This is a project we never did when I was in grade school, but i've been hearing about it a lot lately so, I told my friend I wanted to help them make the trap.

I guess the story is that little leprechauns come out on the night of St. Patrick's day searching for pots of gold. The purpose of the trap is to lure the leprechauns in and trap them until the following morning when the child wakes up. So, what we decided to do was make a trap that replicas a giant leprechaun hat, which turned out awesome! The project was so much fun for all of us involved. AJ, my friends son had so many good ideas and truly believes he will catch at least one leprechaun this weekend! I guess the question now is how do we find a leprechaun to put in this trap!?


Look below for pictures of our "leprechaun trap" and directions on how we made it.

What you will need:
1 plastic plate
1 roll of paper towels
4 large pieces of green felt
1 piece of black felt
Elmer's glue
super glue
various pieces of rainbow colored tissue paper
any decorations (we used gold coins, popsicle sticks, pots of gold figurines, etc.)


1. Cover the plastic plate and paper towel roll entirely with green felt. Assemble with Elmer's glue.
2. Using the super glue, glue the bottom of the roll of paper towels to the bottom of the plastic plate.
3. Cut out a strip of black felt about 1.5in thick.
4. Glue the black felt strip to the bottom half of the paper towel roll.
5. Apply decorations and tissue paper anywhere you'd like.


You can really make this craft anyway you'd like; there's tons of room for creativity. We wanted to lure the leprechaun in by attracting him with a rainbow (made of tissue paper) on top of the hat, which leads to a pot of gold. Once he reaches the gold, the idea is he will fall into the hole in the center of the paper towel roll. But, like I said, when you're doing this with your child, let him discover his own ways of how to lure the leprechaun in, you'll be surprised with the fun ideas they will come up with!

Have fun!

St. Patrick's Day Craft

Alright guys, St. Patrick's Day is coming up this weekend, which means this week is the perfect time for a leprechaun craft! So, check this site out, this blogger has ideas for all ages.


http://7onashoestring.com/2012/03/st-patricks-day-crafts-for-kids.html

My favorite craft from this site is the leprechaun replica made entirely of paint, a paper plate, and construction paper. This craft requires a lot of cutting so it's perfect for kids ages eight and up. I think anyone around this age will be able to do this craft almost entirely on their own, allowing their parents some free time.

Something else I  really want to share is this "rainbow water." This is so simple to make and will really spark a kid's interest, especially younger kids. All you need to do is add some food coloring to the water in an ice cube tray! How simple is that?

Googly Eyes Craft

Hey, guys!

Check out this craft idea.

All you have to do is glue some eyes onto a piece of paper to get the child's imagination going. It will be fun to see what they come up with. Maybe, they'll use the eyes to make people, or animals, or monsters, who knows? It would even be a cool idea to do this activity with the child. I bet their pictures will come out a lot more imaginative than yours, haha!

Hi, guys!

So, Alex and I tried out the owl craft today but used some of the ideas I voiced in my previous post.

Instead of pill boxes, we used toilet paper cylinders because they were handy and free! We didn't have cardstock at the house, but construction paper worked fine. All we really did was glue raindrop shaped paper cut-outs to the toilet paper roll along with paper wings, feet, eyes, ears, and a beak. They came out so cute, and the toilet paper rolls turned out to be an efficient idea because they allow the owls to stand up on there own.

How cute are these!?

http://www.kerryspapercrafts.com/?p=2665

These owls are so easy to make, all you need are pill boxes and some construction paper. If you can't find pill boxes at the store I was thinking instead you could use an empty toilet paper cylinder. Kerry, the woman who's blog this picture is from, coordinated the colors of her owls very nicely. But, when making these with young children, you don't have to limit their colors or even their animal choice options. Let them use every color in the rainbow, or even turn the pill box on it's side and instead make a fish! Just some thoughts!

Hi, all!

Today I tried out the Valentine's Day rice krispies treat recipe I posted earlier in the week. I made them with Alex, the nine year old boy I nanny, and we had a great time! The recipe was perfect because it was so simple that Alex could basically make them by himself (of course I had to help him with melting the marshmallows.) I know it kind of defeats the purpose of a Valentine's Day themed recipe, but we used more than just pink food coloring. We made some treats pink, some red, and a few blue. Alex disagreed with me when I told him colors weren't gender-specific. Anyways, I hope plenty of you try out this recipe despite the fact that Valentine's Day has almost come and gone. Depending on the colors you use, you could make these for any holiday, or even just a for a delicious treat around the house.

Check out the link below:

http://lisakisch.typepad.com/babies_paper_and_song/2011/02/valentine-rice-krispies-treats.html

Here's a simple recipe for Valentine's Day rice krispie treats. These are perfect treats for your kids to bring to their school parties. They're fun to make and don't require too much cleaning up after-the-fact.

Take a look at the link below:

http://www.plaidkidscrafts.com/2013/01/17/TeachingThursdaysPandaBearValentineCardHolder.aspx

This is a great idea for kids who still have Valentine's Day parties in school. Unlike adults, children love to get mail, so why not make a cool mailbox to leave on their desk while the class is passing out valentines? I will make one of these with Alex, the 9 year old I babysit, later this week and let everyone know how it goes!

Hi Guys!

I'm creating this blog in hopes to provide parents or caregivers of children ages 8-12years with some creative craft ideas. Because I have plenty of free time with the two boys I nanny, I will be trying most, if not all the ideas I post and will provide you with my feedback on our experience. Arts and crafts are not meant to be expensive, just fun for those taking part in them, therefore, all of these crafts will be inexpensive. Have fun!