Still wondering what to get give your child’s teacher for Christmas this year? Why not brighten up the snowy season with a happy sunflower?
Plus, a painted pot adds a sweet personal touch : )
DIY : Teacher Gift Idea
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Tag Archives: preschool
Creative Kids : Storytelling
Good Morning! The last couple weeks we’ve had fun practicing storytelling with Sydney, all thanks to Elmer’s Early Learners Academy. As soon as our fun box filled with supplies arrived, Syd couldn’t wait to open it up and get crafting! Continue reading
Crafts for Kids : Raindrop Suncatchers
These suncatchers are easy to create, and Sydney had lots of fun making them! All we used was wax paper, a marker, white paper, school glue, and a few shades of blue tissue paper. Sketch your cloud and raindrops onto white paper and cut them out. Then cut up your blue tissue paper into small squares.
Now, trace your raindrops onto wax paper and cover with glue. Allow your little ones to go crazy gluing the tissue into each raindrop shape. Then, coat with a thin layer of glue to make sure all tissue is glued down and secure. Allow to dry.
Cut out your blue raindrops, and they’re ready to hang and admire on your windows!
Now, if only these april showers would bring some pretty May flowers…
DIY Spring Felt Flower Box Craft
Good morning! I hope everyone is set and ready for a great weekend! I am really excited to share a DIY feature I did for Delighted Magazine! Sydney and I had so much fun with it.
You can check out the full tutorial in the online publication by clicking here.
Sprouting Eggs
For the last couple weeks Sydney has been learning about plants and growth, and sprouting some beans. And now we’ve added the plants to our easter egg centerpiece.
We used egg shells as planters.
Added with a little soil….
And now Syd’s sprouts have their new homes.
DIY Frames
We finally trust that Sydney won’t use her paints, crayons, and markers to decorate the walls, floors, or furniture. So, we moved her workstation into her bedroom. In doing so, it was totally necessary to hang some masterpieces on her wall. I made a few quick frames using cardboard, markers, and twine. It’s super easy. Check it out!
Cut a frame shape out of cardboard.
Decorate it with markers.
Attach some twine to the back.
And hang!
DIY Finger Print Valentines
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and this year is Sydney’s first Vday at school. So, we have been hard at work on some DIY Valentines!
All we used was an ink pad, card stock, pen, and her cute little fingers.
Syd tackled the first step, using two thumbprints to make a heart.
Then, I added some black ink to create a heart balloon and sweet greeting.
I wrote Sydney’s name in pencil, then let her trace over it in pen.
Now these cute little cards just need some candy and they’re ready to give!
DIY Kids Valentines Day Peter Pan Collar
I did this project with Syd, but it can be done by anyone, big or small!
It just takes a few simple supplies:
– paper, pencil & scissors to make a pattern
– felt or other fabric and ribbon
– pins to hold things in place
– fabric glue, and/or hot glue (not for kiddos!)
– various sequins, jewels, etc. for embellishment
Then, just follow the simple steps pictured above.
Here are just a couple that we did on a rainy day. The pink one Sydney made to wear for Valentine’s Day!
Fun & Free Toy Storage for Kids
Ever since Christmas, I have been working with Sydney to get rid of some old toys, and make room for the new ones. In doing so, I am also trying to make organizing her toys fun. She loves everything little, and has tons of tiny erasers, dolls, etc. So I took some old shoe boxes, paint, & markers, and made fun little homes for her favorite micro toys.
These cute little houses are fun & free to make, will help keep rooms clean, and can even be used to play! Doesn’t get better than that…
There’s less than a week left to vote, so please stop by and show your support. It just takes one little click!
Cinnamon & Glitter : Making Christmas Ornaments
I love the smell of cinnamon and applesauce ornaments at Christmas time. And a like a little sparkle. So why not put the two togehter?!
I found several basic ornament recipes Continue reading
How to Make Borax Crystal Snowballs
These borax crystal snowballs are a fun and festive science experiment, plus they make for beautiful decorations and gift toppers. To make the snowballs you need white craft pom poms in various sizes. Tie one or two pom poms to a string. Continue reading
Shaving Cream Art : Snowmen
Last week Sydney and I got messy and had fun with shaving, cream, glitter, and construction paper. Shaving cream can be used for all sorts of fun learning and art with toddlers & preschoolers. We decided to be festive and make some snowmen and snowy scenes. Enjoy! Continue reading
DIY: Making Handprint Christmas Ornaments
Today Sydney and I have an assembly line of handprint christmas ornaments going. I remember making one when I was a kid, and it still goes up on my mom’s tree every year. Now, we’ll have one to put on our tree every year!
We made a dough using 2 c. flour, 1 c. fine sea salt, and 1 c. water. Mix all ingredients together and knead for about 5 min. Then roll the dough out, about 1/2″ thick, and use a cup or bowl to cut out circles. Continue reading
DIY Bowtie Pasta Garland
I am in full force holiday decorating mode over here, and I’m excited to finally put up some garland I made awhile back when Syd and I were working on bowtie pasta hair bows, artwork, and father’s day cards. It’s a super easy project, and even fun for the kids!
You need bowtie pasta, white glue, paint brush, string, and glitter.
First, brush the pasta with glue, giving it a nice thick coat.
Cover the pasta with glitter. Allow to dry, and repeat on the backside.
After your glittered bows have dried completely, simply tie them onto string or yarn.
Repeat with as many bows as you’d like, making sure to secure each one with a double knot.
We also made a red version. These were done the same way, with just one added step. We first dyed the bows red using food coloring and rubbing alcohol. You can find the tutorial for coloring pasta here.
Have fun and get creative with your colors and string. We enjoyed using a red and white striped string, and even mixed the solid red and red glittered bows.
10 Rainy Day Projects For Kids
After a very chilly night of tricks and treats, and a little too much candy, Sydney and I are feeling a under the weather today. As a result, we have decided to spend the entire afternoon relaxing indoors and getting healthy again. So, today I thought I would share some of my favorite rainy day craft ideas for kids. Enjoy!
1. Making Slime is always a fun time!
2. With $1 Birdhouses just break out some craft supplies and get creative!
3. Glow Jars are a reader favorite
4. Play pirates and Make your own telescope!
5. Stick People are a fun craft, and they promote imaginative play and story telling
6. With some oil and whole wheat flour, have an indoor beach day with Moon Sand fun.
7. And the classic homemade Playdoh is always a kid favorite!
8. Have some unmatched socks laying around? It’s Sock-topus time!
9. Make Pasta Necklaces with some dry pasta, food coloring, and rubbing alcohol.
10. Chances are you have all the ingredients for some homemade Puffy Paint art.
And, I will most likely be spending some quality time on Pinterest during nap time today, so be sure to follow me here!
DIY Lumberjack Halloween Costume
If you remember a little while back, I announced the winner to my Thredup DIY Halloween Costume Giveaway. It was a reader who had a great idea for a lumberjack costume. Well, this weekend I put the finishing touches on the costume and suited Sydney up for a little photoshoot. I absolutely adore the outcome, and I hope you do too!
The beard is essential to this costume, and it was pretty easy to make. I started out with three shades of brown felt. I used a piece of paper to create a template for the beard shape, and then cut the shape out of my darkest felt. To add some dimension and character, I cut several scallop edged strips out of the two lighter felts. Next, I used a sewing machine to attach and layer these strips to the beard. You can skip the sewing machine and use glue if you’d like. Once layered, I trimmed off all the excess felt. Then attach a piece of elastic for the band, and it’s ready to wear!
To add to the look, I cut an axe out of cardboard, and adorned it with silver spray paint and a faux bois paper. Jeans, boots, a flannel, and of course a beanie finish off the outfit.
Now it’s time I get started on Sydney’s halloween costume! After going through a few ideas, I think she’s finally made a final decision to be a cat!
And don’t forget there is still time to vote for my Fiber One Snackcessory! You can vote once daily, so please click and help send me to Fashion Week!
Halloween Costume GIVEAWAY : enter to win a custom costume made just for your little one!
Good Morning! As I mentioned last week in my DIY Costume post, I will be giving away a halloween costume this month. But not just any costume, it will be custom, one of a kind costume made just for you child!
(1. pig in a blanket, 2. sheep, 3. garden flower, 4. bat)
Here’s how it works:
Head over to thredup.com and find a piece of clothing that sparks Continue reading
DIY Halloween Costume : Garden Flower
Today I am sharing a costume tutorial I put together for the lovely people at ThredUp. This is a fun, no sew tutorial that will help you turn your little cutie into a garden flower with birds and butterflies buzzing around her head! You can start off with some basic pieces, like a bright colored shirt paired with some green leggings or skirt or what the heck why not both! Then get creative with it.
Here’s what else I used:
7 sheets of pink felt for the petals (or any color you like)
2 sheets of yellow felt
some ribbon or velcro
4 pink pipe cleaners
3 yellow pipe cleaners
3 yellow craft pompoms
hot glue
a headband
floral wire
needle point pliers
and various decorative butterflies, birds, and ladybugs
1. Start by creating a collar out of a sheet of pink felt and ribbon. I cut a 6” strip of felt, then folded it in half to make it more rigid. Make your collar long enough to loosely fit your child, leaving a good amount of wiggle room. Glue ribbon or velcro to the ends of your collar.
2. Fold the remaining pink felt sheets in half, and cut out your petal shapes. Trim pink pipe cleaners to size, and use hot glue to adhere them to the center of 6 petals. Set the other petal aside for now.
3. Gather the felt at the base of each of the 6 petal to create dimension, and secure with hot glue.
4. Glue these petals around the outside of your collar, about halfway up. Shape the petals as you glue, and be sure to also adhere the petals near the top of the collar. This will give them extra support.
5. Glue the remaining 6 petals to the bottom of your collar, positioning them below and in between the top 6 petals.
6. Fold over and glue, or trim, and extra petal felt.
7. Now, Cut a 6” strip of yellow felt, fringing it on one end. Glue this strip to the inside of your collar to give the illusion of the flower’s center.
8. Time to make the stamens! Glue the three pompoms onto the ends of the yellow pipe cleaners.
9. Tightly wrap the three pipe cleaners around the center of the headband, while also twisting them together.
10. And now onto my daughter’s favorite part. Add springy wire to your headband and attach all sorts of garden friends to the wires. We used butterflies, a humming bird, and ladybugs. Be creative and have fun with it!
(last image courtesy of thredup.com)
I will also be doing a DIY costume giveaway next week. Check back for the exciting details!!! UPDATE: Click here to enter the giveaway!
Fall Pasta Necklaces
Today we are making jewelry! Fall pasta necklaces, to be exact. It’s a simple and inexpensive project that’s guaranteed to keep you and your little one entertained this afternoon. And the best part is I had everything we needed on hand, so this craft cost us $0. All you need is an assortment of pasta, yarn, rubbing alcohol, food coloring, sandwich baggies, and some tape.
Start by coloring all the pasta. Put a mixture of rubbing alcohol and food coloring in a baggie, about 1Tbsp : 10 drops, then add the uncooked pasta. Zip up the bag and shake, making sure all the pasta gets coated with color. Let sit for anywhere from 2 – 20 min, occasionally shaking the bag as you wait for your desired color.
Empty the pasta from the bag, and onto an old towel or several paper towels, and allow to dry. Use a strainer if necessary. Dry time is about 5 – 10 min. Remember, food coloring can stain, so protect surfaces, hands and clothes.
Once pasta is dry, I had Sydney help me divide all the pasta by color and put them into small bowls. The perfect opportunity to squeeze in a color lesson!
Now it’s time to get creative! We used yarn for our necklaces, but you can use any type of string you like. With the yarn, it’s helpful to wrap one end with masking tape, making it rigid and easier to thread the pasta.
Mix and match all sorts of pasta and colors for pretty jewel tone necklaces, perfect for fall! This is also a great project to teach kids about patterns and how they’re created.
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Fall Artwork : Finger Print Trees
I am beyond ready for fall weather, so I think it’s time to break out the apple and pumpkin spice candles. And, time to decorate the house with some autumn artwork made by cute little hands, literally! Today, while Sydney is hard at work fulfilling my wishes, I wanted to share the first project of the day with you. We broke out the finger paints and rolled up our sleeves to make this cute little tree!
Her hand and arm create the trunk and branches…
and her little fingers are the leaves.
A squishy ball helped her create the grass to finish off her masterpiece.
