Christmas Crafting with Kids

I had great plans for crafting with my kids this holiday season.  Thanks to Pinterest, I found lots of great ideas that I really wanted to try out.  Fortunately, we have had the time to complete quite a few of the crafts on our plan.  Today I will be sharing pictures of some of the crafts we have completed, including links to the original projects where applicable.

These classic cinnamon-applesauce ornaments make your house smell delightful.  I used the recipe from McCormick.  These are easy and fun to make!

These precious Rudolph ornaments from Better Homes and Gardens were made using popsicle sticks painted brown, wiggly eyes and a red pompom.

This project is similar to one found on parents.com.  I traced a Christmas tree cookie cutter onto green felt then my daughter used tacky glue to attach beads to the ornament.

This project was inspired by a product found on this website.  I adapted it by using salt dough with green food coloring.  I created the hole in the top using a straw.  The discoloration in this picture is simply because the ornament is not completely dry.  Honestly, I have left them out for over a week now, rotating them every so often and they are still not completely dry.  I love the way they have turned out but really wish they would dry faster!

My daughter created these thumbprint Christmas tree cards for her teachers inspired by pictures from this site.

This is a classic hand and foot print Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer craft.  My mom made one of these for us when my daughter was an infant so I created one for my son this year.  These will both hang in our front windows every Christmas.

I created footprint Christmas trees for both my son and daughter inspired by a picture I found here.

This handprint tree art is my personal favorite.  I absolutely love how this project turned out.  This will be our Christmas artwork above our mantle for quite some time now.

What projects have you completed with your child this holiday season?

Pinterest Advent Calendar--25 Days of Christmas

I love using Pinterest to bookmark great ideas that I want to try so I have a huge holiday pinboard.  I was worried that I wouldn't get to all of the great activities that I really wanted to do with my kids this holiday season so I wanted to have something at my fingertips to help.  I'm a planner and I love to have a list--I always get everything done when I have a list to work from so I took this idea and transformed it into a Pinterest list.  I created a seperate pinboard for my 25 Days of Christmas.  My kids and I will be doing one activity, craft project or baking project a day for 25 days.  I have printed this pinboard and put a copy on my refrigerator for easy reference.  I have also listed our 25 activities below.
Day 1--Make handprint Christmas tree painting.
Day 2--Create button wreath ornaments for our tree.
Day 3--Make Christmas tree jewel ornaments.
Day 4--Make cinnamon ornaments for our teachers and our tree.
Day 5--Create holiday jingle bell bracelets.
Day 6--Make Rudolph popsicle stick ornaments.
Day 7--Make footprint Christmas trees.
Day 8--Make thumbprint Christmas trees.
Day 9--Create simple salt dough family Christmas tree ornament.
Day 10--Make cookies to share with friends and neighbors.
Day 11--Make hot glue gun melted snowman ornament.
Day 12--Make snowman ornaments.
Day 13--Make painted handprint ornaments for both kids.
Day 14--Make hot chocolate on a stick to share with teachers and friends.
Day 15--Make salt dough handprint ornaments.
Day 16--Make pinecone Christmas tree table decoration.
Day 17--Make handprint Santa Claus ornaments.
Day 18--Make Rudolph Nutter Butter pops.
Day 19--Create popsicle stick Christmas tree.
Day 20--Make handprint wreath.
Dat 21--Create Santa handprint ornament.
Day 22-Make Christmas tree brownies.
Day 23--Make pompom ornament.
Day 24--Make button candy cane ornament.
Day 25--Make reindeer food for Rudolph and all the other reindeers.

I will be sharing some of the projects with you over the next few weeks.  What activities do you have on your pinboard?

Marshmallow Painting

This idea was inspired by something I found on Pinterest a while back.  For this activity, I poured a small amount of several different color paints on a paper plate.  I then placed a marshmallow in each paint.  I used mini-marshmallows but jumbo would work well, too.  Several different sizes would make an interesting picture, as well.  My daughter used the marshmallows to stamp all over her paper.  I think the painting came out very well and will be hanging on our refrigerator for a while!

    

Fine Motor Skills

My undergraduate degree is in Early Childhood Education so I have a passion for making learning fun, engaging and, most importantly, developmentally appropriate for my own children.  While the concepts I learned in college were intended to be used in the classroom, I have applied many of those same concepts to my own life with my children.  One of the skills that preschool-aged children are developing are fine motor skills.  This is a great activity for developing and using fine motor skills.

Materials Needed:

• pony beads (available at Wal-mart, craft stores or Dollar Tree)
• pipe cleaners

As you can see from the picture above, I used a divided plate to contain supplies for craft projects.  You can purchase plates like the one above for $.97 at Wal-Mart.  I gave my daughter 3 different types of beads to choose from and placed one type in each section of the tray.  You can give your child however many types of beads you think are appropriate.  Then tie a knot in the end of a pipe cleaner of your choice. 

Your child can then string beads onto the pipe cleaner.  This activity can be great for fine motor skills for young children or pattern making for older children.  Once your child finishes stringing beads, you can twist the ends of the pipe cleaner together to create a bracelet.  My daughter loves to do this and creates bracelets like this frequently.

Salt Dough Pumpkins

This is a very simple, easy to make fall activity for kids.  My daughter had a great time making the dough and creating her pumpkins.

 For this activity you will need flour, salt, water and food coloring.

Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup salt and 1/2 cup water to create your salt dough.

Seperate dough into two bowls, using a small amount for the stem and a larger amount for the pumpkins.  Add several drops of green food coloring to the stem dough.  Knead with hands until the dough is green.  Add yellow and red food coloring to larger dough ball and knead until you reach desired shade of orange.

Form pumpkins using orange dough and add a green stem.  Create lines along the sides of the pumpkin using a pencil.

Place pumpkins on a microwave safe plate and microwave in 30 second intervals until hard, approximately 1 1/2-2 minutes.

Allow pumpkins to cool before handling.

Pumpkin Patch Art

My daughter and I worked on this pumpkin patch artwork earlier this week.  Older children will certainly be able to make this look more like a pumpkin patch but I still think it's cute!  To create this artwork, simply have your child use his/her thumb to create pumpkins all over the paper.  Then create the vines using a pinkie finger dipped in green paint or a green marker.  We used green finger paint but, as you can see, our vines were very thick.  A thin green marker would probably work best.

Linking up at:

Apple Tree Art

I absolutely love the way this adorable apple tree turned out.  I started out by painting the tree trunk on the paper.  This could also be created on brown construction paper, cut out and pasted on the paper.  We then painted my daughter's hand with green paint and used her handprint to create the leaves on the tree.  Finally, she dipped her pointer finger in red paint and created apples with her fingerprint.  Simple and adorable!

   

What to do with APPLES!

Last week my family had the opportunity to go apple picking.  We picked 2 bags full of apples.  The picture above shows what is still left--and that's after I put a major dent in our apple supply.  Because we had so many apples to use, I spent quite a bit of time searching for recipes and ideas, including how to freeze apples.  Here's what I've come up with so far:

Homemade Applesauce--I tossed about 10 peeled, cored apples in the crockpot with 1/3 cup of sugar and let them simmer for about 3 hours on high.  I then used a fork to mash the apples.  Yummy!

Apple Pie

Caramel Apple Muffins

Apple Spice Bars

Fried Apples--Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan.  Add sliced, unpeeled apples to pan.  Season to taste with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.  Yummy!



 Mini Apple Pocket Pie--I made a double batch of pie dough for this recipe and cut it into 3 1/2 inch circles using Pampered Chef's Cut 'N Seal.  I then sauteed peeled, chopped apples in butter with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  I added about a tablespoon of the apple mixture onto the center of the pie dough circle, folded over and sealed with the Cut N Seal.  I brushed with an egg yolk/water egg wash.  I flash froze these and baked some at 425 degrees for 16-20 minutes.  

 

Apple Prints--I had to throw an art project in there for my daughter.  I cut one apple in half horizontally and one in half vertically to create different patterns (vertical gives an apple outline, horzontal forms a star pattern in the center of the print).  We found it easiest to paint the apple lightly and push with a good deal of pressure to get the best print.

I still have a bunch of apples to use so I would LOVE to hear your ideas, recipes and craft projects using apples!

Easy Tie-Dye Butterflies

This project is so cute and very easy for young children.  You will need:

• coffee filters or paper towels (we used coffee filters)
• chenille stems
• food coloring

Add food coloring to a small amount of water to create several different colors.

Fold coffee filter or paper towel into 8ths.  Quickly dip each corner into the desired color.  Repeat until each corner has been dipped in a color.  The color will spread and cover the entire filter.  Unfold filter and allow to dry.  Once dry, pinch the center of the filter and wrap with a chenille stem.  Fold chenille stem to create antennae.

10 Ways to Keep Kids Busy, Part 3

This is the final installment of 10 Ways to Keep Kids Busy.  I hope you have enjoyed reading and have found some ideas that you can use.

7. Felt boards--These are a big hit in our house.  My daughter has 4 boards with different themes.  The great thing about felt boards is that you the pieces are interchangeable and you can design your own.  Because felt does not ravel, you do not need to be a seamstress to create felt board pieces for your child.  You could even make your own felt board by covering a piece of wood or cardboard with a large piece of felt from a fabric store.  Smaller pieces of felt in a variety of colors to create people, animals or props for your felt board can be found at craft stores or at Wal-mart.  This great post from moneysavingmom.com provides instructions and templates for creating your own cupcake felt pieces.  Once you have created a felt board and pieces, kids can spend hours creating scences and telling stories about their creations.

8. Art bucket--In a previous post, I discussed craft projects for kids; however, I believe there is huge value in allowing your children to be creative on their own.  My daughter has several craft buckets and baskets to hold all of her art materials.  One bucket is simply a shower caddy I purchased at Wal-mart for $2.97.  I have filled the bucket with art supplies she can use on her own--pom-poms, popsicle sticks, sequins, glue sticks, glitter glue, felt scraps, beads, etc.  When I want her to be creative, I give her several pieces of construction paper and her art bucket and let her go.  Be creative with what you put in the craft bucket.  Old magazines, cotton balls and swabs, paper towel and toilet paper tubes and clean jars and containers are just a few options.

9. Book store--Did you know the local bookstore probably offers a storytime and craft for children?  Barnes and Noble offers weekly storytime plus special events with book characters.  On the Barnes and Noble website, click on store locator and find events to see what is happening at your local store.  Don't have a Barnes and Noble?  Try other bookstores in your town.

10.  Malls--This seems like an odd place to find children's activities, but I recently discovered that a local indoor shopping mall offers a children's program once a month.  A local outdoor shopping center offers concerts periodically during the summer months.  Visit the websites for your local shopping centers to find events in your area.  If you have a Bass Pro Shops near you, we have had a great time at their Christmas, Halloween and Easter events for children.  They also offer children's events at other times during the year, including free crafts and games.

How do you keep your kids busy?  I would love to hear your ideas!

10 Ways to Keep Kids Busy, Part 2

 I hope you are looking forward to reading about more great ways to keep your kids busy.  I am particularly fond of activity number 4 on the list today--this is something I love to do and enjoy having my daughter help!

4. Cooking--A great way to keep your children entertained while you are cooking or working in the kitchen is to give them something to do.  Children as young as 3 can be a big help in the kitchen.  The kitchen also provides a place for children to learn about math and science through measurement and hands on activities.  My daughter loves to help me cook--she helps with gathering ingredients, adding measured ingredients to the bowl, stirring and pouring.  She also loves to decorate cookies.  I give her a few tubes of frosting, some sprinkles and her cookies and let her choose how to decorate her cookies.  When we made oatmeal breakfast bars earlier this week, she added all of the ingredients to the bowl after I measured them.  The recipe called for you to stir with your hands, which she was eager to do (as you can see from the picture).  Older children can also measure ingredients or cook simple meals. 

5. Reading--As a teacher and a mother, I truly believe in the importance of reading to your kids from a very young age.  Reading to your children at a young age (and letting your child see you reading) is the foundation for building a good reader.  My daughter was read to daily from the time she was 6 months old.  Now, at age 3, we read every day before nap and bed time and often at various other times during the day.  We also encourage her to "read" independently.  Even though she is too young to read words, she can often repeat well-loved stories word for word or tell the general storyline of a frequently read story.  Sometimes she makes up her own stories to go along with the pictures.  What a great way to keep her engaged and learning!

6. Busy Bags--I have always kept things to keep my daughter entertained in my purse or diaper bag.  When we're out running errands, at the doctor's office or waiting for our food at a restaurant she always has something to do.  We do not have a DVD player in our car but always keep books and a small etch-a-sketch tucked into the pocket in front of her car seat.  Busy bags are another take on this idea--they are simply educational activities intended to keep your child busy while you are cooking, in the car or when you are out.  This post has some great ideas to get you started with busy bags.  I currently keep each of our activities in a ziploc bag and then place each bag in a tote which I keep by the front door.  In our busy bags, we currently have popsicle stick puzzles, cupcake felt pieces, stickers and paper, a coloring book and colored pencils (no crayons since these can melt in a hot car) and several other activities.  I will be posting soon with some other great activities for busy bags.

Stay tuned for more great ways to keep your kids busy!

10 Ways to Keep Kids Busy, Part 1

As a classroom teacher, I have summers and holidays off to spend with my children.  I love being at home with my kids and enjoy finding activities to keep them entertained while offering opportunities for learning.  I have found that when my children are occupied, engaged and excited about what they are doing, I have fewer problems with behavior and listening.  My experience in early childhood education has led me to believe that young children learn best through play and child-centered activities, so I do my best to offer my children this type of learning experience.  I prefer activities that are inexpensive or free and do not require a lot of preparation on my part.  In this series of articles, I will offer inexpensive thoughts and ideas for how to keep your children busy and excited about learning.
1. Local parks--We visit the park at least once a week to play on the playground, take a walk, watch people playing sports or have a picnic.  During the summer, our local parks offer excellent free educational programs for children.  We have seen everything from puppet shows to magicians.  Our town even offers free outdoor family movies once a week during the summers.  Some programs are offered year round for the entire family.  Not sure what your town offers?  Look up your city's website and find the parks section to see what programs you might be able to find.  If you can't find great activities in your town, try another town near you.  We often attend festivals and activities at a large park in the next town over.

2. Local library--Another great place to find children's programs is the local library.  Our library offers storytime throughout the school year, as well as special shows during the summer.  Even if your library does not offer programs, this is still a great place to take your children.  Give your children a chance to pick out books to check out and spend time reading in the library.

3. Crafts--My daughter loves crafts and will often ask when we will be doing our next craft.  I use lots of different resources to find great craft activities for kids.  Blogs such as Come Together Kids and Skip to My Lou offer many different projects, some of which cost little to nothing to create.  I also enjoy using Pinterest to find crafts and activities for my children.  You can see the ideas I have added to my pinboard here. 

Stay tuned for more great ways to keep your kids entertained!

Get Your Craft On

We've been crafting our little hearts out this week.  Here's what we've been working on:

Watercolor Painting

Cookie Decorating

Color-A-Mug (activity my daughter received at VBS)

Sandpaper Art

Anybody have any great kid's crafts to share?