3 Ways To Encourage Your Child’s Artistic Passions

This post is sponsored by The Brand Connection/Pentel. All ideas and opinions are my own.

artistic children

Jacob has always been interested in playing sports but, over the past couple of years, he has really gotten into the arts as well. From music to the visual arts, he’s taken an interest in all things artistic. As parents we want to encourage our children as best we can so I wanted to share a few ways I’ve found to encourage him in his artistic pursuits.

The first way is to provide children with materials that let them be creative, from a microphone for singers to an instrument kids can learn to art supplies they can use to make fabulous creations. Since my boys were young we’ve always had a variety of open ended craft supplies (like craft sticks, tissue paper, and beads) available for them so that creating something could be done at anytime. If you don’t have a large budget there are plenty of everyday objects and recycled materials (like newspapers, cartons, and shampoo bottles) that children can craft with. I share 100 recycled craft ideas here to give you an idea of materials you will want to keep on hand.

I also provide my boys with a number of different types of writing utensils, paintbushes, and the like for painting, drawing, and coloring. Last school year Jacob was in art club and, this past spring, had a piece featured in the school district’s art showcase at a local gallery. He was so excited about this honor of having a creation on display and was proud of the piece he had created- a military themed, all black ink design on a white background.

He did such a nice job on his gallery piece but, while I loved the black and white design, I thought it would be fun to gift him a set of colorful pens from Pentel to add a little *pop* of color to his future art work. These pens were a flashback to my 90’s childhood and I was so excited to share the virbrant colored pens with him. From the “milky” pastel colors to the “solar” neon colors to the “sparkle” iridescent colors, I knew he would love these smooth gel ink pens as much as I did. He was especially drawn to the neon colors which didn’t suprise me!

He wanted to create a comic book with his new pens. A few years ago he had started a comic book collection with his dad and thought it would be cool to create one of his own. I agreed with him that these pens would be perfect for the job. This is where tip #2 for encouraging your little artist comes in- join in on their artistic hobby with them!

I’ll admit I’m not very talented when it comes to drawing, painting, and things like that (though I do really enjoy a good, therapuatic coloring session in an adult coloring book!) but one thing I am good at is organizing my creative thoughts (I am a writer, after all!) So I helped Jacob figure out a process for preparing his comic, much like he would do in school for an essay or I do for more in-depth, researched blog posts. He brainstormed ideas for the characters, came up with a storyline, figured out what images he would draw in each box, and then started sketching out the comic strip with his Pentel Mechanical Pencil. Once he’d drawn everything out he added pops of color with the Pentel Gel Pens. It was a fun project for a rainy afternoon!

Another way to encourage your child’s artistic abilities is to put them in lessons or activities to help them grow their skill. Jacob takes guitar lessons at a local music school and this year is joining his school band. Communities and schools often have art classes where children can learn how to draw or how to take beautiful photographs with their camera (my love of photography started in my high school’s dark room). Those on a budget may be able to barter for services, choose low-cost options like school clubs, or have their child take private or group lessons from college students who often charge less than professionals.

No matter what type of artistic endeavor your child is interested in, I think one of the most important things you can do as a parent is to support your child and their passions! How do you encourage your child’s artistic pursuits? I’d love to hear about it so chat with me on twitter, instagram, or facebook!

Awesome Monthly Craft Subscription Box For Adults

Thanks to Adults & Crafts for sponsoring this post and inspiring me to get crafty!

Raise your hand if you have ever pinned crafts and DIY projects on Pinterest that you hope to do *someday* ✋ Guilty! I love crafting and projects but I tend to pin way more than I’ll ever be able to make. Sometimes it’s because I don’t think I have the time to craft or I don’t have the materials needed, but other times it’s because the projects I want to create seem way too advanced for a beginning crafter like myself.

Crafting, though I enjoy it, can be intimidating and that’s why I am so excited to have discovered the Adults & Crafts Crate and I’m sharing it with you all because it’s amazing. Having this crate delivered right to your home every month eliminates the tedious prepping – like picking a project, figuring out how to make it, gathering all the materials, and finding the right tools- and lets you skip straight to the fun part! Each kit features a different craft technique with a trendy project to make and is curated with the exact materials and tools you need to create the project, along with step-by-step instructions to help you do so.

I received November’s Adults & Crafts Crate which was the Homemade Embossing Card Making Kit. I’ve never done embossing before! I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a very adventureous crafter and in the past I probably would have never tried making my own homemade cards like this, no matter how many DIY tutorials about it I’d pinned. That’s why I love this kit! It makes it easy to try a new craft technique and I love that it includes instructions to help even a newbie like me feel confident enough to try my hand at embossing. The box included everything I’d need to complete the project, including a heat tool. I was impressed by the quality of the materials provided and am excited to have my very first crafting tool. It makes me feel like a real crafter!

This Adults & Crafts Crate would make a great gift for a friend, give you a reason to make time for yourself, or be the perfect activity for a date night in! It’s up to you but, whatever you choose, I know this is going to make you as excited to craft as it made me because it makes everything so easy! I’ll be sharing my project on Instagram after I make it over Christmas break but I wanted to make sure that I shared about this as soon as possible because the Christmas shipping deadline is quickly approaching. You can order a subscription to the Adults & Crafts Crate here and use code MAKINGTIME to get FREE shipping on your first box!

What craft would you love to try if you had a kit that provided all the materials and instructions? I’d love to try woodburning! How cute is this little cutting board that was made with a previous month’s Adults & Crafts Crate?

Christmas Crafting Fun And Homemade Ornaments

Thanks to Tampico for sponsoring this post.

I love the holidays and one of the main reasons why is all of the extra family fun Christmastime brings. From cuddling on the couch while we watch Christmas movies to decorating our home for the holidays and having special drinks and treats. Tampico is a staple in our fridge, and during the winter months we love the Apple Punch flavor. It’s so festive!  Many of my most cherished memories are made during the month of December. Another tradition we have each year is making holiday crafts. Ornaments are my favorite craft to make with my boys because I love pulling them out of the box each year when we decorate our Christmas tree.

Our tree is loaded with ornaments, from apple ornaments gifted to me when I was a teacher to our yearly family personalized dough ornaments to ornaments I was given as a child. The homemade ornaments stand out most of all though. There are colorful painted ornaments, jingle bells formed into candy cane shapes, and pictures of my children’s faces surrounded by carefully placed sequins. It’s fun to look back on the ornaments my boys have made in past years.

This past weekend I gathered everything we’d need to make ornaments. I found some tree shapes and round ornament shapes to decorate along with sparkly pompoms, sequins, red and green colored letters and holiday glitter glue. To get us in the holiday mood I also found some holiday cups with red straws and Christmas napkins and set out a snack of holiday cookies and of course our favorite Tampico Apple Punch! The perfect set-up to keep any family fueled for the crafting session.

Once I got everything set up, the boys got to work making their ornaments. Lucas went with the “a lot is good but more is better” approach and piled on the pom poms and glitter glue while Jacob was very particular and put each sequin on carefully. Years from now I’ll still remember whose ornament is whose because they decorated them according to their personalities as always.

The boys had a lot of fun making the ornaments. I really love this yearly tradition!

Does your family like to craft together during the holidays? If so, I’d love to hear what you make together in the comments below.

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Double Date Idea And A Paint Night Gift Basket

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FronteraExperience #CollectiveBias

For a while now I’ve been wanting to go to one of those places where you can hang out and paint. It sounds like it would be such a great time but I really don’t get out that much for girl’s night or date night since becoming a parent. Because of this I thought it would be fun to put together a paint night gift basket to bring the painting fun home! The basket is perfect for a girl’s night in or a double date night with another couple. (Personally I love the double date in idea because you get time with a friend and your man – just get a sitter to share and enjoy some adult couple time.)

Along with the painting there’d have to be food because a fun evening isn’t complete without it! When I thought about the bright colors of paint I had bought, I immediately knew they would pair perfectly with the vibrant flavors of one of my favorite cuisines- Mexican! I also knew I wanted something simple because nothing kills the fun of an evening for the hostess like being stuck in the kitchen while everyone else enjoys time together. Luckily I knew just the right ones that would work- Frontera® Frozen Skillets, inspired by Chef Rick Bayless. They only take about 15 minutes to cook so they can be made before guests arrive or while everyone’s artwork dries.

The paint night gift basket makes a great gift for a friend or your significant other. To make it for a double date night just put enough of everything for four people in the gift basket!

Here’s what I put in my gift basket:

  • 4 Canvases to paint
  • Acrylic paint in various colors
  • 4 Paint palettes
  • Paintbrushes (fine and wide tip)
  • Colorful plates and napkins

The gift basket is easy to put together. I used a black tin and decorated it with some paper flowers on the outside and added some crumpled paper inside the bottom of the tin. I added in canvases to paint (two 5X7 and two 8×10 sizes), paintbrushes, tubes of acrylic paint, paint palettes, and colorful napkins and plates for our dinner.

Speaking of dinner….if you love Mexican food you have to try these skillets. Frontera® Foods brings premium ingredients and flavors into the kitchen so they make the perfect dish to bring friends together. I bought two flavor varieties, the Frontera® Chicken Fajita Skillet (made with tender cuts of seared chicken simmered together with fire-roasted poblanos and chipotle chiles) and the Frontera® Carnitas Taco Skillet (made with slow-cooked pork with tangy tomatillos and roasted poblano chiles).

I loved that the meal’s ingredients and directions read in plain English and were simple to follow. They are so easy to cook that it took less than fifteen minutes to go from freezer to table.

I bought the Frontera® Frozen Skillets, along with two jars of their salsa (Frontera® Jalapeño Cilantro Salsa and Frontera® Tomatillo Salsa), at Target. We found the meals in the freezer aisle and they had a variety of flavors to choose from.

And, if you are into saving money (who isn’t!?), from now through November 25th use the Cartwheel coupon below to get 25% off Frontera® Skillets at Target!

Have you ever had a double date night in? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

DIY Glow In The Dark Pumpkins {And How I’m Learning To Embrace The Messes}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ThinkOutsideTheWipe #CollectiveBias

As a mom of two boys I’ve accepted that my life is full of messes. From muddy cleats to painted masterpieces to milk dribbles down their chins, it’s just became a part of my life. (I often joke that my kids, especially Lucas, can make a mess out of anything.)

If you are a regular reader here you probably already know that I have a type-a personality so it should come as no surprise that messes drive me crazy. With that said, I’ve really been working to accept that messes come with being a mom and allow my boys to make more messes (which is so much easier for me to do now that they can help clean them up lol). I’ll be honest though, it took a long time for me to embrace the messes. I didn’t just birth kids and immediately appreciate the messes they brought with.

As much as I typically have avoided messes though, for some reason, when it comes to kid activities I typically tend to pick the messiest crafts and activities I can. (It’s probably due to all the years I spent as a preschool teacher!) There’s something about messy play that gets kids excited and I just love seeing their faces light up when they realize that the adult in their life is not only going to allow them to make a mess but they are encouraging them to do so. This weekend’s activity? Making glow in the dark pumpkins! I had been wanting to do this with my boys since I painted a pretty galaxy pumpkin last fall. While I designed a neat polka dotted pumpkin, my boys couldn’t resist squeezing as much paint as possible on to their pumpkins in an effort to make “slime” pumpkins.

It was hard to resist showing them how to gently squeeze the paint tube in order to make a Pinterest perfect pumpkin but I took a deep breath and I let them decorate the pumpkins their way. And they used a LOT of paint. A lot. I’m pretty sure they are going to take days to dry but they had fun creating something with their mom so that is all that matters. Every year, when we pull out these pumpkins in the fall, they will remember that time their mom spent with them and I will remember their giggles as the almost empty paint tube made sounds when they squeezed it. This is what is important. If I had been worried about the mess the whole time I would have completely missed these moments of joy.

Of course I still went into the activity prepared and was ready for the mess since I know my boys. We had bought a large box of Huggies® One and Done® Wipes from Sam’s Club and kept them nearby during the whole activity. I like these wipes because they come in smaller soft packs with an  EZ Pull® Dispenser that makes getting wipes out of the package easy, even when I’m trying to do so one handed. The wipes themselves are thick, have a pleasant scent and feature Huggies’ Triple Clean Layers that clean up messes without a lot of scrubbing.

(Hover over the photo above to click through to Samsclub.com where you can buy these wipes to make sure you are prepared for your next messy activity!)

My boys may be 8 and 9 years old but I still find many uses for wipes and always have packs around my home and in my car. Sure enough, they came in handy for this messy activity. From wiping off “mistakes” on my pumpkin to wiping drips off the ground to cleaning messy hands (and legs and wherever else the paint ended up), I was happy we had them (and so was Lucas as you can see below lol).

Anyways, enough talk about the messes…let’s get to the fun I promised :) This DIY is so easy and really doesn’t require much. You’ll need glow in the dark paints (I used fabric paints) and a pumpkin to paint. I chose ceramic pumpkins but you can use fake foam pumpkins or even real pumpkins for this activity.

In addition, you can use paintbrushes to nicely spread the paint on but I discovered my kids just preferred to glob it on the pumpkins. (Slime is the big thing nowadays isn’t it?)

How you paint the pumpkin will depend on your design.

Lucas created chunks of colors on his pumpkin while Jacob was (I think) trying to create rings of color around his.

For my polka dot pumpkin, I made dots in one section at a time, making a few dots in one color before switching to another color to make three more dots, and so on before I moved to the next section.

I was going to leave the stem unpainted but decided to paint stripes on it. I just started at the base of the stem and painted around the stem with one color and then added more colors above that, making a rainbow like design.

Once you are happy with your design let it dry and then expose it to sunlight for a few hours so that it will glow! Just a note- if it doesn’t glow very brightly it just needs more sunlight. Expose it to direct sunlight for a few more hours.

The boys and I had so much fun painting our pumpkins (and even more fun seeing them glow in a dark room)!

Want to recreate these? Don’t forget to head to your local Sam’s Club to buy the giant box of Huggies One & Done wipes for the messes that are guaranteed to happen when you combine kids and paint :) (Also, FYI- get $8 off the purchase of any 2 Huggies products, valid 8/23 – 9/17 or while supplies last, at Sam’s Club.)

I love shopping at my local club because I can buy in bulk which means less trips to the store. They also have club pickup which means you can shop online and everything is ready for pickup when you arrive. This is an awesome service for busy moms who don’t want to wander the aisles with kids in tow.

If you make this Halloween craft I’d love to see your glow in the dark pumpkins so please tag me on Twitter (@aliciamarie112) or share with me on Facebook! Remember- have fun and embrace the mess!

Superhero Fun With Tampico

Thanks to Tampico for sponsoring this post.

It’s been raining a lot here in Chicago so we’ve been trying to find indoor activities to do together like playing games, watching movies, and crafting. With the new Captain Underpants Movie coming out, I thought it would be fun to do a superhero themed craft together.

My boys can’t wait for the movie to hit theaters June 2nd. We were so happy to learn that one of our favorite juice drinks, Tampico, has partnered with DreamWorks’ for Captain Underpants’ release. My boys will be keeping an eye out for fun prizes like a Captain Underpants “prank sound board” that Tampico will be giving away from its Facebook page this summer! Until the movie is out, they’ll be staying busy and sharpening their minds by doing some summer reading! Check out these super-hero themed bookmarks we made to go along with the Captain Underpants theme!

Materials needed:

  • Cardstock
  • Stickers
  • Ribbon
  • Scissors

Making the bookmarks is easy!

Cut your card stock into a long rectangle and poke a hole towards the top.

Put the ribbon through the hole and tie it in a knot to secure the ribbon.

Add superhero stickers to the bookmark.

While we were making bookmarks we talked about what superhero powers we’d want to have if we were superheroes. Jacob said he’d want to have a superpower that would make him go fast so he could get to places quickly. He also thought it would be cool to have super strength and be the strongest person alive. Lucas also liked the idea of having super speed but wanted to be invisible, too.

Wondering what powers the adults in our home would want to have? Sinisa said he’d want to be able to fly so that he could get anywhere he wanted for free. I’d want to be invisible if I could have any superhero power.

While we crafted we enjoyed some of our favorite juice drink, Tampico. We always have a couple of gallons in the fridge. I added some fun star straws to keep up with the superhero theme.

Now the boys have fun bookmarks to use the next time they are reading. They have to catch up on the books while they wait for the movie to come out. Check out the movie trailer below. It looks like it’s going to be great and our family can’t wait to see it together.

To celebrate the movie’s release, Tampico is partnering with Dreamwork’s Captain Underpants movie and hosting some awesome superhero contests on Facebook. There will be great prizes including a grand prize of two iPads, one for you and one for your little superhero! There will also be prizes like Family 4-Packs of Movie tickets. Like and follow Tampico on Facebook and stay tuned to learn more! https://www.facebook.com/drinktampico/.

What superhero power would you and your children want to have if you were superheroes?

Spring Snack Container Made From Popsicle Sticks

Easter is just around the corner and one of our favorite ways to get ready for any holiday is to make crafts and homemade decorations. I thought it would be fun to make carrot shaped snack containers. They are perfect for parties, family movie nights or any time really!

They are easy and fun to make with the kids. First, you’ll want to gather the materials needed:

  • Popsicle sticks
  • Non-toxic orange paint w/ paintbrush OR orange marker
  • Green Easter grass
  • Piece of cardboard or heavy card stock
  • Non-toxic glue
  • Scissors
  • A snack to put in the container (like Goldfish crackers!)

Directions:

Cut a third of the popsicle sticks in half. (I broke them in half since I couldn’t find the adult scissors but that left sharp edges which you don’t want since kids will be holding this.)

Paint or color two of the long popsicle sticks and one of the half pieces orange and set aside to dry.

Glue 2 popsicle sticks on the cardboard in the shape of a “V” and put 1 half of a popsicle stick across the top to make it a triangle. Continue layering popsicle sticks by gluing them on top of each other until you have a deep enough container to hold your snacks. Glue the orange popsicle sticks on the top as your last layer. Then glue some of the Easter grass on the cardboard near the top of the triangle to make the carrot leaves.

Let the glue dry for a couple hours and then trim the excess cardboard from around the carrot shape.

Once the containers are ready, fill them with a snack. We chose to add our favorite snack, Goldfish crackers, to our carrot container.

Does your family make anything special for holidays or seasons? Get additional inspiration and ideas from Goldfish crackers on Pinterest!

DIY Decorative Jewelry Tray

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StreakFreeShine #CollectiveBias

Spring is one of the most beautiful seasons. From budding flowers to pretty lace dresses to sparkling pastel colored jewels, beauty is all around us. As the weather starts to warm up and the sun starts shining a bit more, I love being able to admire the new growth of flowers and watch the birds sitting outside my window.

That very first sunny spring day though, when I open up my curtains, I am reminded of the one chore that gets a little neglected during the colder months- cleaning my windows. It’s amazing how dirty they get over the few months we are stuck inside while the sky is gray and the trees are barren. I grab my Windex® Original Glass Cleaner from under my kitchen sink and, as soon as I spray it on my windows, I start to see the dirt fading away. A couple swipes of a paper towel later and my windows are shiny clean and I can see the beautiful spring day through them.

I also like to bring the beauty of spring indoors and I do that by decorating my home with seasonal decor and fresh flowers. To bring a touch of spring into my bedroom I made a decorative jewelry tray to hold some of my favorite pieces. It was easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of materials so I wanted to share the tutorial so you could make your own.

Materials needed:

  • Round tray
  • Glass or mirror a little smaller than your tray
  • Glue or adhesive
  • Beaded necklaces made for craft projects

 Directions:

Put glue/adhesive in the middle of the tray, spreading it out the width of your mirror.

Place the glass or mirror piece in the middle of the tray and gently press it down to adhere it to the tray.

To see how long your string of beads will need to be you can put it along the bottom edge of your tray. You’ll want it long enough to go all around the bottom of your tray but not overlap. I had to tie two beaded necklaces together and then take some beads off the one end because, as you can see in the picture, it was too long.

Use your adhesive/glue to glue your beads onto the tray along the inner bottom edge of the tray. If you still have space between your beads and your mirror/glass, you can glue on a second string of beads.

This tray will get a lot of fingerprint smudges on it but it’s easy to clean with Windex® Original Glass Cleaner.

Windex® Original Glass Cleaner is my favorite product to use on glass because I know that it will always leave my glass surfaces with a streak-free shine. Thanks to its formulation with Ammonia-D®, it starts working on fingerprints, dirt, and other messes even before you wipe. Whether you need to clean the smudges on your bathroom mirror, your windows, or the glass of your jewelry tray, you can trust America’s #1 glass cleaner to get the job done!

I found Windex® Original Glass Cleaner and Windex® Vinegar Multi-Surface Cleaner in the cleaning aisle of my local Food4Less store.

Now you can see the beauty of spring outside (thanks to your clean windows) and inside, sitting on your jewelry tray.

What is your favorite thing about the spring season? Get more spring cleaning ideas here.

Jar Of Wisdom And Love For A Graduate

This post contains affiliate links.

Graduation season is just around the corner which means that many are busy planning parties to celebrate their graduate. There are a number of things to think about, from the food you’ll serve to the decor you’ll have to the gift you’ll give. Today I wanted to share an idea I had that is perfect for graduation parties but also doubles as a gift for your graduate.

I created a Graduation Jar of Wisdom & Love. This jar can be set out on a table at the party for guests to leave words of wisdom and love for the graduate. It’s simple to make, too! Just get a large jar and decorate it with ribbon or scrapbook stickers. Leave pieces of card stock, washi tape and a pen on the table with a sign asking your guests to leave their words of wisdom and love. When they are done writing their note on the card they can roll it up and wrap tape around it.

SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED:

Glass jar

Graduation cap for top of jar

Letters to spell out words on jar

Skinny washi tape

Card stock

Pens

 

Once the party is over you can put the lid on the jar and present it to your graduate. You could also roll up dollar bills and add them to the jar before you give it to the graduate (if you were planning on giving them money anyways). Your child will love all the advice and kind words from their friends and family members and will appreciate this gift for years to come!

What words of wisdom would you give someone graduating junior high, high school or college?

 

Knight’s Shield Craft For Kids

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own.

When it comes to kid’s shows, I love introducing my children to ones that model good characteristics. My Knight and Me, a new show on Cartoon Network for kids ages 6-10, is one of these shows. The series models close family ties, emphasizes the importance of teamwork and underscores the importance of using strategy over might to solve problems.

In the show, kids can follow the quests of a colorful and charismatic trio of knights in shining armor. The trio includes loyal, street-smart Jimmy the Squire; daring and determined Cat the Princess; and bold and courageous Henri of Orange, Jimmy’s dad and a charmingly inept, yet passionately chivalrous knight who might not be the most efficient protector of the realm – but sure is the funniest! Together, the knightly group sets out from the Kingdom of Epic to save the day and brighten the Dark Ages!

To celebrate the new show, the boys and I created a knight’s shield for outdoor play this spring.

Materials needed:

  • Cardboard (piece large enough to make a round circle shield)
  • Foam pieces – large sheets of foam and decorative pieces
  • Cardboard tube
  • Foam glue
  • Scissors
  • Glitter glue (optional)

Directions:

Cut a circle out of cardboard. (I traced around a round pizza pan to get a nice circle shape.)

Glue large foam sheets onto the cardboard piece and let dry. Once the glue is dry, you can cut around the circle to cut off the excess foam.

Let your child decorate their shield with foam pieces and glitter glue.

Once decorated, glue the cardboard tube onto the back of the shield to make a handle. After all the glue is dry, your child is ready to play!

Don’t forget to check out My Knight and Me, airing weekdays at 12pm ET on Cartoon Network.

 

Speedy Fun On The Go

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RaceDayRelief #CollectiveBias

Calling all racing fans! Start your engines because I have a fun activity to keep your kids busy this season. Your little ones will love racing cars on their own race track while you watch the race on tv. This DIY travel case and race track for toy cars is also perfect for on the go play! It’s great for the plane, Grandma’s house, or wherever you may find yourself over the next few months!

Don’t forget to pack the Advil®, too, because it’ll come in handy for headaches and any other aches and pains that come your way, whether it’s tension headaches from all the race day excitement, muscle aches from bringing all of those heavy Christmas boxes down from the attic or the headaches that come from dealing with the in-laws ;) I keep a bottle of Advil® Film-Coated tablets in my purse so I’m never without it!

Materials needed:

  • Empty Wipes Case
  • Black Paper Plates
  • Scissors
  • Glue/Glue Stick
  • Construction Paper
  • Toy Cars
  • Road Signs (Optional)
  • Cutout Letters (Optional)

Directions to make the track:

  • Cut a paper plate in half
  • Cut around the plate, taking off the raised rim
  • Cut a small half circle shape out of the plate to make a wide upside down “u” shape
  • Repeat the previous steps to make multiple pieces of track

You can use construction paper to cover up the images on the baby wipe container and even add letters if you’d like to. I chose to add the word “cars” to the top of the case.

Fill the box with cars, track pieces and road signs. If you have some race flags that would be a fun addition, too!

So now that you have something to keep the kids busy have you thought about what will keep you going on race day and beyond? For aches and pains you’ll want to have Advil® Film-Coated tablets. The Rapid Release Formula goes to work in minutes on tough pain* like headaches, muscle aches, toothaches, menstrual cramps, back pain, and aches and pains associated with the common cold. You’ll want this fast acting medicine so you don’t have to miss out on all the race day fun, like racing cars on the homemade race track with your kids. Don’t miss these precious moments because you are in pain!

You can find Advil® Film-Coated tablets, along with everything you need to make your race track, at your local Walmart. Before you shop make sure to grab this coupon for $3 off!

Race fans will also want to make sure to watch Ty Dillon in car #95 at the race in Miami on November 20th. It’s going to be a great race!

Do your little ones love racing cars? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (@aliciamarie112). I’d love to hear about your family’s race day fun!

*Among OTC pain relievers.

DIY Galaxy Pumpkin

Thanks to Amazon Video for sponsoring this post.

To celebrate season 2 of the fun kid’s show Creative Galaxy available on Amazon Prime Video today, I wanted to create an out of this world DIY craft. This Galaxy Pumpkin is fun to make and kids can even help create this one of a kind decoration for your home.

To start you’ll want to gather the materials needed:

  • A pumpkin (either a black craft pumpkin or a real pumpkin you painted black)
  • Paints in colors of the galaxy (I used a dark purple, a pink, 2 shades of blue, and 2 types of glitter paint.)
  • Foam brushes
  • Paper plate
  • Optional: white paint and small paint brush
  • Optional: small rhinestones and glue to stick them on (if you want to use them for stars which I chose not to do on mine due to lack of time)
  • Optional: glow in the dark paint

There really is no right or wrong way to do this craft. The fun thing about it is that everyone’s “galaxy” will look different.

To start you’ll want to squeeze a little of each color paint onto your plate. You’ll also want to lay down newspaper or a garbage bag for easy cleanup and to keep you from getting paint all over your home. If your kids are helping you’ll want to put them in play clothes since they are going to get paint on their hands which means it will get on their face, their clothes, etc. I don’t think my boys have ever painted without getting paint all over themselves but that’s part of the fun :)

Step 1: Dab a little of the darkest color on your foam brush and then you are going to pat it on your pumpkin (do not brush it on). Once that paint on your brush is dabbed on your pumpkin you are going to get more paint on your foam brush in the second darkest color. You will alternate between these two darkest colors until you’ve covered your whole pumpkin in a light sponge-like pattern. Keep in mind, you are not fully painting the pumpkin so don’t worry that black is still showing on your pumpkin.

Step 2: Take the third and fourth lightest colors and dab those around your pumpkin in the same manner you did the first two colors. (If you have any other blues, purples or pinks you can sponge those colors on next. You can also add extra layers of colors if you’d like to though I’d recommend letting the first layer dry.)

Step 3: Once you have the pumpkin colored like you want it you’ll want to add any glitter paints you have, sponging them on in spots around your pumpkin.

Optional step: At this point you can add stars if you’d like to. I thought the glitter paints added enough glimmer but you can use your small tipped paint brush to add dots of white around your pumpkin or glue the rhinestones on it for stars. You can also dot glow in the dark paint if you’d like.

Isn’t that fun? I love how our Galaxy Pumpkin turned out and am looking forward to spending the weekend watching season 2 of Creative Galaxy with my kids. This cute show follows the adventures of Arty and his silly side-kick Epiphany, as they travel around the galaxy to solve problems using many different forms of art. Each episode highlights a unique creative medium (painting, music, sculpting, cooking, etc.) to reinforce to kids that art is all around us in many different forms. The interactive stories and live action segments encourage young viewers at home to get excited about their own creative ideas and the process of using creative arts to solve problems!

Stay tuned for all the other art activities that this series inspires my kids and I to create :)

 

I-Spy ABC Bottle For Alphabet Fun

This post has been sponsored by Amazon Studios.

I love when things in our daily life inspire our crafting time. This week, the Amazon Original Kids’ Series show, Stinky & Dirty, inspired us to make a fun craft using an empty water bottle. In this series, dynamic duo Stinky, the garbage truck, and Dirty, the backhoe loader, enjoy everyday adventures that prove how resourcefulness and teamwork can solve just about any problem. I love that they give kids ideas for reusing things instead of throwing them away.

There are so many things you can make with an empty water bottle but my boys and I used it to make spelling practice more fun by turning it into a game. We created an I-SPY ABC bottle!

This craft is super easy to do and fun for kids to help make.

1) Make sure your water bottle is dry inside and take off the outside wrapper.

2) Fill the bottle a quarter full with rice.

3) Add in half of the beads.

4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your water bottle is 3/4 of the way full.

5) At this point you can super glue the lid on if you feel your children may open it, otherwise just put the lid on tightly. Then, have children shake the water bottle to mix the rice and beads.

There are a number of ways to use this I-SPY bottle: For younger children you can have them find certain letters by saying the letter you want them to find, say the sound the letter you want them to find makes or have them name letters and sounds as they find them. Older kids can be asked to find the letters that spell words. Children can also find a letter in the ABC I-Spy bottle and then find something in the room that starts with the letter.

Do your children love using their imaginations? If so, you’ll definitely want to watch Stinky & Dirty with them! It’s now streaming with Prime on Amazon Video. Watch an episode with your child and encourage them to use problem solving skills to turn trash into treasure to solve a problem! I’d love to see what they are inspired to create! Tag me on social media (@aliciamarie112 on Twitter and Making Time For Mommy on Facebook) and share with the hashtag #StinkyAndDirty :)

Football Decorations Kids Can Help Make

Thanks to Tampico for sponsoring our afternoon of crafting decorations for football season!

I absolutely love football season. Whether it’s tossing the ball around with my kids, watching Jacob on the field or sitting around the tv on Sunday afternoons cheering for my favorite team from Chicago, it’s a wonderful time of year. Jacob and I did some crafting to get ready for football season and I thought I’d share some of the decorations we made for the house.

The first thing we did was decorate some snack bowls with football themed stickers. We did this to prepare for our various football parties we are going to have this year and because snacks are always better from fun bowls!

Of course we had to have a snack while we were crafting! Popcorn and Mango Punch Tampico were a great combo!

After our snack we decorated some picture frames. Since Jacob plays football we will use these to display pictures of him on the fridge.

For this craft all you need are some colorful cardboard frames and foam stickers.

Once you decorate the frames with the stickers you can add a magnet on the back so that you can hang your picture frame on the fridge. You can then put a picture underneath the frame- either one of your child in their sports uniform or one of your family at your favorite team’s game.

I decided to make a frame as well and decorate it with some scrapbook stickers. I made Jacob one that said “Football MVP”! I love spending quality time with my kids while we craft.

The last thing we made was a paper chain garland. I found some sparkly glitter paper garland pieces that were pre-cut into strips but you can easily cut strips of paper to make some. On the brown colored paper just use a white crayon to draw on some football “laces”. You’ll then use tape to form loops and make a chain.

Once your chain is complete you can hang it anywhere you’d like! We are going to hang our chain garland from our mantle under the television. It’s the perfect decoration because it mixes colors of Autumn with our love of football.

What crafts does your family make together to celebrate your favorite sports season? When you are at the store buying your supplies for your crafts make sure to pick up Tampico juice drink for your family to enjoy while you are creating memories together!

Preparing For Sleepovers With A DIY Personalized Pillowcase

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RestEasySolutions #CollectiveBias 

Read on to learn why we love GoodNites products and how they will help my bed wetter feel confident enough to go to sleepovers this school year! (If only his mom was as ready as he is….)

The school year brings more time with friends and with that comes invitations to birthday parties and requests for play dates and sleepovers. My kids haven’t had sleepovers with their friends yet but I know that is coming soon now that they are in 2nd and 3rd grade. Lucas would be so excited to go to a friend’s house for a sleepover but a few questions arise when thinking about this typical childhood “rite of passage”.

First of all, he’s my baby and he’s never slept over anywhere since he was a toddler so that would be hard for me. My main concern though is mostly related to his Autism and how the parents would handle that. I think I’d have to know them very well and them know him extremely well and us both know that they’d be able (and willing!) to handle his meltdowns. He’s high functioning, so many times he is just like any other 2nd grader, but sometimes he gets overwhelmed. Taking care of a child on the Autism Spectrum is a lot to ask of someone!

Another issue of concern is that he still wets the bed at night sometimes. Though 1 in 6 kids age 4-12 wet the bed once or more per week after potty training ends, I know that he is embarrassed by it. Being seven and not wanting anyone to think he’s a “baby”, I know he’d be devastated if he had a nighttime accident while at a friend’s house and woke up in wet pajamas.

While I can’t overcome the fear of the unknown “what if’s” that accompany raising a child with special needs, I figured out a solution to the whole bed wetting issue! No, I didn’t magically stop him from wetting the bed, but I did come up with a way of hiding it if he does have an accident at night while he’s at a sleepover.

We bought him more GoodNites TruFit Underwear. They look and feel like real underwear but they hold absorbent, disposable inserts that provide outstanding nighttime protection that keep sheets and pajamas dry all night long. (We’ve used these before when we go on vacation and sleep in hotel beds and we love them!)

In addition, we personalized a pillowcase he could carry to sleepovers and inside the pillowcase we created a space for him to hide his GoodNites TruFit Underwear and inserts. It was easy to do by using a zippered protective sleeve inside the pillowcase. When it’s time for bed he can just unzip the pillow protector, pull them out and put them on under his pajamas. He then is ready for bed and can go to sleep confident that he won’t wake up in wet pajamas!

Personalizing the pillowcase was easy and a fun craft for him to do with mommy!

Here is what you need:

  • Fabric markers
  • Stencils
  • White pillowcase
  • Zippered pillow protector
  • Pillow
  • Piece of cardboard (optional but recommended)

Directions to make a personalized pillowcase:

1) Decide what stencils you want to use and where you want them on the pillowcase. Lucas chose to do the letters of his name and some favorite animals.

2) Put the piece of cardboard inside the pillowcase so that the marker does not bleed through to the other side of the pillowcase

3) Set your stencil where you want it and color inside of the stencil. Repeat for as many stencils as you have.

4) Put the zippered pillow protector on your pillow and then put the decorated pillowcase over that one

Once that is done, put your GoodNites TruFit Underwear and an insert in the zippered pillow protector, zip it up and your child is ready to go to their friend’s house or Grandma’s!

There are a couple other products in the GoodNites line that are great for children who wet their bed. GoodNites Bedtime Pants are more absorbent vs the leading training pant and have 25% stretchier sides to fit and move more like underwear. GoodNites Bed Mats are also available. These disposable mats that have a waterproof backing and can be placed directly on the bed to help cut down on sheet changes. They are designed with micro-pocket technology to lock in odor.

GoodNites are the #1 night time protection brand and all of their products can be found at Walmart. While supplies last, you can save $2 on them! The coupon will be live during certain periods so keep checking back for more chances to get the coupon.

How do you prepare for sleepovers? I’d love to hear some of your tips since this is a new chapter in my parenting journey!

DIY Decorative Scissor Holder For Your Homework Station

I just went out and bought all of my boy’s school supplies and the aisles were packed with other moms doing the same. Since back-to-school season is upon us I wanted to share a fun craft that you can do with your kids. Thanks to Fiskars for sponsoring this post and our crafting time.

Along with buying school supplies we have been getting our homework station organized and stocked for the school year. The boys and I made a scissor holder for their homework station. Even though we have a bunch of scissors around the house, there never seems to be any on their homework table when we need them. Does anyone else have this problem?

To solve the issue, I’ve designated two scissors “homework station” scissors, and they are not allowed to leave the table. I found a cute wooden cup holder, and the boys and I cut washi tape with our favorite Fiskars Kids Scissors to decorate it. You could even upcycle a cylinder shaped container to make this.

Now we have a cute holder for our homework table and a place where we can always find scissors when we need them.

We also decorated some school supplies. We chose to decorate some composition notebooks and pencils along with the cup holder. There is no right or wrong way to do this craft, so just let your kid’s imagination dictate how they decorate their school supplies. 

We love using Fiskars Kids Scissors for all our crafting and homework needs because they feature an innovative safety-edge blade for high-quality cutting. Their non-stick coating makes it easy to cut cleanly through materials with sticky adhesives, which is great for all of the times they cut through sticky globs of glue or the adhesive on pieces of tape. It’s no wonder Fiskars is the #1 teacher recommended brand in scissors!

Fiskars Kids Scissors are available in classic colors and new MVP handles for the 2016 back-to- school season.

How are you preparing for back-to- school? Visit Fiskars.com, or join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #FiskarsBTS. You can also check out their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for more ideas and inspiration.

How To Recreate The Summer Games In Your Own Backyard

I’m excited to be partnering with Meijer this summer to celebrate the summer games. Check out our fun idea and more ideas from other bloggers on the Meijer website!

Every four years, countries get to show off their best athletes in the Summer Games. The whole world watches as athletes in numerous sports compete in hundreds of events over a few weeks time. People enjoy supporting athletes from their country as they watch the games in person or on television. To make the time even more magical for my kids, I thought it would be fun to host our own ‘summer games’ in our backyard.

To start we took a look at all of the sports that athletes can compete in and picked a handful that we could easily recreate. We had everything we needed for soccer, golf and badminton and headed to Meijer for everything else. We found a great inflatable basketball hoop and pool diving sticks that would work for a relay race so we added basketball and track & field to our summer games list.

Once we had the sports chosen we needed to make two things for our summer games- the torch carried during the opening ceremony and medals for the winners. Both are simple crafts that can be made with items you probably have at home already. Here is what you will need to make each and the directions to make them.

Torch

  • Cardboard tube (we used the tube from TP rolls)
  • Tissue paper (red and orange)
  • Tape
  • Aluminum foil
  • Scissors

To make the torch

  • Tear off a piece of aluminum foil that is slightly larger than your cardboard tube
  • Roll the foil around your tube, completely covering it
  • Tuck the foil over the edges on each side and into the cardboard tube
  • Cut your tissue paper pieces into four equal squares
  • Pick four pieces of tissue paper and stack (we used 2 orange pieces and 2 red pieces)
  • Grab the pile from the middle by pinching it and pick up
  • Twist the middle together
  • Put tape on the twisted end and insert into the top part of your tube, taping it inside the tube
  • Fluff the tissue paper so it looks like fire

Medals

  • Lid from canister (we used lids from canisters of chips)
  • Hole punch
  • Aluminum foil
  • Scissors
  • Ribbon
To make the medals
  • Punch a hole in the lid
  • Tear off a piece of aluminum foil that’s a little bigger than the chip canister lid
  • Wrap the foil up around the lid and onto the back
  • Poke a hole in the foil where it is in the lid
  • Cut ribbon pieces and insert through the hole and tie together at the end

Once we had made our torch and medals we started our summer games. They walked around with the torches to signify the beginning of the games. Then it was time to play. My sports loving boys had so much fun. Their favorite activity was basketball since they got to use our new basketball hoop.

Once the sports were done it was time to pass out medals. Our summer games was the perfect family activity for a warm, summer day. We decided we are going to do this again soon and add a few sports -like gymnastics- to the competition list.

What sports would your family include in your own backyard summer games?

Easy 4th Of July Crafts For Kids

Making homemade decorations for holidays is something I love doing with the kids. We sat outside the other day in the shade of our front porch and crafted. Thanks to Tampico for sponsoring our crafting time and this post.

I wanted to share a couple of easy 4th of July decorations that we made. Both can be created in less than an hour. The best part is that they can be made with materials you probably already have around your house. The first decoration the boys and I made was a paper chain and the second craft was flag windsocks.

Materials needed:

  • Construction paper – red, white and blue
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Yarn/String
  • Crepe paper – red and white
  • Chalk
  • Hole puncher (optional)

Directions to make the paper chain:

1) Cut some of the construction paper into strips

2) Take one paper strip and make it into a loop and tape the two ends together

3) Take the 2nd strip of paper and put it through the first one. Make a loop and tape the two ends of that 2nd strip making a chain with the two pieces

4) Continue until your chain is the length you’d like it to be

Directions to make the flag windsock:

1) Use the chalk to draw stars on one side of your blue construction paper

2) Roll the piece of paper into a cylinder and tape together

3) Cut pieces of crepe paper into strips about 20 inches long

4) Tape one end of the crepe paper onto the inside bottom of the cylinder, letting the other end hang down. Repeat until you have paper hanging all around the bottom

5) Poke two holes in the top of the cylinder on opposite sides (using a hole punch or your scissors)

6) Put string or yarn in holes and attach to windsock so you can hang your windsock

With these hot days we have been having, it’s important to stay hydrated. We love to drink Tampico Tropical Punch while we are outside crafting. I add little fun straws to their cups for a festive feel.

What fun crafts do you like to make with your kids?

Get Race Day Ready With Advil And A Fun Racetrack Craft

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RaceDayRelief #CollectiveBias

On my travels recently I have had a lot of car related fun, including getting an up close look at rare corvettes and going to my first car race. Through these trips I’ve discovered the heart pounding thrill of fast cars and car racing. I wanted to share that excitement with my boys so I created a fun racetrack craft to make with them that they could incorporate into their play and get them ready for the next big race day.

We enjoy going outside on nice days and one of the things the boys like to do is bring out the chalk, cars and their car sets and build a town. They use the chalk to make roads and parking spots and enjoy pretending with their vehicles. I thought a finish line for a racetrack would be the perfect addition to their play so they could pretend to be a famous race car driver like Ty Dillion.

My kids love when mommy and daddy play toys with them and they always ask us to play. I love to do so but sometimes I can’t stop thinking about the pain that will accompany sitting on the ground (and the pain trying to get up as well). I typically have joint pain on a daily basis but sitting for long periods of time makes things worse, especially in my knees. Thankfully I’ve discovered that Advil has a new fast release formula that goes to work within minutes of taking it. Fast acting Advil Film-Coated leverages the rapid absorption properties of ibuprofen sodium, now available for the first time in the US.* So now when the kids ask me to go outside and play I can take a couple Advil Film-Coated tablets and head outside with them.

Below are the directions for the paper weaving craft we made. We created a finish line for our car race but you could use the whole piece of paper and make a race flag if you wanted to instead. Weaving is a fun craft that’s great for practicing fine motor skills and makes the perfect racing checkerboard design.

The kids had a great time racing cars and playing with their playsets and the tunnel I “built” them. They were so happy that mommy was down on the ground playing with them. To us parents it might seem like something small, but when parents take the time to get down and play with their kids, doing something that interests them, that means so much to our children. Advil’s Film-Coated product with rapid release will help you enjoy the playtime as much as the kids do. This Advil is formulated with a unique Advil Ion Core Technology and an ultra thin shell to absorb quickly – in fact nothing is proven to work faster.*

So go ahead… crawl around on the ground racing toy cars, color with chalk, join in your child’s world and see the joy in their eyes. Don’t let aches and pains slow you down or stop you from spending time playing with your kids!

You can find Advil Film-Coated tablets at Walmart. Use fast acting Advil Film-Coated for headaches, muscle aches, toothaches, menstrual cramps, back pain, and aches and pains associated with the common cold. Don’t forget to use this $3 off coupon to save some money on an 80+ count box :)

*Among OTC pain relievers.

Easy Dinner Solution & Kid’s Placemat Craft

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FindingDelicious #CollectiveBias

Dinner time is usually rushed during the busy sports seasons of spring and fall so I need to find delicious options that are quick and easy to make. Soup is something both of my boys will eat and something Jacob really loves. My favorite soup brand is Campbell’s because it reminds me of my childhood, and the boys were really excited to see Dory, and her friend Nemo, from Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory on the soup can at our local Target store. The can is full of fun-shaped pasta (sea shell, Dory, and Destiny) in chicken broth. Luke’s favorite snack, Goldfish® crackers, also have our favorite fish characters on their Goldfish® Special Edition! Cheddar Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory Crackers packaging with special edition colors (colors sourced from plants). Together, with some fresh fruit, these make a great kid-friendly meal I can make within minutes.

©Disney/Pixar

To celebrate the new Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory branded packages, the boys and I made fun fish shaped placemats for our table. They are easy to clean so any dribbles of soup or crumbs can be wiped off.

What you’ll need:

  • Clear contact paper
  • Scissors
  • Colored tissue paper
  • Dry erase marker

Directions:

1) Cut the colored tissue paper into small 1-2 inch squares

2) Peel a portion of contact paper from it’s backing and lay it sticky side up you’ll want the exposed piece to be a little bigger than a typically sized placemat. Note: Do not cut the contact paper from it’s roll.

3) Put pieces of tissue paper on the contact paper. Your children can make patterns or put them on randomly and they can overlap. Repeat until the majority of the contact paper piece is covered by tissue paper pieces.

4) Carefully peel the contact paper back more and fold the contact paper over so you are covering the tissue paper with the sticky contact paper you just exposed. Go slowly, smoothing the contact paper as you go so that there are no bumps or air bubbles and that the contact paper matches up with the other piece you put the tissue paper on.

5) Cut the contact paper from the roll like you would wrapping paper

6) Use a dry erase marker to draw a large fish shape on your contact paper

7) Cut out the fish shape you drew

You can find both the special edition Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory branded Campbell’s soup and the Goldfish® Special Edition! Cheddar Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory Crackers at Target. They had a special display at the end of one of the frozen food aisles.

©Disney/Pixar

What’s your favorite go-to dinner that’s easy to make?

10 DIY Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Mother’s Day is coming up and with it families are trying to think of gifts they can give mom on this special holiday. I recently shared some gift ideas but some of my favorite gifts to receive can’t be found in stores. Instead, they are things that are personalized and made with love from my kids. I wanted to share 10 DIY Mother’s Day gifts that kids can help make for all the important ladies in their life- from moms to grandmas!

Bouquet Of Sunflowers Made With Handprints – Kid Friendly Things To Do

Lemon And Raspberry Sugar Scrub – Reasons To Skip The Housework

Handprint Frame – Messy Little Monster

Footprint Stepping Stone – I Watch Them Grow

Jar Of Love – Crafting A Green World

Handprint Table Runner & Brunch For Mom

Mom’s Emergency Stash – Eighteen25

Mason Jar Succulent Planter – The Golden Sycamore

Egg Carton Flowers – I Heart Arts N Crafts

Picture Flowers

What has been your favorite DIY gift to receive or give?

100 Recycled Crafts For Kids

With Earth Day coming up I thought I’d put together a post with ideas for ways to reuse materials instead of throwing them away or sending them off to be recycled. All of these can be made by or with children to get them involved in the upcycling fun. I’ve categorized the crafts by material below. If you have any other ideas please leave them in the comments.

Toilet Paper Rolls

Yogurt Containers

Plastic Bottles

Egg Cartons

Empty Boxes

Cans

Milk Jugs

Newspaper/Magazines

Paper Bags

Wrapping Paper/Greeting Cards

Puzzle Pieces

Packing Materials

Easter Eggs & Grass

Tissue Boxes

Bottle Caps

Baby Wipe Containers

 Other

Two Gift Ideas For Creative Kids

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

With the holidays here my mind has been on Christmas shopping. Each of my kids has a list of things that they hope to get. From video games to building sets to puzzles, everything they see in the commercials seems to end up on their lists. Most of their wish lists are similar but Lucas has a lot more variety on his. Lucas loves everything from cars to dolls and I love this about him because he is his own person and likes what he likes, no matter what other kids might say.

Some of his favorite activities are arts and crafts which he developed a love for at summer camp. He loves colors and has a keen spirit for all things creative and playful. In order to make Lucas happy and encourage his artful side I introduced some new crafty kits to him this week. The two kits are TEXT COOL Bracelet Studio and the The KNIT’S COOL Knitting Studio.

Lucas loves to dress himself in unique outfits and now he can send the ultimate fashion statement message with a bracelet. He loves being in control and designing his own things and this kit makes it as easy as 1-2-3 to create. Just turn, reveal, and press! He can even make message bracelets to share with his friends by using TEXT COOL. Text Cool includes an easy to use Bracelet Studio, featuring over 60 letters and emoticons and 35 bracelets to wear and share. Text Cool lets Luke get his creative messages on his wrists for the world to see! He is overjoyed to create and show his creativity with Text Cool.

The other kit Lucas liked is KNIT’S COOL. The Knit’s Cool Knitting Studio is an amazing new tool that makes learning to knit super easy. With the Knit’s CoolStudio, any kid can easily design their favorite fashions – like scarves, headbands, bags and more. The knitting studio kit has everything you need to start knitting right away, including fashion yarn, patterns and accessories to make three complete Knit’s Cool™ projects. Lucas is excited to see his Auntie over the weekend and make a phone case with her. Anyone can learn to craft fun and fashionable accessories with Knit’s Cool by watching the easy How-To videos online!

Do you have a child who loves art and crafts? These would make a great gift for the holidays!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Fun Drawing Contest For Kids

This is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own.

Do you have a little artist at home? If so, you will love this art contest that T.J.Maxx is hosting! To maximize what matters most, they are asking children to participate in an in-store art contest asking children to answer the following question with an illustration: “What do you like most in the whole world?”

Entrants will have a chance to win one (of 25) $250 savings bond AND for their artwork to be featured on future fundraising products that will support organizations like Save the Children that help children in need reach their full potential.

Here is Jacob’s entry:

 

He said he drew a picture of his favorite toys and then added “I love mom” because I am one of his favorite things, too. I thought that was sweet considering he is totally a daddy’s boy :)

(Edited to add: That sumo wrestler looking thing under “I love mom” is NOT me. lol. It’s a lego mini figure.)

There are two ways to get the entry form. You can download it here or head on over to T.J. Maxx (but quick because tomorrow is the last day of the contest!) and grab one of these entry forms. While you are there pick up something cute for yourself. You deserve it, mom!

 

 

10 Heart Shaped Crafts

With Valentine’s Day coming up I thought a roundup of heart shaped crafts would be fun to share. Not only do they make beautiful things to keep for years, they can be used to make your home festive during the February holiday.

The first one I wanted to share is one Lucas made in school a couple of years ago and it’s still one of my most meaningful pieces of art I have. It’s super easy to make. Find the directions for it here.

Here are some of my favorites from the amazing bloggers in the Kid Blogger Network.

Valentine’s Heart Fizzy Painting from Gift of Curiosity

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Tissue Paper Heart Wreath from Happy Hooligans

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Heart Sensory Collage from Crayon Box Chronicles

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String Heart Art from How We Learn

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Heart Suncatcher from Fun at Home with Kids

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Stamping Glitter Hearts from Buggy and Buddy

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Pipe cleaner heart

This is super easy and requires two supplies- pipe cleaners and beads. Add the beads on the pipe cleaner and form it into a heart. Jacob made this one a few years ago and decided just to use a small amount of beads but your child can decorate the whole heart with them!

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Salt Dough & Perler Beads Valentine Ornaments from Meaningful Mama

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Tissue Bleed Valentine Heart from Powerful Mothering

Which craft will you be trying first?

Crayola Gift Ideas For Your Little Artist

Lucas loves anything to do with crafting, coloring or art so it’s a given that we have a huge variety of Crayola products at our home. From coloring supplies to tools to the easel in our living room, Crayola is the brand we trust to bring us quality and fun. The boys were really happy to receive a box of goodies from the brand and especially excited to try out one of their new products, the Crayola Widescreen Light Designer.

This Crayola Light Designer lets your budding artist bring his or her creations to life. They can choose from seven different light-effect combinations that create the animations. The boys loved seeing their designs light up!

There is a built-in easel so they can draw while the screen is lying flat or standing up and easily display their designs. I love that this product has such a large screen which allows both of my kids to create a masterpiece together. I enjoyed watching the boys explore how different colors mixed together, too.

I see this product being used for years to come. It works for them now but as they get older, and their drawing skills improve, I think they will really explore how to make their pictures animated with the lights. After finishing one drawing, the screen can be simply wiped clean and used again. I found a damp cloth works best on it since paper towels seemed to be too rough on the delicate screen. No need to worry about losing the markers because they store in the back of this Crayola toy, so they are always within reach.

Still looking for more gift ideas? Check out Crayola’s site!

Crayola Fun During Football Season {Giveaway}

Thanks to Crayola for sponsoring this post and giveaway.

It’s football season which means lots of fun family get-togethers. I love watching football but if you have kids who aren’t huge fans, I have a great idea to keep them busy! Make a fun craft bucket and give them the chance to let their imaginations run wild! This also makes a wonderful gift for the little crafty one in your life.

My children, my nephew and my niece had so much fun creating with the items in this bucket.

Want to learn how to make your own craft bucket? It’s easy! First, I headed to Target’s dollar section to find a bucket that would hold everything. While there I found some little blank books, a coloring book, rolls of craft paper, craft supplies, and containers. I then headed to the craft aisles and filled my cart with Crayola products. What a great selection of items they had!

Here’s a peak at what I put in the craft bucket:

As a previous pre-k teacher, I love open ended crafts so I made sure to include plenty of craft supplies. I even added a little frame for them to decorate which Lucas really liked gluing things on to. I put the stickers, googly eyes, pom-poms and pipe cleaners in containers with compartments so they were easy to use and keep organized.

To decorate the plain white bucket I cut up garland I found on clearance and taped it on the bucket. It was quick, easy and cheap to add a little color to the outside of the bucket!

Fun, right?! I loved seeing how creative the kids were. My nephew made up his own story book and was very proud of what he’d created. I have fond memories of creating my own books in grade school so when I saw these books I just had to get them. My favorite Crayola products are their crayons but the kids couldn’t get enough of these little character Pip Squeak markers.

GIVEAWAY:

One person will win a $25 gift card so they can pick out some colorful Crayola products

HOW TO ENTER:

Leave a comment telling me what your favorite Crayola product is

For an optional entry, share this giveaway on a social network

Giveaway ends October 3, 2014 at 11:59pm CST. Must be a US resident and 21 or older to win.

5 Candy-Free Easter Basket Ideas From Crayola

Can you believe Easter is this weekend already? Though it’s later in the year, it completely snuck up on me. We still have to see the Easter Bunny and color eggs! One other thing still on my list is to put together the Easter baskets for the boys. Every year I try to incorporate things my kids can use past the Easter holiday. Crayola helped me get off to a great start by sending me a box full of goodies. My kids are going to be so excited!

Here are 5 wonderful Easter basket filler ideas from Crayola:

1) Crayons and Markers. Crayola crayons have always been a staple in our Easter baskets but now that the boys are a little older they also enjoy using markers. If your kids are really little, Crayola has egg shaped crayons that are perfect basket fillers.

2) Bubbles. Crayola makes colored bubbles for outdoors. The boys are going to LOVE these!

3) Color Wonder products. Color wonder products are great for those times your kids want to do art but you want to keep them (or the area they are in) clean. Perfect for Easter morning because the kids can be dressed in their finest outfits while they color! I am going to use these on our upcoming roadtrip since Lucas tends to drop his markers on the floor and I prefer to keep my car color free :)

4) Chalk. Now that the weather is getting nicer, the boys insist on playing with chalk every day while they wait for the school bus. Crayola sent a box of 48 different colored chalk pieces and Jake was in Heaven. Now they can create anything their little hearts desire on our sidewalks.

5) Games. I’m putting a couple travel sized games in the Easter baskets this year. One of the games is a chalk grab n’ go game from Crayola. Such a fun item to add!

What are you adding to your Easter baskets?

Love You To Pieces Craft

love you to pieces craft

Looking for a last minute Valentine’s Day craft? Check out this adorable heart that Lucas brought home from preschool! It has added meaning to the parents of all the children in his classroom since puzzle pieces are symbolic to parents of children who are on the Autism spectrum.

Making this craft is super simple. Draw a heart on a piece of paper, glue some puzzle pieces on to the heart, and then paint it any color your child would like. What a special craft to make and give to loved ones!

Valentine’s Day Hands-On Play Ideas {HOP}

I’m really excited to be joining in as a host of the Hands-On Play Party with some fabulous bloggers. This linky will be posted each Tuesday. I will be sharing some of my own activities for kids plus sharing some other great ideas from bloggers that link up each week.

This week I’m sharing some fun Valentine’s Day ideas. My boys loved playing in this Valentine’s Day sensory table.

How about a chocolate scented activity? Happy Hooligans shares a Play Dough Chocolate Shop that I think would keep Lucas, my four year old, busy for a whole afternoon!

Little Bins For Little Hands shares some great Valentine’s Day math activities. I’m planning to do some of these with Jake.

And check out this painting activity from Gift of Curiosity….this isn’t just normal paint- it’s fizzy paint! So fun :)

 

 Visit my co-hosts!

Construction Sensory Play from P is for Preschooler

My Name Quiet Book Page from Stir the Wonder

What Is Hands On Play? from Little Bins for Little Hands

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 Now it’s your turn! What fun hands-on play activities have you been creating at home? If you are a blogger you can link up your blog posts (no more than 3 please) or, if you don’t have a blog, share your activities on Facebook and leave a link in the comments below. Just looking for activity ideas? You can do that as well by clicking through to the linky at the bottom of this post.

(Please note: If you are linking up below you give the hosts permission to use an image with a link back if you are featured in a future HOP post.)



6 Football Themed Crafts For Kids

I’m excited to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday! Jacob is head over heels in love with football lately so I looked online for some fun craft ideas. Here are some of my favorites (click the links or images for all the details and instructions):

Pennant from Crayola

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Paper Bag Football from No Time For Flashcards

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Football Helmet Printable from Craft Jr

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Paper Football and Field Goal from SheKnows

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Football Footprint from A Teacher At Heart

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Football Snack Bowl from Simply Sprout

Find more football ideas on my Football Party Pinterest board.

Cute As A Button DIY Valentines

Looking for a cute idea for Valentine’s Day cards? Country Woman magazine shared these adorable ones with me. They are easy to make and I think they are a charming way to let a friend or family member know how much you care.

Simply print and cut out a design of your choice and glue it to a larger square cut from colored card stock. Using a needle and thread stitch a few pretty buttons on to the valentine.

For a full list of instructions and materials, please visit: http://www.countrywomanmagazine.com/project/cute-as-a-button-valentines-card/

5 DIY Valentine’s Day Decorations Kids Can Help Make

Can you believe that Valentine’s Day is going to be here in just a little over a month!? I thought I’d gather some DIY Valentine’s Day decorations that kids can help make. There is nothing more precious than homemade hearts and other crafts made with love.

Heart Garland from Buggy and Buddy

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Cardboard Roll Heart from Kitchen Counter Chronicles

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Heart Suncatcher from Happiness Is Homemade

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Heart Ornaments & Valentine’s Tree from PlayDrMom

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Love Canvas from The Inspired Treehouse

Aren’t those all adorable? If you are a blogger and have a kid’s Valentine’s Day decoration post feel free to share a link in the comments :)

Gift Ideas For Creative Kids From ShopVault.com

(Disclosure: I received a playhouse for my kids but all thoughts are my own.)

Looking for gift ideas? The internet is full of them and I’m here to share my favorite creative gifts from a site I have newly discovered called VAULT. ShopVault.com is a curated marketplace where the most unique and the most sought after brands have been hand picked by influential tastemakers. Members get a first look at hot new inventory and private invitations to exclusive events. It’s free to join and you even get a special discount of $20 off your first purchase of $30 or more!

Here are five gifts I think creative kids would love:

Color Your Own Playhouse Castle

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Piggy Couture Picasso Art Kit

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Veggie Sidewalk Chalk

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Wool Felt Jewelry Kit

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Lay ‘n’ Go Lego Carrier

15 Christmas Themed Sensory Activities For Kids

We have one more week of school before the boys are out for Christmas break. Both boys get Occupational Therapy in school to help regulate their bodies so if I don’t have any sort of sensory activities planned for their two weeks off things will be really crazy at our house.

Here are 15 of my favorite Christmas themed sensory activities that I’ve found online. Click on the links to get all of the details so you can recreate the activities yourself!

Christmas Sensory Bin from Sow Sprout Play

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Messy Christmas Sensory Play: Demolish A Snowman from Fun At Home With Kids

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Peppermint Scented Homemade Finger Paints from Golden Reflections Blog

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Jolly Jello Sensory Activity from Growing A Jeweled Rose

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Hot Cocoa Sensory Tub

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Christmas Present Pasta Dig from Bath Activities For Kids

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Christmas Slime from Craftulate

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Ten Scents of Christmas Sensory Cards from A Little Learning For Two

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Fingerprint Wreath from 3 Dinosaurs

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Christmas Colored Gel Sensory Bags from The Preschool Toolbox

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Christmas Sensory Bin from Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

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 Candy Cane Foam

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Christmas Sensory Table

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Christmas I Spy Bottle from Play and Learn With Dana

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DIY Holiday Touch & Feel Box from B-Inspired Mama

10 Handprint & Footprint Christmas Crafts For Kids

I think handprint and footprint kid’s crafts are so adorable. Here are 10 of my favorite Christmas ones:

Christmas Tree Footprints from House of Burke

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Reindeer Card with Handprint Antlers from The Craft Train

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Family Handprint Christmas Tree from Mama Smiles

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Footprint Snowman from Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

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Hand and Foot Print Christmas Cards (Tree, Reindeer, Santa) from We Made That

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Snowman Hand Print Christmas Ornament from Glittering Muffins

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Hand Print Angel from My Little 3 and Me

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Handprint Christmas Wreath from NurtureStore

Letter “M” Crafts & Activities

This week’s letter is “M”. Find fun kid’s crafts and activities on my Pinterest board!

 
Follow Alicia Marie Letter “M” Crafts & Activities on Pinterest

12 Christmas Tree Crafts & Activities For Kids

The holiday season is finally here! I’m so excited to share some great Christmas crafts and activities with you all in the next month. Today’s post has 12 Christmas tree crafts, activities, and even a snack for kids. Enjoy!

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Footprint Tree Craft from The Preschool Toolbox

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Christmas Tree Of Hearts from Blog Me Mom

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Christmas Tree Sensory Bin from How Wee Learn

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Drinking Straw Christmas Tree from Reading Confetti

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Sticky Wall Christmas Tree Decorating from Gift Of Curiosity

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Recycle Crafts Christmas Tree from Teach Me Mommy

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Upcycled Christmas Trees from Hands On As We Grow

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Christmas Tree Playdough from Homegrown Friends

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Felt Pompoms Christmas Tree from Glittering Muffins

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Christmas Tree Hat from Green Owl Art

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Decorating Felt Christmas Trees from Buggy & Buddy

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Christmas Tree Crafty Snack from Kiddie Foodies

Letter “L” Crafts & Activities

The letter of the week is “L”. Check out my Pinterest board for lots of fun crafts and activity ideas!

 
Follow Alicia Marie Letter “L” Crafts & Activities on Pinterest

Letter “K” Crafts & Activities

This week’s letter focus is the letter “K”. Find lots of crafts and activity ideas over on my Letter “K” Pinterest board!

 

Letter “J” Crafts & Activities

This week I am sharing crafts and activities that start with the letter “J”. Enjoy! :)

 

10 Thanksgiving Crafts For Families To Do Together

I’ve shared Thanksgiving Turkey Crafts for Kids, Thanksgiving Themed Lunches for Kids, and Thanksgiving Crafts for Adults and today I’m sharing 10 Thanksgiving crafts that families can do together. Any of these activities are perfect for spending time as a family this season!

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Fall Leaves Candle Jar from Kids Activities Blog

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Paper Roll Turkey Craft from Learn Create Love

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Handprint Turkey Keepsake from School Time Snippets

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Fine Motor Cornucopia from Lalymom

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Thankful Jar from Teach Beside Me

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Autumn Leaf Bowls from Red Ted Art

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No Sew Autumn Garland from Sun Hats & Wellie Boots

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Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies from How Wee Learn

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Mayflower Craft & Science Activity from Fantastic Fun & Learning

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Corn Craft from Learn Create Love

Letter “I” Crafts & Activities

This week I’m sharing crafts and activities for things that begin with the letter “I”.

 

15 Thanksgiving Turkey Crafts For Kids

I’m so excited to share some amazing Thanksgiving crafts for kids with you all. There are so many that I had to split them up into different posts. Here are some adorable turkey crafts I found.

Handprint Turkeys from East Coast Mommy

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Bobbling Turkey Hat from How Wee Learn

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Turkey Snack from The Chirping Moms

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Pumpkin Turkeys from The Chaos And The Clutter

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Pine Cone Turkey Craft from Learn Create Love

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Hand and Footprint Turkey from There’s Only One Mommy

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Paint Chip Toilet Roll Turkeys from Happy Hooligans

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Thanksgiving Turkeys from Imprints From Tricia

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Yogurt Turkey Cups from School Time Snippets

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Doily Turkey from Green Owl Art

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Leaf Art Turkeys from Sow Sprout Play

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Felt Turkey from Kids Activities Blog

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 Watercolor Coffee Filter Turkey from Play Dr. Mom

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 Toddler Fine Motor Craft from Dirt & Boogers

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Cute footprint turkey that Lucas made at school :)

Letter “H” Crafts & Activities

This week’s letter is H. Hip! Hip! Hooray! Find letter H crafts, activities, and delicious lunch ideas on my Letter “H” Pinterest board.

 

Play-Doh’s Holiday Craft Fun

(Disclosure: I received books from Play-Doh to review but thoughts are my own.)

My boys love playing with Play-Doh’s “Let’s Create” series books that we reviewed back in August so we were excited to learn about their new Holiday Craft Fun Series. Both books in this brand new series combine tactile, interactive play with learning to not only help children retain basic concepts taught at the preschool level but also to make the learning experience enlightening and entertaining by bringing in 15 inventive craft projects that tie in the spirit of Halloween and Christmas.

In PLAY-DOH: Halloween Craft Fun, Groovy Ghost invites kids to an evening of crafty creations. With the projects in this kit, children will help Groovy bring the Halloween party to life with the turn of every page and step-by-step guides to molding spooky PLAY-DOH sculpts. By the end of the book, children, from ages 3 and up, will know how to craft jack-o’-lanterns, ghosts, witches, spiders, candies, and other ghoulish goodies. Learning takes shape within the book and activities that combine reading, written and verbal directions, and hands-on projects. Complete with a book of instructions, four cans of PLAY-DOH compound, a roller, and a plastic knife, PLAY-DOH, Halloween Craft Fun is a thrilling adventure that invites youngsters to be bold and mold.

Lucas loved creating spooky figures with his daddy.It was a great way for Sinisa (who hates crafts) to do something creative and not too messy with the boys and he seemed to enjoy it as much as the kids did. I liked how the book gave step-by-step directions for those who can’t just look at a picture and copy what they see.

The other book is PLAY-DOH: Christmas Craft Fun which introduces young readers to Holiday Hound, who acts as their guide in this holiday crafting extravaganza. In no time at all, kids will be as equally enchanted by the Christmas-themed story that unfolds as they will by the snowmen, candy canes, bows, and drums that they will learn to make under Holiday Hound’s tutelage. This kit also comes with 4 cans of PLAY-DOH compound and two sculpting tools. Recommended for ages 3 and up, PLAY-DOH: Christmas Craft Fun is a great way to kick off the holiday season and it makes a great gift for school gift exchanges and a project to keep kids occupied during holiday parties and gatherings.

If you are looking for something to keep the kid’s busy as it gets colder outside these are perfect for indoor fun. They’d make great gifts, too!

Letter “G” Crafts & Activities

This week’s letter of the week is “G”. Have fun eating goldfish and grapes, making ghosts and goats, and playing with garbage trucks and goo!

 

Footprint Witch Craft

Lucas made this Footprint Witch last year in preschool. I love it!

10 Pumpkin Crafts For Preschoolers

Halloween is right around the corner so I wanted to do a quick pumpkin craft roundup. All of these activities are great for preschoolers (and some work for toddlers and elementary aged kids as well). Have fun!

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Shaving Cream Pumpkins from Teaching Mama

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Button and Ribbon Pumpkins from Toddler Approved

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Paper Roll Pumpkin from Little Family Fun

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Pasta Pumpkin

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Tissue Paper Pumpkins from Mama’s Learning Corner

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Beaded Pumpkin from Craftulate

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Scented Pumpkins from Education.com

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Puffy Pumpkin Lacing from I Can Teach My Child

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Pumpkin Stamping from The Little People Place

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Water Bottle Pumpkin Jack O’ Lantern from Motherhood on a Dime

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Find 10 more Halloween crafts for preschoolers here.

Shape Monster Craft For Kids

I teach Sunday School and it’s held in a preschool classroom. I couldn’t resist the cuteness of these shape monsters on the wall! How adorable are they?

Make them with your own kiddos by cutting out various shapes in different sizes along with arms and legs and let the creativity happen!