Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Sparkling Fourth of July Fireworks Craft
Posted Tuesday, July 03, 2012
By Cori of Peace,
Baby! Batiks
The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love getting together with friends or family, eating good food, and celebrating our country and its freedoms. And, I absolutely love fireworks. I’ve found lots of fun holiday-themed crafts, and I’ve tried to squeeze a couple of them in during the busy days before July 4th.
These sparkling fireworks and quick and easy and just messy enough to be fun (but not so messy it trashes your house) – who wouldn’t love blowing air at paint through a straw? Our finished products ended up looking less like fireworks than sparkly blobs of red, white, and blue, but we had a good time making them, and they’re still really pretty.
What you need:
Red, white, and blue paint
Black or blue construction paper
Drinking straws
Glitter
Pour paint into small cups (I use recycled applesauce cups) and water it down so it’s thin and runny. Pour small puddles of each color onto your paper and blow at the puddles with your straw to create arms and streaks of color.
Before the paint dries, sprinkle glitter on top of your fireworks. Set it aside to dry and try it again!
There are tons of fun Fourth of July projects out there. Here are a few I’d like to try, if not now, then maybe for Labor Day. J
The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love getting together with friends or family, eating good food, and celebrating our country and its freedoms. And, I absolutely love fireworks. I’ve found lots of fun holiday-themed crafts, and I’ve tried to squeeze a couple of them in during the busy days before July 4th.
These sparkling fireworks and quick and easy and just messy enough to be fun (but not so messy it trashes your house) – who wouldn’t love blowing air at paint through a straw? Our finished products ended up looking less like fireworks than sparkly blobs of red, white, and blue, but we had a good time making them, and they’re still really pretty.
What you need:
Red, white, and blue paint
Black or blue construction paper
Drinking straws
Glitter
Pour paint into small cups (I use recycled applesauce cups) and water it down so it’s thin and runny. Pour small puddles of each color onto your paper and blow at the puddles with your straw to create arms and streaks of color.
Before the paint dries, sprinkle glitter on top of your fireworks. Set it aside to dry and try it again!
There are tons of fun Fourth of July projects out there. Here are a few I’d like to try, if not now, then maybe for Labor Day. J
- Craft stick American flags: http://aggiemania.blogspot.com/2010/07/patriotic-craft.html
- Hand print flags: http://binspiredmama.blogspot.com/2012/05/kids-craft-patriotic-hand-print.html
- Salt fireworks: http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2011/06/salt-absorbing-fireworks/
- Tin can windsocks: http://the-wilson-world.blogspot.com/2011/06/4th-of-july-tin-can-windsocks.html
Finding the Perfect Sibling Outfits
Posted Monday, June 25, 2012
From Salinda of PersonalilTy, Southern Children's Clothing
Why do Moms love to dress their children alike? Who knows, but obviously, this is not a new phenomenon. My Momma dressed us alike on occasion, and yours probably did too.
With the summer here, many families are planning sibling outfits for vacations, family reunions, weddings and of course, planning the annual holiday card photo.
Shopping for girls is easy. Shopping for boys, can be easy - if you know where to look! Mixed gender can be tricky, but finding a shop and seamstress that does custom work helps immensely!
But, what do you do when your children range from newborn to 12???
Here’s an idea. Work for coordinating outfits instead. Put the baby in a seersucker jumper. Match big brother’s shirt to the jumper applique and add a seersucker touch. Finish off the set with a seersucker flower headband for big sister to wear with a white shirt and khaki shorts.
Another idea: Put the baby in a fun print. Find big brother a polo one of the colors from the baby’s dress. Big sister can add color with a bright scarf over her favorite white tee.
Work with your seamstress to develop the perfect color scheme for your growing family’s portraits to create a unique and totally personalized look the whole family will be happy with.
PersonaliTy Southern Children's Clothing can be found on Facebook, Twitter, her Blog, and of course on Etsy at her shop:
Why do Moms love to dress their children alike? Who knows, but obviously, this is not a new phenomenon. My Momma dressed us alike on occasion, and yours probably did too.
With the summer here, many families are planning sibling outfits for vacations, family reunions, weddings and of course, planning the annual holiday card photo.
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| SweetThreadsClothing |
Preppy Alligator Shirts from SweetThreadsClothing
Lotus Wallflower Skirt and Peasant Dress from rubyandviola
Brother Sister Set, Peasant Dress and Tie Tee from CorinneCitrolo
Lotus Wallflower Skirt and Peasant Dress from rubyandviola
Brother Sister Set, Peasant Dress and Tie Tee from CorinneCitrolo
But, what do you do when your children range from newborn to 12???
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| PersonaliTyChildren |
Here’s an idea. Work for coordinating outfits instead. Put the baby in a seersucker jumper. Match big brother’s shirt to the jumper applique and add a seersucker touch. Finish off the set with a seersucker flower headband for big sister to wear with a white shirt and khaki shorts.
Another idea: Put the baby in a fun print. Find big brother a polo one of the colors from the baby’s dress. Big sister can add color with a bright scarf over her favorite white tee.
Etsy is an excellent source for coordinating accessories. Here are few of my favorites from EtsyKids Team members:
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Treasury tool supported by website testing
PersonaliTy Southern Children's Clothing can be found on Facebook, Twitter, her Blog, and of course on Etsy at her shop:
Sensory Activity:: Jello Sensory Play
Posted Saturday, June 23, 2012
If there is one thing Bug loves most it is sensory play! She used to be funny about it when she was little, but now she dives right in to whatever I may throw in her table. The other day I was roaming around Walmart and I saw some boxes of Jello and thought...hmm, that would be fun to play in...so I grabbed about 4 boxes. I followed the instructions on the box and let it cool in the fridge. {I put a little aside for a snack too} After nap time was over the Jello was ready to play in! I dumped it into Bug's water table {which I use as a sensory table as well} and she went to town.
She must have played in it for about an hour. It was all melted and sticky by the time she was done with squishing and squashing it. It was a little messy to clean up, but I just dumped what I could into the garbage and hosed the table off.
It's always nice to expose the kiddos to different consistencies. We talked about the Jello and it's stickiness and the sound it makes when you squish it. Keep the conversation flowing and your kiddo will get a whole lot out of this easy & fun activity.
If you like this post and want to see more toddler activities please visit my blog, Tutus and Tea Parties. You can also follow me on: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest.
If you like this post and want to see more toddler activities please visit my blog, Tutus and Tea Parties. You can also follow me on: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest.
Urban Farming: Involving the Children
Posted Saturday, June 16, 2012
The kids and I set about creating a tiered herb garden yesterday afternoon. This project was inspired by one in the book The Ultimate Step-by-Step Kid's First Gardening Book. The book is fabulous and brimming with wonderful, kid friendly gardening ideas.
This project is perfect for kids of all ages. I had an 8 year old, 5 year old, and 4 year old helping, plus a 2 year old watching on. We modified the plans a bit to accomidate our meager budget! Instead of pretty terra cotta pots of varying sizes, I found some plastic and metal pots in the dollar bins at Target (small, medium, and large. Make sure they'll nest). They aren't as pretty, but they'll serve our purpose well. I am also banking on the herbs growing large and hiding the pots a bit.
First things first, make sure you have the right tools gathered. We had our three nesting pots, a bag of soil, a trowel, some seeds, and a few small herbs. We chose basil, thyme, lemon balm, chamomile, and curly parsley. There is a bit room for more, but that's what we had. Steer clear of mint, as it grows rampant and will take over your pots! Have fun choosing your favorite herbs or try new varieties. There are so many to choose from.
We filled in a bit more and then set the smallest pot into the middle one and filled in around it. We planted a few more herbs in our middle pot.
Try this project with your own little ones! Keep it in a sunny place and let them water it each day. Very soon, their own herbs will be gracing the kitchen!
We would LOVE to have you join in the conversation with comments or links to your own adventures in Urban Farming!
This project is perfect for kids of all ages. I had an 8 year old, 5 year old, and 4 year old helping, plus a 2 year old watching on. We modified the plans a bit to accomidate our meager budget! Instead of pretty terra cotta pots of varying sizes, I found some plastic and metal pots in the dollar bins at Target (small, medium, and large. Make sure they'll nest). They aren't as pretty, but they'll serve our purpose well. I am also banking on the herbs growing large and hiding the pots a bit.
First things first, make sure you have the right tools gathered. We had our three nesting pots, a bag of soil, a trowel, some seeds, and a few small herbs. We chose basil, thyme, lemon balm, chamomile, and curly parsley. There is a bit room for more, but that's what we had. Steer clear of mint, as it grows rampant and will take over your pots! Have fun choosing your favorite herbs or try new varieties. There are so many to choose from.
After we gathered our tools, we set the medium sized pot inside the largest pot and filled in all around with potting soil. We had a few herbs that were already a bit large, but mostly we had seeds (trying to be economical!!). We planted a couple types of seeds and a couple larger plants in this bottom tier.
We then filled the top pot with soil and planted a lovely bit of curly parsley to crown our herb garden.
This fun project was quick and easy! It was perfect for including all of the children and gave them a real sense of ownership in our garden.
We would LOVE to have you join in the conversation with comments or links to your own adventures in Urban Farming!
Bring the Outdoors In: Beautiful Things - Collecting and Sorting
Posted Monday, June 11, 2012
By Christine of Belly Bear Baby Gear
Items found in nature contain such beauty, and children seem to be particularly attuned to this beauty. With only a few simple items, you can encourage your children to participate in this fun and educational nature based activity.
All you will need is a paper bag (or other collecting vessel), an empty egg carton and the great outdoors!
Begin by giving your child a paper bag and bringing them outside. A walk in the woods would provide for some great diverse items for collection, but as you will see, your own back yard will do just fine.
If you are working with young children, you may need to show them what to do by placing a few items in their bag for them. Encourage them to collect as many small three dimensional items as they'd like.
Sean was particularly drawn to this patch of grass and rocks in our yard. He discovered big and little rocks as well as a few left over acorn caps. As your child collects more items, this is an opportunity for you to build their nature vocabulary by naming and labeling what they are collecting.
Once your bags are nice and full bring them inside and pour the contents into the top portion of your egg carton.
Young toddlers will simply enjoy exploring the items and filling the cups in the egg carton at random. You can begin encouraging them to notice the similarities and differences by explaining "Let's put all the rocks together" or "Look at all the pink petals".
When working with older children you can encourage more advanced sorting skills. Allow them to study what they have collected and decide how they will sort the beautiful things they have found. They may decide to sort by color placing all the brown things and pink things together, or they may decide sorting by type of object makes the most sense for them.
This activity will encourage your child to begin developing their mathematical thinking skills such as sorting objects varying by one or two attributes all the while enjoying the natural objects they collected. Take a moment to enjoy the beauty found outside with your children and help foster the next generation of nature lovers.
Christine can be found online on her blog Belly Bear Baby Gear, facebook, and her etsy shop:
Science Experiment: Dyed Flowers
Posted Saturday, June 09, 2012
From Michelle of himamma.
Science … we love it. Many times when we have gone past the flower area at the grocery store we smell the sweet scent of fresh roses and dainty daisies ... the girls have been fascinated with the flowers that are in an array of colors that are dyed but yet they know that they are not naturally that color … and have wondered “how do they do that?”
Well, we made it our science experiment last week! So now they have a much better understanding and can visualize how the flower petals changed colors.
Steve Spangler Science shares a great tutorial on dying flowers, in addition to other experiments he has done…but most importantly the details and why they work make sense on his website that kids understand.
Our science experiment was over a course of several days. We started out using some older daisies that we had purchased later the week before. We recut the bottom of the flower stems and placed them in the colored water glasses. The older flowers did not dye as well as we had hoped, but we knew that might be the case going into the experiment. A few days later we purchased new flowers and this time they did much better and the color was obvious.
One question the girls had asked was how soon do you think we will see the color in the petals? Within two hours, it was amazing to see the colors showing in the white petals. By dinner time, the flowers were fully dyed and in a brilliant shades of yellow, blue, red and green.
We even wondered if certain colors would dye the petals quicker than others. It seemed to us that the blue and the green food coloring dyed the white petals the quickest. I know in the printing world, that when you print with blue ink, it takes longer to dry than any other color just due to the pigment. I know it doesn't relate to the experiment but it is an interesting fact that makes you wonder about inks in general.
Do you have a favorite science experiment book/curriculum that you use? Please feel free to comment below or send us an email. We are always enjoying and reading science books and would like to share with other families in the journey of learning.
In addition to the Steve's website we also enjoy the following:
- The Magic School Bus series. We will reserve DVDs and library books from our library and/or watch the various topics that we are studying via YouTube. Last year, I purchased The Magic School Bus Science Experiment books that take each of the episodes and relate it to an experiment/participate in an observation. On the MSB website they also have a Parent/Teacher section that is very helpful. Ms Frizzle and the gang are always a hit with the girls. I must admit...I love the series too.
- I recently have exchanged emails with a mom I met through a workboxes group. Via our email workboxes group, Colleen shared that she has written several books, with one particularly focused towards science. Colleen has a blog called Raising Lifelong Learners as well as her writing website called Colleen Kessler. I strongly suggest you visit her blogs to learn more.
Book Nook:: Summer Reading Programs
Posted Monday, June 04, 2012
As a little kid my mother took us to the library every week. It was a staple in her daily routine (one of her many techniques for maintaining sanity) and was a place we loved to go!
Last week was our first week of summer, and the kids and I made the first of our weekly trips to the the public library. We came home with a stack of books for each member of the family:
The 6th grader is loving the series, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott, the 5th grader is blazing through all the Harry Potter books, the 3rd grader is captivated by Percy Jackson and just started Rick Riordan's 2nd series, Hero's of Olympus, the Kindergartner picked up a stack of Star Wars graphic novels and beginning readers, and the preschooler and I had great fun picking out great story and picture books.
We also got everyone in the family (even mom an dad) signed up for the public library's summer reading program.
Summer reading programs are all around ... each with their own set of rules and incentives for finishing the program. In most cases you read a certain number of books or minutes within a time frame set up by the sponsoring organization and when you turn in your log they will give you incentives/prizes/discounts for turning in your completed reading log.
Summer reading programs help encourage children to continue reading throughout the summer to help prevent regression in the progress they've made in the classroom. They also provide added benefits for those kids who love to read, and needed incentives to those whose first instinct isn't to pick up a book.
Here are just a few of the summer reading programs you might consider taking advantage of in addition to doing your local public library's summer reading program.
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| My siblings and I outside the public library, circa 1983. |
Last week was our first week of summer, and the kids and I made the first of our weekly trips to the the public library. We came home with a stack of books for each member of the family:
The 6th grader is loving the series, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott, the 5th grader is blazing through all the Harry Potter books, the 3rd grader is captivated by Percy Jackson and just started Rick Riordan's 2nd series, Hero's of Olympus, the Kindergartner picked up a stack of Star Wars graphic novels and beginning readers, and the preschooler and I had great fun picking out great story and picture books.
We also got everyone in the family (even mom an dad) signed up for the public library's summer reading program.
Summer reading programs are all around ... each with their own set of rules and incentives for finishing the program. In most cases you read a certain number of books or minutes within a time frame set up by the sponsoring organization and when you turn in your log they will give you incentives/prizes/discounts for turning in your completed reading log.
Summer reading programs help encourage children to continue reading throughout the summer to help prevent regression in the progress they've made in the classroom. They also provide added benefits for those kids who love to read, and needed incentives to those whose first instinct isn't to pick up a book.
Here are just a few of the summer reading programs you might consider taking advantage of in addition to doing your local public library's summer reading program.
- Half Price Books, Feed Your Brain.
- Barnes & Noble, Imagination Destination.
- Scholastic Summer Challenge.
- Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge.
- Chuck E. Cheese, Reading Log.
- PBS Kids and iVillage team up for Summer Reading Sweepstakes.
We want to know what books your children are reading, and let us know of other great national summer reading programs we should .
How to Travel with Kids ... and avoid yelling
Posted Saturday, June 02, 2012
From Emily of BusyChickadee.
My family lives a little over 4 hours away and I like to go visit about every other month. I recently decided to go and visit for almost a week. My husband couldn't take that much time off … so we left him at home.
That meant I needed to plan well to avoid…yelling! Grouchy mommies don’t make the best drivers, right? If I have happy kids I have a happy mommy.
Here are 8 tips and tricks I used to have a happy family drive:
1. PACK a LUNCH
2. HAVE a CONTAINER FULL of TOYS and BOOKS
4. GO RUN!!
5. PACK SNACKS
6. MUSIC
7. DVD PLAYER
My family lives a little over 4 hours away and I like to go visit about every other month. I recently decided to go and visit for almost a week. My husband couldn't take that much time off … so we left him at home.
That meant I needed to plan well to avoid…yelling! Grouchy mommies don’t make the best drivers, right? If I have happy kids I have a happy mommy.
Here are 8 tips and tricks I used to have a happy family drive:
1. PACK a LUNCH
I decided to pack a lunch to avoid having to get fast food, and to avoid having to PAY for fast food! That adds up quickly. I packed peanut butter sandwiches (no cooler needed), apples, and water bottles. Packed in individual lunch sacks, means everyone has their own trash sack and trash stays where it should and not strewn across the floor of my car.
2. HAVE a CONTAINER FULL of TOYS and BOOKS
I always pack a crate of some kind with small toys and lots of books. Yes, they will end up all over your vehicle because they will drop them after they grow tired of them! I figure this is a mess well worth keeping them occupied. Also, I make sure the container is close to the older ones so they can hand them out to the younger ones. When I was the only older one, I kept it close to me so that I could keep handing them back.
3. The POTTY - NEVER LEAVE HOME without IT!
3. The POTTY - NEVER LEAVE HOME without IT!
When my kids are potty training, I never travel without it. It makes it much easier to attend to “MOMMY, I have to go…NOW!” It is also easier when your kids don’t like public bathrooms. I stop the van and put the potty chair in the middle of the van. I let the child go and then I dump it outside when it is just pee. (Animals do it, right??) I bring along grocery sacks and dump it in there if it is…more substantial! (heehee) Then I throw it in the nearest trash. I wipe it out with wipes when they are done.
Kids are kind of like puppies…they like to run! When we do stop to go to the bathroom and there is open space, I yell, “Go RUN!!” I like to let them get out some of that energy. Sometimes I even chase them around or walk the stairs in the area around them to get out energy of my own. This helps us get back into the van with less tears.
I make sure to fill up a bag with snacks. You never know what is going to be that one thing that keeps everyone together. I like to pack things that can’t get too squashed into the carpet. I bring things like: pretzels, popcorn, Goldfish, dry cereal and maybe fruit snacks. I bring bowls or cups to put the snacks in to make it easier to hand them back. A friend of mine packs them in little baggies and I think that is a great idea too.
Bring along the children’s music. This can sometimes bring someone back from the brink of a meltdown. If you don’t have some, just start singing together. Songs like “Wheels on the Bus” and “5 Little Monkeys” are great ways to pass the time.
We finally broke down and bought the DVD player for the van. I was one of those people who said, “But I didn’t have one when I was little.” That lady left one day when I realized it would just make long trips easier. If you haven't broken down and done it yet because you don't travel as much as we do, see if you can borrow one from a friend if you have a long ride coming up this summer. They really do make it easier.
8. GAMES
8. GAMES
As I was driving today and thinking about what I would write for this post, I thought about some things I would have done differently. I think next time I will make sure to pack some travel games like tic, tac, toe and car bingo. The board game isle has travel games you can purchase and small electronic handheld games like battleship, 20Q or yahtzee that are inexpensive and great fun. You can also look around pinterest and blogs for games you can make or print yourself.
Find Emily online at Facebook and Twitter, by visiting her blog - Raising Busy Chickadees and her Etsy Shop - Busy Chickadees:
Sensory Activity:: Body Painting
Posted Tuesday, May 29, 2012
What do you say when your child wants to use their body to paint? YES!
I taped 4 pieces of paper together, set out some finger paint and brushes, took her clothes off and let her go to town. She had a blast!
{Just be ready for bath time right after...it gets pretty messy.}
Under the Sea Craft Projects
Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2012
By Cori of Peace, Baby! BatiksFinding Nemo is all the rage at my house these days, temporarily bumping Lightning McQueen from most-favored-toy status. We’ve borrowed ocean books from the library, visited aquariums, and pretended we were Nemo and his friends.
So, when I started planning the monthly arts and crafts activity for my MOMS Club, I scoured my Kid Stuff Pinterest board for simple projects related to ocean creatures. I settled on two painting projects: paper bowl jellyfish and paper plate fish.
The jellyfish were inspired by this project from First Palette and this one from Creekside Learning. I told the kids we were making octopuses; as we moved along with the craft, they informed me the octopuses looked more like jellyfish. I went back and looked at the original ideas, and of course, they were right!
We started our jellyfish by painting the bottom of paper bowls. Some kids painted the whole thing; others, like my son, just painted the base of the bowl. I glued googly eyes onto each one. We used tape to attach streamers around the bowl for tentacles.
The fish were inspired by these beautiful paper plate tropical fish from Crafts by Amanda. For the fish, give each kid two paper plates. Have them paint one to be the fish body and help them draw fins on the other plate (or draw them for little guys), and paint those shapes.
When everything is dry, cut out the fins and tape or glue them into place. Draw an eye or attach a googly eye. Too cute!
Here are some other fishy crafts we’ve tried or want to try:
Paper plate octopus, via Artsy Craftsy Mom
Egg carton fish, via Crafty-Crafted. Ours are still a work in progress; we need to add stripes, fins, and eyes.
Squishy fish aquariums, from Teach Preschool (one of my favorite blogs!). We used light blue hair gel and added food coloring to make the gel bluer.
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