Father’s Day Crafts!

Father’s Day is coming next Sunday, and I have been wacking my brain to come up with some great craft ideas.  If I had had a muse, I would have had this out last week, like I WANTED to, but my dad is hard to shop for; my husband is hard to shop for; my father-in-law is hard to shop for.  If it wasn’t for this blog, I would have gift carded the whole affair. 

Last year, we made t-shirts that said “You’re the best Dad (Papi) (Papa) hands down.”  I then put the boys’ handprints on the shirt with their names and ages underneath. 

Another tradition I started last year due to reading a Family Fun issue was to take a picture of the boys every year in the shirt (or outfit) their dad wore on the day of their birth.  Fortunately the husband wore the same shirt for both births.  Unfortunately I found it in a pile of dirty clothes last year.  I wonder where it is now.

This year I plan on making my dad chocolate cookies for Father’s Day.  I’m sure the boys would love to help.  We also did a few crafts.

 

Picture Frames

(This is a great craft with lots of variety.  The boys and I did this one last year.  They had a blast.  The husband loved it.)

What you need:

  • Unfinished thick picture frame (the thicker the better to give room for toddler creativity)
  • black or white paint
  • finger paints
  • paint brushes
  • sealer or top coat
  • sand paper
  • smock

First sand and prep the picture frame.  Next paint the background color with white or black paint.  Once the background paint is dry, have the child paint the frame.  After the painting is dry, paint the sealer or clear top coat to protect the painting.

Variations:

For older children, a regular unfinished frame works well too.

The child can stain the frame.

The child can paint it black and the sponge paint it with gold, silver, or any other favorite color.

The child can paint it black and put stickers on it.  Glow-in-the-dark stars look really cool.

The child can paint it a solid color and glue rocks, shells or buttons on the frame.

The child can decoupage the frame with material, color paper, magazine articles.

 

Craft Foam Picture Frame

(I was trying to find a twist on the picture frame idea because grandparents and parents just love pictures.  The boys really liked decorating the frames.  Evan had a unique twist on the stickers as he used Halloween spiders.)

Things you need:

  • Craft foam
  • Scissors
  • Pen
  • Markers, stickers, anything you want to decorate with
  • Glue (craft or hot)
  • Picture
  • Magnets

Trace out a square for the picture on the craft foam.  Cut out the square.  (I left an inch and a half around the picture for the frame.)  Have the child decorate the craft foam.  Glue the picture in the frame.  Glue magnets on the back of the frame.  (I picked up decorative magnets for a buck at Michael’s.)

 

Magnet Artwork

(I have read several places about taking those magnet business cards and doing something with them, like gluing pictures on them.  I decided on art work for the boys to do.  As my b0ys love coloring and stickering, they enjoyed doing this.)

Things you need:

  • Business magnets
  • Craft foam or construction paper
  • Markers, stickers, anything else you want to decorate with
  • Scissors
  • Black marker
  • Glue (craft or hot)

Trace the business magnets on the craft foam or construction paper with the black marker.  Have the child decorate the shape.  Cut the shape out.  Glue to the magnet.  (I have also heard of moms who make a scan of the child’s artwork and print it in business card size.  This would work for the magnets too.)

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Mother’s Day Crafts

Mother’s Day is coming, and I thought I would post some crafts for kids to do for their grandmas or their moms.  These are pretty easy to do, and depending on the ability of your child depends on how much a child can do.  Even babies can help shake the scrub or the bath salts.  I guess this would be a great time to promote my new blog Faemom Crafts.  And it has pictures!  (What?  I just learned, and I got to entice you guys some how.)  Enjoy!

 

Facial/Body Scrub

(This is a very easy and very simple scrub.  The boys like to shake things up.  They also helped pouring in the ingredients.  This is an excellent scrub to use or to give as a gift.)

Things you need:

Equal parts of

  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Dry oatmeal

And a container to put it in

Mix the sugar, salt, and oatmeal in a bowl.  Put the scrub into a nice jar. 

To use the scrub: Just wet skin, rub the scrub on, and rinse.

 

Bath Salts

(This is another easy gift to make.  The boys love shaking and smooshing until all the salt is colored.  You can use Epson salts or regular salt for this.)

Things you need:

  • Salt (as much as you want to make the salts)
  • Food dye
  • Essence or oils (editable oils work as well as the oil for making soaps and candles)
  • Zip lock bag
  • A jar

Have the child pour in the salt into the bag.  Help the child drop some food coloring into the salt as well as the oil.  Securely close the bag.  Have the child shake and smoosh the bag until all the salt is colored.  Pour into a nice jar.

 

Coffee Filter Carnations

(My mom is quite fond of carnations, so I had the boys make a few.  This is easy.  Evan perferred to make white carnations, so all his hard work on staining them was for nothing.  Of course, the flowers still looked pretty and made it a no mess project.)

Things you need:

  • Coffee filters
  • Markers
  • A bowl of water
  • Paint brush
  • Smock
  • Green pipe cleaners

Have the child color the filters with markers.  Have the child paint the filters with water.  Let the filters dry.  When the filters are dry, take three and fold them in thirds.  Put the filters together, fluffing them and arranging them to look like a carnation.  Twist a pipe cleaner around the bottom, leaving a good length for the stem.

 

Picture Frame

(I wanted to have the boys paint a picture frame like they did for their Daddy, and I thought about making the whole frame.  The boys loved painting and decorating their frames.  I’m still trying to get them to add stickers, but no go yet.)

Things you need:

  • Popsicles sticks
  • Glue
  • Smock
  • Paint
  • Paint brush
  • Optional: glitter pens, glitter, stickers, buttons, anything you want to decorate with

If you have wide popsicle sticks, use two for each side of the frame.  If you have thin popsicle sticks, use three for each side.  Create a square with the popsicle sticks, overlapping two sides.  Glue the sticks together at the overlapping of the sticks.  Allow the glue to dry.  Have the child paint the frame.  When the frame is day, have the child decorate the frame more if s/he would like.

 

Bookmarks

(Both my mom and mother-in-law are huge readers, so I thought this was a wonderfully easy project to do.  The boys love decorating with stickers, but you can use anything else you would like.)

Things you need:

  • Cardstock
  • Scissors
  • Stickers, crayons, markers, paint, stamps, anything you want
  • Clear contact paper
  • Optional: hole punch, ribbon

Cut the cardstock to a size you like for a bookmarker.  I cut mine about 6 by 2.  Have the child decorate the bookmark.  Cover the bookmark with contact paper.  If you would like, punch a hole at the top of the bookmark and tie a length of ribbon through it.
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Easter and Spring Crafts for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Kids

Is it already Easter time?  That was fast.  Luckily I have a few crafts up my sleeve, so we’ll be calling this the Spring/Easter bird and flower crafts because I realized that’s all we did these last few days. 

As always these crafts are suited from 18 months and up, depending on how much parental help is needed.  As for egg cartons, I prefer the cardboard type as they are easier to color, using crayons, markers and color pencils.  But this time I did the crafts with a Styrofoam egg carton, which can only be colored on with crayon and some pressure.

 

Coffee Filter Carnations

(I like “tye-dying” coffee filters because they look neat and the boys like to do it.  You can make plain white flowers or just color them with markers.  The boys enjoyed this craft quite a bit.)

Things you need:

{     Coffee filters

{     Markers

{     Smock

{     Water

{     Paint brush

{     Green pipe cleaners

Have the child color three coffee filters with the markers to make one flower.  When the child is done coloring, have him/her paint the coffee filters with water.  When the coffee filters are dry, take the filters and fold them, squish them together to look like a carnation.  Twist the pipe cleaner around the bottom of the “flower.”

 

Egg Carton Tulips

(These seem to be everywhere in the craft sites, so I decided to try them.  Evan had a lot of fun making them, but he preferred white tulips rather than coloring them.  I think they might make a nice bouquet for grandma.)

Things you need:

{     Egg carton

{     Scissors

{     Crayons, markers, colored pencils

{     Glue

{     Green pipe cleaners

Cut the egg carton into little cups.  For young children, have them color the egg carton before you cut out the details to make it easier for them to color.  Cut upside down triangles of the open end of each side of the cup to resemble a tulip shape.  Punch a whole in the bottom of the carton for the pipe cleaner.  Have the child color the flower.  Push the pipe cleaner through the hole and make a knot at the end.  Add a dab of glue to the cup to keep the pipe cleaner from slipping.

 

Paper chick

(I had a vision of a cute little chick, so we made these.  The boys had a lot of fun making them.  They especially liked showing Daddy.)

Things you need:

{     Yellow construction paper

{     Orange construction paper

{     Any other color construction paper

{     Two traceable circles, one smaller than the other (I used two different butter tub lids)

{     Pen

{     Scissors

{     Glue

{     Googley eyes (optional)

{     Brown yarn (optional)

Using the circles, trace two circles on the yellow construction paper, one for the head, one for the body.  Cut out a diamond shape out of the orange construction paper for the beak.  Fold the diamond in half to form a triangle beak.  Have the child glue the body and head onto the other sheet of paper.  Have the child glue googley eyes or draw eyes on the head.  Have the child glue the beak.  For extra fun, cut a long piece of yarn and have the child tangle it up.  Glue the tangle of yarn underneath the bird to make a nest.

 

Pom-pom Chicks

(I’ve always adored pom-pom chicks because I thought they were so cute, but I realized it would be a few years before we could handle something as delicate as an egg shell.  So I decided to use a plastic egg shell, and Evan especially loves having his chick “hatch” because he has the top part of the shell too.  I wonder if they would be great surprises in an egg hunt.)

Things you need:

{     Plastic egg

{     Two yellow pom poms (We used the 1 ½ in pom poms)

{     Two googley eyes or black beads

{     Orange construction paper or craft foam

{     Glue

{     Scissors

Cut out a small triangle out of the orange paper for the beak.  Have the child glue the first pom pom in the bottom of the plastic egg.  Then have the child glue the second pom pom on top of the first, creating the body.  Have the child glue the eyes and the beak.

 

Rock-a-bye-Birdies

(I thought this was the cutest craft ever, but it had those pesky blown egg shells.  Well, never mind, I used plastic eggs instead.  Evan loved it so much I never got around to putting on the ribbon before he took off with his, naming it Pumpkin.  So ribbon is optional.  The boys loved making them and playing with them.I found them on this site: http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12151)

Things you need:

{     Egg carton

{     Plastic egg

{     Tissue paper

{     Googley eyes

{     Orange construction paper or craft foam

{     Scissors

{     Glue

{     Ribbon

Cut a small triangle out of the orange paper for the beak.  Cut a strip of tissue paper to wrap around the bottom of the egg like a blanket.  Poke a hole on either side of the carton and tie the ribbon to it, making a swing.  Have the child glue the tissue around the egg.  Have the child glue the egg inside the carton.  Have the child glue the eyes and the beak.

 

 Check out more Easter crafts here.

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St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids and Toddlers

It’s St. Patrick’s Day!  Or soon it will be.  As a Catholic and Irish (ok, I’m an American mutt, but I DO have Irish in me too) girl, St. Patrick’s Day holds a special place in my heart.  It has more to do with celebrating my Irish roots than anything else.  So here are a few things I did with the boys.  Depending on the age and ability of the child, the more the child can do of the activity.

 

 

 

Heart Shamrocks

(Remember all those hearts I made you cut out for Valentine’s day?  The boys enjoyed this.  I used a glue stick, so that Sean {22 mos.} could glue.  I think it turned out rather cute.)

 

Things you need

§      Green construction paper

§      Heart shaped cookie cutter

§      Scissors

§      Pen

§      White paper (or any color you prefer)

§      Glue

 

Using the cookie cutter and pen, trace three hearts on the green construction paper.  Cut out the hearts as well as a strip of paper for the stem.  Have the child glue the hearts with the points together on the other sheet of paper, creating a shamrock.  Glue the stem where the points meet.

 

 

Stamped Heart Shamrocks

(It was easier to get Evan to stamp the hearts.  Sean preferred to smear the paint around.  At least it was green.  The boys had a lot of fun with this.  Anything with a mess.)

 

Things you need:

§      Smock

§      Paper

§      Potato

§      Knife

§      Green paint

§      Paper plate or pie tin

§      Paint brush

 

Take the potato and cut it in half width ways.  Carve out a raise heart.  (Yes, it’s easier said than done.)  Place the smock on the child.  Pour some green paint in a plate.  Have the child stamp the hearts points together creating a shamrock.  Using the paint brush, the child can paint a stem.

 

 

Green Carnations

(Oscar Wilde believed green carnations were the perfect flower because they were so artificial.  While Wilde was not Irish, green carnations are found everywhere on St. Patrick’s Day.  Evan and Sean loved helping, though Sean didn’t want to leave the flowers alone.  This can be potentially messy.  This is also a great way to explain how flowers get water.)

 

Things you need:

§      White carnations

§      Vase

§      Green food coloring

§      Water

 

Cut the stems on the carnations at an angle.  It’s best to do it at the nub.  Remove all stems that may be under the water.  Fill the vase with water.  Have the child add a couple of drops of food coloring.  The darker the water, the darker the color of the flower.  Have the child place the flowers into the water.  After three to four days, the carnations will have turned green.  The longer you have the flowers in the water, the more color the flower will have.

 

 

Coffee Filter Shamrocks

(If you’ve read my crafts, you know I’m big on coffee filter crafts.  This was easy, fun, and messy, just the way my boys like it.)

 

Things you need:

§      Shamrock cookie cutter or template

§      Coffee filters

§      Scissors

§      Pen

§      Markers (green or blue and yellow)

§      Smock

§      Water

§      Paint brush

§      Bowl

 

Flatten out the coffee filters, using a book or something heavy.  Trace the cookie cutter or template onto the filter.  Cut out the shamrock.  Place the smock on the child.  Let the child color it with green markers or with blue and yellow to come out with green later.  Have the child paint the shamrock with water.  Allow the shamrock to dry.

 

 

Spiral Snake

(One of the most popular story of St. Patrick is how he charmed the snakes out of Ireland.  The truth is there have never been snakes in Ireland, and that snakes represent the Druids, and given the track record of my church, I have a feeling that he drove them out violently.  But Evan wanted to make a snake, and it’s a cute story, when you don’t know the truth.  The boys had fun decorating their snakes, and then they had fun running around with the snakes trailing them.  The fatter your spiral, the smaller the snake.  Don’t make too long of a snake or it’ll break.  I got it here: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/animals/spiralsnake/)

Things you need:

§       Construction paper (whatever color you want your snake)

§       black marker

§       crayons or markers

§       scissors

§       string

§       tape

Draw a spiral with the black marker on the paper.  Make sure the beginning of the spiral is large as this will be the snake’s head.  I had my children color first, but older children can color the snake after it is cut.  If your child is proficient with scissors, have the child cut along the spiral.  Tape a piece of string under the snakes head.

 

If you’re wondering why all the shamrocks around St. Patrick’s Day, I’ll tell you.  Yes, there are a lot of shamrocks on Ireland.  But it is said that to explain the three-Gods-in-one concept, St. Patrick picked a shamrock, held it to the crowd, and pointed out how there where three leaves but one shamrock, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Please let me know how you liked the crafts.

 

 

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Valentine Crafts for Toddlers, Preschoolers, & Kids

It’s another holiday, and this time I remembered to do the crafts a little time before, unlike Chinese New Year.  For those new to the site, the crafts can be used for any age.  Depending on the ability of the child will determine how much you do and how much the child will do.  On top of these crafts, I also recommend doing a heart collage with contact paper or just letting the child make cards with heart stickers.

 

For all these crafts you will need hearts.  You can get these a number of ways.  The Faemom way is to grab a heart shape cookie cutter, trace a bunch of hearts, staple a bunch of construction paper together, and cut out the hearts.  But I hear that they have precut hearts and even cool foam hearts with glue backing at your local craft store.  Ah, the age we live in.

 

Heart Wreath

 (I thought this sounded so cute.  And I thank God I don’t load pictures here or you would see my horrible cutting because Evan decided he wanted to only put three on his, and Sean agreed.  But Sean is little, so I forced him to the end.  They did turn out cute.  I got it from this site: http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/toddlervalentinesdaycrafts.htm )

 

Things you need:

©      Hearts

©      Glue

©      Scissors

©      Paper plate

©      White paper (optional)

 

Now you can either cut out the center of the paper plate like I did for the wreath shape or you can have the child trace the paper plate on the paper and then you can cut that out.  Have the child glue the hearts on the wreath.  If you feel extra creative, glue a ribbon bow on the wreath.

 

 

Heart Bugs

(The Family Fun website has all kinds of cute Valentines, so I suggest you check them out.  They had a cute bug on their site using a Smarte wrapper.  As I didn’t feel like feeding my kids sugar and having them destroy the bug in seconds, we used Popsicle sticks instead.  The boys liked this craft, and they loved playing with the bugs.)

 

Things you need:

©      Two Hearts 

©      Glue 

©      Popsicle stick

©      Markers or crayons

©      Googly eyes (optional)

 

Have the child decorate the Popsicle stick.  Have the child glue the pointing end of the hearts on the stick, making the hearts look like wings.  Draw a face or glue gooly eyes.

 

 

Heart Flower

(Simple, cute.  The boys liked it, and I think they would make great Valentines for the grandparents.  I found it on this site: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mvflower.html  And I forgot they used green hearts for the leaves.)

 

Things you need:

©      Four Hearts

©      Green construction paper

©      Any color construction paper

©      Scissors

©      Glue

 

Have the child cut a strip of green construction paper for the stem.  If you want to be creative, cut out flowers too.  Have the child glue the stem on to another piece of construction paper.  Have your child glue the hearts with the corners all meeting the middle so that the humps of the hearts are making a petal.  Glue the leaves if you have them.

 

 

Heart Mobile

(So I cut out lots of hearts and thought I needed to use them all.  This was fun.  The boys enjoyed coloring it.  They would only color three hearts, but your child can color as many as he/she would like.  Evan enjoyed playing with it until it was in little pieces, but at least Sean’s still hangs.)

 

Things you need:

©      Hearts

©      Construction paper (red, pink, white)

©      Black Marker or pen

©      Scissors

©      String, yarn or ribbon

©      Tape

©      Hole punch (optional)

 

On the construction paper draw a large spiral.  Depending on how complicated you want the mobile will determine the size of your spiral.  Depending on the child’s ability, you can have the child decorate the spiral before or after cutting it.  Have the child decorate the hearts.  Cut pieces of the string.  You can hole punch the hearts and tie the string, or you can just tape the string to the heart.  Tape the strings to different parts of the spiral.  Take a piece of string and tape it to the center of the spiral.  Hang the mobile from the string.

See more Valentine’s Day Crafts here.

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