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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Summer Crafts!

I know it’s not summer yet, but it sure feels like it.  Then again, no one is in school in this house to remind me that summer is still some time away.  But I thought I would get a jump on summer craft ideas.  This is only the beginning as I keep thinking about tie-dying with the boys.  Yup, I’ll probably end up dying them for a few days, since I once dyed my hands for a weekend, which angered my mom quite a bit and I had to wear gloves to church.  And I’m working on some yummy summer treats to make with the kids.  So stay tuned.  Also you can see pictures of these and other crafts at my other blog: Faemom’s Crafts.

 

Painting Pots

(Nothing like a little gardening to get the kids interested in the great outdoors and possibly vegetables.  Before I dug a hole, I thought the boys would like to paint their own special pot.  This would also make a great gift.  The boys loved doing this.)

Things you need:

• Terra Cotta Pot
• Primer
• White paint
• Washable paint
• Paint brushes
• Smock
• Sealer (optional)

 

Primer the pot, and then paint it white (or any color you or your child would prefer as the background). Allow the pot to dry.  Have the child paint the pot with the washable paints.  Allow the pot to dry.  If you want this work of art to last, seal the pot.

 

Planting

(I don’t know one kid who doesn’t like getting dirty.  For young children, like my boys, I would recommend starting out with a plant; while, older kids have more patience and would enjoy starting a plant from seed.)

Things you need:

• A pot
• Potting soil
• Pebbles
• A plant or seeds
• A small shovel
• Water

Have the child cover the bottom of the pot with pebbles to allow good drainage.  Then have the child shovel the soil half way in the pot.  Have the child place the plant or seeds in the pot.  Have the child fill the pot with soil with the shovel or hands.  Water the plant as needed.  (Encourage your child to talk and sing to the plant as this will help the plant grow better.)

 

Lily Pad boats

( I got this idea at this website, but I decided not to float tea candles on them.  I thought we could float frogs, which worked out well.  The boys loved them!  I made a few of them testing out with different glues.  Don’t use school glue, unless it’s a one time use.  Craft glue and hot glue worked well.  Craft glue gets a little soggy, but it will re-adhere when dried.)

Things you need:

¨      2 sheets Green craft foam

¨      A CD

¨      Scissors

¨      A pen

¨      Hot glue gun with glue or craft glue

¨      A toy to sail the boat, preferably a frog

Trace the CD on both pieces of craft foam.  Cut out the circles.  Cut out a triangle out of the circles (best to do it with one circle on top of the other), forming the lily pad.  Glue the lily pads together.  Allow the glue to dry.  Take the lily pads out to the pool or bath.

 

Butterfly Kites

(I got this idea off of Family Fun.  But I decided to do it using coffee filters, which was more fun and messy.  The boys loved building these and playing with them.  It makes walking to get the mail more fun.)

Things you need:

• Smock
• 2 coffee filters
• Markers
• Bowl of water
• Paint brush
• Scissors
• Pipe cleaner
• Yarn

Have the child color the coffee filters with markers.  The more color, the more fun.  After the child is done decorating the filters, have the child paint them with water, making the colors run.  Let the filters dry.  Fold the filters in half to cut out half a butterfly making the wings even on both sides.  (I wish I could have found a template.)  Do not make a head or tail because the pipe cleaner will do that.  Have the child fold the pipe cleaner in half and slip the butterfly wings between it.  Cross the ends of the pipe cleaner to form antenna.  You can bend them into little nubs if you like.  Tie a piece of yarn to the pipe cleaner, long enough to fly the kite behind the child.  If the child wants to flutter the kite, tie two short pieces of yarn to the pipe cleaner.

 

Other ideas:

Side walk painting with water.

Side walk painting with ice.

Chalk drawing on the fence.

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.

More Easter and Spring Crafts for Kids, Preschoolers, and Toddlers

Here are a few more Easter crafts because I’m sure everyone wants more, or maybe I’m just running out of things to do with the boys.  I was waiting for one last craft, which we did today, but unfortunately, it didn’t turn out right.  I have been debating doing those confetti eggs that you bop on someone’s head, but I don’t know how my mom and their moms would feel when I arm all the little cousins with such eggs. . . though I haven’t caused trouble in quite some time.

 

Lambs

(We did a similar craft a year ago when I was taking the boys to a toddler class, but as I figured I’d make it easier than cutting out a sheep head, ears, eyes and nose, and just print out a template.  The boys thought this was pretty cool.  They love anything with glue.)

 

Things you need:

·         Lamb template

·         Glue

·         Cotton balls (lots of them)

Have the child color the lamb if he or she prefers.  Then have the child spread glue all over the lamb’s body.  Have the child put cotton balls on the glue.

 

 

Bunny Tails

(Evan liked this so much he wants to do another bunny, but one with a face.  I’m working on it.  This was easy and the boys enjoyed it.)

Things you need:

·         Circle template (I used two different Tupperware lids)

·         White paper

·         Colored construction paper

·         Scissors

·         Glue

·         Cotton ball

·         Pen

Using the circle templates, trace two different circles on the white paper, one of the head and one for the body.  Draw two bunny years.  Cut out the shapes.  Have the child glue the shapes on to the colored construction paper to create a bunny facing away from you.  Glue on the cotton ball for a tail.

 

 

Daffodils

(The craft calls for a white and a yellow cupcake holder.  My cupcake holders only come in blue, yellow, and pink, so our daffodils are blue, yellow, and pink.  Sean really enjoyed this craft.)

Things you need:

·         Cupcake holders

·         Construction paper

·         Glue

·         Heavy books

·         Green construction paper, scissors (optional)

·         Green marker, paint, or crayon (optional)

Using some of the cupcake holders, place them under some heavy books to flatten them.  After a couple of house, they should be flat.  Have the child glue the flat cupcake holder on the construction paper.  In the center of the flatten cupcake holder, have the child glue a regular cupcake holder.  Have the child add stems and leaves by either gluing green paper or drawing them.

Keep those colored egg shells after you ate your hard-boiled Easter eggs.  I have a great craft for them.

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.

Recipes Kids and Toddlers Can Make

I have become obsessed with the crafts part of the blog.  (I know.  I know.  You’re going to point out that I haven’t been publishing crafts very many.  Well, remember I moved.  Lay off me.  Do you ever think we assume the worse because we are the worse?)  But I get a little bored with the same old, same old crafts, and so do the boys as Evan yells he doesn’t want to do another craft.  (Like he has a choice.)  So I thought I start trying to find snack crafts, preferably healthy ones, which turns out to be hard to find.  So here are the first kid friendly recipes.  If you have any, please share!

 

Quesadilla

(Ok.  It was a little like cheating, but I thought it was a great start to teaching Evan and Sean to cook.  They enjoyed helping out and eating the cheese.  You can add any kind of cheese or go crazy and add other stuff.  I’m just a purist at heart.)

 

Things you need:

·         Tortilla

·         Cheddar cheese

·         Knife

·         Plate

·         Microwave

 

As the parent, cut the cheese in slices.  Allow the child to cover half the tortilla with cheese.  Cook for 45 seconds in the microwave.  Fold the other half of the tortilla over the cheese.  If cheese isn’t melted, cook for another 15 seconds.  Allow to cool and cut into slices.  Eat.

 

 

Cheese Crisp

(This is a regional dish from where I grew up.  My husband believes the region is a five mile radius as it is rarely seen on menus.  It’s a yummy snack or part of a meal.  The boys love making and eating it.)

 

Things you need:

·         Tortilla

·         Pizza pan

·         Foil

·         Butter

·         Butter knife

·         Cheddar Cheese

·         Cheese shredder

·         Oven

·         Knife or pizza cutter

 

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Cover the pizza pan with foil.  Place the tortilla on the pan.  Shred the enough cheese to cover the tortilla, about ¾ cup.  Have the child butter the tortilla leaving a crust edge.  Have the child sprinkle the cheese liberally over the tortilla, leaving a crust edge.  Place in the oven for seven to ten minutes, until the cheese is melty and the crust is tan.  Allow to cool and cut into slices.  Eat.

 

 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Crackers

(I was looking for a new way to do sandwiches, and the homemade lunchables completely confused the boys.  I made Sean his because I thought he wasn’t ready to wield a knife.  Evan loved doing this.  They both enjoyed eating them.)

 

Things you need:

·         Crackers (We used graham crackers)

·         Peanut butter

·         Jelly

·         Plate

·         Plastic knife

 

On a plate place an even amount of crackers, some jelly, and some peanut butter.  With the plastic knife, show the child how to spread the peanut butter and jelly on the crackers.  Have the child make his/her own sandwiches.  Eat.

 

 

Frosting Sandwiches

(What meal is complete without dessert?  Seriously, what meal?  My mom used to makes these for us, and we loved them.  In college, the softball player roommate made them, especially when we needed to lift our spirits.  The boys LOVE them.)

 

Things you need:

·         Graham crackers

·         Frosting (any kind)

·         Plate

·         Plastic knife

·         Sprinkles, chocolate chips (optional)

 

On a plate place an even number of graham crackers and some frosting.  Show the child how to spread the frosting.  Allow the child to make his/her own frosting sandwiches.  For a special treat, let the child add sprinkles or chocolate chips.  Eat.

 

 

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.

Winter and Christmas Crafts for Toddlers and Children

A few more winter crafts as Southern California is pillaged by a storm.  Ok, greatly exaggerated, but cold rain means no going outside.  No going outside means tornadoes on the loose inside.  I would like to dedicate these crafts to Outside Voice as she said “Just the thought of buying all the things you need for each one tires me out!” on my last craft post.  I expect most of you have these items around the house.

 

Gingerbread Men

(My sons are crazy about Gingerbread Men; I don’t know if it’s because I made some last week or that we are watching too much Shrek.  We used crayons and fabric paint to decorate them, but you can use a variety of different mediums.  Evan loved squirting the fabric paint, making a Santa Clause and elves.  If you don’t have a cookie cutter, then try this page for a template.  I actually liked the medium ones better than my cookie cutter.  http://www.first-school.ws/activities/fairytales/gingerbread-man-boy.htm)

 

Things you need:

• Cardboard or brown construction paper
• Gingerbread man cookie cutter or template
• Black marker or pen
• Scissors
• Crayons, markers, fabric paint, finger paint, glitter glue, white out, (whatever you want to decorate with)

 

Trace the cookie cutter or template on the cardboard or construction paper.  Cut out pattern.  Let the child decorate the gingerbread man.

 

 

Snow Scene

(We did this in Girl Scouts; the girls loved it.  My boys loved it.   Watch toddlers carefully as they are known to eat chalk.)

 

Things you need:

• Black paper
• White chalk
• Hair spray

 

Let the child draw a snowy scene with the chalk, making hills, snowflakes and snowmen to create the scene.  When the child is finish, spray it with hair spray to keep the picture.  If you don’t have hair spray, the picture will fade away eventually.

 

 

Snowflakes

(Just because sometimes we can’t think out of the box, let’s remember how much fun it was to cut out snowflakes.  Of course, my boys were too little to cut them, but they had fun playing with them and hanging them up.)

 

Things you need:

• White paper
• Scissors
• Bowl (optional)
• Pen (optional)

 

If you want circle snowflakes, trace the bowl and cut out the circle.  Fold the paper as many times as you like as the more you fold the more complicated the pattern.  Cut.  Cut squares, triangles, circles, and random shapes.  Unfold the paper.

More Christmas Crafts for Children, Toddlers, and Babies

I worked on some more crafts and ornaments with the boys.  The handprint tiles and dishtowels can work with babies too, but baby handprints are hard to do.  Older children can do more of the work like making the applesauce ornaments on their own.

 

I thought I would mention some other gift ideas too.  Every year I give out the jar mixes to couples and families.  They’re a real cute gift, and you’re giving them the gift of time to spend with each other baking and eating.  This is a great site: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/christmas/gifts/index.htm.  The people I have given these to love them.  This is also a great gift to make with children.  I have also made candles and soaps.  With the soaps I added a little toy in the middle for a neat surprise.  One year I added charms to the candles. 

 

Here is a great site for homemade ornamets: http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfeature/christmas-ornaments-ms/.  I Plan on making the Festive Paper Pines for my soon-to-be sister-in-law.

A warning: DO NOT MAKE THE CANDY GLASS ORNAMENTS!  I did this last year, and the ornaments got sticky before I was even able to give them away.  They messed up gifts, and it was horrible.

 

 

Applesauce Ornaments

(I had a lot of fun making these last year, and I plan to make more this year.  Hopefully Evan will be big enough to help me.  These look so cute, and they smell so nice.  These take up to three days to dry)

 

Things you need:

• ½ cup of cinnamon
• ½ cup of applesauce
• Bowl
• Wax paper
• Cookie cutters
• Straw
• Ribbon
• Rolling pin (optional)
• Wire rack (optional)

 

Mix the applesauce and cinnamon together.  It will become very stiff.  Roll into a boll and place on the wax paper.  You can either flatten it with your hand or use another sheet of wax paper and a rolling pin.  Flatten to ¼ to 1/8 of an inch.  (The thicker it is the longer it takes to dry, but it’s hardier.)  Using the cookie cutters, cut out shapes.  Use the straw to make a hole for the ribbon.  If you have a wire rack, place the ornaments there as they will dry quicker, or you can leave them on some wax paper.  They will turn a lighter brown as they dry.  String with ribbon, and tie the ribbon.

 

 

Contact Paper Ornaments

(The boys and I did these yesterday.  We tried glitter and confetti, but those did not work out.  The boys had fun.  Sean really liked putting the paper down.   If you have any of the dyed coffee filters left over {See craft section if you have no idea what I’m talking about}, they look great as collage strips.)

 

Things you need:

• Clear contact paper
• Cookie cutters
• Marker
• Scissors
• Colored tissue paper or other nice paper
• Hole punch
• Ribbon
• Markers, glitter glue (optional)

 

Trace the cookie cutter shapes on the contact paper.  Cut the tissue paper into squares or shapes.  Allow the child to place the paper on the sticky contact paper.  When the child is done decorating, seal the artwork with another piece of contact paper.  Cut out the shape.  Punch a hole in the top.  If you wish, the child can decorate the top of the ornament.  String a piece of ribbon through the hole, and tie the ribbon.

 

 

Handprint Hot Plates

(We did this the other day.  We used ink because it shows the detail of the handprint, but you can use washable paint {That would come off easier than the washable ink}.  Don’t forget to write the child’s name and date.  Or if your child can write his or her name, let he or she do it.  I got the idea from here:

http://stepbystepcc.com/toddlercrafts.html.)

 

Things you need:

• Ceramic tile 6×6
• Washable ink or washable paint
• Sealer or enamel spray
• Magic marker
• Felt feet (optional)

 

Paint the child’s hand with ink or paint.  Place the child’s hand on the tile.  Allow for the handprint to dry.  Write the child’s name on the tile.  Seal the time.  You can put felt feet on the bottom of the tile to protect it.

 

 

Handprint Dish Towels

(These were really cute.  And any excuse to get their hands wet is good enough for the boys.  I thought these matched well with the tiles.  And I can’t find the site I got this from, but I’ll keep looking.)

 

Things you need:

• White dish towels
• Fabric paint
• Paper plate or pie tin

 

Wash the dish towels.  Paint the child’s hand with the fabric paint or dip the child’s hand into the paint on the plate.  Place the child’s hand on the dish towel.  You can do both hands or make a boarder.  Write the name and date.  Allow the towels to dry.