Parenting Children

We are always looking for things to do with the kids that eat up some of the monotony of the day. Especially during the week when I am in the only one who is with them all day. They LOVE arts & crafts and can do an art project for hours. I try and only do projects that I want to keep not something that they spend time on and I throw it away 12 hours later, or something that is not functional. Here are some craft ideas for kids three and up:

Decoupage buckets or pails.
- Cut out illustrations from a damaged or favorite book or magazine like Highlights. Or maybe cut out handprints of your kids.
- Glue stick them on to the pail like a collage.
- Once pail is covered, brush on a few layers of modge podge
- Once dry, add your favorite pom-pom trim or ribbon
- Use this to house a gift for a grandparent. Use it to collect treasures you find outside or at the beach. What about delivering cookies or treats to a neighbor in it?

Make Crayon “Muffins”
Don’t you hate the broken or small crayons you always seem to have with the new perfect crayons? Don’t throw them away make color “muffins”

-Peel the papers off broken crayon pieces and place no more then three different colors in each cup of a mini muffin tray.
-Place in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for a few minutes and then cool.
-Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Then pop them out of the tray and you have new (to you) crayons and they are perfect shape for little hands.

Have fun!

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Halloween is today. If that catches you of guard, that may mean you are a procrastinator. I understand, holidays can sneak up on you. I have some last minute costume ideas and fun games and things to do with your kids before it is time to go out and collect all that candy.

Do it yourself last minute costume ideas:

Tourist: Get a hat, sunglasses and hang a camera around your neck

Cookie: Dress in all brown and pin felt colored circles all over to look like M&Ms

Mummy: wrap your self in toilet paper. Enough said!

Athlete: dress up in a old jersey or uniform. Bring along a ball.

If all else fails call up family members, or neighbors and ask if they have a costume that you can borrow.

How about you make masks of everyone in your family and then trade them. Be your husband or daughter for Halloween and have them be you or their brother. This could be fun all year long!

This is a great site for simulating a pumpkin carving. It kept my kids fascinated for hours. Here is another one that is better for older kids.
Ben and Jerry’s has not only recipes and crafts ideas but also print outs and games.

Remember to go over safety tips with your kids and be safe out there!
What is your favorite last minute costume idea?

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Halloween is one holiday that we prepare for but creeps up on me. The kids get wishy washy about their costumes, although this year we are doing pretty well and both kids have their costumes already. It also has been so warm here in NJ that I haven’t been in the fall/Halloween mood. Today it is finally cool and I am officially going to start doing some Halloween crafts with the kids.
I have listed some ideas here for you to do with your children to prepare for this fun season.
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My kids love to go for walks around our neighborhood and they always come back with handfuls of “stuff”. Acorns, flowers, pinecones, various leaves, rocks and sticks. They always want to bring them inside, but I am not a fan of dirt all over my house. So, I bought a plain clay pot for each of them. I let them paint the pot and decorate it anyway they wanted. Now the pots sit on your front porch and when the children bring something home, they can put it into their pot. This way they can keep what they have collected, just not in my house! They love it and I loved how it was a whole afternoon project.

If your children like to collect flowers or petals, why not press them? Find various petals or small thin flowers or plants around your neighborhood.
Lay them out on some pretty paper or blank note cards (this would be great thank you cards for your kids to send!) and arrange them. Press the flowers with a dictionary or phone book for two weeks or so.
Then you have original beautiful artwork that could even be framed in a child’s room, bathroom or sent to a relative!

What is your favorite things to do with your children’s outdoor collectables?

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here is a version of I spy that every child at any age should enjoy. Make a I Spy bottle.
This is what you will need:

An empty plastic bottle
A bunch of little items, like a candle, paper clip, beads, hair clip, button etc. (anything that will fit into your bottle)
Rice, sand or colored sprinkles
Tape
1 piece of paper
Funnel

-Make a list of your items

-Add your items to the bottle and then the rice, using a funnel. Leave some space at the top so the rice has room to move around when looking for the hidden items.

-Tape the lid on tightly.

-On the bottle, tape a list of the items to be found in the bottle. Have the kids scratch off everything they “spy” in the bottle. .

This would work with the tiny animals they sell at the dollar store, then you can draw a picture of the animals on the list so kids who cannot read yet can play!

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And Miles to go before we sleep has a blog carnival going on right now with a ton of recipes and craft ideas called Make it From Scratch, hosted by Heather L at It’s All For The Best.

People have submitted great ideas to do with or for your kids this summer from making your own homemade microwave popcorn, to making your own board games to making homemade pesto.

Go check it out!

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Let your children see how things grow. My children help me with watering and weeding our gardens but I like to do something inside the house that they can watch more closely.

Get a jam jar or glass jar and wet a paper towel until it is damp but not soaking wet and place in glass jar. Add about a dozen lentils or beans and cover jar. Place it in indirect sunlight and watch them grow, you will see shoots in 5-7 days!

For vegetables like potatoes, avocado pits or onions, get a jar and fill it 2/3 of the way up with water. Place three toothpicks into the veggie so that the bottom third of it will be underwater. Place in indirect sunlight.
You will see growth in 3-5 days.
This one is cool because you get to see the shoots out of the top of the veggie but also the root system.

You can also grow a small garden with seeds. You a plastic egg carton and fill each section with potting mix 3/4 full. Moisten and press down on soil. Place seeds either in soil or on top (depending on the seed). Close top and place in indirect light.

Happy growing!

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Looking for some easy, cheap activities to do with youe children this summer? I know I am always looking for something fun for me and the kids.
I have two suggestions for some cool summer fun:

Make a Bird Feeder
you will need pine cones, peanut butter, string and bird seed

-Take a good size pine cone and tine the string onto the end of it making a loop that it can hang from
-Roll the pine cone in peanut butter that you have placed on a plate or bowl
-Then roll the cone onto the seeds
-Hang on a tree branch that you can see from your window, and watch all the birds come to eat.
This is perfect to do in the winter months too when food is hard to find for birds.

Indoor Sandbox
Do your kids want a sandbox but you don’t want the mess? Or maybe you are looking for an indoor idea like a sandbox on rainy days?
Why not make your own?
I purchased a large clear container with a lid from a discount store and then I purchased a large bag of white rice from a bulk store. Total cost was about $9.00

Then I put the rice in the container and let them play in it on the kitchen floor. We had some sand toys to play with along with some old plastic cups and they had a ball. You can even keep this outside if you didn’t have a big yard for a traditional sandbox.
Just as much fun but not nearly as messy.

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Paper doll chains is an oldie but a goodie and my children love anything to do with arts and crafts. It is also nice to be able to do something fun inside when a summer storm comes along and ruins outdoor plans.

What you will need:
sturdy paper
scissors
crayons or markers
glue
decorating items like old buttons, scraps of fabric, beads, glitter

Instructions
Cut a strip of paper about 4 inches tall and as long as you want (the longer the paper the more dolls on each chain)

Fold the paper like an accordion, each section should be about 2-2.5 inches wide

If you are doing this with an older child they can outline a figure (body, monster, alien) making sure each part touches the outside of the panel
If you have a younger child you will have to draw the figure and cut out for them

Cut out the figure being careful not to cut the folds where the body touches

Unfold and have your child color or decorate figures how ever they chose to. Add buttons, fabric for clothes, yarn scraps for hair and beads for eyes.

Enjoy your homemade paper dolls!

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Remember making fans in class when it was hot inside your classroom? I do and I can’t wait to teach my kids.

Take a piece of colored construction paper and let your kids draw on both side of the paper. Then on the longer end, fold the paper back and forth in one inch folds.

A variation of the fan is made with paint sample cards.

You will need :
paint sample cards from a home improvement store
hole punch
yarn or string
paper fastener

-Punch a hole in the center of the bottom on the cards and at the top
-Place the paper fastener at the bottom of the cards
-Lace the yarn or string through the top of the cards to form a fan.

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Here are some cute ideas for your school age or even toddler children for Easter. Have them draw chicks, eggs, bunny’s, crosses, anything easter or spring related. Then seal them in clear con-tac paper or laminate them at your locale office supply store. Glue a magnet on the back.
Then you have decoarations year after year!

Fill a bowl with green jellybeans. Then place chocolate bunny lollipops in the jellybeans. That is a cute and yummy centerpiece.

Take a clear or white candle holder and glue on colored peeps. It is an adorable way to have a little bit of spring in every room of the house.

Make rice Krispie treats color them with orange food coloring and shape them into carrot shapes. Then leave as is, or shape a green gumdrop for the stem.
That is a cute favor for a party or to bring into school.

Buy some big peeps and turn one over. Fill with frosting, whipped cream or cool whip then add another peep on top. Yummy peep sandwiches.

I hope this helps you fill a rain day around the house, or just adds a little bit of Easter and springtime inside.

What are some of yoru favorite Easter treats or decorations?

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