Weaving with construction paper

Since we have been in a construction paper crafty mood, I decided to show my daughter how to weave using construction paper.  I saw an art teacher doing this with some of her students and thought this might be pretty easy for my first grade daughter to do.  I showed her how to cut lines down the length of the paper and then cut strips from a different color piece of construction paper.  She weaved them in and out, alternating the starting point.  She had a little trouble with this, which I helped her with.

Snowman

My daughter and I have been using up some of our construction paper.  Here is a cute little snowman my daughter made.  It was really easy for her to do on her own.  I made one first and showed her what to do and then she did it on her own. 

Snowflakes

This is a such a fun and easy activity to do with any child.  My daughter is now in first grade and is getting pretty good with the scissors.  Here are a few of the snowflakes her and I made one day after school this past week.

More fun with toilet paper rolls

I got this idea off of pinterest!  My daughter, who saves everything under the sun, had about a dozen of these toilet paper rolls saved up.  So we decorated them with markers, but the ends off to make them tilt a little (I know it's hard to tell from this picture), glued the tubes to another piece of cardboard, let it dry, and then put some pencils in them. 

I thought they turned out pretty cute!  Of course not as nice as the posting I found on Pinterest.

paper plate dreamweaver

you will need:
paper plate with middle cut out
yarn and/or ribbon
glue or tape
stickers, markers, colored pencils to decorate dreamweaver
scissors
Construction paper

1.  Cut out the middle of the paper plate and then little slits around the outside of the paper plates.  The little slits are for the yarn.
2.  Decorate the plate using whatever supplies you want.
3.  Start wrapping the yarn around the plate putting the yarn through the little slits.  Make sure to leave enough yarn at the top to tie a not so you can hang the dreamweaver on a doorknob or nail.
4. Tape some decorations to the end of ribbon and then tape the other end of the ribbon to the paper plate.

bottle cap spelling

items needed:
bottle caps
construction paper or old magazines
scissors
pen/pencil

After researching ideas to use with some of the bottle caps I have saved up I decided to use some of them to help my daughter with spelling and words.

Plastic Bottle Cap Art

I have recently started saving plastic bottle caps.  I have seen some cute plastic bottle cap art around and thought it would be a fun activity for my daughter and I.  Check out some of these cute ideas:

http://www.artgrange.com/michelleworkshop.html

http://inspirationgreen.com/art-from-bottle-tops.html

Not only can you make art, but you can use them to make game pieces or magnets!

Washi Tape Pencils

Found this really cute idea to decorate pencils online:

http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-school-supply-makeover-washi.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FHmTrN+%28Pink+and+Green+Mama%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

I haven't used Washi tape before, but I may have to get some and try this out!  My daughter loves art projects and this seems simple and fun!

Napkin holder made from mini cereal box

We have been trying to figure out what to do with all these cereal boxes that my daughter, Alex, has been saving for art projects.  I really do hope she does not turn out to be a hoarder, because now she does not want to throw away anything in hopes to save items for future art projects.  So today we decided to make little napkin holders.

The first step was to cut the box sides leaving one side together, the bottom, as pictured above.

Then we used construction paper and stickers to decorate the box.  You can see I added a little strip of paper to the end of the box to hold it together.  It worked out OK but I think I need to figure out a different way to keep the box together so the napkins can hang out both ends.

making pictures with rocks

I don't know about your kids, but mine love to collect things, especially rocks.  One thing that is fun is having them collect rocks and have them organize them by color, then have them arrange them in a picture or collage.  This is a little flower put together by dark gray and yellowish rocks. 

My first diaper cake

So I decided to tackle my first diaper cake (pictured above).  There are a few things I did that I would do differently.  First of all, I used the newborn diapers and quickly realized they are too small.  So in the future I would use a size or two bigger.  You will need:

Diapers (Not the newborn size)
rubber bands or those thin plastic hair ties
bottle (or anything else for the top of the cake)
Ribbon
Tape or glue
Bowl (or something similar that you can wrap the diapers around) You will need at least two, one bigger then the other.
Any other decorative item (stuffed animals, flowers, etc)
Yarn

First thing you should do after you have all your supplies is start rolling the diapers wrapping the rubber bands around them. I did mine the night before when I had some friends over.  This made the project quick and easy the next day.  Then use a bowl turned upside down and start setting the diapers around it.  After one set of diapers are set around the bowl use yarn or something similar to keep them in place.  Then start with another row of diapers and do the same thing.  You can do as many rows as you like but at least do two or three.  Wrap the outer edge with a cute ribbon and fasten it with glue or tape (I used hot glue).

Set the second bowl on top of the bottom tier and do the same process as described above.  Then for the top tier use the bottle  and wrap the diapers around the bottles.  I used some stuffed animals to decorate the cake too.  Super cute and my friends loved it!

Pop Tab Bracelets

I have never made these before but they look easy and fun.   Check out this video I found while I was surfing around youtube for some new craft ideas:

Making a fan

I never thought my daughter would have so much fun with something so simple.  I taught her how to make a fan the other day and now she is decorating paper and folding it into a fan.  This could be a beginner paper craft project for any child.

Pizza Collage

To make the pizza collage you only need glue, construction paper, and scissors.

She used the brown for the crust, then glued on the red for the tomato sauce.  White for onions, brown for mushrooms, black for black olives, yellow for cheese, etc. 

Just cut out your pieces and glue them all together!  My daughter had so much fun with this!

Painted Lady Butterfly Kits

A few weeks ago I bought a butterfly kit for my daughter.  A few of her friends have had them, so she really wanted one.  Plus it's a great way to teach and show her the process of metamorphosis.

I bought the Insect Lore Butterfly garden and then sent in for the caterpillars.  They arrived in the mail in less than a weeks time. 

My daughter checked the caterpillars everyday and was so excited to see them change into chrysalids.  We really wanted to keep them around as pets for a few days but my husband thought it would be better to let them go.  :(

Bull from Michael's

Today we decided to check out Michael's Passport to Imagination.  They were making a bull and it was surprisingly easy for my daughter to make. 

The body of the bull is a small terra cotta pot that cost .73 and was painted black.
The feet, ears, nose, and horns are foam pieces that were cut out. 
The head is a styrofoam ball painted black. 
Googly eyes.
There is a black piece of yarn used for a tail in the back of the bull that you can't see in the picture.

My daughter is so proud of her creation!  She can't wait to go back on Saturday to make the next craft!

Puzzles

The other day, we went through some old bags we had and decided to turn them into puzzles.  These bags old Subway children's meal bags-- you know those reusable grocery store bags.  We also received one when we signed up for a zoo membership and used that one as a puzzle too.  We just have so many around the house, just sitting there we decided to do something with them.  Just cut them into puzzle pieces any way you want! 

Construction paper animals

My daughter decided to take the initiative and do some crafts on her own since she loves cutting and gluing.  Here are three animals she made:  beaver, elephant, and bat!  So cute and I just love her imagination!

Fingerpainting

My daughter loves doing arts and crafts!  We don't use fingerpaints that much anymore, but found some in the craft box and decided to use them up.  Here is her latest finger painting! 

What to do with those small cereal boxes

My daughter loves these small cereal boxes, because she gets to choose from a different cereal everyday.  We decided to use them to make a city on a piece of cardboard.

She wanted to keep the tops open so she could put her littlest pet shop toys in them.  We found a butterfly in our craft box and glued it to the top of one building. 

Instead of using construction paper to cover the boxes you could use paint or cut out doors in the front of them.   Another idea is using cotton balls to make a wintery scene!

We also used the construction paper to make a street and flowers.  Super cute and my daughter loves it!

Pie Pins/ Girl Scout Swaps

I made these cute little pins (also called swaps) with my daughter and her girl scout troop this past weekend.

This is what you will need:
Bottle caps
Brooch pins (you can buy these at Michaels)
brown felt or construction paper
small beads
glue
glue gun

Step 1:  Using the glue gun, glue the brooch pin to the back of a bottle cap.

Step 2:  Fill the inside of the bottle cap with glue.

Step 3:  Put the beads on top of the glue and let dry for a few minutes.

Step 4:  Glue the pieces of construction paper or felt on top to make the top of the pie.  I like using felt more, but I was out of the light brown color so I used construction paper.

Paper Fortune Tellers

As I looked around on the internet for some easy paper crafts, I came across paper fortune tellers.  Pictured above is the finished product.  I remember doing these as a child and had forgotten all about them.  A fun and easy craft to do with your child.  You may even be able to use this project to help with sight words.  Check out this website to make your own paper fortune teller.

low carb egg muffins

So this is the easiest low carb recipe ever!  This is what I used:

5 or 6 eggs
prosciutto cubes
diced onions
salt
pepper
milk
muffin pan (I used a mini muffin pan)

1.  put a few prosciutto cubes along with a pinch of onions in the mini muffin pan.
2.  preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3.  whisk the eggs with milk and pour a little bit into each muffin.  Do not fill to the top, just a little below to the rim.
4.  Cook for 5-10 minutes in the oven.  I don't have an exact time, because I wasn't paying attention.  I just kept a watch on the oven while I cleaned the kitchen/unloaded the dishwasher.
5.  Use a spoon to take the eggs out and then sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

You don't have to use the prosciutto or onions like I did with my recipe.  Try diced tomatoes or bell peppers.  This is such a quick and easy recipe.  This is what we had a long with toast for our Easter morning breakfast.

cotton ball sheep

My daughter wanted to do an art project with cotton balls the other day so we made this cute little sheep.

Materials needed:
cotton balls
bowl of glue (to dip cotton balls in)
paper/construction paper
scissors

1.  cut out the body, legs, tail, head, and eye.
2.  glue the body parts to the body.
3.  glue the cotton balls to the body.

If you have a little googly eye you can use that for the eye instead.  This is really cute.  

watermelon

A fun springtime/summertime activity.  Use cookie cutters to cut out watermelon and other fruits.

lines

This is a fun activity to teach students about different lines.  Have them color a piece of paper using the colors of the rainbow (or paint or use markers) and then have them cut the paper using wavy lines, straight lines, zig zag lines, etc.
 

jelly bean necklace

I was looking online for some fun Easter crafts to do over spring break. I am going to try this cute little edible jelly bean necklace this weekend with my daughter and some of her friends. It is such a cute idea!  I found the idea on familyfun.go.com:

I will post more pictures after the weekend of the ones my daughter and her friends made.

using tissue paper to make flowers

Yet another idea I got from pinterest.   Making flowers out of tissue paper.  In this piece of artwork my daughter drew some branches and then tore off small pieces of tissue paper, lightly dipped it in a bowl of glue, and stuck it on her branch.  So cute!

I am really using up this tissue paper I have.  Any other ways tissue paper can be used in art projects?

Fabric Flowers

Doesn't this look cute.  Read below to learn how to make one yourself!

My daughter loves when I make her things and loves flowers so after cutting some fabric for the cloth necklaces yesterday I cut out some circles of various sizes from the same piece of clothing.  As you can see from the picture I cut out six circles.

For this project you will also need:
fabric glue or needle with thread
buttons for the middle of the flower
candle

Then I cut little slits around each circle.  You don't have to do this but I thought it would look neat.

Using the candle, I held the fabric just over the flame.  The fabric created this curl like effect that was pretty neat.

This is what a few of the circles looked like laying on top of each other.  I had a few different buttons I placed in the center to see which one I liked the best before sewing it on.

I decided to sew this little flower onto a plain white t-shirt.  When I held the t-shirt up I noticed the fabric fell over, so I used the fabric glue to help keep the flower in place.  I think I may be a little scared to wash this.  Hope my daughter doesn't get it too dirty.

fabric necklace

I decided to try this after reading a post on a blog I follow.  I have some clothes my daughter grew out of so I cut one into three pieces and braided it into the above necklace.  I ended up giving it to my daughter and she just loves it.  Below is a close up of what the necklace looks like.

 You can also put on some beads to give the necklace some extra character.  Since this was my first time doing this I decided to start out just making the necklace and I liked the way it looked without the beads.

Egg Yolk Paint

Since my daughter had a lot of fun with the cornstarch paint I made a few days ago, I decided to try out egg yolk paint.  This is a great paint that can be used in the bathtub.

materials needed:
egg
small bowl

water

spoon

fork

food coloring

1.  Crack the egg and put the yolk in the bowl.  Only the yolk.  Throw the egg white and egg shell away.
2.  Add about 8-10 drops of food coloring and a spoon full of water into the bowl. 
3.  Mix with a fork and add water until you achieve a paint-like consistency.
4.  Paint!

making suds

This is a fun outdoor activity for kids and a science experiment all in one.

Materials needed:
Tall plastic cup or any other tall container
liquid dish detergent
1/2  cup warm water
1 tsp. Baking soda
Citric acid
Measuring cups

1. Mix three big squirts of the liquid dish detergent, 1/2 cup warm water, and one teaspoon of baking soda in the plastic container.  
2.  Sprinkle in couple pinches of the citric acid into the solution.  
3.  Watch the suds form.

note:  I bought my citric acid from amazon.com.  It's a rather large bag of it, but I do use it when I am making my own dishwasher detergent.

To integrate this into a science experiment discuss with the children what a base and an acid is.  The suds occur because the baking soda is a base and when you add the acid (citric acid), it produces carbonic acid.  The carbonic acid breaks down the water and carbon dioxide as a gas and the gas launches the bubbles.  Can you think of other household acid and bases?

Using plastic bottles to make prints

OK, so I got this idea from Pinterest.  I tried to go back and find it again but couldn't.  I guess I must not of pinned it or liked it.  Anyways, we used some different paints to do this: the cornstarch paint I made a few days ago and some finger paints I had laying around.

Here is some red paint I put in the bowl (I had just added some blue paint to make purple).  We dipped the plastic bottle into the paint to make the flowers.  Alex used her finger to paint the middle of the flower because the middle part didn't show up for her.

We made quite a few and had a lot of fun doing it.  Hope you get some cute ideas to do from reading this.

making crayons

I have been accumulating broken crayons, knowing that someday I will melt them all together and make my own.  I used my mini muffin pan and filled the broken crayons up to near the top.  Then I baked them in the oven at about 200 degrees for about 10 minutes or so.  I would keep the oven light on so you can watch it.

Just a little hint, I can tell the different between Crayola crayons and the cheap crayons.  It seemed like the cheap crayons added a layer of oil.

Making Paint from Cornstarch

So, Alex used up her Crayola paint in the tub soap and wanted to keep the containers.  I have been thinking about what to do with them and decided to make some new paint out of cornstarch.

Materials needed:
White vinegar
Cornstarch
Water
Bowl
Spoon
Food coloring
Baby food jars or any other container that might work.

The first thing I did was put about 2 Tbs cornstarch, 2 Tbs white vinegar, and 2Tbs water and mixed them all together.  Then I divided up the mixture between the three little containers I was using.

Then I added in about 5-7 drops of food coloring into each jar and mixed it up.

Then I let my daughter come up with her own little creation.

Those dots all over the face.... those are freckles.  :)