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Kiddie Crafts: I love you this much!


There is nothing sweeter than a child, arms spread wide, exclaiming "I love you this much!" Sure, it's a little cliche, but it melts my heart every time. This week's Kiddie Craft captures that precious exclamation, their adorable hand-prints, and their complete admiration for Mom or Grandma.

So, skip the Mother's Day display in your local stationery store, and help your children make her a personal card. Here's what you need:
  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Tape or glue
  • Pencil
  • A large sheet of paper
  • Pens, paints, stickers and other things to decorate the card
This simple Mother's Day card was easy to make, and my boys had a blast spreading their arms wide on the paper, and giggling as I traced their tiny hands. Follow me through the break for full instructions, and take a look through the gallery for your visual step-by-step.

Gallery: I love you this much!

MaterialsA great roll of paperLay on the paperNext!Trace arms and hands

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Kiddie Crafts: Celebrating Mother's day

mom with child
Ana Jarvis and others lobbied politicians tirelessly from 1908, when Mother's Day was first celebrated in West Virginia, to 1914 when it became observed nationally.

With 84 million Moms in the US alone, there's no doubt that a day dedicated to the celebration of these women was long overdue. This was a big step for the US, but Mother's Day has taken many forms throughout history, and a similar celebration was being observed in England as early as the 1600's.

Today, Mother's Day has morphed into a cash grab from greeting card companies, floral shops and jewelry stores. In this week's Kiddie Crafts we're getting back to the basics, and looking at some crafty ways for children to honor mom.

It doesn't matter if you're a Dad coordinating a craft for your wife, or a mom thinking about honoring grandma, there are endless ways to get the kids involved and make some fabulous Mother's Day crafts. I'll share some of these ideas with you after the break.

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Kiddie Crafts: Fingerprint stationery


With so many occasions, and such crafty kids, I often wonder if the little gifts we give end up becoming more clutter, collecting dust at Grandma's house. For this week's Kiddie Craft, we set out to make a creative Mother's Day gift that is personal and unique, but also useful.

We're making fingerprint stationery. Grab some plain card-stock, envelopes, a colorful ink-pad, and your little one's precious fingers. Press their small fingerprints into pictures on the card-stock. Finish them off with a decorative ribbon, and you will have created a memorable Mother's Day gift. You won't see a washcloth in the materials image, because somehow I neglected to predict this oh-so-necessary item, but trust me, you'll need one!

You can check out the finished cards in the gallery. After the break I'll walk you through the flower, rainbow, and hand-print designs. Use those ideas, or take a little inspiration from our craft and come up with ideas of your own.

Gallery: Fingerprint stationery

MaterialsTake their printsMake a printThe flowerSign and date the back

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Kiddie Crafts: Chip container storage case

Kiddie Crafts: Chip container storage cases
These handy storage containers are an interesting twist on the pencil case, making them a great place to store craft or school supplies. My youngest son suggested that it would also be good for collecting rocks. Really, it's a convenient carrying case for storage or collecting of any kind (and not just kids' stuff either!). While the little ones are making collection containers and pencil cases, you can be designing your own for use as a gift box.

Materials
  • Tall chip container
  • Plain 8 1/2 x 11 paper
  • Scrapbook paper
  • Glue
  • Push pin paper fasteners
  • Ribbon
  • Embellishments of choice
Depending on how you plan to use them, or who gets to be the artistic director (you, or your kiddie crafter) you'll end up with very different results. Have a look through the gallery to see how ours turned out. Follow me through the break for step by step instructions.

Gallery: Chip container storage cases

MaterialsGlue plain paperCover the containerDecorateMake a hole for the fastner

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Kiddie Crafts: Homemade medallion

boys admiring a soccer medal
My oldest son recently received his first medal. It was a participation award from his four year-old soccer league. He was over the top ecstatic. I tend to shy away from competitive children's activities, but there was a real pride in my son when he got this medal. He didn't need to be the only one, or have a ranking on it; he was thrilled to be acknowledged, and loved the idea of having a special award as a keepsake.

These homemade medallions can be a great way to celebrate achievement, or simply honor one another. Let the children make them on their own, or surprise them with a special one made by you. Either way, it is sure to be a cherished token.

Here's what you'll need:
  • Lid from a tin can - Make sure your can opener doesn't leave sharp edges
  • Hot glue gun
  • Ribbon
  • Embellishments of your choice
Check out the gallery to see how ours turned out, and follow me through the break for instructions.

Gallery: make a medal

Gather materalsGlue on decorationsAttach the ribbonPresent the award

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Kiddie Crafts: Color splash boots

Color splash boots - Kiddie Crafts
I'm excited about the new season, and all the glorious things that come along with spring. In Vancouver, this means April showers, and lots of them. This is when we pack up our winter boots, and pull out the good old rubber stompers. Both boys wore the same tiny boots, and now my youngest has outgrown them. I wondered how I could re-purpose the boots and preserve the memory.

This week's Kiddie Craft does exactly that. The color splash boots make a fun flower vase. Having them painted by your little ones, and using their old boots, make a great keepsake. Even if you're not looking to hold on to yesterday's tiny feet, these boots make a creative addition to any front door-step.

Materials
  • Rubber boots
  • Soap and water
  • Acrylic paint - waterproof
  • Paintbrushes
  • 2 jars or cups
  • Flowers
Follow me through the break for step by step instructions. As you can tell from the gallery pictures, my boys had fun smearing the paint. If you're working with older kids, ones who actually follow instructions, or working on your own, I'd suggest applying less paint and letting each color dry before working with the next.

Gallery: Making color splash boots

MaterialsWash the bootsApply paintLet the paint dripsmear the paint

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Kiddie Crafts: Make terra-cotta pot wind-chimes

Terra-cotta pot wind-chimes
Spring is almost here! As this week's kiddie craft, we're making mini terra-cotta wind-chimes. I let my boys make them because we're giving them to grandma and great-grandma as Easter gifts, and I guess it wouldn't really be a kiddie craft if I took over.

Still, the temptation was there, because I think I could have made something really beautiful (yeah, yeah, my kids did a beautiful job too!). So, even if you're not working with kids, I hope you'll try this one, and craft a hand-painted wind-chime for yourself or a friend.

If you are working without children, you could use larger pots and a strong rope to hold things together. The bigger the pot the less "chimey" the sound, but I think the heavier sound would be cool too. Anyway, enough daydreaming about what I could have done with this project. It is a kiddie craft, and a great one at that, so here it is... after the break, of course.

Gallery: making your wind-chimes

MaterialsPaint the potsCareful!Keep on painting!Let them dry

Continue reading Kiddie Crafts: Make terra-cotta pot wind-chimes

Kiddie Crafts - Make your own Lava lamp

Homemade lava lamp for kids
Back in September, we shared some DIY lava lamp instructions, taken directly from the patent. That, and the others that I shared in that post, was meant for adults (or chemists!) to make, assemble and enjoy.
Kids love looking at motion lamps. They stare at the dancing blobs, enjoying the tranquil motion and curious shapes. It is inevitable that at some point during their little trance, they can't help but reach out and grab the lamp. The hot light and glass are a nasty combination in their small hands, and for this reason, lava lamps are generally confined to dorm rooms, or top shelves in the basement.

Don't worry, Kiddie-Crafters: those adult lamps aren't as much fun, anyway. In this project, we'll make a DIY lava lamp for kids. Just for fun, we'll add a St.Patrick's day twist.

Follow our crafting adventure in the gallery, and I'll share the full instructions with you after the break.

Gallery: Homemade lava lamp for kids

MaterialsPur in the oilAdd some colorAdd some glitterTop it off with water

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Kiddie Crafts - Wax paper stained glass

children holding up artworkThe rich history of stained glass art is one that I've enjoyed learning about. The science of glass is fascinating in and of itself, so if the kiddies that you're crafting with aren't really kiddies anymore, then it might be worth turning this into a little art history class too. We won't be actually working with glass, but learning a bit about the origins of a given medium are always beneficial.

The actual project involves wax paper and is fool proof for your toddlers. They can make a picture or deliberate design if they are able, but scribbles will look great too so there really are no rules. This easily created stained glass look-alike is great for school age children too. They will be more detailed in their design, and you can encourage them to apply techniques they learned about while exploring the art's history. Suggest that they choose an artist or a period to reflect in their work.

Here's what you'll need:
  1. Wax paper
  2. Scissors
  3. Glue
  4. Tape
  5. Construction paper
  6. Crayons
After the break I'll explain how to take the few materials listed above and make a fun window decoration. The gallery shows each step along the way so make sure to check it out.

Gallery: Kiddie crafts - Stain glass window art

materialsCut a square piece of wax paperColor on the wax paperCut strips of construction paperStrips of construction paper

Continue reading Kiddie Crafts - Wax paper stained glass

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