Things to Make - Fingerprint Animals, Summer Snowflakes, & Rosie Flo

Lately the girls have been interested in simple craft projects, with easy-to-access materials and almost no oversight (which makes me a little sad some days). With this purpose in mind, they really enjoy the following three craft/idea books. Although we didn't take any of these books on our vacation, I think all of them would be be great for hotel rooms and roadtrips, as they require no set up or complicated materials.



1. My mother-in-law bought the girls Snowflakes for all Seasons: 72 Fold & Cut Paper Snowflakes (Volume 1) and it has quickly become one of our favorite craft books (especially, oddly, in the warmer months, there's something so fun about patriotic snowflakes). I found it too time-consuming to make patterns for snowflake cutting, so I freehand the designs based on the book's directions. I enjoy creating the snowflakes and the girls love to color them (often using equisite detail and multiple colors) so we all participate. And the book really does have some of the best snowflake patterns ever, including different patterns for every major holiday (nothing says "I love you" like a Valentine's snowflake).



2. I purchased Ed Emberley's Complete Funprint Drawing Book a few months ago. F looked over the pictures, called it "too tricky" and put it on the shelf. I almost returned it, but then a few weeks ago I noticed her at the table, with various stamp pads and the book making several fingerprint creatures. When I said "I thought you didn't like that book." She replied, "well, I like it NOW." And since then I've received a LOT of fingerprint animals as presents. So go the preschool years.



3. In Rosie Flo's Coloring Book the pages are full of pictures of beautiful dresses, but it's up to your child to create the heads, legs, and arms, and complete each scene. After the book arrived, F immediately got out crayons and started coloring in faces and bodies for the "ghost" dolls. P soon joined her (which means I spent the afternoon monitoring fights over the coloring book). So I'll soon be buying more (Amazon sells a whole series of Rosie Flo books).
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What about everyone else? Any good craft or coloring books to recommend?


Other Creative Ideas On the Internet:

*10 Simple Art Activities to Set Up After School (A really great list)

*Quirky Mama has a wonderful round-up of story-telling activities to do with your kids (and she even included my post on story cards, yay!!)

*I'm in love with this DIY clothes hangar lamp.

*There is lots of great stuff to make with a cardboard box or two. Click here to see some great ideas.

*I love these free patterns for coloring.

*Sleepytime Gal's chalk blocks look fun.

*Homemade lemon body scrub.

*Bendaroos + old cd cases = wonderful labyrinth toys. Click here to check it out.

*Masks.

*Spray painted Ikea lamps

*Chocolate Muffin Tree has a great post about using glue to teach print-making to preschoolers. I really want to try it.