Things to Make - Mustache T-Shirts

Winter is LONG. If you're looking for a fun project to keep the kids occupied during yet another cold front, head on over to Honest of Nod to learn how we spent a whole afternoon making freezer-paper stencil t-shirts. Click here for the link.

Three New Books About Stuff to Do With Kids

My kids already spend a lot of time outside, so I hesitated over whether or not to purchase Fifteen Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids. But now I'm so glad I own it. The author lists 365 different things to do outside, divided by month, most of which are simple, easy ideas. For example, in September the activities range from working on homework outside to playing four sticks ("grab four sticks to see how many different shapes or letters you can make"). And while some of the suggestions are no-brainers for us ("visit a local nature center") the author also lists many activities I never thought of, such as planting aster to attract butterflies and tracking seasonal changes by spending one day a week at the same place and detailing the changes in a special notebook. The book is great to grab during one of those "ugh, what to do?" parenting moments that hit at unexpected times. A great solution to hearing "I'm bored" (ugh, I hate those dreaded words).

(For more books on children and nature, check out my past post here).



I'm a big fan of the blog Soulemama (which, currently, is making me obsess over how much fun we would have raising chickens). I own Amanda Soule's first book, The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connectionsand have referenced it frequently over the past few years (this book inspired me to start making monthly grateful lists). Amanda's newest book - The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasonshas less activities and crafts then her first book (if you're choosing between them, I'd recommend the first one) but I find the chapters, divided by season, an inspiring way of looking at the world around us. And I enjoyed the seasonal project suggestions, esp. making nature stamps and "a string of leaves." Definitely worth checking out.



Mariah Bruehl's book Playful Learning: Develop Your Child's Sense of Joy and Wonderhas been all over the blogosphere lately. It seems that most big bloggers received free copies (what about me Mariah? What about me? Small bloggers need love too!), but don't worry, I'm not bitter (okay, so maybe a little bitter). Luckily, it's a book worth buying. I think Playful Learning would work well as a how-to manual for homeschooling moms, but it is also helpful for moms like me searching for new things to try with our public-schooled kids. The chapters are broken down by subject (writing, reading, math, science, art, the environment, and "feelings"), with simple ideas for activities. Bruehl frequently recommends children's books to read then suggests complementary activities based on the suggested books. For example, I love the idea "drawing a map of your heart" after reading Sara Fanelli's My Map Book. I also love the idea of an alphabet scavenger hunt. Regarding the chapter on reading, I've noticed that F's kindergarten teacher utilizes many of the same methods, which, for me, means that Bruehl knows what she's doing. I highly suggest picking up a copy (if this was a bigger blog, I'd auction off a free copy, but no such luck, sorry everyone).

Things to Make - Halloween Stained Glass with Tissue Paper and Liquid Starch

When I read about using tissue paper and liquid starch to make stained glass on the Artful Parent I decided it would be the perfect method for crafting Halloween decorations. I bought black, orange, and yellow tissue paper at AC Moore, poured some liquid starch into an clean old yogurt cup, gave P a paint brush and let her create. P decided she wanted to make a pumpkin, so we worked together on creating the circle. I thought it would be cute to use the black tissue paper to make the face but P stated that jack-o-lantern faces looked "too scary." So she decided to let it dry and color on her pumpkin with markers.

When T woke up and F returned from kindergarten they really wanted to make their own creations. I was pretty impressed that this project was so toddler-friendly, T spent over a half hour making a collage with not that much parental involvement. F made a pumpkin and a collage. She also liked coloring with markers on the still-wet tissue paper and watching the color swirl. All in all a pretty easy way to fill an afternoon. And now we're prepared for Halloween.

Here's the scoop: You'll need: liquid starch, tissue paper, wax paper, and paint brushes.

1. Buy liquid starch at the grocery store. Pour a small amount into a container.

2. Cut tissue paper into small pieces.

3. Using a brush, "paint" a small amount of liquid starch onto the wax paper (you may want to put newspaper underneath the paper, it gets messy fast).

4. Arrange tissue paper on the wet wax paper then paint over the tissue paper with more liquid starch.

5. Let dry.

6. Hang in windows. Lovely!!



CREATIVE IDEAS FROM AROUND THE WEB:

*LOVE these DIY popsicle-stick magnets for the fridge.

*Leaf printing on fabric from the Artful Parent.

*This pinterest collection has TONS of great project ideas. Check it out. Also, I have a fall craft project Pinterest collection - click here to view it.

*A face sticker pad!! I need to purchase some of these. This looks like a great activity for a wide variety of ages.

Things to Do - Color Stuff

This is what the kitchen table looks like when I'm cooking dinner, sometimes the mess drives me crazy, but all in all it's a pretty happy place. Hope your weekends are full of fun and random moments!! (By the way, the photograph below is of Impressionist Art (Stained Glass Colouring Books), the girls love the pictures and we enjoy seeing the light shine through their lovely creations).


WEEKEND LINKS:

*CAN'T STOP LISTENING!! (As summarized by F, "Mom, I love this song. Why can't more people write songs this good?")

*I'm in LOVE with this Best of Etsy blog, LOTS of great, reasonably priced art. LOTS. I especially like the work of photographer Joe Baran and painter Christina Romeo (link via ArtHound)

*I dream of Emily Henderson coming to my house. Dream of it. Until then, I just read her blog and try to channel her genius.

*Did you ever read Sweet Valley High books as a kid? Did you ever wonder what happened to the twins when they grew up? Well, here you go.

*Apparently we're not the only people interested in cracks in the pavement (for my "cracks" post, click here), these "yarn bombed" potholes are gorgeous.

*I love this DIY nursery on Papertiaras. I would sleep here.

*West Elm's kitchen line is just beautiful (and reasonably priced).

*If you live in the DC area and you're looking for an easter egg hunt check out this list.

*Gorgeous photo of a Chinese terraced rice field, it's hard to believe it's "real".

*Ever wonder how it would feel to raise a real-life Doogie Howser? Click here to find out.



T worked so hard at lining all those crayons up.

Things to Make - Stencil Valentines

Throughout December, the girls could not get enough craft projects. F would come home from preschool asking "can we make something today? please?" I have to admit, their attentions flattered me. Then came January. And all of a sudden they were back in their room, door closed, playing together and when I asked about craft projects I heard "maybe in awhile mom." So I adopted a new strategy - lots of materials, little parental involvement - just a table full of glue sticks, scrapbook paper, scissors, markers, construction paper, stickers, and STENCILS. And, hence, the valentine making began. So I'm lying low for awhile, only interceding when needed (usually to help spell all of their friends' names).

Regarding the stencils, both girls love hearts but have a hard time drawing them, so I made a heart stencil out of cardboard that has gotten a lot of use. So much use that I decided to buy more, I found this stencil book - Fun with Valentine Stencils (Dover Little Activity Books)on Amazon for only $1.50 (Amazon has a huge selection of these cheap Dover stencils to choose from). For other stencil activity, a few months ago my mom bought the girls a jumbo stencil kit similar to these - NEX Jumbo Stencil Kit (Farms And Horses) and NEX Stylin Stencil (Runway Fun) - and the girls still use it on a frequent basis (at least once a week).

What about everyone else? Any ideas for Valentine making?

OTHER IDEAS FOR CREATIVE KIDS AROUND THE WEB:

*I love this story starter idea, sounds perfect for the numerous sick days that tend to make up February.

*The Artful Parent's painted heart cookies are just lovely. Edible art.

*Toothpicks + marshmallows = art. What a great (and easy) way to spend an afternoon.

*These shaving cream valentines are lovely. A wonderful idea for free play as well.

*I love these paper towel roll valentine's stamps. Plus, this project really does look super easy.