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August Kid's Craft Along: Handprint Flower T-shirts

So once you do your lazy girl ombre dying, you have a great summer t-shirt that is just DYE-ing for some handprints.  We did these with the two and three year old children during VBS.  I'm not going to say it's not messy, because it is.  PAINT + KIDS = MESSY!  It's just the way it is.  But the kids had a fun time making their own shirts and even more fun wearing them.

So, are we ready?

Supplies:

Ombre dyed t-shirt (or any solid t-shirt)

Fabric paint (or acrylic)

Foam paint brush 

Approximate cost:  $1 if you have a t-shirt on hand.  A few more if you don't.

Directions:

Place a piece of press 'n seal (or cardboard) between the layers of your shirt to keep the paint from bleeding through to the back.

Paint a coat of paint on one hand.  Using the above picture as your placement guide place painted hand with fingers spread apart in position on the shirt.  Press firmly.  Lift hand straight off the shirt.  Repeat three more times to complete your flower.

Let dry completely, then heat set with an iron.

Line up with your friends and show off your creation.

You could add a green stem at the bottom and add lots of finger prints to the middle of your flower, but we were on a time constriant.  And truth be told, I didn't want to freak out my helpers any more than necessary to get these done. 

If you make some of these, I'd love to see your version!  Add pictures to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr pool!

July Kid's Craft Along: Bird Feeders

The two and three year old children and I made bird feeders during Vacation Bible School.  We had so much fun with this!

Supplies:

toilet paper tube (or paper towel tube cut in half)

peanut butter

bird seed

strip of cloth, yarn, rope

craft stick (or something to spread the peanut butter with)

paper plates

Approximate cost:  $2  You probably have everything that you need on hand except the bird seed.  Buy the cheapest/smallest bag you can find.  Or ask to borrow a few handfuls from your bird watching neighbor.

Directions:

Plop a spoonful of peanut butter onto the paper plate.  Use a craft stick to slather the peanut butter on the tube.  Thicker is better.

Pour birdseed onto a clean plate. 

Roll the peanut butter covered tube in the bird seed pressing firmly.

Thread the strip of fabric throught the tube and tie a knot at the top.  Hang in a tree and wait for the birds to come.  Or perhaps a squirrel or two... They're pushy, those squirrels.

At this point there will probably be leftover peanut butter on the plate and the smell of it will be irresistable.  Go ahead, eat the leftovers!  Children who don't mind being messy will dive in with their hands, licking it off their fingers.  Ick.  Children who like to be tidy can use their craft stick to scrape up every last remnant of peanut butter.  Guess you know what I was like growing up. 

***Share photos of your feeders at the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group!*** 

Kid's Craft Along: Kids Love Popsicles Too!

All pictures in this post are from ...in Sock Monkey Slippers and used with permission.

The kids are just getting out of school, and you're wondering what to do to keep them occupied this summer.  Why not pick one day of the week to make popsicles together!  Popsicles are usually pretty quick to make.  A few minutes a week in the kitchen with the kids making popsicles will provide lots of yummy treats for your long hot summer and a weekly activity for them to look forward to.

Since we're gearing up for our Popsicle Parade, this month's Craft Along HAD to be popsicles!

Approximate cost:  $6

Ingredients: 

Assortment of fruit (bananas, kiwi, and strawberries)

Greek yogurt

Honey

Toppings (sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc)

Popsicle sticks or lollipop sticks

Wax paper

Directions:  Found at ...in Sock Monkey Slippers

Suggestions:

Give everyone a job to do!

• Have an upper elementary age child?  Teach them how to use a knife to cut up the fruit.  They'll think it's awesome that you're letting them hold a knife let alone use one!  (Just make sure to keep an eye on them at all times!)
• Younger elementary age children can help measure sugar, stir ingredients, and add popsicle sticks.
• Toddlers?  Let them put fruit in the blender and push the buttons!

And you'd be surprised how quick the cleanup afterward goes when everyone does their job...

• Upper elementary child:  Rinse the knife, cutting board, and blender and put in the dishwasher.
• Younger elementary children:  Wipe table/counter.
• Toddlers:  Throw away all trash.

Everyone involved!  Everyone enjoying the fruit (literally) of their labor!  During the months of June, July, and August come back and visit every Monday for a new popsicle recipe to try!

***I'd love to see pictures of your popsicle creations!  Post them to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group!

May Kid's Craft Along: Lavender Bath Salts Teacher Gift

School is almost out! The kids are getting squirrely; the teachers are getting antsy. As a teacher (homeschool mom of 11 years) I can speak from experience. The teachers are just as ready as the kids are to be out of school, maybe more so. Her last few weeks are spent trying to cram those last few lessons into the minds of her students - minds that are already tuned in to what's going to happen as soon as that "last day of school" bell rings. It can be trying at best and maddening at worst.

What your teacher really needs for her end of school gift is the gift of relaxation. This month's craft along is just the ticket... a nice long soak in a lavender scented bath.

Supplies:

epsom salts

dried lavender

jar with lid (recycle a mason, spice, or baby food jar)

paint (optional)

fabric or ribbon

Approximate cost: $5 (will make several gifts)

Directions:

In a disposable bowl or cup, add one cup of epsom salts.

Add a small spoonful (not quite a tablespoon) of dried lavender to the salts. I prefer to just use the dried flowers because lavender is a strong scent, but if you like add two drops of lavender essential oil. Go easy though! A little goes a long way!

Stir to combine.

Spoon into a clean, dry jar.

If needed, paint the lid of your jar and let dry completely. Screw on tightly.

Print out labels. You may need to resize them depending on the size of your jar.

Tie a ribbon or strip of fabric around the top of your jar and add the label.

Suggestions:

• Dried lavender and a variety of essential oils can be found near the soap making supplies at your local craft store.
• Don't like the scent of lavender? Try making citrus scented bath salts. Substitute dried orange peel (recipe here) for the dried lavender and add a few drops of orange oil.
• For future reference, these make a great Mother's Day gift as well.

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Share pictures of your salt creations in the Kid's Craft Along Flickr pool!

April Kid's Craft Along: Spring Bird's Nest

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There are several families of doves that visit our yard every day.  We must have some really yummy bugs, because we started out with a family of four and now we have about ten.  With all these birds, there are nests in our trees.  Usually in the late winter they throw down their nest from the previous year and start on another.  I love to look at their nests.  God made them so that all they have to use is their beaks and feet, and yet their nests are so neatly woven together.

Let's make our own nests, shall we... but you can use your hands!

Supplies:

shredded paper bags, modge podge (or clear school glue + water), plastic wrap, bowls

Approximate cost:  Free!  You probably have everything you need on hand.

Directions: 

Click here for the simple directions.

Suggestions:

• Cover your work area with old newspaper or a trash bag.
• Add a few dyed eggs to your nest for a simple centerpiece for your Easter table.
• Use shreded newspaper for a "modern" nest.

Add pictures of your nest to the Kid's Craft Along flickr group.  Happy Easter!

March Kid's Craft Along: Photo Editing

My oldest son turned sixteen yesterday.  SIXTEEN!  Boy, do I feel old!  One of the things Landon likes to do is take and edit photos on his camera.  He'll take a normal (sometimes even boring) picture like this one of his bed...

and turn it into something abstract and really cool.

In honor of his birthday, let's do some editing of our own.

Supplies:

camera (phone or point and shoot)

photo editing software - Since this is a project for children, the simpler the better!  The basic photo editing software installed on your computer or phone will be good enough.  We are using Windows Photo Gallery (free download).  It's a perfect tool for children to try photo editing with because it only has a few items that you can change with a sliding bar. Simple - unlike Photoshop!  Still, younger children will need parental help.

Directions:

Take lots of pictures and choose one you like.  Those using a camera - upload it to your computer.  Parents: Don't worry if it's blurry or has other photography flaws!  Just let the kids have fun with the camera!   Landon took a picture of his shoes that were lined up by the wall .  Ahem, the same ones I'm always asking him to put in the closet.  There was no natural light in the room because his blinds were closed, so his picture has a yellow glow.

Open the picture in your photo editing software, click FIX or EDIT, and play around with the contrast, brightness, tint, saturation, and color temperature.  Again parents, don't worry if the picture looks terrible to you!  The whole idea behind this project is for the children to experiment!

Landon took the color temperature all the way down, to get rid of the yellow glow.

Then he upped the saturation.  See!  The gray wall just turned blue, and the colors on his shoes are a little more vivid.

Added contrast which sharpened his image, made the blue wall a brilliant turquoise, and darkened it.

Now brighten it a tiny bit.

And crop out whatever was in the bottom left corner.  When you have it just the way you like it, save your picture!

Suggestion:

If you have older children that know their way around on the computer, let them upload their picture from the computer to Picnic (closing April 19) or Pixlr.  These are free photo editing sites with a little more to offer, like borders, stickers, text.  Fun fun fun!  As always, I recommend parent supervision when children are on the internet!

Have fun altering your pictures, and be sure to upload them to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr Group!

February Kid's Craft Along: Shaving Cream Valentines

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Gong!  Out with cheapo, boring boxed Valentine's cards!  Valentine's day will be ever so much more fun with these interactive cards. 

Supplies:

4 x 5 inch ziplock bags (find at a craft store near the jewelry supplies)

cheap shaving cream (not gel)

food coloring

colored duct tape

whatever thread/string you have on hand

photo frame cards (or for a cheaper version just use card stock)

Q-tips

Approximate cost:  Less than $10 (will make enough for a classroom)

Directions:  Shaving Cream Valentines from Modern Parents Messy Kids

Suggestions:  Don't have photo frame cards on hand and don't want to cut your own?  Follow the directions for preparing the shaving cream bags, then use colorful duct tape to mount each end onto a piece of card stock. 

***Take heed:  The directions say that it's best to make these 12 to 24 hours before you give them away so the shaving cream doesn't go wonky on you!

"Be creative, Valentine!"  Have fun squishing all that shaving cream.  I'd love to see your take on this project!  Upload pictures to the Kid's Craft Along flickr group!

December Kid's Craft Along: Got Pinecones?

I bet you thought I'd forgotten about our craft along project for December.  Well no, I've just been too busy to put it together.  Usually posted on the first of the month, this one is slipping in just before Christmas.

Ok, so you have a ton of nieces and nephews that will be visiting for the holidays, and everyone is tired of decorating gingerbread houses.  What do you do to keep them busy and have fun at the same time?  Gather pinecones.  Actually if you gather some pinecones beforehand and do a little prep work, they'll be ready to roll when the kid's arrive.

Supplies:  pinecones, 18-20 gauge wire, paint, fabric or ribbon, hot glue gun, glue sticks

Approximate cost:  Less than $5

Directions:  Pinecone Swags from Family Fun

My nieces and nephews aren't going to be around for Christmas this year, so I'll be doing this with all the preschool children at church Christmas morning.  I made our ribbon (tore fabric into one inch strips) and glued the hangers onto the pinecones ahead of time.  All they have to do is paint...

Suggestions:

• Make sure children wear a paint shirt/smock over their clothes.  Acrylic paint will not wash out.
• An adult will need to do the gluing!

• Add a little glitter to your pinecone while the paint is wet for a little bit of sparkle.
• Use this idea to make individual pinecone ornaments.
• Write the year on the fabric/ribbon hanger.

• Hang these on the door, on the Christmas tree, on the stairs, in a window, on a bulletin board...  pretty much anywhere!

If you try your hand at these, I'd love to see your creations.  Upload pictures to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group!

November Kid's Craft Along: Acorn Petit Fours

Petit fours is a French word that means "small oven".  The good thing about these petit fours is that you don't even need an oven!  Just a microwave.  These are perfect little confections to make with the kids.

Approximate cost:  $10 (makes about 12)

Supplies:

1 box Baker's semisweet chocolate

1 frozen pound cake (thawed)

assorted sprinkles, candies, chopped nuts

Directions:

Slice pound cake into one inch slices.  Using a small acorn shaped cookie cutter, cut acorns from the middle of each slice of cake.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

Melt chocolate according to package directions.  Place one acorn across the tines of a fork and spoon chocolate over the top and around the sides, covering evenly.  Let excess chocolate drip off, then place on wax lined baking sheet.  Continue to cover all acorns with chocolate.  ***See suggestions below for another way to coat.

(The picture below shows the chocolate covered cakes on a wire rack.  Don't do that!  They are really hard to move to the wax paper later!)

Decorate the "cap" portion with sprinkles, candies, or chopped nuts.  Place in the refrigerator for ten minutes until chocolate is set.  (Can be stored in wax paper lined airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.)  My husband actually thought these were owls.  I guess chopped nuts for the cap would have been more convincing for ACORNS!

Suggestions:

• Use different shapes of cookie cutters for different occasions.
• This is a great activity for kids to do during your Thanksgiving/Christmas festivities.  Set up a petit four making station and let everyone make and decorate their own!

• Make a trifle with the pound cake scraps.
• For younger children, it's easier to roll the acorn shaped pound cake in the melted chocolate.  Just know that you might end up with crumbs in your chocolate.

I'd love to see your petit fours creations!  Upload pictures to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group. 

October Kid's Craft Along: Yarn Font

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This project totally captured my imagination when I saw it on Bloesem Kid's!  And since these are super cheap to make, there's endless fun to be had.  Got your wrapping fingers ready?

Supplies:  pipe cleaners, yarn scraps

Approximate cost:  Just a few dollars!

Directions:  Yarn font directions can be found here.

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Just imagine all the cool things you could do with the letters/words you make!  Hang them on the wall, mount them in a frame, give as a gift, use on the front door instead of a wreath, use as tags for presents, make the whole alphabet to play with.  The sky's the limit! 

Remember to add pictures of your fonts to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group!