Leprechaun Wands

My daughter likes to wave anything around attached to a stick. Recently we made "Flower Guy" (which you can see in this picture with our new Leprechaun Wand). And last month we made "Heart Guy".

My kids are getting excited about the prospect of little leprechauns running around this month, hiding their gold at the end of the rainbow. (And, if you ask my son, somewhere in our backyard... but I digress.) So, I have had to get a bit crafty and start thinking up some new and fun St. Patrick's Day crafts.

Today Ashley and I made Leprechaun Wands. She says she can use it to make magic and find fairies and leprechaun gold. Whatever makes her happy. I just thought it was fun, cute and easy to do!

Supplies:

1. Two popsicle sticks or tongue depressors


2. Glue


3. Shamrocks to color - you can draw one yourself or use the template I found at Family Fun: Shamrock Pattern


4. Curling ribbon or anything decorative to hang off the wand


5. Stickers to decorate :)

I think you can probably figure this one out on your own, but just in case...

Directions:

1. Glue together popsicle sticks and staple curling ribbon onto the top of the stick.
   
2. Color and cut out shamrocks
   
3. Glue shamrocks over the curling ribbon
   
4. Add glitter or stickers if you want!

My butterflies...

Okay, I tried that last craft yesterday with the kids. I think they turned out really cute. Next time I will use better water color paints, though. I usually use Crayola brand (which have fabulous and bright colors). Instead I used a generic someone gave me. The colors turned out pale, but the butterflies are still cute!

Here are some pics of the ones flying from my daughter's ceiling...

If you haven't tried this one yet, it is very easy to do with little ones! :)

A Little Something

Okay, here is a little Spring something to tide us all over until I get crafty at my house again. (Go figure, when my kids have a fever, they just don't want to do my crafts.)

I found this adorable Springtime craft on kaboose.com. I like it so much, I totally plan on doing this with my kids this week. Wouldn't these butterflies be cute hanging from the ceiling of my daughters room??!!

I don't want you to have to wait for me to put my own photos up, so here is a link to the information on how to make these adorable butterflies!

http://crafts.kaboose.com/butterfly1.html

I have made many similar crafts using coffee filters and water color paints. I think you will find it is really easy to do, even with younger children!

Have fun!

Spring is on it's way...

AAARGH! My friend Cheryl just left a comment that she was here looking for some Spring crafts. Only I have been so busy planning Oscar parties and dealing with the flu... I haven't done any yet. I am getting it together, though. Don't give up on me. I'll get something fun up here in the next few days! :)

Just a few more Valentines

I just thought I'd share a few more Valentine things my kids made before this fine day is over...

First they made their own Valentine's this year for everyone in our family. I went for something super-easy since I am working with a 2 year old and a 4 year old. My goal was to actually have them make the whole things themselves.

Check out these cute Valentine cards...I provided my kids the paper and the foam heart stickers. Greg cute out the stems for both himself and his little sister. I think they're pretty cute for care made by toddlers!

We also made this cute decoration for our kitchen.I had the kids finger paint hearts that I cut out. Then, they helped me string them up with ribbon.

Abraham Lincoln

Happy Birthday President Lincoln!

Today is Lincoln's birthday and this month we celebrate George Washington's birthday as well. In honor of this, I thought I'd share a few activites you can do with your kids.

First of all, this site (Apples 4 The Teacher) has printable coloring pages of both Presidents. It doesn't get any easier than print and color. This link will take you right to the coloring pages... http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/presidents-day/index.html

Coin rubbings are also a fun and easy project. You can put pennies and quarters under a piece of paper - with the President's pictures facing up, of course - and rub crayon over them.

Lincoln's Log Cabin - This little log cabin project is perfect for a preschooler. You make it out of popsicle sticks. Just glue them onto your paper until they form a square. If you are feeling adventurous, you can paint the popsicle stick logs brown (as you can see from the photo, I was not feeling adventurous today). Then glue on a triangular roof and a rectangle door. You can add any kind of embellishements like grass, trees or clouds.

**You can also build log cabins out of Lincoln Logs if you have them.

Finding books about the Presidents that are appropriate for young minds is a bit of a challenge. Here a few that I like. You should be able to find them at your local library.

• Abe Lincoln's Hat by Martha Bremmer


• A Picture Book of Abe Lincoln by David A. Adler


• A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler

Fabulous Valentine Stuff

I recently received this month's copy of Family Fun Magazine. I have to say, it never disappoints! This issue was filled with so many excellent activities for Valentine's Day I was overwhelmed as to what to do first. This is great news for you, even if you don't have a subscription of your own, because they have all the same fun activities online AND MORE.

Don't be shy, check them out at http://www.familyfun.com

Check out the 50 different homemade Valentine ideas they have. Also, don't miss all the great printables. I really like the Valentine Countdown Calendar!

Have fun!