Mel's Toddler Stuff

Leprechaun Wands

2008-03-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

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:

Two popsicle sticks or tongue depressors

Glue

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

Curling ribbon or anything decorative to hang off the wand

Stickers to decorate :)

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

Directions:

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

My butterflies...

2008-03-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-02-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

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!

Valentine Bouquets

2008-02-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

I was in a Mommy chat room recently and several moms were talking about making Valentines with their kids for family and friends. I immediately thought of this cute and easy art project. It works great as a craft project to do with your kids or a cover to a Valentine's Day card.

All you need is:

Construction Paper
Crayons
Heart stickers (I used foam stickers for a 3-D effect)
Cupcake baking cups
Glue

Just glue the baking cups onto your paper. You can use as many as you want. Then, add stems and leaves below the flowers. Last, embellish with your heart shaped stickers.

This project also makes a really cute Valentine's Day card. Just fold your 8.5" x 11" paper in half and use the smaller size baking cups for the flowers.

You can also get creative with what you put inside the flowers. I used hearts, but you could use anything. Cut-outs of your child's picture would look really cute on a Grandparents card!

Dance Day

2008-01-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

What's the best way to get the wiggles out on a snowed in, rained in, or cold in day? Have a dance party of course!

Now, in a perfect world, we would blast our favorite songs and our little ones would boogie down. (I'm currently partial to a little Bon Jovi and Daughtry since I'm going to the concert in April.) But, in the real toddler world, we may have a longer dance party if we blast tunes that our kids are into too.

If you're looking for something new to add to your kiddie-tunes playlist on your iPod, look no further than AndyZ. He's our favorite! Greg and Ashley can't get enough of I Went To a Party With Dinosaurs and Sticky, Sticky Bubblegum. Mom's favorite is I Love You Because You're You. It's true I have been known to listen to this song in my car with no kids in sight.

Here is his website if you would like to check him out: http://www.andyz.com/ And, can also find his music on iTunes.

I also highly recommend Greg and Steve's Kids in Motion series. They have lots of fun songs that your toddler can learn from while getting their groove on like Animal Action and Body Rock. Of course, my family's favorite is their song The Freeze. What's better than a good old fashioned freeze dance to get you giggling?!

Unfortunately, Greg and Steve are not as easy to find. I got my copy at a teacher supply store and you can also find them on Amazon.com. No iTunes for them yet, but maybe soon?

Don't forget to add things like scarves and rhythm sticks into the dance action. Anything to keep everyone moving and having fun.

The bonus to this toddler activity is that you can get a work-out too. And, if you're like me and haven't seen the inside of a gym since last November, this will be helpful for both you and your thighs!

No matter what great music you choose to rock your house with... dance, baby, dance!

Chinese Water Color Painting

2008-01-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner. (It's the year of the Rat, by the way.) I used to do this art project in my classroom. It turns out looking very much like a Chinese Water Color Painting and the technique is super-fun for your kids to do.

First of all, here is a look at the finished product:Pretty cool, right? And, it is so easy to make. The picture on the left my son and I did together, the one on the right he did on his own.

Here is what you need:

Paper - I like to cut my paper long. The white construction paper in this picture is 6" x 11". I just glued it onto a slightly larger piece of black construction paper when we were done painting.

Black paint - Any kind of black tempura or other kids paint will do. You will have to water it down, though. I used equal parts paint and water.

Red paint.

Drinking straws. It's easier if you cut them in half!

Directions:

Place a hearty drop of black paint onto the paper.

Blow on the paint with your straw. It works best if you blow from the side, not directly above the paint. Continue adding drops of paint as necessary.

When you feel like you have enough black paint on your page, add the red cherry blossoms. Just use your finger tip to put the red dots onto your black branches.

Looking for another way to share the fun of Chinese New Year with your kids? Here are two books that I really like:

Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn - This is a great story about Chinese New Year, but it's a little wordy. If you are looking for a shorter story try this one: Dragon Dance - A Chinese New Year Lift the Flap Book by Joan Holub

Indoor Ice Skating FUN

2008-01-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

We've had some rainy and cold days around here. My kids often spend much of the day inside and they start to get a little ornery if I don't get them moving. I was looking for a way to get their wiggles out when I found this fun, indoor ice skating idea. It's a very simple way to get some movement when you're stuck inside on a cold Winter day.

Just cut 2 rectangles of waxed paper for each of your kids (waxed paper should be a little bigger than their foot/shoe). Once you stand on the waxed paper, you will see how easy it is to glide on your carpet, just like ice skating! And, here is an important note... while it's easy to glide on your carpet like this, I found that it wasn't "slippery", so no one slid too much and got hurt.

Now, play some upbeat wintry music and let the skating fun begin!

Hiatus

2008-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the brief blog hiatus. DH has been working from home and apparently "work" trumps "playing" on the computer. :) Oh well. I have a few more fun ideas up my sleeve and promise to post them next week!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Mailboxes

2008-01-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know it's a little early for this particular idea. However, yesterday I was shopping at Target and found the perfect thing for this craft. I know that universally speaking, all moms love to shop at Target. So, I'm giving you a reason to head to your local store and check out their dollar aisle!

Look at these cute Valentine's Day mailboxes I found for just $1 each!

Last year, I wrote notes and Valentine's for my kids throughout the month of February. This year, I thought it would be fun to decorate these mailboxes and deliver their mail inside.

If you want to do this craft with your kids, it would be super-easy and fun to give them Valentine stickers, letter stickers and/or Foamies stickers to decorate their own mailbox. You could even use glitter glue pens (can you tell I love glitter yet?) Or, if you want them to have the mailboxes year round, you can choose non-Valentine decorations.

I am planning to surprise my kids with their mailboxes next month, so I decorated these myself. Here is what they looked like when I got done. If you don't have a Target near you, you can always cover a shoe box in pretty paper and decorate that instead.

The possibilities are endless. And, no matter when you use them, kids LOVE to get mail!

One more thing... Once you introduce the mailboxes, it's a great idea to fill a box with paper, pens, scissors, old note cards, envelopes and stickers. Leave it near the mailboxes so your kids can use it to create their own mail to send to you or to their siblings.

Glitter Play Dough

2008-01-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

I know this recipe is not remotely new or earth shattering, but it is an activity that all of our kids love. At our house we go through play dough faster than cookies.

This is the perfect activity for my family today because the next few days are supposed to be seriously stormy at our house. We could use a good indoor activity and a little glitter to brighten our day. Besides, I love anything that can keep my kids busy for hours!

Ingredients for play dough:

1 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Salt

2 tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 Cup Water

1 Tbs. Vegetable Oil

Food Coloring
Glitter

First - Combine flour, salt and cream of tartar in a saucepan. In a separate bowl combine liquid ingredients. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones until it is well mixed.

Second - Cook over medium heat. Stir constantly. Play dough is done when it pulls away from the side of the pan and a ball forms.

Third - Let the dough cool. Kneed the dough for a few minutes until it is smooth. Add in your glitter while you are kneading the dough. (Of course, you can skip the glitter if you just want plain colored dough.)

**Don't forget to store your new dough in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to make it last longer.

**I have two kids, so I often double the recipe to ensure there is plenty of dough to go around.

Snow Paint

2008-01-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a super-easy recipe to create three-dimensional "snow paint". This activity is really fun! I used it in my first grade classroom and my three year old loves it. You can create all kinds of fun snow scenes and snowmen.

Recipe for Snow Paint:
Mix equal parts Elmer's white glue and shaving cream. (Seriously does it get any easier than this?)

Be sure to paint on heavy paper

Give the paint a full day to dry (especially if your little one lays the snow on thick!)

For a snow scene, I usually let my kids draw first and then add the snow

For a great snowman, let your kids add lots of fun "extras" like buttons

Here is a picture of a snowman my son made recently. He looks a bit like he's melting, but you get the idea.

Parent tip: Don't be afraid to paint your own snow scene. Maybe one where you are snowed in and the kids are at Grandma's. Your all alone in your quiet house with a roaring fire and a Peppermint Schnapps laced hot cocoa in your hands... now that sounds like a great art project to me!

Have fun! :)