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!

Valentine Bouquets

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:

1. Construction Paper
2. Crayons
3. Heart stickers (I used foam stickers for a 3-D effect)
4. Cupcake baking cups
5. 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

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!