Friday, December 20, 2013

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Marshmallow Fireworks, Holiday Memories, & Sprout's MOMents


I am thrilled to be joining with Sprout's MOMents to talk about holiday memories and share our Marshmallow Fireworks!!  



As parents we want the holidays to be full of happy, memorable events, but sometimes we get moments like this


or this 



It's easy to forget that these little moments can be the most exciting for our kiddos!  And really, it's not that hard to wash paint off of their little arms.  Or sweep the floor.  Or wipe up spilled milk.  Again.

I asked my children and the children I watch about their favorite things to do with their parents.  Their answers were full of a variety of ideas...everything from playing truck games to eating at restaurants with toys!  The one thing they all had in common, though, was they involved doing something.

Preschoolers need to do things.  Sometimes, the best memories you can make will be just sitting down and playing with your children.

Sometimes, it is fun to do something new...like make Marshmallow Fireworks.

These Marshmallow Fireworks take very little time, but your children will probably remember it and want to do it again...and again...

I adapted this activity from a suggestion left as a comment on this blog about a year ago by the lovely Erin at The Usual Mayhem.  

You will need a balloon, a pair of scissors, a paper towel tube, and a mini marshmallow.

Cut the paper towel tube in half (or use a toilet paper roll).

Knot the tip of the balloon:


Cut the other end off:


Stretch the cut end around the end of the paper towel tube:


Drop a mini marshmallow into the other end of the tube.  Pull back on the knot, and let the marshmallow fly!  

You can also use pompoms instead of marshmallows.

How far will your firework go?  Can you shoot two at once?

And if you like to take pictures of your holiday moments, be sure to check out the {FREE} "MOMent" creating tool that Sprout has here!

***

This will be my last blog post this year (2013).  I will be spending the next week and a half playing silly games, reading books, and going on adventures with my own kids.  I will still post on Facebook and Instagram, and would love to see you there!

My wish for you this Christmas is to let the little things like too much milk, messy paint, a broken dish, or a tantrum at the store go, while you and your children share a hug, a new experience, or a deep breath.

My wish for you is that you relax this holiday season and enjoy the little moments with your little ones.

And one last thank you to Sprout for celebrating the every day MOMents this holiday season!

I also have some more fabulous New Years Fun Ideas here and over a hundred great Christmas for Kids ideas here.  And, if you're truly last minute, I have a wonderful DIY Christmas Gifts for Preschoolers Pinterest board here.

Have a wonderful holiday season, and I will see you next year!!

 
I may share at any of these parties!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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Thursday, December 19, 2013

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Candy Cane Lions Craft

These Candy Cane Lions are super easy and completely fun to make!



We used the Candy Cane Lions for a "Letter L" day ("lion" starts with "L"...more "Letter L" ideas will be coming in January!), but you could use them for Christmas decorations or a last minute gift!

Simple Supplies:



Easy How-to:

1.  Cut the lion body and mane from the felt, using the image above as a guide.  Cut two holes in the body for the candy cane to thread through and one hole in the mane for the head to go through.

2.  Assemble your lion!  Put the candy cane through the body, put the head through the mane, and add the wiggly eyes!

3.  Parade your lion through the house!  Or hang it on your tree!

Two of our lions morphed into "alien lions!"  They were so cute I thought I'd share them with you too:





I may share at any of these parties!
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Monday, December 16, 2013

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Christmas Tree Inspired Hand & Finger Painting



Christmas Trees are fabulous inspiration for process-based painting and sensory experiences!

This little fine art paintings may look a little messy, but they provided a science lesson in color mixing, fine motor exercise, sensory fun, and a final product that the kids can hang up.  Curious?  Here's a quick peek at our lesson:

1.  We had a conversation about Christmas, colors and lights they are seeing frequently, and Christmas trees.

2.  I gave each child a tin with yellow and blue paint.  They made their own green paint with their hands!


3.  One of my children immediately made "gloves" for himself and two others followed suit.


4.  They made their "Christmas Trees" and "Christmas Bushes" with hand prints, then added lights and other decorations with fingerprints.





It is important to let children create things that can look however they want them to...if their Christmas Tree looks like a giant green blog with colorful lights, that is okay!  Their little self-esteems need the encouragement that comes when they create something independently and are praised for it.

It is also okay to do crafts with children that resemble something they're familiar with!  If you'd like a Christmas Tree project that looks like a tree when it is done, check out our Sandpaper Christmas Trees!




I may share at any of these parties!
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

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{FREE} Christmas "Which One is Different?" Cards!!

These {FREE} Christmas "Which One is Different?" cards are perfect for practicing comparing and developing early analytic skills!



Cut the cards out, add some clothes pins for pinning the right answer, and you've created a great fine-motor exercise too!

This Christmas-themed packet of "Which One is Different?" cards contains 12 cards on three pages.  I hope you have fun with them!

The clipart is from mycutegraphics.com.  


Be sure to check out my Christmas for Kids Pinterest board--it has hundreds of fabulous Christmas crafts, recipes, and learning ideas for children!




I may share at any of these parties!
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Monday, December 9, 2013

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Paper Towel Roll Snowmen Craft

Each of these Paper Towel Roll Snowmen have a ton of personality--I cannot wait to introduce them all to you!  And the kiddos enjoyed making them so much that we may make it a new tradition!



Snowmen tie into many preschool themes like snow, winter, arctic/antarctic, and (of course!) snowmen and can be used within a lesson or as a craft just for themselves!  After we made these snowmen, my kiddos introduced them to everyone and began a pretend play "Snowman Game" that lasted at least half an hour.

I love letting my kiddos' creativity dictate a lot of the structure of projects like this, so the supply list can vary.  Here's the easy how-to from our morning:

Simple Supplies:
  • paper towel rolls, cut in half (You can also use toilet paper rolls or buy cardboard craft tubes.  We just happen to have tons of paper towel rolls!)
  • white paint & paint brushes  (big brushes are best for young children)
  • felt for hats and scarves
  • yarn to tie hats
  • buttons and wiggly eyes (or other accessories)
  • markers
  • glue (School glue works great on these materials, though we used hot glue so it would dry immediately!)

Easy How-to:

1.  Cut your paper towel rolls in half (or any size you want!) and cut your felt the right size.  We used a 9" strip for the scarf and a 6" x 4" piece for the hat.

2.  Paint the paper towel rolls white!  This is wonderful finger strengthening exercise!  Ours took about 1.5 hours to dry.


3.  When they are dry, glue the hats on.  This is easy to do by running a bead of glue along the 6" side of felt and then rolling the snowman head along the glue, wrapping the felt up as you go.  My preschoolers needed a little help with this, but my six-year old was able to do it by herself.  (Alternatively, you could use a baby sock the way Red Ted Art did in her snowmen.

4.  Tie the tops of the hats off with a bit of yarn and tie the scarves on.  This is also excellent exercise for little fingers, and I have seen some preschoolers who can tie a very impressive knot!

5.  Decorate the snowmen however you want!  We had kids who wanted to use buttons, some who wanted markers, and some who wanted both!


6.  That's it...now your kids have their own snowmen!

7.  I was so impressed with the creativity that went into these snowmen, that I just want to introduce them all to you!

Cue...Snowman Parade:

#1:  Smiley Snowman:


#2:  Professor Snowman (red hat with glasses) and Baby Snowman (pink hat):


#3:  Professor Buttons (the back of Professor Snowman...he seems to have something like a split personality!):


#4:  Alien Snowman (Check out those alien eyes!):


#5:  The "H" Snowman (He just wouldn't hold still for a picture!):





Do you love snowmen?  Be sure to grab my {FREE} Snowman File Folder Game too!


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I may share at any of these parties!
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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Christmas Crafts for Kids Review & Giveaway!!

Christmas Crafts for Kids by Beth Gordon from 123Homeschool4Me is a fabulous book with hundreds of Christmas craft and activity ideas for kids!





Christmas Crafts for Kids is 167 pages long and packed with tons of ways to make the Christmas season a little more memorable with your children.  Beth has included personal traditions, activities, classic crafts, keepsakes, recipes, and more.  Children 2-10 years old will love it!  My kids enjoyed making these reindeer puppets (from the Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer themed day)...and playing with them for the rest of the day!


What makes Christmas Crafts for Kids even more unique is that it is organized around children's Christmas books!  Each day in December before Christmas is assigned a book, and then activities that tie into that book's theme are presented.  Beth knows that families are busy in December, and she stresses that no one should feel obligated to do every activity, but instead choose what your children will most enjoy.  And finally, she includes an alternate book for each day too...just in case the primary book isn't available (or you don't like it!).   For example, the Rudolf day includes two suggested reindeer books, a recipe for reindeer cookies, a recipe for reindeer pancakes, the Rudolf Puppet instructions, Rudolf crown instructions, instructions for a DIY Rudolf Hot Cocoa mix gift, Reindeer Family Art project, and Rudolf Hand & Foot Art projects.  And that's just one day!  Some days have fewer activity suggestions and some days have more.  One page includes over two dozen gifts that children can make for others, and another page includes a similarly sized list of Christmas tradition ideas that your family might enjoy.

Christmas Crafts for Kids is perfect for last minute crafting ideas or a long-term planning resource.  I thoroughly enjoyed looking through it as I prepared this review...and my 6-year old daughter couldn't help "helping" me plan with it!

Here's the exciting part for you:  Beth is generously giving away one {FREE} e-book copy to one of my readers next week!  Just use the handy Rafflecopter form below!  International entries are welcome! This giveaway ends December 11th at midnight!  Good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway





I may share at any of these parties!
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Monday, December 2, 2013

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Sandpaper Christmas Tree Ornament Kids Craft

These Sandpaper Christmas Tree Ornaments give your children a fabulous texture to color on...just make sure they aren't coloring on top of your nicely-finished table!




Simple Supplies:
  • sandpaper "squares"
  • crayons
  • buttons
  • pompoms
  • glue (we used a "cool" hot glue gun, but you can also use Elmer's glue if you don't mind waiting for it to dry)
  • stapler
  • nail (to pop a hole in the sandpaper)
  • string

Easy How-to:

1.  (In advance!)  Roll the sandpaper up into a cone shape, staple it in place, and trim off extra sandpaper.


2.  Introduce your children to the sandpaper.  Talk about its texture.  How is it different from normal paper?  My children used words like "bumpy," "pokey," and "it feels like sand glued onto paper."  I added in "rough."  Explain that this unique texture will make coloring it a new experience!

3.  Show them the supplies, and encourage them to create a Christmas tree.  We colored the tree with crayons first, and then glued on the buttons and pom poms.



4.  Use a nail to pop two holes near the top of the tree.  Thread your string through the holes to make a hanger.  Or, display the Christmas tree on a counter!  




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I may share at any of these parties!
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