Sailboat
Made of sticks laid in a grid, this boat offers smooth sailing. Pick a lucky toy to take passengers on a ride.

For the boat's bottom, glue sticks, slightly spaced (they expand in water), onto support sticks. Leave space in middle for mast to fit snugly. Glue sticks across top (cut away part of middle stick to make room for mast).
For mast, overlap two red sticks; glue. Cut newspaper into a sail and stamp on name; cut slits in sail. Put sail on boat.

The Very Busy Spider: Spinning spider Web

source: crafttoart.com

Fish Tank Aquarium Fun - Recycled Glass Jar

source: crafttoart.com

1,2,3,4,5 once I got a Fish alive

source: crafttoart.com

We had so much fun creating Fish Tank Luminary that we made one for Valentine's Day. My Husband(Mr.J) is a music lover and works on music compositions during his free time. We(CJ and I) made a Music notes luminary as Valentine gift. He liked our gift. Though he is not using it as luminary, Music pen stand decorates his Music table.

Materials Used:
Glass Jar
white Tissue Paper
Gloss-Lustre Mod Podge
Thick Paint Brush
Recycled Styrofoam container to mix up mod podge
Sticko Music notes sticker
Tea light Or LED light

Science experiments with plastic bottles

PIPE CLEANER MAGNET BOTTLE

We cut pipe cleaners into small pieces and put them in a plastic bottle, then used a magnet to move them about inside the bottle.



MINI LAVA LAMP

We used a small plastic bottle to make a simple mini lava lamp. We filled the bottle three quarters full with vegetable oil and then filled the rest with a mixture of water and blue food colouring. This works best giving the bottle a good shake.



source: http://sunnydaytodaymama.blogspot.co.uk

MAGICAL HAND - NEMO AQUARIUM

Source: http://myhandicraftscollection.blogspot.co.uk

Hand Cut Butterflies

(Source: Notimeforflashcard.com)



Gather your materials. You will need 2 pieces of construction paper,scissors, crayons, glue,googly eyes and some sequins.



Start by tracing your child’s hands.



Next give them the 2nd piece of construction paper and have them draw whatever they want.
While they create a butterfly habitat or just scribble ( it’s all great practice and creativity!) cut out the hands and lay the thumbs on top of each other. Trim the bottom so it looks like a butterfly glue together. Older children can do this and should do the cutting if they can.



Glue onto the decorated paper.
I used a crayon to outline where the body was and some antennae.
Add the glue
Add the bling! Start with the eyes.



Next add lots of beautiful sequins. Picking up these tiny sequins is an awesome fine motor activity,encourage your child to pick them up making an O with their thumb and index finger,not by sliding them off the table.
Let dry !

Leaf Rubbing Tree

(Source: notimeforflashcard)




- Gather your materials. You will need a paper towel roll, some white paper, scissors, tape, crayons in fall colors with the paper removed and leaves from your garden.



- Start by going outside and finding some fun leaves , bringing them in and pat them dry if needed.

- Place the leaves vein side up under a piece of paper – for my son I taped the leaves onto a paper so they wouldn’t shift when he was trying to do the rubbing.



Rub your crayons over the paper and watch the magic leaf appear! You can see I still had to hold his paper steady.

Cut them out as you go.




Time to tape. We used tape because it would be very tricky to glue with white glue and our glue stick was MIA. A glue stick would work nicely as long as you glued it horizontally and waited until it was dry to stand it up.
Attach all the leaves and stand up!

Paper Plate Tortoise

Gather your materials. For this craft you will need a paper plate, some paint and paint brush, some paper, glue , scissors and crayons.

Paint the outside of your paper plate, I am using a foam brush because it minimizes mess , and isn’t that always a plus with young children?



While your child is painting the plate ( and possibly your table too) fold a piece of paper in at least 4, draw a shape of your choosing. I chose hexagons but any shape would do. Some shapes are hard to find in the real world so incorporating them into a craft like this is a great way to learn.




Cut the shape out.
Glue the shape on to the painted plate to create a cool shell!



While your child is gluing the shapes on , fold another piece of paper in 2, and draw the outline of four feet, a tail and a head. If you want you can have your child color these and add eyes and a mouth too!
Cut these out and glue them on the inside of the paper plate.

Sponge Painting

(Source: notimeforflashcard.com)

Sponge painting is a wonderful way for young children to explore paint, they don’t need to have superior fine motor skills to succeed at making a great finished piece of art, here’s the how to:

Gather your materials. For this art activity you will need a regular kitchen sponge, some paint, a paper plate or the like to put your paint on, paper and scissors.

- Cut the sponge into some good hand size shapes for your child. We’ve been learning about shapes so I made some , but you can cut out fish shapes, letters..the sky and your cutting ability is the limit!
- Spread some paint on a plate or tray and dip your sponge in.

I







like to mix colors as we paint, it’s fun and keep the kids interested, as well as asking them what shape or picture they are making with the sponge.

Experimenting With Texture: Homemade Paint Brushes and Texture Tools!

(Source: pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com)

We made a homemade set of "texture" paint brushes
(and scrapers)
out of re-cycled/re-purposed materials.

Here are some photos of ours to get your creative brain juices flowing!

We gathered our materials:
Pipe Cleaners
(chenille stems, as Martha would say)
Rubber Bands
Yarn
Craft Foam
Sponges
Wooden Clothespins
Old Toothbrushes
Wooden Handles
(I saved from those little disposable foam craft brushes!)
Cardboard Scraps

Then, we got to work cutting-up and rubber-banding different
various materials to the wooden handles to make "brushes".

By cutting different designs in pieces cardboard
we could make different designs
when we scraped and dragged it through our paint.

When they get soggy and floppy, just toss them in the recycling!

(Psst.... Plastic hair combs are fun to do this with too!)

I set out blank sheets of office copy paper
and some bowls of washable craft paint
and asked "C" to show me how we should use these new tools.

We used Clothespins for a few handles too!

It was fun to cut loose for an hour yesterday
and experiment with the different tools.

We ended up with all kinds of pretty and funky papers.

(I see Eric Carle-inspired collage-making in our future!)

Wine corks make good circle stamps
(think: homemade dot-a-dot markers!)

Fingers make pretty neat "texture tools" too!

Happy Texture Making!

August Sensory Tub & Playdough - Ice Cream!

(Source: Countingcoconut.com)

Ice Cream Shoppe Tub
What's inside:
:: LOTS of colorful homemade pom-poms (aka scoops of chocolate, mint, strawberry and vanilla ice cream!)
:: Silicone cones - these were a surprisingly cheap find at a local store
:: Ice cream scoop and spoon
:: Little red beads - James calls these "cherries" :)
:: Small sundae cup and bowls
:: Sprinkles - because of ants, humidity and what's sure to be sticky fingers I'm keeping these sealed!
:: Wooden banana (for a banana split, of course!)












This dough is so much fun to play with - James LOVES it! It smells delicious and the colors look so pretty all mixed together. :) Oh and bonus, all that tearing and pinching of the dough is excellent for strengthening those little fingers!

Now for the pom-pom tutorial. These are SO quick and easy peasy to create - each one took me only a minute or so to make. I remember making these with my sister when we were kids. This would be a fun activity for children who know how to cut and tie.

Here's what you'll need:
:: Yarn - this is a great way to use up leftover bits. I used whatever I had on hand, but I would recommend chunky weight yarn for these.
:: Sharp craft scissors
:: 5 inch piece of cardboard folded in half

Step one:
Wind the string around the cardboard. Using the chunky weight yarn, I wound approx. 25 times around.

Step two:
Cut the yarn and then cut another 6 inch piece of yarn.

Step three:
(apologies for the blurry photo)
Slide the yarn "ball" off of the cardboard, being careful not to unravel the loops. Gently center it on top of the 6 inch piece of yarn.

Step Four:
Use the 6 inch piece of yarn to tie a tight double knot in the center of the yarn "ball".

Step Five:
Using your scissors, cut the loops - make sure you DO NOT cut the knot you created in Step Four.

Step Six:
Trim and fluff the edges so they are all fairly even. That's it! You now have a happy little pom-pom!

I'm linking this post up to The Preschool Corner, Tot Tuesdays, Montessori Monday, We Play and Creative Friday.

How to Make Rainbow Coloured Rice (Without Alcohol) for a Toddler Activity Sensory Bin

(Source: Africanbabydontcry.com)

I previously mentioned that I have been longing to make Jesse coloured rice to play with after seeing so many pretty pictures of it on Pinterest. I looked up a couple of recipe's and noticed they all used rubbing alcohol (surgical spirits) as the liquid to spread the colour over the rice. I don't really like the idea of my child playing with something covered in alcohol, besides the fact that it stinks, so I made up my own recipe, with great success! I used vinegar instead, and my colours came out just as, if not more vibrant.
Here is the recipe for my (almost natural) recipe for making rainbow coloured rice. I say almost natural as I used food colourants instead of natural dyes. I wanted vibrant colours and food colouring delivered. Now, while I don't allow my child to consume this poison, I figured that since the colouring has dried on the rice, and it does not come off the rice while playing in it, it is virtually safe. I'm not sure I would make finger-paint with food colouring as then the dye has a chance to be absorbed into his skin. Well that's my logic anyway.
Now for the how-to...
First, gather your supplies:
You will need:
- A large quantity of cheap rice, 'sweepings' would work well as it is not going to be consumed.
- White Vinegar
- Liquid food colouring in a variety of colours
- Re-sealable Bags - you will need one for each colour you want to make.
Place a few cups of rice into your re-sealable bags, depending on how large it is, and add a few drops of food colour. How many drops you use depends on the quality of you food colouring, I used a good quality and a cheap food colouring and achieved bright, deep colours with both, I just had to use more of the cheaper one. Add enough vinegar to wet all of the rice without soaking it. I used about a tablespoon of vinegar per cup of rice. The more you use, the easier it is to spread the colour, but the longer your rice takes to dry.
Seal your bag and shake the rice around letting the colouring completely dye the rice. If you find the colour is too weak, or there isn't enough to cover all the rice in your bag, add more.
Once you are convinced the rice is dyed empty it out onto a baking tray lined with tinfoil and place somewhere to dry.
I left it to dry overnight, although it was dry enough to move into bowls by the same evening.

Thư gửi bé Na!

Con thân yêu! Bây h là nửa đêm. Đáng lẽ ra mẹ đang “phải” tranh thủ lúc con đang say giấc để ngả lưng lấy sức chiến đấu với những cơn khóc hờn của con khi con tỉnh giấc vào khoảng 2h nữa. Nhưng hôm nay là một ngày đặc biệt, với mẹ, và vì vậy mẹ quyết định

ngồi viết cho con bức thư này, bức thư đầu tiên mẹ gửi cho con nhân dịp con tròn một tháng tuổi. Cứ giả dụ con nhé, rằng mười lăm năm nữa con sẽ biết cách truy cập internet để đọc được những dòng thư này của mẹ. (Mẹ rất bảo thủ trong việc bảo lưu ý kiến không cho con cái tiếp xúc với internet quá sớm, bởi con còn rất nhiều năm sau này khi đã trưởng thành để sống trong cái thế giới đầy sôi động, kỳ diệu nhưng cũng đầy cám dỗ của thế giới mạng. Thay vào đó, mẹ thật lòng mong con sẽ được trải qua những mùa hè, những thời gian rảnh rỗi bài vở với con trâu, ruộng lúa nơi đồng quê. Quê ai, ở đâu thì mẹ còn chưa nghĩ ra, nhé!). Mẹ không hình dung ra được thế giới xung quanh con trong mười mấy năm nữa sẽ ra sao, nhưng mẹ có thể điểm qua cho con thấy một số ít những sự kiện/ thông tin đang diễn ra trong cuộc sống ngoài kia, bên ngoài căn phòng con đang say giấc ngủ của em bé một tháng tuổi để con tiện hình dung và so sánh về sự biến chuyển của thời gian giữa 2 thời khắc của con và mẹ, nhé. Nổi bật trong những ngày này là sự kiện về mối quan hệ đang dần nóng lên giữa Việt Nam – TQ về vấn đề biển Đông. (Mẹ không hy vọng thế giới khi con khôn lớn sẽ thái bình hay im tiếng súng gì gì etc nhưng mẹ mong sự yên bình sẽ luôn theo con tới bất cứ nơi nào mà con hiện diện. Khi đó, nếu chiếc hộ chiếu con cầm có thể được miễn thị thực thêm một số nước ngoài ASEAN thì thích, con nhỉ?) Tình hình khủng hoảng chính trị ở Bắc Phi chưa có hồi kết, vì vậy mà giá xăng dầu lúc nào cũng có nguy cơ nhảy vọt. Hiện h giá xăng trong nước là 21,300VND/l. Với mức giá này thì mẹ đã tiết kiệm được 4,300VND/l xăng cho cung đường lăng quăng ở Hà Giang nhờ việc đã thực hiện nó vào tháng 9/2008. Đây là ví dụ rất rõ ràng để con thấy rằng nên đi du lịch bất cứ khi nào có thể vì giá cả ngày một leo thang và chi phí cơ hội sẽ ngày càng cao, con nhé. Giá vàng trong nước là trong khi giá đô vẫn loanh quanh ở mức 20,5K. Thị trường bất động sản đang đóng băng do ảnh hưởng của chính sách thiết chặt tín dụng của NHNN. Thật tiếc là tại thời điểm hiện tại, với những tháng ngày rong chơi không nghĩ sâu xa đến việc tích góp, mẹ rất phiền lòng phải thông báo với con rằng mẹ chẳng có khoản dự trữ nào về cả đô, vàng hay BĐS cả con ạ. Nhưng sau này nếu phải tìm mua nhà (hy vọng con có nhiều xiền như thế), mẹ trích dẫn giá sàn của một vài căn hộ chung cư mới là để con tiện so sánh, nhé: Times City đang dao động ở mức 31 – 37tr/m2 có chiết khấu, Royal City. CPI 6 tháng đầu năm đã trễm chệ ở mức 2 con số, hứa hẹn một nắm lạm phát tưng bừng, giá cả leo thang vòn vọt. Trong khi đó, mẹ hầu như không có cơ hội được tăng lương trong vòng ít nhất 1 năm tới. Điều đó có nghĩa là nếu con có bị hăm do mẹ không thể mua bỉm ngoại cho con dùng thì con cũng sẽ hiểu được cho mẹ phần nào, phải không? Thôi nhỉ, có lẽ mẹ nên dừng mục điểm tin ở đây vì thật ra mẹ cũng chẳng quan tâm lắm đến thế giới ngoài kia, vì con đang bù đầu với những cơn khóc quấy của con trong căn phòng bé nhỏ này. Mẹ điểm qua thế chỉ là vì mẹ muốn con biết rằng thế giới ngoài kia đang rất sôi động, biến chuyển không ngừng. Vậy mà mẹ, hàng ngày, hàng h chỉ loanh quanh với con trong căn phòng này với chu trình ăn – ngủ – ị – khóc quấy của con. Không phải mẹ than phiền đâu nhưng giá như có cách nào khiến con bớt quấy khóc đi thì thật tốt quá, con nhỉ? Yêu con, Mẹ