Posts Tagged ‘fathers’
Ladybug, ladybug
Posted on: June 23, 2009
(I always liked pompom animals. They seem so much fun, so cute. Evan likes carrying them around and naming them. So I decided we needed to make lady bug ones. This was an easy, simple craft that both boys enjoyed, which turned out to have no mess.)
Things you need:
- Red 1 in pompom (or 2in)
- Black mini pompoms
- Black marker
- Googly eyes
- Glue
Have the child make black dots on the red pompom. The child might have to swirl around the marker to make a good size dot.
Making spots
Glue on the eyes.
He can see!
Then glue the mini pompoms on the top to make antennas.
Now he is a true bug.
Evan decided he needed to decorate his bug more, so he added a mini red pompom for an earing.
The ladybugs
Plastic Egg Heads
Posted on: June 22, 2009
(I always liked those cute little egg shell planters. I once read that cutting grass was an easy way for children to learn how to cut. So I combined the two projects. Since I was going to let Evan cut the grass, I figured I better use plastic egg cups. Luckily these ones even had holes. The boys loved doing this because they got to color with markers and play with the dirt. How awesome is that!)
Things you need:
- Egg carton
- Plastic Easter egg shells
- Markers
- Dirt
- Grass seed
- Spoon
- Water
Take the plastic eggs and have the child draw faces on the eggs. (I wanted to add googley eyes, but Evan nixed that idea.)
Decorating eggs
Place the eggs in the egg carton, so that they cannot be tipped over.
See, mine had a face.
Have the child place some dirt in the eggs with the spoon.
There's a reason I suggested a spoon
Have the child put in enough grass seed to cover the area.
You might want to do this outside
Have the child put on a slim covering of dirt. (Um, we missed that step. We had too much dirt to begin with.)
Grow, baby, grow
Let the child water the plants and take care of them. (Unfortunately we only had three blades of grass grow. We’re redoing this planting experiment.)
Magnet Artwork
Posted on: June 17, 2009
(I have read several places about taking those magnet business cards and doing something with them, like gluing pictures on them. I decided on art work for the boys to do. As my b0ys love coloring and stickering, they enjoyed doing this.)
Things you need:
- Business magnets
- Craft foam or construction paper
- Markers, stickers, anything else you want to decorate with
- Scissors
- Black marker
- Glue (craft or hot)
Trace the business magnets on the craft foam or construction paper with the black marker.
Tracing the magnets
Have the child decorate the shape. Cut the shape out.
The artwork
Glue to the magnet.
The magnets
(I have also heard of moms who make a scan of the child’s artwork and print it in business card size. This would work for the magnets too.)
Craft Foam Picture Frame
Posted on: June 16, 2009
- In: Gift Crafts
- 1 Comment
(I was trying to find a twist on the picture frame idea because grandparents and parents just love pictures. The boys really liked decorating the frames. Evan had a unique twist on the stickers as he used Halloween spiders.)
Things you need:
- Craft foam
- Scissors
- Pen
- Markers, stickers, anything you want to decorate with
- Glue (craft or hot)
- Picture
- Magnets
Trace out a square for the picture on the craft foam. Cut out the square. (I left an inch and a half around the picture for the frame.)
naked picture frames
Have the child decorate the craft foam.
The frame, Evan, decorate the frame.
Decorate the frame. Decorate the paper.
Glue the picture in the frame. Glue magnets on the back of the frame. (I picked up decorative magnets for a buck at Michael’s.)
The back of the picture frame
Decorated frames
Picture Frames
Posted on: June 15, 2009
(This is a great craft with lots of variety. The boys and I did this one last year. They had a blast. The husband loved it.)
What you need:
- Unfinished thick picture frame (the thicker the better to give room for toddler creativity)
- black or white paint
- finger paints
- paint brushes
- sealer or top coat
- sand paper
- smock
First sand and prep the picture frame. Next paint the background color with white or black paint. Once the background paint is dry, have the child paint the frame. After the painting is dry, paint the sealer or clear top coat to protect the painting.
Variations:
For older children, a regular unfinished frame works well too.
The child can stain the frame.
The child can paint it black and the sponge paint it with gold, silver, or any other favorite color.
The child can paint it black and put stickers on it. Glow-in-the-dark stars look really cool.
The child can paint it a solid color and glue rocks, shells or buttons on the frame.
The child can decoupage the frame with material, color paper, magazine articles.
Rain Painting, not sprinkling
Posted on: June 15, 2009
(When it rained the other day, I was so excited because I’d wanted to do this craft forever. I had to wait until warmer weather. It also turns out it should be raining, not sprinkling. It did not work out at all. I’ll try next time it rains. I got the craft at Family Fun.)
Things you need:
- Heavy paper plate
- Food coloring
- Rain
Drop several drops of food coloring on the plate. Take the plate outside and let the rain make patters with the food coloring.
Food coloring on the plate- check
Out in the rain
Still doesn't look like art
Still looks ugly
Butterfly Kites
Posted on: June 5, 2009
(I got this idea off of Family Fun. But I decided to do it using coffee filters, which was more fun and messy. The boys loved building these and playing with them. It makes walking to get the mail more fun.)
Things you need:
- Smock
- 2 coffee filters
- Markers
- Bowl of water
- Paint brush
- Scissors
- Pipe cleaner
- Yarn
Have the child color the coffee filters with markers. The more color, the more fun.
Colored coffee filters
After the child is done decorating the filters, have the child paint them with water, making the colors run.
Water painting filters
Let the filters dry. Fold the filters in half to cut out half a butterfly making the wings even on both sides. (I wish I could have found a template.) Do not make a head or tail because the pipe cleaner will do that.
Butterfly cutouts
Have the child fold the pipe cleaner in half and slip the butterfly wings between it.
The bodies are forming
Cross the ends of the pipe cleaner to form antenna. You can bend them into little nubs if you like.
Almost done. Now where's that yarn?
Tie a piece of yarn to the pipe cleaner, long enough to fly the kite behind the child. If the child wants to flutter the kite, tie two short pieces of yarn to the pipe cleaner.
