My daughter came home from Kindergarten with this homemade harmonica and I thought it was so cool and simple that I had to share it with our readers! My girls spent hours (I'm not joking!) playing with this simple harmonica! For hours of fun with your kids you'll need: 2 large popsicle/craft sticks (or tongue depressors) 1 large rubber band 2 small rubber bands 1 straw scissors Step 1) Cut 2 pieces off of your straw that are 3/4 to 1 inch in length Step 2) Wrap the large rubber band around one craft stick Step 3) Slip the straw pieces under the rubber band (one on each end) Step 4) Use the 2 small rubber bands to put the other craft stick on top and bind the two sticks together. One rubber band on each end on the outside of the straw pieces. Step 5) Play your harmonica! If no sound comes out at first, have your kids press down with their lips while blowing to make the sticks come together a little more. … [Read more...]
Pipe Cleaner Dragonfly
I was inspired to have my girls make dragonflies when I came across a cute dragonfly craft activity while searching the internet. Unfortunately that webpage no longer exists so I can't link to it. The craft involved supplies that we did not have and also contained pins which I did not want my girls to play with... so...we adapted that idea with what we hand on hand...pipe cleaners, markers, and coffee filters! Yep, that's all you need (oh, and a little water and scissors) to make these super cute pipe cleaner dragonflies! Step 1) Have your kids color with non-permanent, water soluble markers on coffee filters. Step 2) Spray the coffee filters with water until the colors bleed. Don't spray too much or you'll dilute out the colors. If you don't have a spray bottle, you can sprinkle water onto the coffee filter with your fingers. Step 3) Let the coffee filters dry completely. If your kids are impatient like mine, use a hair dryer to get them to dry … [Read more...]
Celery Rose Stationary- Mother’s Day
Not too long ago I was chopping up some celery for dinner. I grabbed the stock and sliced off the base of the celery and set it aside. A few minutes hours later I looked at that left over end of the celery stalk and saw a rose. A rose? Yup, a rose! I've seen people use potatoes as stamps for projects so I thought that maybe it would be alright to use some celery, right? All you need to make the cutest Rose Stamped Stationary for Mother's Day is celery, paper, and paint! Cut the end of the stalk of celery off and dab it dry on a paper towel. Dip the celery stalk in red paint and have your child stamp it on the paper. Use their thumb or finger to make the leaves with green paint. It's THAT easy! I wish i had more photos to share with you but somewhere between cutting the celery and the final product I forgot to pick up my camera again. Hope you have time to make these and will share with us how it went. … [Read more...]
Paper Beads
A few weeks ago I saw a girl at work making something interesting during her down time. When I asked her what she was doing she said, "I'm making paper beads. You've never heard of paper beads?!?" Nope, I had never heard about them nor had I seen them until that day. She showed me how to make them and told me my girls should be able to do them too. So...we tried it! To do it yourself, you'll need: Magazine pages (or similar paper) Something to cut strips with (scissors work fine but they take a long time) Glue (preferably glue sticks) Pencil for little kids or a q-tip for older kids String Step 1) Cut the magazine pages into long triangular strips. The fat end should be no wider than 1/4 to 1/2 inch then tapering to a point. For smaller, fatter beads, make the fat end even smaller. Step 2) Spread glue over one side of a paper strip. Which ever side you spread the glue on will be the side that shows on the bead. Step 3) Wind the paper strip … [Read more...]
Pipe Cleaner May Day Baskets
May Day is coming up soon. Some people celebrate it and some people don't. In making these May Day baskets with my kids I learned that some people even celebrate it differently than I remember. For me, it was a day where you left candy in a basket at the door of a friend or neighbors house. For Jamie, it was a basket filled with flowers. Two different versions of the same idea. Just to brighten someones day and to make them smile! All you need to make these baskets are a handful of pipe cleaners. (I found MY package in the dollar bin at Target, SCORE!) Gather up a handful of pipe cleaners and pick out 5 and snip those in half. They will end up being about 2 1/2 inches long and you will end up with 10 pieces. Take four of those pieces and twist them together (to give you eight spokes) and take another and attach it to your pipe cleaners and snip it so that it measures the same as the rest. This will give you nine spokes (and you will want an odd number) to weave. Begin by … [Read more...]
25 Unique Non-Basket Easter Baskets
Are you tired of putting your child's Easter goodies in baskets every year? Do you have piles of old baskets lying around from previous years? This year, how about doing something different and practical with a non-basket Easter basket!? Before we move on, don't forget to check out our 50 non-candy Easter basket fillers and our 13 unique non-candy Easter egg fillers. Now ditch those boring baskets and try these 25 Non-Basket Easter Basket Ideas: 1) Beach pail Fill it with fun stuff to bring to the beach 2) Sun hat tipped upside down Fill it with sunglasses and other fun summer accessories 3) Personalized tote bag Fill it with anything 4) New pair of shoes Stuff the shoes with Easter goodies 5) Tool box Fill it with kid friendly tools for your little handy helper 6) Tackle box Fill it with fun things for a fishing trip 7) Backpack Fill it with art supplies 8) Large dump truck Fill the bed of the truck with smaller cars 9) Beach towel Put beach stuff on top and tie it … [Read more...]
