A few more crafts for Valentine's Day

Here are a few more. This first one is just one I came up with off the top of my head, but I'm sure has been done in a million different ways.  First, I had my kids make a list of ten people that they love. Next, they wrote the names of each person on a heart. Then, they glued the hearts to a paper plate.  Once dry, they added some glitter (VERY MESSY!).  These are so beautiful and sparkly, and the photos do not do them justice, but here is how they turned out:

The next craft is a variation on this: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mlacing.htm Shhhhhh!  It's for daddy on Valentine's Day - they each had to write why they love their daddy in the center of the heart, punch holes all the way around and then lace the string through.

You can't read the yellow in this photo, but the end of that reads "playing video games."

 And of course, my rainbow girl with her rainbow markers - this took her forever to finish - but it's pretty and colorful!

We are such a mushy, gushy, lovey, huggy family.  Valentine's Day is one of our favorites. The kids get candy, a new book (an accidental tradition that started when Bridgette was three, and kinda stuck), and a card on Valentine's Day.  What does your family do?

Hug your babies today!

Stacy

It's been a while...

So, it's been a while.
Almost two months!
We've had a busy two months.
Something had to give.
And while we've been doing fun crafts around here, the blog just hasn't been updated like it normally is.
Life is like that.
Even though I love to blog - I'm a "wordy" kinda gal...when life pushes back and gets full, it's the first thing I shove off my plate.
Sorry for those of you who check back often.
I'm back on again - and hopefully will start blogging more often.
It's a good outlet for me, and if nothing else, gives me a few moments of quiet in a day of crazy.  :)

So.
Valentine's Day!
Yes, we've been crafting, although not as much as we normally do this time of year.
Here are some we've done and loved - first, a penguin made from hearts!  Big kids can trace and cut these out on their own.
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mheartpenguin.htm

Do you have love bugs at your house?  We do!  http://crafts.slides.kaboose.com/266-our-favorite-valentine-s-day-crafts/8   The final step on these doesn't call for hot glue - but it's what we used to hold them together faster and better. Even Jake (5) can handle a low-temp hot glue gun.  They can be found at the dollar store, and work great for projects like this!

This next one is a "mommy put-together" craft, but cute to do something as a family, and neat as a memory to look back on when they are old.  We hung ours in the middle of our craft wall.  I found it here:  http://crafts.slides.kaboose.com/266-our-favorite-valentine-s-day-crafts/16

That's all we've done for Valentine's Day so far, with two more in the works...and a few others we might get to before Monday. If we do, I'll post them and the links so you can make them too!
Here are a few winter things we've done.
Mittens in snow:

Snowflakes...way too many of these floating around the house - but here are a few they did:

And winter handprint wreaths.  These are about to be replaced with Valentine's Day wreaths, so I wanted to get a photo before I took them down!

And these are just too fun not to share. I haven't been putting too much up here from our homeschool curriculum, but these are Brazillian Carnival Masks that the kids made. They came out awesome!

Phew!  How's that for a catch up?

I'm doing great since surgery in December, and am finally back to jogging two miles each morning, which feels great. I've lost some more weight, but that is another post for another time.  The kids are good, hubby is good, and I can't complain.

I hope you are doing well!

Stacy

Our Week of Michaels and ACMoore Crafts

Eh- that about sums up my opinion of doing these pre-fab crafts for the week. They were helpful as we were busy with the Christmas production, but they weren't all that they were cracked up to be.  Some we loved, some we didn't - but here's my take on some that you might try with your own kids.

First we did the "make a mug" craft. In terms of doing it - simple. They color.  The only issue is that the tops are really loose on the bottoms, so the insides can easily get wet. To fix this, we covered their art with contact paper, trimmed it to fit, and put it in the cups.  This way, even if they get wet between the outer part of the cup and the insert, the art is still safe.  They loved it - I thought they were kinda dumb.

Next we moved on to foam house kits - which were adorable, but needed a lot of adult supervision.  My older two kids could assemble theirs, but Jake needed some help.  Also, even though the directions don't call for it - you really need a hot glue gun to put them together.  They suggest craft glue - but it just doesn't work.  Trust me, we tried. The final product was adorable, but this is a totally hands-on project for mommy or daddy to do with the kids.

The next project we did was a "melt bead" project - you know they look like this in the package:

These were very easy for my kids.  Bee followed the directions on hers and made an ornament:

Then Alex made this on his own - I was pretty impressed:

And then Jake copied it exactly - which I also was impressed by - I mean, he's only five!  :)

These were nice, because aside from the ironing at the end, the kids could work on these on their own between subjects. They are simple, time consuming, and work those necessary fine motor skills.  As for what to do with them??  The holes seal shut, so you can't really hang them - right now they are hanging out on my kids' school desks...they seem to like them there.  :) 

The next day, we made these puppets - which I adore!!  The kids could totally do them on their own, once I tied a knot in their needles for them (so the string wouldn't fall out).  They could look at the package, and figure out which pieces needed to be glued onto which parts - and they came out so cute!   On Jake's (Santa) we had to use cotton balls for a beard because it didn't come with his beard for some reason.  For a buck, though, I can't complain.  This is a totally kid-independent (you'll note that I was actually able to take photos of them doing this one)  project, and I give it two thumbs way up!

 Finally, we made these "little pot pals" - which I just coudn't resist. Now, these were also supposed to be put together with tacky craft glue - but we didn't even attempt it. I took this as an opportunity to teach my kids how to use a hot glue gun.  Some parts they held while I glued, and some parts I held while they glued. Each one was a team effort, with them doing as much as I felt they could.  They enjoyed using the hot glue, and it made the projects come together quite quickly and easily.  Aren't they sweet?

*note - bee's didn't come with eyes - so she drew them on, because the only google eyes we had on hand would have been too big.

So there you have it - our week of store bought crafts. This week we did more "home made" type crafts which I will be posting at the end of this week and throughout the week next week, with links so you can make them too if you want to.

I hope you are enjoying your babies this holiday season. I know I am!!

Merry, Merry!!

Stacy

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Ah, the first in a series of Chrismtas posts!!  I'll be sharing great Christmas books, crafts, hairstyles and ideas to keep yourself sane and you kiddos busy this holiday season.
This week, we are at practice each night for the EPAC Christmas show.  Here's a sneak peek of one of the songs Bee is in:

So - due to our (once again) crazy busy schedule, we will do simple crafts this week.

I confess, I'm a black Friday shopper. I LOVE it in a way that is probably very unnatural - but it's true.  I found a great deal at both Michael's and AC Moore - 30% off your entire order, so I hit up both stores for simple crafts.  Here's the best part - even if you had no coupon - these crafts are just a dollar each anyhow!  They are usually as you first walk into the store, hanging on the wall. There is quite a variety, and the kids love them.  So if you are a mom who wants to craft but doesn't feel "crafty" or doesn't have time to pull out the glue, and scissors, etc., these crafts are perfect for you.  Everything you need is contained in the package, and the kids will love them.

So, crank up the Christmas music and join us!  A Craft a Day until Christmas has officially begun!  This project was simple.  We used watercolors to paint wooden Santa's village scenes.  Very little mess, and easy for any age!!

Happy crafting!

Stacy

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

We've continued to work on a few things for Thanksgiving this week.  I choose this for our final craft: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/mtpturkey.htm Here is how ours turned out:

They were pretty easy to make, although the tops kept popping off whenever they were moved. I would say this is a decoration that would be good on a shelf where it won't get bumped or moved around.

The day before any major holiday break, we celebrate the day by doing themed work.  You'd be amazed at what you can find for free on the internet, and the kids have so much fun doing it, they forget that it is work!

Here are my favorite sites for ideas and holiday worksheets:

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/

http://www.activityvillage.com.uk/

www.kidzone.ws/math/thanksgiving

Yesterday, they were given the assignment to name a turkey and write a story about him or her.  They had to tell whether or not the turkey got eaten on Thanksgiving.  They were pretty funny.  We read a book about a turkey that poses as a pizza delivery boy to avoid getting eaten on Thanksgiving - thus the pizza references.   Here are their stories (post mommy spelling editing - the grammar is their own) - I thought you'd enjoy reading them.  

Jake:

Tickturkey

Tickturkey is funny.  He is crazy.  He gets lost, but a pizza man shows up.  The pizza man throwed the turkey in the house and they cooked him and ate him.  This is Jacob's story.

Alex:

John Turkey

It was the day before Thanksgiving and John Turkey was the main course. Then turkey had an idea.  Turkey dressed up as  a sword but the farmer found him, and accidently killed himself by running into his blade.  Then turkey ran away and got up to Heaven where he was safe.

(a tad violent, but what eight year old boy isn't??)

Bee:

Cookie Turkey

It was the day before Thanksgiving.  My turkey Cookie got cooked.  First, Mommy made the cornocopia while Daddy made the cranberry salad.  Next, Mommy made corn and Daddy cooked Cookie  Turkey.  But when Cookie came out, she was hot pink!  That made the girls happy.  The boys did not like it.  She turned pink because she was a rainbow turkey.  The boys said, "no" to eating it, but the girls already ate it all gone.

I had them re-write their stories today on lined paper with a turkey header.  Cute!

They also did Thanksgiving word searches, crossword puzzles, math sheets, and a simple craft:

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/m-givethanks-turkey.htm  which they used as a cover for the Thanksgiving Book (I just put together everything that they did today with their story in the front).

It has been a good day, and final week of celebrations. Tomorrow we will relax as a family - and Christmas crafts will start on Monday!!

Have a blessed and relaxed weekend.

Stacy