Kids Gettin’ Their Craft On: TP Roll Bracelets

You know those hot summer days when the kids are just bored out of their minds and there’s absolutely ‘nothing’ to do? 

Yeah, we have those too.  Never mind the fact that we have toys coming out our ears and books that have yet to be read.  Those things just won’t do on ‘boring’ days such as the one we had a couple weeks ago.  Of course those days are over now (crossing fingers) that school is back in session and we are getting our homeschool groove on.  Ok, maybe only in a perfect world…

But a couple weeks ago, K and her friend found something to do on just such a boring summer day.  It was a miracle!  I didn’t even have to help them think of it.  They just asked if they could have some toilet paper rolls (that I’ve been saving for another project) and some yarn.

 

Sure!!  Why not? 

And this is what they came up with….. 

All they did was cut the TP roll in half to make two bracelets, snipped one side all the way down the middle to create the opening, then put a light layer of glue on the outside and wrap the yarn around.  Does it get any simpler?  I dare say not! 

Once it’s done, simply put it on your arm like a cuff. 

Aren’t they cute?  Creativity at it’s finest! 

**Note:  The only problem they ran into was that K flattened her TP roll out too much as she glued which made it difficult for it to stay on when it was done.  Keep it rounded as much as possible. 

Smash Books

The first time I ever heard of Smash Books was on Pinterest.  One of the gals that I follow has a whole board dedicated to them so they kept popping up on my… ‘feed’?  Is that what we call them? 

Anyway, it looked like a whole bunch of miscellaneous papers, thoughts, pics, lists… pretty much whatever you wanted.  So, I had an idea…

My kids collect garbage!  To them it’s not garbage, more like treasures.  They get upset when I call it anything that sounds ‘trashy’.  Excuse the pun. 

They get little papers from church with thoughts and quotes on them (not what I consider garbage, it just gets cluttered), notes and letters from friends and cousins, and sometimes they like to save things like candy wrappers.  Why?  I know not.  They just do.  But I get tired of finding the trash all. over. the. house! 

Enter, the Smash Book!

Each child was presented with one of these sketch books.  ($3.?? at Wal-Mart – I don’t remember the exact amount.)

And now they can smash whatever garbagy treasures they want into their own personal smash book and I don’t have to find it everywhere.  My kids have smashed everything from church quotes and calendar pictures to lists of things they desire for their future and candy wrappers.  And there’s always room for more because they’re supposed to look cluttered. 

Gotta love it! 

MORE Busy Bag Ideas

I really hope you need more busy bag ideas because I’ve rounded up a few more of my kids’ favorites to show you. 

{If you missed the first busy bag post, click here}

And there might be one more post of busy bags coming up… maybe.  Do you need more?  Cause I’ve got ‘em!  Remember, I came home with a whopping 47 bags last week.  To be honest, we haven’t even opened some of them (like the colored pasta or rice – I’m saving those for a project with the girls ;))

But let’s take a look at some of the busy bags that we have played with and loved. 

First up, I’ll show you the two I made.  I’m maybe a little bit ashamed to admit it because mine were soooo inexpensive to make and I know that some people had to have spent quite a bit of money on theirs.  I know I came away with a TON more than I contributed.  But hey, that’s the way it goes.  I couldn’t have done it at all if I didn’t have cheap ones. 

Anyway, back at the ranch….

Popsicle Match 

Cut felt in a variety of colors for ‘popsicles’… 2 per color.  Hot glue, or sew the two pieces of the same color together being careful not to close the bottom.  Write the name of the color of each ‘popsicle’ on the end of a large craft stick (tongue depressor) in black (for beginning readers), and on the other side, write the name of the ‘popsicles’ in the actual color of each popsicle itself (for preschoolers).  Do NOT attach the popsicles.  They are meant to be slid on and off the sticks for matching the colors and/or color names.

Worm Pick-up

You just need a bird (clothespin), a piece of ‘grass’ (paper) and some worms (pipe cleaners).  Cut the worms up and shape them.  Have the bird pick up the worms from the floor or table and put them on the ‘grass’.  {Lots more great ideas for fine motor skills here!}  C likes this one.  He had a hard time with the ‘bird’ at first but he’s got the hang of it now.

Rocks in a Bottle

I know this seems silly but I’m telling you the kids love this! Take an empty water bottle and fill it with those decorative pebbles.  You don’t need the bottle to be full.  My kids (especially C and B) like this a lot.  They dump them out and then they stay busy putting them all back in.  And then they dump them out and put them back in again.  It’s a vicious cycle! 

Actually, they really like it when I let them have an egg carton, too.  They like separating all the rocks into the different egg compartments.  H likes to separate the different colors of rocks this way, too.

Hot Glue Designs

A and H really like this one a lot.  They are already contemplating what other kinds of shapes and designs they could make.

Just take your hot glue gun and make a design on some cardboard (squiggles, shapes, smiley faces, stripes, etc – hey those all start with S… weird!).  Once it’s completely cooled and dried, you can set a piece of paper over the design and rub it with the side of a crayon (remove crayon wrapper first).

Sponge Blocks

C and B have already had a ton of fun with this one!  Just cut some sponges into strips.  It doesn’t get any easier than that, right?  My kids play with them slightly wet to help them stay.  Plus, C likes to squeeze the water out of them (over the cookie sheet, of course ;)).  This keeps my kids entertained for quite a while sometimes.  And sometimes not, you know how kids are…

Wooden Disc Memory Game

I’m sure that’s not the technical name but it’s late and I don’t want to find that particular bag (among the 47!) just to find out.  We’ll have to live with Wooden Disc Memory Game for now.

This is one of MY favorites!  I don’t know why.  It’s just so darn cute!  It’s pretty self explanatory.  Just cut shapes out of felt to fit the discs and glue them on.  Have your child turn 2 over at a time to see if they match.  Match by color and/or shape. 

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And now for a VERY serious question… is anyone else weirded out by the fact that Christmas is NEXT MONTH?!  Hey hey hey, some of these might make great gift ideas, no?  I think so…

 

Puff Paint

Today I was SuperMom!  It happens… maybe not often, but it happens.

Want to be SuperMom, too?  {or Aunt, or Grandma… whatever}  Well, here’s how you do it…

MAKE PUFF PAINTS!



It’s a great way to use up all that self-rising flour you’ve been hoarding in the pantry.

Wait… what?  You don’t have self-rising flour?  Who are you?

Totally kidding, I didn’t have any either.  But fear not!  You can make your own, and I can almost guarantee that you have all the ingredients to do so.  Ready?

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Mix it all together and you’ve got self-rising flour!

 

Well, that was painless.  Now let’s make the paint…

I found this concoction on Pinterest.  It originates from this blog.  She’s got lots of other great things, also. 

I decided it was time I put some of the ‘Pinteresting’ things I have found to good use.  You’ll need to mix the following…

1 T. self-rising flour

1 T. salt

3 or 4 drops of food coloring (we used traditional and neon colors)

enough water to make a thick paste (1 T. was perfect for us)

Mix it all together and you’ve got puff paint!



 

Paint on cardstock or cardboard {don’t use regular paper… it won’t turn out well}.  Cardboard will help it not curl up on the edges.  Use brushes, cotton balls, q-tips, whatever you want.  Make sure you paint pretty thick!  Otherwise, it will not puff.





Once you’ve finished your painting, put it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute.  THAT’s where all the magic happens!  You want it dry and puffed. 





How easy is that? 

Now, go on!  Be a Super… for the day!



 

Easy Felt Hair Bows

This is a bow that my daughter learned how to make at an Achievement Days activity for our church.  Since then, she’s been making them for birthday presents for her friends.  They are so easy and fun!

Here’s what you’ll need:  a piece of felt, beads and/or jewels, marker, cup, glue gun, scissors and hair clip.

This was her felt of choice for this particular bow.

You’ll begin by tracing the opening of the cup onto the back of the felt with a marker five times {recognize that cup from the soda can hair bows?}

And now cut them out, just inside the marker lines.  Reserve one for the base.

Run a zigzag pattern of hot glue down the middle of each of the circles.  And fold it in half.

{Hers looks more like a dot but a little more than this is necessary}

Now do the same thing on the half circle of felt and fold in half again.

Do this four times, remember to reserve the fifth one as a base.

Glue each of the pieces onto the base with the point in the middle. 

Cut a small piece of the leftover felt big enough for the clip to hold onto.  Run a zigzag pattern of glue over it and glue to the underside of the hair bow.

Add a jewel…

…and some beads… and VOILA!!  So easy, a kid can do it!!

Hand Knitting

 

 



 

 



 

Aren't they talented?  I've never actually done this but I do know that the way they end their finished product is incorrect.  I've since looked up the correct way to do it but this works for them. 

You gotta love the end of the 2nd video... "Don't forget a leash for your toys."  In that monotone voice.  Because every toy needs a leash.  Trust me, at our house, every toy that belongs in the animal kingdom wears a leash.  Don't ask me why, go ask a fly.  I don't get it either.