Craftivity Corner

Allison McDonald
Creative crafts, book suggestions, and tips to make time for learning in your busy day.

archives

January 29, 2010
February Crafty Genius !
The links today are all fitting for the upcoming month, February is packed with so many fun themes here are some crafts and learning activities to try ! Easy Mardi Gras Masks at Just For Fun! I will be doing this Montessori inspired Valentine's activity from Hey! I'm Just The Nanny. We may be dreaming of spring but celebrate your winter day with these milkshakes from Whisk Love these fancy hand sanitizer bottles, cause really what better gift for a mom, or teacher than the gift of NOT getting sick! Genius idea from Just a Girl I am not sure if this is genius - but my son loved it , it'...
Kids Crafts
January 28, 2010
Books About Family
When children are young family plays such a central part of their social life, and reading about all the special people they care about is a great way to talk about and strengthen those bonds. Angelina's Baby Sister by Katherine Holabird is realistic story about a big sister getting very excited about a baby coming , then once it is born realizing that it's not as wonderful as she dreamed it would be. Angelina is not used to attention being given to others and has a terrible tantrum when she is angry and feels ignored. A great book for kids expecting a new baby, and really any child who is...
Children's Book Recommendations
January 27, 2010
Heart Letter Match
My son has been asking how to spell things lately so today I grabbed the alphabet stickers and let him at it. Peeling the stickers are great fine motor practice and having to sort through the letters are a challenge even for a preschooler who knows all them. 1. Gather your materials. You will need some construction paper, marker, some stickers and if you like a cookie cutter as a stencil. 2.Start by tracing your hearts and writing a letter in each heart. 3.Start searching for letters! 4.Find them and stick them on! 5. Celebrate when your child has found them all!
ABCs, Hearts, Letter Recognition, Valentine's Day
January 26, 2010
Magic Snowflake...sorta...
Sometimes crafts don't turn out, and not always the first time you do them either. I have done this craft many times and never had an issue. This time my paper ripped- I was going to do a whole new craft but decided to show you this, and my option for a "fix". 1. Gather your materials. You will need some painters tape , white paper, markers, scissors and black paper for a frame if desired. 2. Make a design using the painters tape on your paper. It can be elaborate but simple *usually works best for removal. 3. Paint or color over the design, we went for a color mixing look, my son did some...
Arts and Crafts, Craft Fail, Preschool
January 25, 2010
I LOVE recycling !
There is only one person that loves these crafts more than I do and that's my husband, because it uses up the Pottery Barn Kids catalogs and my son and I can't drool and make wish lists from them! Instead we made a fun and frugal decoration for Valentine's Day! 1. Gather your materials. You will need some magazines, some cardboard, ribbon, a hole punch , glue , a marker and scissors. 2. Start by writing LOVE in big block letters on your cardboard.Remember no need to be perfect since it gets covered with paper anyway! 3. Grab your magazines and start hunting for red and pink, if you see it...
Kids, Letter Recognition, Recycled Art, Valentine's Day Crafts
January 22, 2010
Zoo-Tastic!
My post today was going to be a Valentine's craft but I have shelved it instead for a post about how to have a fun, educational trip to the zoo , instead of how we often feel after trips like that which is that we need to be locked up in one. We decided to go to the zoo because I have been working on a few projects so much lately that my eyes have stopped being able to focus on anything that isn't an LCD screen! It was our best trip yet and here is what made it fun and packed with learning. 1. Pack more snacks than you think you will need. We have to drive about an hour to our zoo so if you...
fun, Preschool, Tips, Trips to the zoo
January 21, 2010
Board Books About Animals.
Board books are great for babies and toddlers but many preschoolers still enjoy them too! Here are a few fun board books about animals that can help teach your little one all about creatures big and small. Animals by A. Barlow. This simple little book devotes one page to a familiar animal and one adjective describing the animal like the fluffy sheep and tall giraffe. The illustrations are bold and bright and this makes a great book for your smallest animal lover. How Big Is A Pig? by Claire Beaton is a cute and and educational book about animals on the farm and the concept of opposites. A...
Children's Book Recommendations
January 20, 2010
Stichin' Valentine!
This is simple but adorable , can be used for a gift tag on a Valentine's day gift or as a Valentine itself. 1. Gather your materials. You will need some foam ( or strong paper), 2 sparkly pipe cleaners, a hole punch, a cookie cutter ( for a stencil, you can free hand draw too- I just can't), and a permanent marker. 2. Start by drawing or tracing a heart with the cookie cutter with permanent marker. Let dry. 3. Cut out and add your message. 4. Punch holes. 5. Sew the pipe cleaners through. Ending at the top to make a loop.
Arts and Crafts, Kids, Valentine's Day
January 18, 2010
Valentine's Print
Using pre-cut foam shapes for a fun Valentine's craft makes it fast and easy and lets you and your child focus on the messy not the prep! 1. Gather your materials. You will need a rolling pin,a paper grocery bag, some self adhesive foam hearts ( we found ours at a local big box store), red paint and some foil or newspaper to roll the paint in. 2. Stick your foam hearts on your rolling pin. 3. Roll in the paint. 4. Print! This can be used for wrapping paper for your special Valentine!
Arts and Crafts, Valentine's Day
January 15, 2010
Giving Back: teaching young kids how.
It's amazing how the world has come together to help the devastation in Haiti. My son is 3 and I have purposefully not been watching news around him because he is very sensitive and I don't want him to be scared. I do want to remember how fortunate we are and just because I am not explaining this specific event to him , I can use it as a reminder to teach him how to give to those in need. Here are some ways you can incorporate teaching about service and charity for your preschooler : 1.Donate toys and books to a local women's shelter. Women's shelters are usually also shelter's for the women'...
Charity, Kids
January 14, 2010
Valentine's Day Craft Links!
The best thing about the blogosphere is the insane amount of creativity out there! Here are some great Valentine's ideas from around the web! Preschool Playbook has a great opened ended art activity to make all sorts of fun creatures with hearts! Have a place to hold all your little valentines with this holder from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman. This Valentine Peacock from That artist woman is unique and beautiful! Make your own Kisses with the how to from Bakerella!
Blog links, Crafts, Valentine's Day
January 13, 2010
Hole Punch Name Craft
Kids love writing their names on things. I have more than a few books from my childhood with giant messy Allisons written all over them. Avoid the defacing of good books and make this craft instead! Punching all the paper holes uses up scrap paper too! 1. Gather your materials. You will need a sheet of construction paper, some glue, scrap paper in many colors, and a hole punch. 2. Start by punching as many holes as you can! 3. Get a good mix of light and dark colors. 4. Using the glue write your child's name, or have them write it in glue. 5. Sprinkle them on! 6. Let dry and shake off...
Arts and Crafts, Fine Motor Skills, Preschoolers
January 12, 2010
Name Game!
When I was teaching preschoolers I was always on the look out for new ways to include all different senses for learning every day things like letters and how to spell their names. This game is novel, fun and effective. 1. Gather your materials. You will need some sand ( look in the home decorating sections of stores), a deep bowl, place mat, magnetic or foam letters and a small colander. 2. Pop the letters of their name plus some extra into the bowl with the sand. 3. Have them sift and sort. Letters that belong in their name on one spot on their mat, the others in another. Label the...
Early Learning, Letters, Preschoolers, Spelling
January 11, 2010
Name Alien Craft
This week I am focusing our craft posts on making things with your own name. Children often learn to recognize the letters in their first names first, can spell their names before most other things and even when they have mastered that love to make things that is just "theirs". Today we are starting out with something I love doing. I have done this in the past with cursive writing but wanted to adapt it for younger kids. 1. Gather your materials. You will need some construction paper, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, scissors, markers, glitter and glue. 2. Start by folding your paper...
Arts and Crafts, Early Learning, Preschoolers
January 8, 2010
Character Themed Crafts
These are projects I have found around the web this week. Do you see any of your favorite characters? On Zakka Life this Tinkerbelle inspired Pixie Hollow In A Jar took my breath away! Such a sweet craft! This Elmo puppet from Crafty Noodle is so simple but any Elmo fan will love it! This isn't a craft for kids to make , but you will bet they will use it! Awesome Batman Cape from Puking Pastilles! Love these simple Mini lightsabres from Make and Takes ! This Mickey Mouse Bag from Dollar Store Crafts would be perfect for taking to the library!
Blog links, Crafts, Kids
January 7, 2010
Sensory Snowflake
Have you ever made a craft or done an activity that you thought your child would like but they ended up loving? My 3 year old had an all out fit when I put this away and told him it was well past nap time. He loves scooping and pouring and wouldn't let me have a turn at all! 1. Gather your materials. You will need some glue, some cardboard ( cereal box is great), white rice, glitter and scissors. You will also want a pan that the cardboard will fit into. 2. Start by making a snowflake out of glue. 3. Next add your rice. My son took his time covering the whole thing, I told him he had to...
Arts and Crafts, Snowflake, Toddlers and Preschoolers, Winter
January 6, 2010
Christmas Card Recycling
What to do with all these holiday cards? You can't keep them hanging up all year, I say take them down and use them for an easy cut and paste project. Scissor skills are important for developing the muscles in the hand that are used for writing , so break out the safety scissors and glue. 1. Gather your materials. You will need some holiday cards, a sheet of construction paper , scissors and glue. You can add more extras to the collage if you want ( like sequins, tissue paper or glitter)or keep it simple like we did. 2. Cut your shapes out. We usually do cutting together, at 3 my son still...
Arts and Crafts, Preschoolers, Scissor Skills
January 5, 2010
As Quiet As A ...Book About Mice!
Kids love things that are even smaller than they are and mice make great book characters. There are lots of great books with mice in them but here are a few of my favorites. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henekes . Wemberly is a little mouse who does one thing more than most mice, she worries! She worries so much it makes her parents worry. Something is changing in Wemberly's life, she will start school soon and even for mice that don't worry much that is worrisome! I love how this book addresses her anxiety and how the parents in the story are so gentle and supportive. It's a great book! If...
Children's Book Recommendations
January 4, 2010
Loot Bag Art
This ball came from a loot bag a while back but I was reminded we had it after going to 2 different 3 year old parties this weekend. Painting with spiky balls like this is fun and easy. A while back we popped it in a ziplock and did a shake and paint, but today it was just a trusty old box! 1. Gather your materials. You will need some paint , a fun spiky ball, some paper and a box. 2. Fold or cut your paper so it fits inside the box. 3. Add two small drops of paint ( or one per color you are using). 4. Pop in your ball and start tipping it back and forth. With young kids you will want to...
Arts and Crafts, Painting, Preschoolers