Craftivity Corner

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

archives

September 30, 2010
Picture Books For Your Princess
Princess Books Princess Smartypantsby Brenda Cole . Princess Smartypants marches to the beat of her own drummer and doesn’t get her families obsession with finding her a husband. Princess Smartypants doesn't need another person to make her feel confident, smart or whole and this story is a perfect message for little girls a little too wrapped up in Prince Charming. Princess Baby by Karen Katz is a book about a little baby who does not want to be called cupcake or any other endearing nicknames she wants to be called by her name, Princess Baby! Katz knows how to write wonderful books for...
Children's Book Recommendations
September 29, 2010
Butterfly Princess
Butterfly Princess Wand If you are a princess you need a wand to rule your kingdom. This one is fun and oh so pretty! 1. Gather your materials. You will need some sticky back foam, a dowel, 3 pipe cleaners , and scissors. 2. Start by cutting your foam into 2 same size pieces. Do not peel off the back yet! Cut into a butterfly body shape ( not the wings). 3. Peel off one backing , press in your dowel. 4. Curve the pipe cleaners into wings and press in to the foam. 5. Bend the third pipe cleaner into antennae and press in. 6. Peel the backing off and press on top!
Kids Crafts
September 28, 2010
Glitter Foam Bead Necklace
Princess Bling Something I love about using foam as beads is that they don't slip and slide all over the ribbon ( as long as you don't use super tink ribbon) so young fingers can do this without help. 1. Gather your materials, You will need 4 sheets of sticky back foam, some ribbon, hole punch and scissors. 2. Start by sandwiching two sheets of foam together. 3.Cut the foam into fun shapes. 4.Punch holes. 5. Thread!
Kids Crafts, princess
September 27, 2010
Pretty Princess!
I have been enjoying themed weeks and this week it's all about Princesses or Princes! The crafts will be sparkly and fun. I will be using a lot of sparkly sticky back foam, something that isn't cheap but if you make multiple crafts with it you will get your money's worth. Every Princess Needs A Crown! Making princess crowns are fun but waiting for the glue to dry is such a drag. Using sticky back foam and double stick tape takes the wait out of the picture and pretending to be a real princess can start as soon as the last jewel is stuck on. 1. Gather your materials. You will need a paper...
crown, Kids Crafts, princess
September 24, 2010
Sports Balls Count and Match
1. Gather your materials. You will need a folder or other strong paper, contact paper, card stock cut into small rectangles or squares, sports ball stickers, and a marker. 2. Start by making 2 matching cards with the sticker and number for each number you are including. 3.Using contact paper laminate one card in each pair onto the folder / paper. 4. Play!
Early Learning, Kids Crafts, Math
September 22, 2010
Baseball Lacing Craft
Fine motor skills are often ones that traditionally marketed boys games and toys aren't as focused on as many girls are. To encourage the uninterested child ( boy or girl) make something in a theme they love, like this baseball lacing card. 1. Gather your materials. You will need a paper plate, hole punch, yarn, tape, scissors and a marker. 2.Start by cutting the middle of the paper plate out and drawing stitching on it with the marker. 3. Using the hole punch , punch holes along the stitching. 4. Cut a piece of yarn long enough to thread through the holes with slack. Tape the end on the...
Early Learning, Kids Activities, Kids Crafts, Sports
September 21, 2010
Fan Letter Writing!
Getting kids writing can sometimes be a challenge. One fun and authentic writing lesson is to write a fan letter to their favorite athlete. My son is wild about Ichiro so we looked up the fan mail address on his team website , sat down and wrote. My son is only 3 so he dictated the letter to me and I wrote but he drew a picture to go with it. Then the learning was still not over. We took a field trip to the post office, bought a stamp, and mailed the letter away. It's amazing what a huge hit this was and how with a little creative thinking a reluctant writer can find excitement in the task.
Early Learning, Kids Activities, Sports Theme, Writing
September 20, 2010
Sports Week- Kick Off!
This week I have been thinking all about sports! These are all quiet sit down activities for your normally loud, constantly moving sports fan. Save them for a rainy day or another time when playing sports isn't an option. Painter's Tape Pigskin It's football season ( groan) and this was an easy and quick craft my son really enjoyed. 1. Gather your materials. You will need some cardboard , painters tape, a sponge paint brush, brown paint, markers and scissors. 2. Start by drawing a football. Using the painters tape tape off the stitching. 3. Paint ! 4. Let dry and peel the tape off. 5....
Early Learning, Kids Crafts
September 18, 2010
Moving Books
Moving to a new house is tough but when you have a book to help explain all about it. Goodbye House by Frank Asch is a great reminder for parents that kids get a lot of security from the familiar and may need to say goodbye to it before moving on. Little Bear is moving to a new house in the book and before they leave the empty house he tells his parents he's forgotten something. As he goes through the empty rooms it turns out that he simply forgot to say goodbye. At first reading I thought this was rather sentimental but when I read it with my son I saw it's magic. Great book. Berenstain...
Children's Book Recommendations
September 15, 2010
Crafty Links - Hand Print Crafts
I love this apron idea from Skip to My Lou, she shares the tutorial at Alphamom. This wreath from Impress Your Kids could be done in fall colors now or save it for winter. My favorite place to go for hand print crafts is Ramblings of A Crazy Woman. Here are my 3 favorites of her many! Hand Print Lamb Hand Print Butterflies and last but not least... Hand Print Turkey!
Hand Print Kids Crafts
September 14, 2010
Foot Print Butterfly
You could make this foot print butterfly by simply stepping in paint and folding the paper but this is a little less messy! 1. Gather your materials. You will need some paint, a brush,scissors, a piece of paper and a foot! 2. Start by folding the paper in two and tracing your child's foot along the fold. 3. Next open the paper up and paint one side. 4. Fold and press. 5. Open and let dry. 6. When dry refold and cut along the foot print. Open and you will have a butterfly.
Kids Crafts
September 13, 2010
Hands, Fingers and Toes - Finger Print Lady Bug
This week I decided to go with the theme of body part crafts. Well crafts that use body parts to make them... that sounds weird doesn't it? I mean using hand and foot prints and finger prints too! 1. Gather your materials. You will need a paper plate, some red paint, black marker or stamp pad, scissors and a red pipe cleaner. Also a paper towel to wipe fingers. 2. Start by finger painting the inside circle of a paper plate red. Let dry. 3. Press your finger into a stamp pad or color the tip with a marker, and make finger prints on the dry paint. 4. Cut out just the inside - I drew a...
Kids Crafts
September 12, 2010
Baking Sprinkle Art
Today is the last day of our Use What You Have theme and we are going into our pantry for this one. Kids love glue, and glitter but have you ever let them use baking sprinkles instead? 1. Gather your materials. You will need some black construction paper, glue and baking sprinkles. You will also want a old place mat or table cloth under the paper. The glue and sugar can seep through. 2. Start by making fun designs with your glue, it can be abstract or something more literal like mine. 3. Dump the sprinkles on! 4. Shake off the excess when dry. I love the neon effect!
Kids Crafts
September 12, 2010
Q-Tip Shapes!
Use what you have is the theme this week and if teaching with q-tips doesn't fit that bill I don't know what does! 1. Gather your materials. You will need some q-tips, paper and a marker. 2. Start by making some shapes for your child to trace. This to me isn't the lesson, it's the demonstration. The lesson is step 4! 3. Have your child make the shapes with the q-tips. 4. Now that they know all the fun shapes they can make, flip the paper over and ask them to make their own shapes. I like this one that we created!
Early Learning, Kids Crafts
September 9, 2010
Kids Craft Links-Use what you have!
Staying with this week's theme of using things we have around the house for crafting these are fun links you can try! I don't normally link the same blog twice but I couldn't help myself. I Can Teach My Child has so much using house hold things! The letter boxes above are made from baby food containers and use for a letter hunt! Feels Like Home has a great top 10 crafts to make with cookie cutters! Use ziplocs to make this body book! I Can Teach My Child will show you how. lil Mop Top shows us how to paint with golf balls !
Kids Crafts
September 7, 2010
Around The House - Craft with what you have!
I wanted to do a short series of crafts and activities with things that most of us have on hand at any time! Today's Craft is an underwater scene using cupcake liners! 1. Gather your materials. You will need some cupcake liners, wiggly eyes, glue, markers and a sheet of construction paper. 2. Start by flattening out a liner and turning it into a sand dollar. 3. Fold some in half and make them into clams! 4. Fold another in half and make a jelly fish! 5. Glue to your paper and add the jelly fish stingers and some waves!
Kids Crafts
September 2, 2010
Rubber Duck Painting
My son and I used to do this all the time. Rubber duckies are great for young toddlers to make prints with because they are large enough for fumbly hands and make a squeak when they are pressed down, so it encourages the child to keep doing it. What I didn't know was that at 3.5 he'd still love it. 1. Gather your materials. You will need a rubber ducky, some paint, a plate and paper. 2. Spread your pain on your plate, dip your duck in ... 3. And make some tracks. After you are done painting throw your kiddo and the duck in the bath!
Babies and Toddlers, Kids Crafts