Craftivity Corner

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

archives

February 27, 2011
Dr. Suess's Birthday Links!
March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's Birthday so today I am linking to some great Seuss themed activities! This is my favorite Seuss craft ever! Thing 1 and Thing 2 pencil toppers from Skip To My Lou , genius! Michelle at Muffin Tin Mom always hits it out of the park. This Seuss themed muffin tin lunch is no exception. This Cat in the Hat is just one of the awesome activities to celebrate Seuss at Teaching Two. I shouldn't write these posts when I am hungry, after looking at these cupcakes from Cassie Craves I am craving one too! I can't leave out the hat we made a few years back on No...
Dr Seuss
February 26, 2011
" It's Not Perfect!" Model Drawing
  The need to be perfect , to make things that look exactly like the model is not an easy one to over come with some kids. My son is one of those kids. I have from a very early age said things like " Make it how you want." " Paint whatever you want." etc... but what he wanted was for it to be exactly what he imagined in his head. He has a natural tendency towards perfectionism and his meltdowns when things weren't perfect even made me question and put a pause of crafts for a while.  I was worried all the creating was making it worse , so instead we did...
Early Childhood Education
February 25, 2011
3 songs, 1 tune!
All three of these songs use the very familiar tune of " I'm a little tea pot" to help teach lessons about nature! Don't be shy about singing with your kids, you don't have to be a wonderful singer, just have fun. Little Fishy I'm a little fishy watch me go,I swim fast and I swim slow. When the day is over it's time to sleep I swim up high and dive down deep! Little Daisy I'm a little daisy tall and slim here are petals and here is my stem. When the sun comes up and the rain comes down I grow and grow up from the ground! Little Penguin I'm a little...
Early Learning, Music, songs
February 24, 2011
A simple color theory lesson
This was a fun lesson my son and I did while my daughter had her morning nap. He'd asked me a few days ago what happens when you add white to colors so I told him we'd have a lesson in making tints ! 1. Gather your materials. You will need multiple colors of paint ( we chose the colors of the rainbow), containers, brushes and paper. 2. Pour your paint in your containers. I let my son do this and it was great for 5 colors, one not so much. Use washable paint! 3. Mix the colors with white and ask your child what they observe. 4. After mixing all the colors paint! He made a rainbow!
Art, Colors, early learning.
February 23, 2011
Spring Cleaning - napkin bouquet
This is such a fast but such a cute craft , it's been brightening my kitchen all weekend!  It's a great way to use extra fun napkins from birthdays or other parties. 1. Gather your materials. You will need some napkins ( dinner size works best) and the same number of  pipe cleaners. 2. Open the napkin all the way. 3. Gather in your hands. 4. Secure with pipe cleaner. 5. Repeat and wind all the flowers together into a bouquet.
Crafts, supplies
February 22, 2011
Spring Cleaning - Magic Wand
We are moving soon and need to clean out the house of everything extra- and you can imagine that I have a lot of extra supplies for crafts. So for the next few weeks we will be doing "Spring Cleaning" crafts with everyday things that I need to get rid of and you probably have in your house too! Magic Wand ( don't I wish I had one to do all my cleaning?). 1. Gather your materials. You will need a hole punch, scissors, curling ribbon , markers and a paper towel roll. 2. Start by decorating your roll. 3. Next punch holes. 4. Cut ribbon. Remember to keep it short and any craft...
Crafts, Pretend Play
February 21, 2011
Field Trip and Report!
I try to keep Friday a playdate / errand free day for my kids and I so we can do a planned field trip that we prepare for and use as a lesson after. Sometimes they are as big a headache as they were when I took 22  3 year olds to a very overwhelming museum in my previous life as a teacher, but not usually. This post isn't about prep though , insyead it's about turning simple field trips into fantastic memories, and lessons for everyone. There are plenty of places you can go even if you live in a smaller community . Call the local fire department, nursery, grocery store or post...
Early Learning
February 17, 2011
3 Nature Activities Inside!
I used to be outside a lot more but now with an infant I am not as brave to go outside when it's windy, wet or snowing. I still want to teach my kids about the outdoors even if we are inside more than out. Here are 3 quick and fun ways to bring outside in. Mud Puddles in the kitchen.  Gather some potting soil , some fun plastic animal toys ( salamanders, frogs and bugs are our favorites), a dish tub and an old ratty towel. Hand your child a small bowl of water and a spoon and count how many spoons it takes of "rain" to turn the soil into mud. Play with the animals. Leaf...
Early Learning, Nature, Science
February 14, 2011
Creative Robot Gift Wrap
My son had a good friend's birthday party yesterday and for once I felt so prepared. I had the address googled, I had the gift... oh no I forgot the wrap. I looked at the clock and there was no way I'd be able to pop into any store and not be very very late. So we grabbed the aluminum foil, sticky back foam and a pipe cleaner. For the eyes we used two large squares and two small ones, the mouth was a rectangle with a zig zag down the middle and the antenna are 4 rectangles stuck together with a pipe cleaner zig zagged and stuck between them. This was not only a huge hit but a...
Birthday Presents, Gift Wrap, Robot
February 13, 2011
Fast but Fancy Valentine's Treat
Giving to other's is an important part of teaching your children about love. That love is a verb and one of the things we can do is make special treats for those we love . It was a rainy afternoon here so we searched online for fun easy recipes and found this one for Oreo Truffles  . So far so good, they were easy to make, and look cute too. We will take them to church in the morning and let the "old guys" ( my son's favorite elderly gents at church - they range from 70-95) taste test! As you can see my son did his own taste test too. I know as a mom I am shy about...
Valentine's Day
February 11, 2011
Valentine's Day Links !
There are so many great iedas for Valentine's Day but I loves these 5 ! These awesome valentines are magnets and can be found at Feels Like Home cute and useful! How cute is this Owl? You can find it here at Naturally Educational ( and the post that inspired it here ) This heart clothes pin clipping activity is just one of the many Valentine's Day themed fine motor activities over at The Education of Ours I LOVE this gratitude tree from Nurture Store , what a great way to make Valentine's Day about more than chocolate ! How genious is this homemade wrapping paper made with a...
Blogs, Craft Ideas, Valentine's Day
February 10, 2011
Valentine's Day Sensory Tub
We love sensory tubs! Much like pouring or water tables you see in preschool classes , these mini versions are fun to play with at home and offer great learning . This one is all soft and silky, a great change from our usual. Gather your materials you will need a bin ( we love dish ones from discount stores) , some cotton balls and silk flower petals. If you want add so confetti , but it will sink to the bottom which may frustrate your kids. My son grabbed some tongs and sorted the petals and cotton balls. But there is no wrong way to play!
Early Learning, Valentine's Day Crafts
February 9, 2011
Paper Roll Love Bug
I love bugs and I call both my kids " Love Bug" all.the.time. So of course a craft like this pops into my head when Valentine's Day is on the horizon. This version reuses some around the house recyclables and can even stand on it's own so you don't have to make room on the fridge for it! Gather your materials. You will need a paper roll , some tissue paper ( regular printer paper will work too), a pipe cleaner, goggly eyes , glue, scissors and markers ( crayons or paint work too). Start by coloring your paper roll. Next fan fold the tissue paper to make wings. Poke a...
Kids' Crafts, Valentine's Day
February 8, 2011
5 Tips - Traveling Alone With A Baby
This isn't my normal post but after mentioning that I recently traveled across the country with my 7 month old alone to many other moms, and their immediate questions and requests for advice I thought's I'd write a  tip post. 1. Extra Time - Give yourself as much of this as possible, your baby will need a diaper change at the most inconvienient times, security will take longer when you are trying to get everyhting on the belt while holding a baby and getting from point A to point B simply takes longer when you aren't solo. 2. A Baby carrier. Ditch or do what I did and...
travel with babies
February 8, 2011
5 Tips - Traveling Alone With A Baby
This isn't my normal post but after mentioning that I recently traveled across the country with my 7 month old alone to many other moms, and their immediate questions and requests for advice I thought's I'd write a  tip post. 1. Extra Time - Give yourself as much of this as possible, your baby will need a diaper change at the most inconvienient times, security will take longer when you are trying to get everyhting on the belt while holding a baby and getting from point A to point B simply takes longer when you aren't solo. 2. A Baby carrier. Ditch or do what I did and...
travel with babies
February 7, 2011
Babyfood Jar into Valentine Treat Jar
My daughter recently started solids and we have lots of baby food jars just waiting to be made into something fun. I realized that the little ones are the perfect size for a portion of treats ( in our case Annie's Chocolate Chip Bunnies) during snack time last week and the idea for this was born! Gather your materials. You will need a baby jar, treats of your choice, hot glue gun, and a valentine heart pick ( 9 for a dollar at the dollar store). I also used white craft tape to cover the writing on the jar lid. Start by covering the lid with tape. You can also cover the jar with...
Valentine's Day Crafts
February 3, 2011
Lovely Love Story - Ten Big Toes and a Prince's Nose
One of the perks of being a blogger is that sometimes publishers send you books to review, I never know what I will get but the tell tale knock at the door and a UPS package on my welcome mat only means one thing around here - that I have a new book to read!  I don't review every book I am sent and sometimes i wait until the moment is right, like for Valentine's Day. Even though this book isn't about the holiday it is a love story! Ten Big Toes and A Prince's Nose by Nancy Gow  and beautifully illustrated by Stephen Costanza It's a love story about a prince and...
Children's Book Reviews