Creepy Crafts

Getting ready for Halloween? Well this might help you out... I found this great little website that Ben & Jerry put out - just for the spooky holiday. This page is all about fun and creepy crafts you can do for everybody's favorite time of year...

Here's a preview...

Make your own Halloween decorations. Print out these craft pages, color them, cut them out and fasten them together to make your own Ben & Jerry's Halloween decorations. Stick them in your office, your classroom, your car, put them everywhere. Stuff you'll need:

• Computer and printer - that sort of goes without saying
• Scissors
• Paper fasteners - available at office supply shops or department stores
• Hole punch
• Crayons, colored pencils or markers
• Optional - glue stick or white glue or paste, light cardboard

Check out Creepy Crafts and make your kiddo crow with delight...

Until next time...
BusyMOM

Fun and Funny Kids' Concoctions

Watch your kids' eyes get wide with delight and surprise as they watch what happens when they add certain ingredients together (with your supervision, of course!) Here are a couple of little projects to get started:

Invisible Messages

What you'll need:
- light colored construction paper or office paper
- crayons; same color as chosen paper
- watercolor paints
- sponge or paintbrush
- water

What to do:
Have your child draw a picture or write a message with the crayon that's the same color as the paper (example: green crayon on same or similar green-colored paper.) Once the drawing or message is completed, simply have your child brush a different color of watercolor paint over the paper to reveal the "secret" message or picture.

Magic Wishing Potion

What you'll need:
- tall glass (like a pilsner if you have one)
- bowl
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- food coloring
- white vinegar

What to do:
Put the glass inside the bowl. This will keep the spills going all over your table. Then, put the baking soda and few drops of food coloring into the glass. Have your child close his eyes, make a silent wish and then have him slowly add the vinegar. Watch as the liquid starts to bubble up and spill over like a magic wishing well.

For more great ideas for fun and funny concoctions, visit the DIY Network website.

Paperbag Puffer Fish

There's more to the little brown paper lunch bag than meets the eye! This colorful project is a fun one to do on a rainy day. �

Kids love to color. Here's a fantastic project that will keep them entertained and will result in a beautiful fish!

What you'll need:
- paper lunch bag *
- rubber band
- old newspaper
- magic markers
- construction paper�

* if you can find white paper bags, use those because the color shows up so much better. But, if you can't find them then, no worries - the plain ol' brown kind works just fine.

What to do:
First, stuff the paper bag until it's half full with crumpled up newspaper. Wind the rubber band around the the middle of the bag and fan out the remainder like a fish tail.

With the markers, have the kids make eyes and a mouth and then color a design of their choice for the body. Cut out some fins from construction paper and glue on to the body.

Several of these Puffer Fish can be strung with fishing wire and hung up to be admired.

Bug Safari

Here's a fun thing to do when the weather's great and you want to take a nature walk... go on a bug safari! Fill your backpack with a few snacks and a couple of jars with lids.

As you walk, look for insects like ants, spiders, worms and beetles. Look under rocks and old logs. You'll be surprised at what you'll find!

Gently capture the bugs...

with tweezers, fingers, or gloves and place them in the jars you brought with you and take them back to your picnic area and observe them while you eat.

Watch out for bugs and insects that sting.
Make sure you help your child understand which bugs or insects will sting and which will not. Many times, a child will not grow to fear insects - especially stinging ones if they are taught to admire them in their individual beauty and industry. Bugs are fascinating to children.

The joy of being outside with your child is watching him or her experience the wonder of discovery. Children love to find things and watch movement and what better way to engage them in the process of observation than to go on a bug hunt. It's fun, it's educational, and your child will begin to appreciate the beauty and symmetry of nature.

It's good exercise too!

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Want to learn more about making great paper airplanes? Check out the Easy Paper Airplanes website and download 10 Easy to Make Paper Airplane Designs today!
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Fun with Action Words Activity

Kids Crafts

This is a fun activity to do with young children. It serves a few really wonderful purposes: 1) good bonding time with your child, 2) it has educational value, 3) and it gets you both MOVING!

All you need is your imagination and/or a dictionary, a little music and some time in your day...

First, come up with a list of action words like:

Leap
Slide
Run
Crawl
Fall
Stretch
Spin
Reach
Turn

Explain what each word means to your child - if they don't know - and show them the action associated with it. Then, put on some music and try out your words together in motion.

Call out each word to your child and the action together a few times. To make it a little more challenging, put a number in front of the action word the next time you call it out, like: "3 turns" and then perform the action together.

To take it up another level, you and your kiddo can make up dances using two or three of the words in a row, for instance, turn, run, and slide. Watch and see how much fun your little one will have (and you will too!)

For variations on the theme, you can vary the directions and levels by doing the action words backwards or sideways, lower to the ground or stretching up higher in the air.

Have fun with it!
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Are you interested in showing you child how to make paper airplanes? Check out my Web site Easy Paper Airplanes and my blog too. Lots of great info and another fun way to spend time with your child!
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Watery Chalk

Kids Crafts

You have a creative child. Or you want to encourage your child's natural inclination to want to be creative. This simple project can open up your kiddo's eyes to what can be done with a little chalk, some paper and with adult supervision, a little liquid starch. The end result is satisfying for both you and your child and something you'll want to keep for a long time.

What you'll need:

• Colored chalk
• White drawing paper
• Liquid starch
• Paintbrush

What to do:
There are two ways to do this project:

1. Draw a picture on the paper with the chalk, then with the paintbrush, brush liquid starch over it.
2. Or, dip the paper into the liquid starch first and then draw on the wet paper. Either way, the pictures end up beautiful.

Have fun and watch your child's delight grow by creating something beautiful.

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Want a neat way to spend valuable time with your kiddo? Check out my Web site Easy Paper Airplanes and my blog too, for free instructions and loads of fun making paper airplanes. Lots of great info and yet, another fun way to spend time with your child!
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Keeping Little Kids Busy

Kids Crafts

I Know How To Keep Little Kids Busy

Anyone who has young children knows that the single most difficult challenge is how to keep them entertained.

It's the very thing that can make the difference between a happy child who is enjoyable to be around and a child who is constantly looking for trouble.

But, this simple objective seems to be much easier said than done.

If you are unable to keep your child entertained, you're likely to find that they have colored their bedroom walls, stuck a peanut butter sandwich into the VCR, or cut their own bangs when you weren't looking.

For some, entertaining their child means parking them in front of the T.V. to watch Sesame Street. Others haul their child to class after class, at great expense or spend hours each day at the park endlessly pushing a swing.

I've personally discovered that there is an easy way to keep young children entertained.

Not only does it keep them entertained, but it accomplishes a variety of other things as well:

- Builds positive self image
- Encourages self-discipline
- Rewards hard work and diligence
- Promotes eye-hand coordination
- Cultivates a love of learning
- Fosters cooperation with others
- Encourages their imagination

Are you ready for the magic bullet?

Here it is: Do crafts with your child!

I know what you're saying -- That's all well and good for kids. As parents, we want the best for our children and will do whatever it takes to give them the best life we can, but do we have to do kid crafts?!?

Okay, that's what I used to think. Doing kid crafts, especially toddlers and preschoolers seemed like such a pain in the neck. I used to think that it was too messy, hard to organize, and really not worth the effort until they got a little older. Then a friend of mine got me to try it a couple of times and I found out that doing these types of activities really made my job as a parent soooo much easier!

~ The kids argued less among themselves and with me
~ Discipline became easier and less necessary
~ They played together better, even developed their own little games
~ I didn't have to constantly entertain them anymore
~ My oldest started helping me more with the younger ones and even wanted to help in the housework
~ They all became easier to handle when we went out

You get the picture. The point is that kid crafts really made a big difference in our daily lives! Now we do a project of some kind nearly every day and everyone is happier!

The only problem is finding age-appropriate crafts.

I searched through a ton of free websites and bought a few child crafting books, only to be disappointed. Most of the resources I found were just too old for my children.

That's when I came across "Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons," and I absolutely love it!

Not only is this craft book full of unique ideas, the author, Chris Yates, has even put in a lot of extra ideas to make each craft more or less challenging, depending on the skills of your child.

This is more than just a kid's crafting book, it's really a guide on how to craft with your child, create learning opportunities, and create your own projects to do with your child as they grow.

Chris really wants you to get the most mileage out of every craft project she writes about.

I guess you can tell that I like Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons - actually I think it's one of the best books on the market for crafting with younger children. That's why I feel so comfortable recommending it to you.

The best part about this book is that you can gain instant access to it. It's the first kid's crafting book that I've ever seen available in an e-book.

If you craft with your toddler or preschooler, or you want to, don't waste your time looking through free web sites. Don't waste your money on craft books that will leave you disappointed.

Check out Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons Now!

Here's to your crafting future!

Oh, and one more thing...

Chris has packaged Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons with Little Kid Paper Plate Crafts -- making it an outstanding value for anyone who crafts with their kids!

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