Because It's More Fun To Make It Yourself - Homemade Kids Crafts

One of our favorite things to do as kids was to play with play dough. I don't even want to guess how many tubs of that stuff we went through. It's always the hands-on, get-to-touch it kind of crafts that seem to fascinate young children the most. For my sister and me that included anything to do with some sort of craft dough, or finger-paints. We could spend hours over a large sheet of paper smearing the paint with our fingers or making handprints.

My favorite childhood memories revolve around both of these crafts and more specifically around making the supplies with my mom. There is just something magical about seeing a handful of household ingredients magically transform into pink play dough.

Give it a try. Make some simple salt dough with your kids and let them form it into pieces of art. Bake it in the oven and let them paint their creations after they are cooled.

Here's a simple salt dough recipe:

Salt Dough

Ingredients:

4 cups Flour

1 cup Salt

1-1/2 cups Hot Water

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add the water while stirring until the dough becomes elastic. If the dough seems too sticky, add some more flour. If it's not pliable enough, work in a little more water.

Bake your child's salt dough creations at 200 degrees until they are completely hardened. Baking time will depend on the thickness of the items. Cover them with aluminum foil if the items start to darken during the baking process.

If you enjoyed making this simple salt dough, consider making some homemade playdough, paper or even fingerpaint. You will find recipes and instructions for these on the pages mentioned below.

Kinderinfo.com provides a variety of fun craft ideas and recipes, including how to make homemade paper at http://www.kinderinfo.com/crafts/homemade-paper.htm how to make your own playdough at http://www.kinderinfo.com/crafts/homemade-playdough.htm and even how to make fingerpaint at http://www.kinderinfo.com/crafts/fingerpaint.htm

Kid Crafts: Beading For Beginners Part II: The Back And Forth Technique

Hopefully, you've read the first part of the Beading for Beginners and you know what type of beads and wire or nylon fishing line to use for different animals. You will learn here how to make the body of the bead animals.

The main animal beading technique is the 'Back and Forth' technique. It's hard to believe that this is the main technique, because it is so simple. Okay, everything is slower and a small bit more difficulty if you want to do it nicely. However, after you have tried and made it a few times it will be just child's play.

Use this technique to make the body of the bead animals (and sometimes the tail of the animals). After you've finished the first row, make the second row by doing the same thing again. In this way, make the rest of the animal's body.

Let's get started!

String the beads (usually one, two or three depending on what you are making) on either side of the wire. If you're beginning a new bead animal string the bead(s) on the center of the wire.
Now, loop back with the opposite wire through the beads. If you're making the first row, then thread one wire around and through the first bead(s)

Pull it very tightly. If it is not in the right place (not exactly beside the row before), then bend it until it looks even and lovely.

Now, here is an important point:

if you are making an animal that should be flat, then push the rows beside each other (and use wire). However, if your animal supposed to be round (3D), pull each row very tightly to make them overlap. If it doesn't help, then simply put the rows right opposite of each other. After that, if you look at your animal from side, then the rows should look zigzagging.

One more thing: do not forget the eyes or any patterns of the animal, use different colors for them.

If you don't understand something click here for additional help with pictures for each steps.


The next part will explain how to make your animal more lifelike with legs.

Marcel Vigh Marcel's Kid Crafts

Balloon and Tissue Paper Halloween Pumpkin Craft

I wouldn’t classify myself as a “hoarder” per se, but I do have a weak spot for a few things.  Tissue paper is one of them.  After a birthday party or other celebration, you will find me lovingly rescuing tissue paper from gift bags (which also get reused), smoothing out the wrinkles, and folding it to go into a special drawer.  Yes, I have an entire drawer devoted to recycled tissue paper.  When I come across craft ideas like this Halloween jack-o-lantern, it makes me so happy to know that I can simply use what I have on hand.

Orange tissue paperWhite glue (watered down)PaintbrushBlack or yellow construction paperGreen ribbon (not pictured) This is a pretty easy Halloween craft for kids, too.

Start by ripping your tissue paper into small, irregular pieces, no bigger than about 2" x 2". As you can see, even the baby is "helping" with this one!

Affix the tissue paper pieces to the balloon by brushing on a layer of watered-down glue, pressing the paper on, and then covering with another layer of glue. Overlap the paper to cover all of the balloon.

Since our balloon was a pretty dark color, we did about three layers of tissue paper to make our jack-o-lantern nice and orange.

Cut the jack-o-lantern face out of construction paper and glue to your pumpkin.

Hang the craft up using green ribbon, and curl some to fall around the top like pumpkin vines.

View the original article here

Kids Craft Ideas

Do your kids love crafts? Do you love doing crafts with your kids? It can be so much fun to sit around the worktable together making stuff, even making a mess can be fun when the kids are learning new skills and having a great time doing it.

Some kids just get the urge to do stuff others may need a little coaxing but once they get started they just have a whale of a time. So what sort of crafts can you do with the kids at home? For the little ones simple crafts like hand printing can be really good fun, as they actually get told to put paint on their hands or even their feet!

Potato printing is a good old fashioned craft, the younger kids can just enjoy the printing after Mom or Dad has carved the potato for them while the older ones can also have the pleasure of carving their own potato for printing.

Pasta can be used for crafts too! There are so many interesting shapes in pasta, you can paint the individual pieces or cover them with glitter and then glue or string them together to make necklaces, bracelets, tiaras. Or you can stick the pieces around old picture frames. Alternatively you can be pre cut card mounts from a framer or art/craft shop and decorate those.

How about French knitting or spool knitting, in the old days of course we used wooden thread spools with 4 brads or pins hammered in one end. Now of course wooden spools may not be so easy to find, you may have to actually buy a ready made knitting spool from a craft shop. But it's great fun to watch the knitting appear from the bottom of the spool.

For the older kids you may want to help them learn something which requires a little more dexterity like macramé. I know it's possible to make very elaborate wall hangings and such with macrame but it's also possible with some good old fashioned string or twine and a few simple flat knots to make very attractive hangers for plant pots, or even a gold fish bowl. If you get some leather thong then the girls in particular can make pretty bracelets or chokers.

There's a whole world of possibilities, if you want tons more craft ideas for your kids go to Crafts For Kids

Kids' Craft Kits for Budding Artists

In the wake of the economic recession, schools are cutting funding for arts education. When forced to choose between the so-called hard subjects and the arts, administrators invariably snub the arts. The explanation is as simple as it is inexorable: testing. There are no state-mandated tests for art or music, but there are tests for math and science. And because salaries and careers are affected by the results of these tests, the fine arts are left to twist in the wind.

The irony of the situation is that these cuts have had little to no utility. In other words, the test numbers are not going up. In fact, they are on the decline. So, we may be cutting vital subjects and getting absolutely nothing in return. Worse yet, we are left with students who are less excited about learning and dread test taking.

There's a reason why art and music teachers are often the most popular educators in their schools. After hours of crunching numbers and going over their ABCs, kids need a break. That is not to say that art or music is easy. They're not. But they do stimulate different areas of the brain. Rather than memorizing and repeating, students can open up a bit and express themselves in creative ways.

You can't measure an open mind, which is one of the reasons why art programs are on the chopping block. But we do know that arts education has numerous benefits for young children. From an early age, kids are taught to express themselves verbally with words and terms that others can understand. The only problem is that this can lead to a kind of groupthink where everyone speaks and expresses themselves the same way. Art takes words out of the equation. It teaches kids that some things are simply ineffable. Rather than analyzing every little detail to death, they simply respond in a genuine and emotional way.

The Future of Arts and Crafts

The arts have never been in a more precarious position than they are today. Even in affluent school districts, art and music programs are being cut left and right. Parents typically protest at the outset, but then they succumb to the inevitable.

The one silver lining in an otherwise overcast sky is that more and more parents are teaching their children about art at home. And this is as it should be. After all, art appreciation traditionally began in the home. The Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th century was based on the idea that rote work (industrial labor) was stultifying and that people of all ages needed some relief. Millions of Americans from earlier generations were amateur craftsmen at home. They used glass, metal, wood, ceramics and textiles to make unique handicrafts in their home workshops.

Craft Kits for Kids

One thing the bean counters miss when they choose to cut arts and craft classes is that art is a process. In other words, there is a beginning, middle, and an end. It's easy as pie to criticize modern art and wonder what it all means. Heck, even some of the experts don't know. But art projects have utility. A child gains confidence, even pride when he completes an original work of art or a handicraft. There's a reason why mothers hang finger paintings on refrigerator doors. Kids are proud of them and they want everyone to see what they made on their own.

There are dozens of different craft kits for kids that teach and require certain skills to complete. Many of them revolve around a major holiday, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween or the 4th of July. Craft kits can be used to make model cars, airplanes, necklaces, bracelets, picture frames, ornaments, and more.

What to buy?

When shopping for a quality craft kit, it is important to consider the age and skill level of the child. If she has never completed a craft project before, it is probably best to start her out on something simple, no matter what her age. Completing a nice festive beaded necklace or bracelet might give her the confidence she needs to attempt more challenging projects.

When it comes to arts and crafts, models made of wood are probably the hardest kits to complete. Not only do these ligneous cars and planes need to be cut and shaped, but they must also be painted and put in working order. There's a reason why pinewood derby races are so hotly contested. People spend hours crafting these model cars. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to find a craft kit your child will enjoy and ultimately complete.

Craft kits for kids can be found in all varieties online. Take some time now to find the best kits for your kids now.

Zack Spence is a freelance writer who writes about hobbies and interests including products such as kids craft kits

Kids Craft ideas for beginning artists

There is an abundance of activities with kids craft ideas with hours of entertainment as they learn to express their creativity. There are many projects and activities that are organized for the whole season. There are many exciting kids craft ideas and a wide range of projects for your young budding artists. Most of the activities are designed by experts in basic education and it focuses on the needs of the creativity of children from the kindergarten through fourth grade.

There are a wide variety of activities that will assist them in creating their own work of art. It is mainly of the artwork using household materials readily available. There are many easy to understand steps illustrated in the activities for children craft ideas with paper, painting, music makers, sculpture, dolls and toys. It also features a large part of fully colored attractive activity books for the children.

There are many illustrated step by step instructions that explain and Show of each activity. There is a primer for parents with useful tips that teach them support the children good cutting techniques using different ideas. There are many painting tips and the color wheel that is very useful in improving the creativity in young people. In case of paper art is very popular with the young people as it is simple, fun and very attractive.

Kids love cracking paper, drawing, painting, cutting, the layer, color, or other material, expand the police cars, the add to it. Some of the popular kids craft ideas are some of the most popular kids craft ideas include many forms of art such as painting, drawing, origami and paper mache. The kids learn to create new designs as they enjoy the training a sheet of paper in a three-dimensional boat or even a flower.

There are a variety of paper craft ideas and other things needed to be color pencils, scissors and glue. After you make your simple paper in a rabbit or convert a beautiful butterfly, you may never see again the same way on a sheet of paper. Origami is also an interesting kid's craft that makes use of the technique of folding paper into amazing figures that can be created in various forms without cutting or gluing. All you need for origami is white construction paper, crayons or markers and scissors. This is a simple method of making sailboat by the square piece of paper folding in a triangle and the folding of the lower half of a sail. The finishing touch to make the design markers include sailboat look more realistic.

Http://www.krafteebee.com/ more info on

Kid Crafts - Beading For Beginners Part III - Leg Making

An Important Tip:
when you're making a leg: hold the leg as near as you can to the body when you pull it tightly.

Simple straight leg

This is the most simple technique to make legs.

String the leg beads on one side of the wire.
Loop back with the same wire through the leg leaving out the last bead. Try to avoid kinks on the wire.
Hold the leg to the body as near as you can. Pull it very tightly. Do the same on the other side.

Leg with foot

It is also a very simple type of leg.

String the beads on either wire. For the foot use a different colour.
Loop back with the same wire through the leg leaving out the foot.
Pull it very tightly. If the wire begins to kink put it straight. Now, do exactly the same on the other side.

Leg with foot and toes

This type of leg is a bit more complicated than the others. However, after you've understood and made it, it'll be just a routine job.

String the leg beads (usually 3) and the beads of one toe on either side of the wire.
Loop back through the remaining of the toe beads leaving out the last bead. Hold the toe near to the leg and pull it tightly.
Now, you've finished the first toe. String the beads of the second toe on the same wire.
Loop back through the toe beads leaving out the first bead as before.
Hold the toe near to the leg and pull it tightly.
Do exactly the same with all toes. When you've made all of the toes, loop back through the whole leg.
Pull it tightly. Do exactly the same on the other side.

There are many ways to make a leg for the animals:

Simple straight leg
Leg with foot
Leg with foot and toes

Unfortunately, I can't put pictures here, so if you want to see illustrated step by step guideline please click here!

Marcel Vigh
Marcel's Kid Crafts

Eco Friendly Kids Crafts Idea

I was thinking of a good craft for kids that will also start to teach them a little bit about being eco friendly. This idea popped into mind. Allowing children to decorate a cotton drawstring bag. These bags can be purchased blank, and the children can design their little hearts out.

Eco friendly bags can be used for crafts for children. Just allow the kids to take some fabric paint. Kids always enjoy making their own artwork. This will take lots of time, also. Kids enjoy doing this, so they will want to spend lots of time making their design perfect.

Because the bags are made from cotton, they are eco friendly. Since they are made from cotton, they are biodegradable. Cotton is a natural fiber that will decompose once is is disposed of. In a landfill, a cotton bag will take about 2-3 months to decompose, where other plastic bags would take up to hundreds of years to decompose.

The kids really enjoy being able to decorate their own cotton bag. This can be done for different events. A holiday coming up soon is Mother's Day. This craft is great for a Mother's day present. Kids always have fun doing things for their Moms.

The cotton drawstring bags could also be tie-dyed. This would also be another great craft. Just leave the project open for decorating. The more freedom kids have, the more fun they will also have. This can be done with any cotton bag, really. However, the kids can reuse the drawstring bags as backpacks. They will love showing off their design to all their friends at school.

Brandon Glenn recommends you visit http://greenbagpromos.com to see all the eco friendly shopping bags.

Two Easy Thanksgiving Kids Crafts Ideas For Holiday Fun and Learning

When you take the time to make Thanksgiving crafts with your kids you get to spend some special quality time together. You can also teach them some of the history and meaning of Thanksgiving while assembling a few interesting craft decorations for your home and Thanksgiving Dinner table.

Thanksgiving celebrations are a time to give thanks and be grateful for what we have. Following this theme, you could have your kids make a "thankful" turkey. You will need a few sheets of light cardboard or heavy paper, preferably in Fall colors such as red, orange, brown, and yellow.

Start by cutting a circle out of brown card. This will be the turkey's body. You decide how big you want it to be. Cut out a piece of card in a tear drop shape to make a head and beak, and glue it onto the top of the body. Also cut out a turkey's wattle from red card and attach it. Take some yellow card, and cut out and glue on some legs and feet to the bottom of the body. Have some creative fun adding some features and colors to give your turkey eyes, a beak and some character, using paints, crayons or marker pens.

Next, make a dozen or so feathers in an elongated oval shape cut out of the card. Use a variety of colors. Have your kids write on these feathers with a selection of the things that they are thankful for - one to each feather. This will get them thinking about Thanksgiving, and get some discussion going. Once all the feathers are filled in, glue them onto the body to make a fan as the turkey's tail, showing the messages. Hang up your "thankful" turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner guests to see and talk about with your kids.

Thanksgiving crafts for kids don't have to cost a lot of money. You could, for example, make a simple but impressive paper bag turkey to use as a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving dinner table. All you need are three brown paper bags - preferably two of the large grocery bags size, and one medium size - a pair of scissors, some newspaper, glue, a red balloon, some wiggly eyes from a craft shop, and a rubber band. A stapler may help as well.

To make the head, stuff a ball of newspaper in the bottom of the medium-sized bag. this will be the turkey's head. Twist the rest of the bag around to make a long, skinny turkey's neck. Shape out the head into a beak, and glue the wiggly eyes to the face. Make the turkey's wattle from the red balloon.

Stuff one of the large bags two thirds full with newspaper for the turkey's body. Close the bag off with a large rubber band. Lie the bag on it's side and cut a small hole through the the top an inch or so from the bottom, and insert the neck. Support the neck in place with the newspaper stuffing and some glue. From the remaining large bag, cut four large half-circles to be the turkey's tail feathers. Glue them in layers to the back of the body, perhaps with the help of a stapler. Apply some colorful paint, and your guests will be delighted with your child's turkey craft efforts.

These kids crafts are just a sample of the many kids Thanksgiving craft ideas that are available for you. Visit [http://www.familyhomelifestyle.com/thanksgiving] for many more other suggestions of Thanksgiving crafts for kids [http://www.familyhomelifestyle.com/thanksgiving/thanksgivingcraftsforkids.html] and Thanksgiving decorations and family activities.

Kids Crafts for Fun and Learning

There are several incredible crafts for your kid to print whether just for fun or for learning and even better these printables can be used for many occasions that your kid will be going through. The birthday crafts are really beautifully, with many options that the kid will enjoy working with and your kid is guaranteed to generate interest and put all the necessary input.

After a deserved holiday let your kid print out some back to school printables especially to show the teacher and other kids the activities of the holiday, this is bound to elicit some stories how the holiday was and places visited and how fun it has been to be with mummy.

Cooking printable crafts are really simple and can engage the kid's brain all day in preparing for roles in future. Just imagine how the kinds like imitating their mother, the cooking crafts will be appropriate for this role and kids will feel satisfied. All the kid energy will be directed to finding the most suitable game to do and sharing with friends in essence developing community sense in the mind of the kid, and you can focus on other crucial jobs that need to be done in the house.

If you want to see the creative side of your kind then get drawing and painting craft printables for them and see the kind face off with the pens, pencils and crayons you will be amazed at what they can draw. Just think of the favorite cartoon character and check what will be in the drawing or painted you will probably find Mickey the Mouse or her best cartoon character.

The kid will explore the wild while still in the house, create imaginations and draw them to your surprise and will learn different communication methods and when the aunt comes home to visit, the kid will get the drawing to show her fun ideas.

To show dedication to developing creativity of your kind get a rich supply of craft printables for them and you will get ideas to enrich the life of your kind through being active and at the same time engaging her mind and this will be a reward for their delight and you will have noticed the unique qualities your kind posses at an early age.

The holidays will be full of activities with over twelve holidays printable crafts to choose from the kid will have a wonderful time for every holiday throughout the year. The Halloween will be the best time with all printables it will look like Disney land right inside the house. The experience will be rewarding and challenging to the kid, and activity will be in the list of wishes when the next holiday comes.

The best thing about craft printables is that there is lots of needlecraft to choose from, the kind can do a scarf at home or in school and can share with other kids and they explore the possibilities of home made clothes. The teacher will find these various crafts invaluable activities to do in school also and the kid will yarn to be at school all the time.

Printable crafts are also great presents for achievements whether at school or at home and the kid will hold the present dear until later in life. If the kid likes to experiment then Origami comes in handy just imagine creating the images of this with paper pieces and seeing the outcomes it would be a real source of satisfaction for the kid.

Paper crafts provide an opportunity to use materials that can be found in the house and that could have been wasted. You probably will be delighted to see your kid create animals, kites and various other paper items that are incredibly good in many occasions.

Looking to develop the next scientists require the invaluable contribution of the parent from an early age. The science and nature crafts will invoke a sense of achievement on your kid with the ambitions of actualizing the crafts in real life.

Kidopo kids crafts

Kids Crafts - Thanksgiving Mosaic

Many of the world's great civilizations used mosaic art to depict important images in special places. During my travels to Italy in college, we visited Venice. The cathedral there had a dome over the alter that beautifully depicted religious scenes and icons in mosaic tile. While we can't create something of that scale with our kids, we can help them to see the beauty in mosaic art and gain an understanding of the effort that went into these great works.

Here's what you need:

- Tempera, craft, or poster paint (fall colors)

- Pumpkin seeds or dried beans

- Glue

- Card Stock or poster board

- Small disposable dish and disposable fork

Here's what we did:

1. We used dried red beans (because we had them in the house). However, any dried bean will work. A variety of beans can be used unpainted, or one type of bean painted for color. We painted ours with craft paint. I squirted some paint into the bottom of a disposable bowl, poured in the beans, and let the kids use a disposable fork to stir and mix the beans into the paint until they were all coated in paint. We did not get a perfect coating on all the beans, but we decided this would make our mosaic more interesting. We spread the painted beans out on a sheet of paper to dry, making sure that no two beans were touching while drying.

2. While our paint was drying, we took a 9 x 12 inch sheet of card stock. (This was actually part of the packaging from one of the kids' Halloween costumes.) We cut it into fourths. My son and daughter each drew a fall/Thanksgiving picture. My son drew the Mayflower, and my daughter a leaf. I drew them a turkey and a pilgrim hat on the remaining two fourths.

3. Once our beans were dry, we pulled them off the paper where they were drying. Then we squirted glue onto our pictures, in small sections. Carefully placing colored beans onto the glued sections, we proceeded to finish our mosaics.

4. Once all the beans were glued into place, we let our pieces dry.

A Few Quick Tips:

1. If your kids are really young, you may want to use bigger beans like lima beans or butter beans. These will be easier for little fingers and will cover a larger space more quickly.

2. Remember that your drawings will be colored in with small objects and these will restrict the detail possible. Remind your children of this when they are drawing their pictures so that they can use large, generalized shapes as opposed to very detailed line drawings.

3. Begin your mosaic with the most important item. For example, on our pilgrim hat, we began with the top of the hat. I squirted glue onto the top portion that was going to be black and we filled that in. Then we did the gold buckle. Following that the red stripe, then the brim.

4. If your kids are getting tired, or you fear that their patience will not last to completion of the project, you can remind them that they can space their pieces out a little. Again, on our pilgrim hat, the beans are very close on the hat, but spread out some on the background.

As always, there are limitless variations possible. You can do this project again and again. Change theme, do a Christmas one. Change materials, try pebbles, beads, buttons, tiles. You're only limiting factor is your imagination. So use your imagination, and have fun!

If you enjoyed this idea, please visit http://kidsactivityalley.blogspot.com to find and share ideas for kids activities, kids crafts, and more. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

American Indians Arts and Crafts, Are They the Best Kids Crafting Ideas?

Often in traveling to California I'd take Route 66 which is my favorite way to go because of the scenic roads. I often find myself stopping at an outpost along the highway, and admiring the American Indians arts and crafts. In my mind I'm brought back to a time, when as a young child I was taught to create arts and crafts of this nature.

In my opinion one of the best crafts you can teach your children is to make Indian crafts. Indians arts and crafts range from the complex to the very simple. I believe this is because of the vast amount of American Indian tribes that have contributed to Indian arts and crafts. This is also a good way to teach your kids about American history, and the tradition, and spirituality of a beautiful people.

One of my favorite projects of arts and crafts to work on as a kid, was to hand make moccasins. I thought it was very neat to actually make something like a shoe. Even though I never got my pair of moccasins to stay together no longer than a week or two, and I never was able to get my pottery shaped the right way. I still was able to enjoy doing American Indians arts and crafts.

The main detail that came to my mind while searching through the outpost was how easily my scoutmaster was able to show me a good time, and instill in me the ability to learn about other cultures and have an open mind.

So, if you're thinking about starting on arts and crafts project with your kid. One of the best things I would suggest is to look into Native American Indians arts and crafts. It should turn into a great learning experience for you and your child, and should be something that they will never forget. Remember, that one of the key things to do is to also teach them a little history on the actual crafting that is being done.

Hey, I'm the author Carlos Penn. I'm having fun writing articles online and currently making money and have fun doing at home crafting. click here for a look at what I do in my spare time Craft Jobs

Recycle Treasures From Trash for a Kid Craft Activity

Years ago I was invited to teach a workshop to recreational leaders on ideas for a kid craft activity. I chose to share how they could use items around the house to create low-cost kid arts and crafts. Recognizing how many budgets are limited, Treasures from Trash was created.

Enlist the children in saving items to contribute to your fun arts and crafts projects. This is a great opportunity to incorporate the importance of recycling and saving our landfills. Listed are some ideas of recyclable items to save, but look around and see if there are other items that can be used to create your own Treasures from Trash. Use your imagination and think "outside the box"!

These recyclable items make great arts and crafts projects. Make sure to check the items so that they are clean and safe for the children to use.

Egg cartons
Paper rolls
Berry baskets
Baby food jars
Plastic soda bottles
Tuna cans (no sharp edges)
Greeting cards and old calendars
Six-pack plastic rings
Paper grocery bags
Magazines (child appropriate)
Coffee and drink cans
Oatmeal containers
Newspaper
Assorted sized cardboard boxes
Clean socks (The ones not lost in the dryer!)

Some kid craft activity ideas include puppets, box sculptures, science projects, collages and homemade gifts. Puppets can be made from all sizes of bags, socks and boxes. Create a marionette with a shoebox and imagination! Many science projects such as making a tornado, rain or terrarium call for a plastic soda bottle. Use berry baskets to decorate for Mother's Day, Grandparents Day or Easter gifts.

Making a collage is an inexpensive art project when using a lot of the items listed above. Put out old greeting cards, calendars, magazines, postcards, and paper scraps for the kids to create a unique collage. Save leftover craft supplies such as buttons, ribbon, lace, fabric scraps, and beads to be used on the collage.

I hope this is a beginning of you creating your own Treasures from Trash projects. If you run out of ideas, just put the recycled items out and let the children create! They can be very resourceful and imaginative.

As a mother, grandmother, and child development professional, Nancy Johnson, shares over 20 years experience working with children and planning activities on her website, Creative-Child-Activity-Notebook.com. Check it out for more school age child activity ideas including summer, holiday, party, nature, and child learning activity ideas.

Practical and Inspiring Kids Craft Home Ideas

Kids love to make something special and there is no better starting point than to indulge in kids doing craft at home. This is very practical and inspiring and packed with ideas for cards, decorations and accessories that are appealing for the girls and boys. The kids craft home ideas cater for all interests and abilities. These steps are easy to follow and the instructions cover a range of projects including paper decorations and fridge magnets that are very fascinating for kids.

It also includes novelty soaps and finger projects. Each activity comes with an at-a-glance guide so that the kids are able to grasp the concept easily. The activities are designed according to age suitability and are time taken and include a list of the various materials needed. Each project for kids to work on their crafts at home can be made by using inexpensive or recycled materials and store cupboard ingredients that are very cost effective.

There are some unique ideas for mailing cards including the T-shirt cards. If you are having some fabric scrap with you, you can easily convert it into a T shirt card that can also turn into a cherished keepsake for years to some. All you have to do is glue the fabric to the white paper and draw a T-shirt shape into the fabric. Then you can cut the card into the shape of a T-shirt. After this you have to fold the card into half size and then make a neckline.

It is important to cut carefully around the neckline and then fold the card into half.You can also encourage creativity with the kids by asking them to make their own shapes. One can make card with shoe and shoe laces, cotton apron with lace trims and pockets, boxer shorts with button and ribbon and a handbag with pompom and colored pipe cleaners. It is important to apply the glue to the fabric rather than the paper and spread it evenly to get excellent finishing. It is convenient to stick to small sizes when making fabric cards.

Kids as small as two-year old like to celebrate the Valentine's Day and who doesn't love to make an especial handmade card especially for the Valentine's Day. There is something here for everybody to make as there are furry pipe cleaners with folded arms and hands are great for kids craft home activities. If there are older children in the group they can tackle the more sophisticated glitter hearts and lips. All the cards take only a few minutes to make and they are a very popular activity for kids doing craft at home.

More info at http://www.krafteebee.com/

Kid crafts: Beading for Beginners part I

Three or four years ago, I was a fanatic bead. I loved beading and I made bead animals all the time. After I had more than a hundred bead animals and creatures, I gave it. I got bored with. A few weeks ago, it came to my mind and I decided to start again beading. After I have some animals, I noticed that I still love beading.

It's just fantastic!

So, let's begin!
First, you'll need to:
beads
thread (or nylon fishing line)
pattern

By the way, what do you use, wire or nylon fishing line? I used formerly, fishing line, because I found it easier to use. And it is easier to use, because the end will not kink. However, it has no concrete form. The animal will not be on her legs. The animals will be wired. You can bend them as you need. And it is a great advantage! So, I would suggest the wire, but very thin thread.

Important

If you are an animal to be round, 3D or plump (as a Penguin), always use nylon fishing line, because the thread will be almost completely flat.

I have a good example to prove this:
Once, I have decided to a bead OWL, which was completed on the example picture.
After I finished (with wire), it looked like a bat and not an OWL. The completely flat. was

I was very angry and I scolded the book. Later, I read the text next to the OWL who said, that use nylon fishing line.

The next day, I made the OWL again, with the help of nylon fishing line. When I finished, it seemed exactly on the picture. The completely round. was

So, use fishing line for rounded and 3D animals.

And what about beads? I've been using seed beads (small) for the body of the animals since I started beading. There are also long beads (I don't know the correct name), use them for wings and sometimes for the legs.

Seed Beads:

These are the basic beads that we use for beading. They are usually the body of an animal. Nowadays, you can buy them in regardless of color, the size and shape you want. I use quiet small (I don't know the exact size) and round seed beads.

Larger beads:

These are much bigger than the seed beads. I use them mostly for the eyes of an animal. However, use them when you want to highlight something.

Long beads:

The size of the long beads between the seed beads and the ' larger ' beads. I use them for wings, legs and sometimes for some other parts of the body of the animal.

So, in the next part, I'm going to write about the basic beading techniques.

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Fun Kids Crafts For Halloween

Remember when we where in grade school the first "holiday" we came to was to do fun kids crafts for Halloween. Yeah we know its not really a holiday but we treated it as such. Back then are crafts were made of black, orange, and white construction paper. We usually used one color as a background and cut out characters of the other colors and glued them to it. The highlight was to put the finished pieces of art taped to the windows or the wall to let others view your masterpieces.

Today the crafts are a lot more fun than yesteryear. Pumpkin carving is actually done in school with of course adult supervision. Not only do they get to design their own pumpkin but they take out the seeds and dry them to have the makings for pumpkin seed math.

Small pumpkin painting is a lot cleaner than pumpkin carving believe it or not. You can use either real paints or washable color markers. Draw a design on your pumpkin and color it in. Once done line them up on a window sill or a classroom shelf.

Toilet paper mummies is a craft as well as a game. Basic rules are there two people to a team. One is the mummy wrapper and the other is the mummy. Object of the game is the mummy wrapper tries to wrap the mummy from head to toe or toe to head with the toilet paper. First team to accomplish this and use all their toilet paper is the winner.

More fun kids crafts for Halloween include pin the nose on the pumpkin. A concept of pin the tail on the donkey but used with a pumpkin.

Egg carton bats - cut the egg carton in sections of three cups. Paint the section entirely with black paint. Let dry and turn upside down and put a hole in the top of the middle cup. Put a piece of fishing line thru the top and tie to a washer. On the middle cup glue a pair of googly eyes and tie the bat to the curtain rod in the window. This will make your bat look like it is flying right inside your window.

Egg carton spiders - same thing as your egg carton bat but on the outside cups cut out legs for the spider.

An old all-time favorite is apple bobbing. For grade school kids use a shallow container like a cat litter box, but without the cat ingredients, with enough water to barely float an apple. The kids will live this.

For a new all-time favorite is spider leg lollipops. Hold four black pipe cleaners in your hand. Center them below the pop (my favorite is a tootsie roll pop), and wrap them around the stick one time. Bend the pipe cleaners in the middle at a 90 degree angle. Ben one-half inch at the end of the pipe cleaner at a 90 degree angle to make the feet. Last glue on some googly eyes and you are finished.

Teachers, teacher aides, room mothers, room fathers, brownie leaders, cub scout leaders, girl and boy scout leaders, camp leaders need to visit http://easyhalloweenkidscrafts.blogspot.com/ for hundreds of kids crafts ideas.

Featured Spotlights: Last Minute Halloween ideas

Here are a few last minute Halloween ideas from over & on the M T Spotlight (submitting your links to be featured). Have a haunting weekend ready for parties and trick or treating!

Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of make and takes. Always with a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There is always a kind of project going on, her kitchen sink is often cluttered with crafts. When they did not create with her kids, crafting and keeps them execute, read and blog! Reading other posts by Marie

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Five Kids Craft Ideas - Eggshell Igloos, Puzzles, Construction Set, Paper Hat and Mexican Balero

Looking for some craft ideas that you can easily make with items around your house? Here are five kids craft ideas!

Eggshell Igloos: Eggshells can be used to make some very real-looking Eskimo houses. Use a pencil to draw doorways on the eggshells and to indicate the blocks of ice from which real igloos are made. Paste the eggshell edges to a piece of cotton so it will look as though the igloos are surrounded with snow.

Jigsaw Puzzles: A series of jigsaw puzzles will make a good present to take with you when you go to play at someone else's house. Brightly colored greeting cards make good puzzles, especially those printed on heavy paper. Cut each greeting card into ten or twelve irregular shapes, then put the pieces in a clean, white envelope. A good way to keep the puzzles identified is to write on the front of each envelope a short description of the puzzle picture.

Match-Box Construction Set: A collection of match boxes (the kind that are used for safety matches) makes a splendid toy-construction set. The boxes may be used as separate blocks or may be joined together by pushing half of the inside of one box into the covering of a second box. Various building projects can be made with a match-box construction set.

Tissue-Paper Hat: Holiday season is a good time to make play hats because it is then usually possible to find some large pieces of fancy wrapping paper. Try to find a piece of paper that is around twenty inches long and ten inches wide. First fold the paper crosswise and pasted down on one end. Then fold a triangle at the top, and after that fold the peak down. Stickers can be used to hold the hat in place.

Mexican Balero: A home-made version of this toy is easy to make. Use a large spool, a pencil and a flat-bottomed paper cup. Punch a hole in the bottom of the cup and pull a string through the hole, then tie a knot in the end of the string so that the cup will not slip off. Tie the other end of the string to the pencil. The object of playing with this toy balero is to hold it by the pencil and toss up the cup so as to catch it on the spool.

Debi Geroux is the President of Purple Kitty LLC and webmaster of Free Craft Patterns and Free Crochet Patterns which bring you craft ideas, free patterns and recipes.

Simple Kids Crafts

If you love the fun of doing crafts with your kids there are so many simple low cost things you can do. Simple things like cutting pictures from magazines and pasting them onto empty card board boxes such as shoe boxes to personalise them for keeping treasures in.

Quilling and other paper crafts may be used to create elaborate works by adults but they can often be simplified for the benefit of kids.

Dough craft can be great fun and there is simply no end to the things you can make, with a simple salt dough recipe (4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 ½ cups hot water) and some cookie cutters the kids can make assorted shapes which once baked can be decorated with paints and glitter. Of course you can make seasonal cookies depending on whether it's Halloween or Christmas for instance.

Naturally if there's a holiday season on the horizon you can help the kids make their own greeting cards. From the simplest folded card decorated with paints and glitter to more elaborate ones embellished with all sorts of stick on goodies from the craft store.

Painting eggs for Easter is always lots of fun, you can dye the eggs with food colouring or just paint them with acrylic paints, Don't forget to hard boil them first. If you wrap rubber bands around the eggs in ways to form patterns before dying them, when you remove them from the dye and dry them remove the rubber bands to reveal a pattern where the dye didn't take.

A great craft idea for the older kids is to punch holes in the sides of a used tin can to form patterns then you can use the can to hold a candle, they look great in the dark. If you can find the sort of can that came with a pull off plastic lid that means there wont be any dangerous sharp edges. You'll also need a hammer a pin hammer should do, and a nail punch or similar tool to make the holes. You need to find a piece of wood to fit inside the can while punching the holes to stop the sides of the can from collapsing. If you can't find a piece of wood, fill the can to about a half inch from the top with water and then put it in the freezer. When the can is full of ice punch your holes and then melt the ice.

If you need lots more great ideas for simple kids crafts to keep your family entertained go to Crafts For Kids

Kids Craft Ideas in the School Curriculum

As in the words of Albert Einstein, "Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world." The various kids craft ideas must be essentially included in the school curriculum as it helps the children to explore and create without worrying about the finished product. Thus with the aid of the various craft ideas the children, are able to explore, experiment, make mistakes and learn from them.

They are also able to try new ideas on their own which gives them immense self confident. These crafty ideas also let the children enjoy the thrill of the creative processes. In fact, there is no right way or wrong way for the projects to turn out when it comes to the kids; it is just the joyful pleasant process of the experience.

There are many creative crafts that give the children sufficient time for exploration and experimentation in art. Children will be able to refine their work automatically and independently. They will judge their own results and work towards their own goals, often with the most incredible surprising results. These creative crafts help the children to explore, experimental and create and they enjoy the creative sparkle of each idea.

Here is an example of the amazing kids craft ideas that are created from recyclable material like the newspaper. The materials that are required for making the newspaper design include paper, newspaper, tempera paint, paintbrush, scissors, crayons, paste or glue and extra newspaper to cover the table. Water or jar in order to wash out the paint brush.

The process involves painting the background on the paper and setting it aside to dry. One must draw a design on the newspaper and after the background has dried, paste or glue design onto it using crayons in order to add any details if required. The different variations that can be tried in the newspaper design kids craft ideas include a dinosaur with jungle background. Flowers on grass, boat on water, buildings in a night sky.

Free drawing on paper is also a great project for kids craft ideas, as it can be done with the use of simple material that is easily available in the house. One requires paper, crayons, paints, pens, pencils, leaves, weeds and wildflowers. The process includes collecting used paper with unusual textures, surfaces and sizes. The children must be allowed free drawing or painting that will be stimulated by the uniqueness of the paper.

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Pipe Cleaner Yarn Spiders to Spook for Halloween

We’ve been having a bit of fun with our cute little yarn spider.

He’s been hiding all over the house. I will place him in my son’s room under his pillow, and once he finds him, he’ll hide the spider some place else. It can be a little spooky finding a GIANT spider in your sock drawer!

In fact, this would be a fun classroom party game, a bit like “Hot or Cold”.

One child goes out of the room and another child hides the spider. The one child comes back into the room and tries to find it. All the other children in the room can say if the one child is getting “hotter” or “colder” with the hidden spider, meaning closer or farther away. Once the spider is found, play again.Kids always love this game!

Follow these instructions to make your own cute little spooky spider…

Supplies for Pipe Cleaner Yarn Spider:

 black yarn2 black pipe cleanersscissorscardboard piece 1.5 x 5 inches2 googly eyesglue

1. Bend your piece of cardboard in half lengthwise. This helps with adding pipe cleaners later.

2. Wrap your yarn around the cardboard piece 75 times. You can go more or less times around, but this is best for this size of spider. Once you’re done wrapping, cut off the yarn a few inches off of the ball. Let it hang, later it will get trimmed.

3. Cut each pipe cleaner in half, so you have 4 smaller halves. Slide them through the center of the yarn ball, while it’s still on the cardboard. You will want to thread them through one at a time.

4. Once all 4 pipe cleaner pieces are through, carefully slide it all off of the cardboard.

5. Bend 4 of the pipe cleaners to the left and 4 of the pipe cleaners to the right, top and bottom (see photo below).

6. Twist all 4 of the right side of pipe cleaners together 1-2 times. Twist all 4 of the left side of pipe cleaners together 1-2 times.

Once it is all twisted together, you can trim off the extra piece of yarn, don’t worry, it will hold.

7. Bend each of the pipe cleaner ends in half, creating it’s “legs”.

8. Glue on 2 googly eyes to one side of the spider. Let him dry for an hour or so before playing.

Have fun hiding your little spooky spider for Halloween!

Tagged as: Halloween, kids games, party games, pipe cleaners, spiders

Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of Make and Takes. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! Read other posts by Marie

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Narratives on Historical Events Form Great Kids Craft Ideas

Kids craft ideas were not born today; in fact they have been around since centuries. There is historical evidence that suggests that the kids craft ideas originated as early as the eighteenth century. Kids craft ideas are synonymous with the name John Singleton Copley who was born in the colonial city of Boston in the years before the United States of America was an independent country.

He taught himself how to paint and became Boston's most popular portrait artist. Portraits were a fine way for an artist to make a living because rich people paid top dollar to have an artist paint their pictures. Copley created many portraits of Boston's wealthiest families. One of the most famous portraits is that of the patriot Paul Revere.

Copley was very found of making portraits but he loved making paintings showing thrilling moments in History that also form an inspiration for great kids craft ideas today. In the year 1774 he moved to England and began specializing in historical drama. He painted battle scenes and great sea victories. His best known painting Watson and Shark shows the true stories of sailors trying to rescue a young swimmer from a hungry shark.

Copley painted the most dramatic moment of the rescue when the boatman is bout to spear the shark, as it surges towards the floundering boy. People viewing the painting have no way to tell is the boy will be saved or will be captured by the shark. The true ending of the story is that young Watson was rescued and grew up to the mayor of London at the time Copley lived there.

Copley tells stories; those are real and have been witnessed by real people. A picture that tells a story is called a narrative. Before the cameras were invented, pictures were drawn for an even from reports by people who were witnesses. It is possible to draw a narrative picture for kids craft ideas by choosing a dramatic event.

The story can also be a true event or it can also be imagined. The materials that are required for the great ideas include white paper, or drawing paper pencil and eraser. For inspiration for the kids, one can make use of news magazines, newspapers and a choice of coloring tools. One can choose from paints, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, markers or crayons fro making the kids craft ideas into a great narrative.

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DIY Family Spooky Stories Book

We’ve been on a writing-kick lately, for homeschool.  Remember my A Fun Way to Encourage Handwriting post??  I’ve also raved about how great journals are for kids.  Yep, I’m still on one.  And, with Halloween coming up, my thoughts turned grim…well, gruesome.  My kids LOVE scary stories.  I think they’ve inherited my twisted mind.  So, I put all of our creepy thoughts to good use…we started a book.  Not the kind fancy kind of book that we want published, oh no.  Just the kind where we will pull it out, in a year from now, and crack up at our silly, scary stories.

I picked up a small notebook at Target, and gathered the kids in the craft room.  We decided that we would each write just one page, and then pass it to the next person.  We could only read just the page before ours, before we continued writing.  Not knowing the complete story was part of what made it so silly, in the end.  So, I went first, “Once upon a time, there was a girl who was asked to babysit three children, for a whole week.  The parents were going away on vacation…”  Then, I passed it on to Shane.  He wrote something about a stranger calling and being a total creep-face.

(There’s no Michael-Jackson-thing going on here…he’s just camera shy.)

The book was then passed on to Caden.

Caden wrote a little something about the babysitter and kids being all scared, like a bunch of sissies.  Then, I wrote about how one of the kids randomly became possessed and had blood squirting out their eyes.  (I mean, really.  If we’re going to be scary, let’s do it right.)

Whoever wasn’t writing, was creating monsters with play dough.

There was terror in the street, attacks in the dark, and zombies taking over the world.  The book took giant leaps, it was hilarious.

They gave the story a name, and we left plenty of room in the notebook for additional stories.

They fashioned a book cover…

And, here it is!  A fun, spooky/silly book that we can add to and keep for memories…plus, it was another great way to practice handwriting and encourage creative thinking.  Fun for Halloween time, or really any time of the year.

Tagged as: bookcover, books, children's books, Halloween, Storytime

Mariel authors the blog, Or so she says… where she shares her most favorite ideas on parenting, homeschool, marriage, cooking, crafting, etc. She dreams about golf, traveling, reading, a cabin in Montana, and cake. Read other posts by Mariel

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Bobbing for Balloons: Kids Craft for a Kids Party

Have you ever bobbed for apples? Do you remember how much fun it was? Do you remember how messy it was?

Have you thought about how unhygienic it might be for a bunch of kids to stick their faces in the same bin of water?

The good news is, there is an alternative. Bobbing for balloons can be just as fun without the mess, and without passing around a cold or flu.

You will need:

Several long strips of coloured paper, approximately 6 inches wide (for making headbands)

Packing tape

Theme items to decorate the headbands (cut ours, streamers, ribbons, stickers, or more)

Glue sticks

Several inflated balloons (not helium)

Large laundry bin or other large bin

Fill the bin with the inflated balloons.

Have an adult measure the size of each child's head, and make a strip of paper long enough to go around the head with two to three inches of overlap for fastening. Depending on what size of paper you started with, you may need to tape two strips together to make them long enough.

Each child then decorates their headband as they see fit. The adult then attaches the ends of the headband so the child can wear it.

When each child has their headband ready, have them line up in front of the bin filled with balloons. Attached a circle of tape turned inside out to the front of each child's headband. Make it a big circle for the younger kids, so it will be easier, and a smaller circle for the older kids to create a challenge.

Each child gets a turn 'bobbing' for a balloon in the bin. This involves dipping their head in and trying to stick a balloon to the circle of tape on the headband. No hands can be used.

Kids will love this game, and want to play it again and again! They also get to take their headband home with them as part of their party favours for the day.

Jewel Goodwin is a mother of two and an avid crafter. She loves to take tried and true methods and add an innovative twist to make her own unique crafts.

Arts and Craft Tips

Kids Crafts Activities

Plaster casting can provide hours of fun, Be careful to follow the instructions for mixing the plaster very carefully. What to cast? Hand prints and footprints are great fun to do, get a shallow bowl of damp sand, not too wet just enough that it will hold the impression of a hand or foot print then pour in the plaster and wait for it to set. While it's freshly poured you could push a loop of string into one end of the wet plaster so the finished cast could be hung on the wall. When your cast is dry from lying in the sun or being placed in the linen cupboard it can be painted or decorated with glitter.

Plaster casts of young children's hands and feet can make great keepsakes and wonderful gifts for grandparents. Sea shells collected on the beach can be glued to all sorts of objects from bottles to cigar boxes which can then be used as bases for table lamps or holders for keepsakes. Larger shells can be painted and used as decorative objects in their own right.

Tin can stilts, can be made from old coffee cans, you'll need two cans per child and some lengths of string or soft rope. Punch a hole in the side of a can about one inch from the end using a nail. Use a screwdriver to enlarge the hole until it's big enough for your string or rope to pass through use the hammer to flatten any sharp edges. Make another hole on the opposite side of the can, cut two lengths of string or rope each length should be about 3 times the length from the kid's knee to the floor. Now put one end of the rope through the hole on one side of the can and tie a large knot on the inside of the can. Repeat on the other side, do the same with the other can.

Want loads more great craft ideas to keep your kids happy? just go to Crafts For Kids

Kids Craft Ideas Using Modelling

Children love to make things so why not introduce some kids craft ideas using modelling. You can use different types of materials from home made salt dough to shop bought clay depending on the age and interest of your child. For a toddler making things with salt dough will keep him amused for hours and at the end of the session you can throw his little creations out. You can find recipes for salt dough on the internet and so long as you use food colourings, it won't matter if your little one tries tasting his creations.

Kids craft ideas for older children get a little more complicated. They tend to expect you to keep their works of art and display them. For this reason you may want to use shop bought materials such oven hardening modelling material. This is suitable for use in making small beads and jewelry pieces right through to larger ornaments including candlesticks. You can buy the modelling clay in a variety of colors which saves on painting but you may want to buy special paint for specific features. You can also use varnish to make the piece water resistant if your child was making a flower vase for example. If you want to make your own Christmas crib figures you can buy a flesh toned version which can then be painted in suitable colours.

You can bake this modelling clay in your own oven and it tends to retain its colour although it may go a little darker and its size. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions on how long to leave it in the oven etc. Don't start painting them or using varnish until they have completely cooled. Just be warned as the children can get addicted to making things and you may soon wonder why you introduced them to these kids craft ideas.

For more great kids craft ideas, join us on our website: http://www.beadcraftideas.com/beads-online/

Halloween Lantern Pots - Kids Craft Ideas

This coming Halloween making your own jack o lantern is one of the easiest way to make your kids have fun and join some trick or treat in the neighborhood without spending anything at all. When you have old pots at home, you can use it to make a lantern pot for them where they can fill it in with candies and chocolates for the upcoming event. All you need to do is to paint the pots and design it according to what your kid wants. One of the best things you can do is to invite your kid over and join you with your lantern project. There are only few things you will need in this craft making project here are some of the things you will need:


Small pots
Paint
Paint brush
Beads
Ribbons for embellishment
Sponge for cleaning
Scissors
Glue
Marker
Paper

Kids craft ideas are not just for letting your kids join simple occasion such as Halloween parties. You can also be an organizer of a party and just the same let other kids do the lantern making using old pots at home. It is so easy to organize an event that will make the entire guests enjoy the rest of the day. First thing you need to do is to practice the kids craft ideas you have and try it first if it is truly safe for kids of any age. If you have kids as well you may try it out with them so that you will be able to know if they will enjoy it or not. There are simple ways to make the jack o lantern pot for kids. Here are some helpful ideas you can use:

You need to look for small pots at home you are not using anymore. You can also buy there are pots that are made from plastic materials so you don't have to worry about breakage while your kids carry them.

If the pot you will buy is not orange in color you can use a paint to color the pot orange. You can also use a sponge to apply it using your bare hands.

It will be best for you to look for a jack o lantern model and use it to make your own one using the pot. It should have eyes and along with it there should also be handling so small kids can carry them when it is full of candies already.

You can also decorate it with glittered glue to make it look for captivating and attractive for kids. You can do that on the rim. If you are not in favor of glitters you can also use ribbons using the color of your choice. If you want you can also use alternate colors of orange and black to make the lantern of your kids unique from the rest of the kids in the village. They will surely love the idea of being unique.

More info at http://www.krafteebee.com/.

Kids Crafts - Thanksgiving Handprint Wreath

Are you and your family thinking of Thanksgiving yet? It is right around the corner. (Only three weeks away.) Here is a great craft idea for Thanksgiving that will get the whole family involved. And, as usual, there are a variety of things you can do with this, by just using your imagination . . . and a few simple tips. This idea, while aimed at Thanksgiving, could be done for a variety of holidays with only slight variations.

Here is what you'll need:

- Colored paper (scrapbook or construction), craft foam, or felt (all in autumn colors)

- Poster board, cardboard, or foam core board.

- Scissors and/or exacto knife

- Glue

- Embellishments - These can be buttons, berries, pom poms, pipe cleaners, ribbons . . . You name it, you can use it.

Here's what you'll want to do:

1. Cut out the shape for your wreath. You can make your wreath a circle, oval, or even a square. The choice is yours. You'll do this with the Poster board, card board, or foam core.

The three materials suggested were chosen for your so that you would have a material choice that would work with the type of project you were wanting to do. If you are wanting a quick fun project, that you will not be keeping from year to year, then use card board or poster board. Both of these are disposable and either inexpensive or free. If you would like something a little nicer, use the foam core board. This can be found with poster board and matte board material at your local craft store. If you can not find it, a sales associate should be able to help you. This is basically two pieces of poster board sandwiched around a 1/8 inch layer of foam. It is very durable and can be cut with an exacto knife.

2. Next, trace the hands of each member of your family. And cut out the shapes. If you are doing a large wreath with a small family, then you will need more than one pair of each person's hands. Cut multiples if needed. For this, you will use either colored paper, craft foam, or felt in autumn colors.

If you are wanting to do this fast, easy, and with out much expense, you will use construction paper. If you want a nicer quality, with out huge cost, and may not keep this from year to year, then you may want scrap book paper. If you will keep this for several years, then you will likely want to use craft foam or felt.

If you do not want to pay for craft foam or felt, but want a nicer finished product, then you can use a technique called Paper Toile. To do this, take your hand prints cut from scrapbook paper and lay them front side down, onto your computer's mouse pad. Then take a rounded surface similar to the tip of a sharpie lid and trace around the handprint. You will do this about an 1/8 to a 1/16 of an inch form the edge of the paper. Begin softly, and practice on a scrap page, till you get the right pressure. If you are patient, you will be able to create a rounded effect on the edges of your handprints. This will give them a little extra depth and add a nice finished detail to your wreath.

3. Once all of your handprints are cut out, lay them out on your wreath so that your wreath shape is covered. Now you can glue this down.

4. It's time to embellish! It's also time to use your imagination. You can change the whole mood of your wreath based on how you embellish it. Buttons placed in small clusters of 1 to 3 around your wreath would have cute, hand-crafted feel. If you used pipe cleaners (maybe swirled into a circle) and pom poms you are creating a much more lighthearted and whimsical feel. Or you could use berries and bows. This would create a sophisticated affect. The choice is yours.

And, as always, you are only limited by what you can imagine. Lay out your options, if you don't like the look, don't glue them down, change them to something else. Most important of all, have fun.

If you have enjoyed this kids craft idea, please visit http://www.kidsactivityalley.blogspot.com to find and share more ideas for kids crafts and kids activities. You'll also find kids book reviews and parent discussion on the site. Look forward to seeing you there.

Environmentally friendly green Kids Craft ideas

Green Kids Craft ideas are the various activities for all ages, including both the young and the old one. The young children explore each project in the green ideas no matter what the age requirements as long as they are very useful and interesting. Older children add a level of maturity and experience to even the most basic project and finds that all projects based on a challenge or a Discovery Kids craft ideas.

The other, on the one hand, the parents of the kids will enjoy their children in the selection of suitable projects that are based on material or supplies that are readily available to hand to help, but they will also enjoy the experiences of their own creative fun. Everyone is encouraged to save and today supplies rather than buying a project just to the resulting material art for the ideas of children gather.

There are some products that are potentially harmful to your children can, and they are also not particularly good for the environment and their purchase is also not recommended. On the other hand, when remaining plastics, papers, and other materials are found, the Styrofoam is save and with them for children to use for art, however, better than just throwing them in the Recycle Bin.

Use of existing or links about materials and product packaging is the purpose, other than make great craft ideas that can be included in the curriculum of the school children. Schools and offices often have large amounts of throwaways that can be used to create large arts and crafts. First look for material that is required in your craft projects, and then begin searching for them to save for your art projects.

In fact if do the Green craft projects children perhaps you never to buy anything to do the projects as most of the material is of course available in the area, and all you need is paint and glue. The Green children craft ideas can the children in the school to familiarise themselves with the natural qualities of the Earth such as leaves, stones, shells, dirt, wind, rain and Sun.

Children learn to create points out, and remain in contact with the environment hanging and develop a caring attitude towards Earth. The children can be taught to care of the Earth by learning to recycle and use material in their kids craft ideas. Thus they will learn to create masterpiece from waste material to art projects, rather than just throw it away in the garbage.

Http://www.krafteebee.com/ more info on

Simple Paper Pumpkin Craft for Kids

Construction paper and pipe cleaners are about all you need for this paper pumpkin craft.

We’ve really gotten into decorating for both Halloween and autumn around here.  The dining room as a definite silly/spooky Halloween vibe, while the living room has more of a sophisticated “harvest” theme.  Just because it’s more grown up doesn’t mean there aren’t any kid crafts in there, with these simple pumpkins being a great example.

What you need to make paper strip pumpkins:

Orange construction paperScrap of green construction paperGreen pipe cleanerScissorsTapeStapler Most of these craft supplies are right on hand!

Cut your paper lengthwise into strips. The width is up to you. We did 11 strips for our each pumpkin.

Fan the strips out and staple them at the gathering point. Then tape the two fans together.

Cut out a leaf and hole punch it at the bottom.

Hole punch each strip on the non-attached end. Bring them all together at the top and feed a green pipe cleaner through them and the leaf before twisting it to hold everything in place. Curl the pipe cleaner around your finger or a pen to look like pumpkin vines.

Use your paper pumpkins to add color and fun to your Halloween or harvest decorations.

You may notice a couple of our other autumn crafts in this picture, like the autumn leaf garland and paper bag pumpkin!

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Slow Cooker Roast Beef with Fennel

Fennel is in season again. (Hooray!) You might remember the last time I professed my undying love for fennel last winter. In this recipe I’ve left out the orange and paired fennel with beef.

It can be intimidating to try something new. And fennel is pretty intimidating, especially if you aren’t sure if you like its mild anise flavor. Fennel goes very well with pork, but also beef. Besides using the fresh fennel bulb, I added sliced onions and gave the beef roast a quick rub with some crushed fennel seeds mixed with salt and pepper.

If you absolutely hate fennel in all forms, feel free to substitute another spice (or leave it out completely) and use more onions in place of the fennel.

You want to cut off the fibrous, tough stalks.  Save them to make a vegetable stock.  The fronds are really great used as a fresh herb, so save those too for another use.

Cut the fennel bulb in half, top to bottom.  There’s a hard core in there.  Cut that out with a sharp knife.  I used my serrated bread knife.

Then cut the fennel into slices lengthwise.  About 1/4? is a good size.  Fennel keeps its shape and texture even after long cooking periods, so keep that in mind.

Now for the beef roast.  I put a few tablespoons of fennel seeds plus about 1 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper into my spice grinder.  I then seared the entire surface of the roast in a very hot cast iron skillet coated with a little canola oil.

About 8-10 hours in the slow cooker and you’ve got yourself a tender roast with great flavor.  I skim off the fat from the drippings and thicken them with cornstarch mixed with water to make a quick gravy.

Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Fennel

One 3-5 lb. beef roast

1-2 fennel bulbs, stalks and fronds removed, sliced lengthwise into 1/4? strips

1 large onion, sliced lengthwise into 1/4' strips

1-2 Tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1-2 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with enough water to make a thin paste (optional, for gravy)

Using a spice grinder, grind fennel seeds, salt and pepper to a medium-fine powder.  (Or coarser grind, if desired.)  Rub the surface of the roast with the spice mixture.  Heat a heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the canola oil and heat until you see small wisps of smoke rise from the surface.  Sear the beef on each side, over the entire surface until nicely browned–about 2-3 minutes per side.

Place the seared roast into a slow cooker along with the sliced fennel and onions.  Add a little water if the roast is lean.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.   When done, remove the roast from the slow cooker and place it on a serving platter.  Cover tightly with foil while preparing the gravy.

For the gravy, strain out the onions and fennel.  Set aside in a bowl and cover with foil until ready to serve.  Skim the fat from the drippings, add beef stock or water if there’s not enough to make gravy.  Pour the drippings into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add a little of the cornstarch/water slurry, bringing the gravy to a rolling boil until the desired thickness is reached.  (If you have about 2 cups of drippings plus any added stock or water, you’ll probably only need 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch.)

Slice the roast and serve warm with gravy and the fennel and onions on the side.  We served ours with homemade spaetzle (noodles) and homemade rolls.

Tagged as: dinner, vegetables

Lindsey Johnson is a stay-at-home mom who enjoys cooking, baking, photography, gardening, and writing. You can find more recipes at her blog, Cafe Johnsonia. Read other posts by Lindsey

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Matthew Mead Interview and Giveaway

Matthew Mead is one of those creative designers that you never forget. His simple style says it all. He’s been putting all his fabulous ideas, as well as a few amazing contributors, into quarterly magazines (which really are timeless paperback books!) From cover to cover there are ideas for your home and family during each season. Really, I’ve dog-eared so many projects already that I will make and use again and again. And today, 3 of you are going to receive a set of his latest magazines, Autumn and Holiday.

I had the chance to interview Matthew and find out a little bit more about him and his creativity.

M&T: Where do you find your creative inspiration?

Matthew: I see it everywhere and in everything. I’m always thinking about what I could craft, writing stuff down. I’m inspired by vintage,  flea markets, color palattes, turning old into new. I also like to think about a certain holiday like Easter and take some of those same elements and change it up for Halloween. Using those same materials, making them new and different.

M&T: What is your favorite holiday or season?

Matthew: Fall into Christmas, I really enjoy the holidays. It’s the time when we create the most things. I really love Halloween, trying to create things people have never seen before. But spring is also great as there are flea marketings and it’s fun to decorate.

M&T: What is your favorite medium to craft with?

Matthew: Paint. It adds instant color, creating a pallate and helps in telling the story. I use all sorts of tools for paint, I never stick to one things. Depending on the story or project that needs to be told, it might be a metal pail and I’ll wash it with color and distress it with steel wool.

M&T: I have an obsession with glue, so I have to know what is your favorite glue?

Matthew: Mod Podge and Zots. They both are so versatile, I use them both for so many things.

Thanks, Matthew. I love how you talk about your crafts and projects telling a story. No wonder everything you design is magic!

Now on to the goods… are you ready to craft? Enter the giveaway below to win a copy of Matthew Mead’s Autumn and Holiday magazines. And for a second chance to win, I’m hosting another giveaway for these magazines over at Babble’s New Home Ec!

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Giveaway Entries: For your chance to win one of 3 sets of Matthew Mead’s Autumn and Holiday magazines, leave a comment on this post by Thursday October 20th @ midnight. I’ll announce the winner chosen from random on Friday morning October 21st. Good Luck!

Extra Entries – enter a new comment for each extra entry telling what you did:

Tagged as: fall

Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of Make and Takes. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! Read other posts by Marie

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Online Tips For Kids Craft Ideas

You might know this already, kids love craft projects! And lucky for you, finding them isn't hard to do. Yup, that's right! Thanks to the internet, with few clicks in your mouse, you'll ideas, patterns and instructions. But the tricky part is you just have to know where to look!

Here are few tips to get you started.

1. Thank God, we have Google! Use a search engine, Google, Bing, or Yahoo to find ideas and patterns. Type in few keywords to initiate the search, such as "kids crafts","craft patterns" or "craft ideas". You should find a few of the online sites based from those keywords.

2. Hey, those are lots of sites, you know? Right! And you can always further narrow your search by adding age-specific words like "kindergarten, children or teenagers". You see, there are tons of sites categorize their collection of craft patterns, how-to articles and ideas by age and gender.

3. You find the site? Well, okay, once you have located an online site that offers craft ideas, first you have get this site to bookmark! Then you should spend time to browse through all content inside of it.

4. You find those ideas? Yup, when you get the ones which are right for the age group or activity you're searching for, then save them! Yeah, save a copy to a folder on your computer for future use.

Have a wonderful time? While you're online, you might think to check out At Kinder Art, Craft 4 Kids, Amazing Moms, or Exciting Scout Crafts. You'll find these websites are great recourses teachers, home schools or anyone who wants to teach their children about art.

You'll find huge collection of kids crafts, art lessons, cross curricular art, seasonal kids' arts and more. They got pictures, a list of necessary items and detailed instructions. And the contents are for various age and talent levels. Yup, you'll find many kids crafts to choose from!

Know more online tips for kids craft ideas in 101 Easy Craft, or you can visit our website http://www.db-dp.com/101-easy-craft-project-ideas.

Free Kids Crafts Ideas

Most kids enjoy crafts, but stocking up on craft kits and art materials can be quite costly. But with a bit of imagination you can use things you probably already have at home to create things for your children. Here are three suggestions to inspire you to create your own kids craft ideas.

Make a Robot

Making robots is a craft which will appeal to children of all ages and doesn't have to cost you anything. It will probably require some forward planning as to make the robot you will need to collect toilet rolls, cereal packets, tin foil and any other materials you can possibly think of that would make a good robot.

Creating a robot can be tailored to the ability of the child. For instance, you may need to help a toddler tape toilet rolls to a box to make its body then let them glue on buttons for eyes and the controls. Older children can probably manage with little or no help.

If you have poster paint, get your children to paint their robot creation afterwards. You will probably need to mix a little PVA glue in with the paint to get it to stick properly and avoid flaking.

Create a Story Book or Diary

For this you will need a drawing pad, notebook or you can create your own by stapling or sewing lots of sheets of paper together. Just tailor this kids craft idea to suit whatever materials are available to you.

Once you have the basis of your book, get your child to create a story in it. This can be written, pictures or a combination of the two. Alternatively, they can use the book to document an event (such as their birthday), what they did in the school holidays, or write about their hobbies or their families.

Instead of drawing pictures they could take photos and print them out to stick in the book. For example, if they are writing a book about their family, they could take photos of their parents, siblings or pets. Or if they have made up a story about knights, dragons and castles they could set up the different scenes using Lego and take a photo of each scene.

Obviously, it is not a good idea to let your child use your £400 SLR camera for this. If you trust them, let them use your digital camera. Preferably, let them use their own children's camera or borrow one for the weekend from someone who does have one. The Vtech Kidizoom is best for toddlers and the Lego digital camera is more suitable for older children.

Make Masks

This is a great free kids craft idea, which is only limited by your child's imagination! They can be used for role playing games afterwards. A great material to use for this activity is fun foam if you have it (or you can purchase it from many supermarkets for around £1). But for an entirely free craft project, make the masks from the back of an old cereal box or paper.

Decorate the masks with pens, paints, buttons, feathers or whatever else your children likes. Ideas for themes include superheroes, favourite story book characters or animals.

If your children particularly enjoy art based activities - and you have the storage space - it is a good idea to have a basket or box dedicated to storing old boxes, plastic tubs and odds and ends to allow them to create their own craft projects whenever inspiration strikes.

Leanne is a writer and mum of two. She recently published a series of articles on children's products, such as a lego digital camera review and Disney camera reviews.