I don’t know about you, but sunflowers just make me happy. They remind me of long, sunny, relaxing summer days. That is why I decided a paper plate sunflower craft was the perfect one for us this week.
I created a template for this so that we would have the correct shape. You can cut them out without a template, but I always need a guide. There are three different sizes for the petals because the petals on a real sunflower are always different sizes.
I printed the template onto white paper and then cut the leaves out. Then, I traced the cut outs onto a piece of yellow construction paper. Once I had covered the construction paper with traced sunflower petals, I began to cut.
I didn’t cut just one yellow page at a time. Instead, I put five pieces of yellow construction paper in a small stack and cut through them all at once.
2. Glue the petals to the paper plate.
You will want to put the paper plate upside down for this part. Glue the petals to the edges of the bottom of the paper plate so that they stick out from the back when you look at the front. Do this all the way around the plate.
3. Cut out squares of yellow paper and glue them to the center of the plate.
Glue small squares of yellow paper all over the middle of the plate on the front. This will be the yellow center of the sunflower.
4. Make black dots on the yellow center to show the seeds.
Use a marker to make random black dots all over the yellow squares in the center of the plate. These are supposed to represent the sunflower seeds.
What do You Think About This Paper Plate Sunflower Craft?
This paper plate sunflower craft was so easy, and the kids loved it. Plus, it’s super cute so I can hang it up for a while!
What crafts have you been doing with your kids lately? Tell me about it in the comments!
This tear art based on the book Little Red Riding Hood was so much fun for my daughter! It was easy, allowed her to be creative, and can be done over and over again with different books. Before I get into the details of that craft, let’s catch up!
I hope you are all having an amazing summer! I know things are a little different this year since lots of things are closed/canceled. Plus, the things that aren’t canceled or closed likely have new rules and guidelines to follow.
It definitely takes some getting used to, but we’re still enjoying all of our favorite activities! We’ve spent a lot of time at the Lake (Lake Michigan is our favorite), and spent time exploring places we’ve never been before.
The kids have loved it and they haven’t even complained about missing out on things we would normally do.
It’s been rainy here lately, though, so we have been stuck inside a little more than we’d like. That’s been fine, though, because it gives us plenty of time for reading stories and making crafts.
Little Red Riding Hood Tear Craft
My daughter is obsessed with wolf stories, which has been a theme for her for more than a year now. Lately, we’ve been reading Little Red Riding Hood over and over again.
So, when she wanted to read it for the fourth time in a row the other day, I came up with a better idea. We decided to make a craft based on the book! I love to do that anyway, so this was a perfect time.
My little lady is currently grounded from scissors (a few too many mishaps with her hair, her Barbie’s hair, and now her toy horse’s hair… along with clothes and anything else she found). I wanted to stick to my guns on this one, so we settle for tear art.
Tear crafts are awesome anyway because they help with fine motor skills and using pinching skills. This one was even more fun because we had to copy the book while tearing our paper.
Plus, when you do a craft based on a book, it will help the child remember the book better. That means, if there are any lessons involved in the book, the child will remember those better, too.
Use crayons, a pen, or a marker to add final details if necessary
Use Tear Art to Occupy Kids While You Work From Home
So, I’ll be completely honest here. One of the reasons I’m trying to get my kids to enjoy tear art based on books is because I often work from home. As many of you are probably realizing, working from home when you have kids is incredibly difficult.
I did this craft with my daughter, but I’m hoping that it’ll help her stay occupied on her own when I’m working. Since the materials are basic, you’ll be able to feel comfortable that your child won’t hurt themselves without your guidance.
They can choose any book they want, even ones they haven’t read before. This opens the door to so many ideas and possibilities. You’ll be able to suggest tear art next time your kids are bugging you while you are busy with work.
Your kids don’t have to only create the characters in the book, either. They can re-create the scenery or any other aspect of the book. I think rainbows and other nature-related themes would be so much fun to re-create!
Final Thoughts on Tear Art – Little Red Riding Hood
This is a craft that kids of all ages can do. They get to use their creativity to create what they are seeing in the book.
It doesn’t matter how close your child (or yourself) gets to an exact re-creation. Just going through this process will help them remember the book and the lessons it has taught.
It’ll also keep your kids busy for a while, and they can do this craft without scissors.
What book would you want to recreate with your child? Tell me about it in the comments!
When my son brought the book ‘Hedgehugs’ home from school last year, I was so excited. I’d never heard of it before and it quickly became a favorite. While deciding on some Valentine’s Crafts, this book immediately came to mind.
It’s a cute story about a couple of hedgehogs that want to hug but can’t find a comfortable way to do so. By the end of the story, the hedgehogs find a way to hug by wiggling into the end of a torn sock. The sock covers their sharp parts so that they can share their love.
With National Hugging Day on the 21st and Valentine’s Day less than a month away, I figured it was the perfect time to have some fun with this one. If you want to buy this book for your home library, you can get it on Amazon by clicking HERE or by clicking on the photo below.
This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.
Valentine’s Crafts 1 – Paper Hug
This craft is SO easy and we had everything on hand to make it ahead of time. Even more exciting, our teenager participated in this one!
Draw or print a large oval onto white paper and have your kids paint it brown.
Draw or print a medium-sized oval, a medium sized heart, two small ovals for feet, and two long, skinny ovals for arms. At the end of each long, skinny oval, make it flat instead of rounded. (I know, this isn’t an oval anymore).
Mix brown and white paint to make a light brown or tan color. Then, paint the rest of the shapes with this color.
Then, cut out a couple of hearts onto pink or red paper.
Once all of that is done, assemble the hedgehog by beginning with the large brown oval. Using glue, add the medium-sized tan oval next, more toward the bottom of the large oval leaving about half an inch of space at the bottom.
Then add the tan heart so that the top half of the heart is on the brown oval and the bottom half is on the tan oval.
Next up are the feet, which should be put on the very bottom.
Finally, add one of the red or pink hearts right into the center of the tan oval and put the arms so that the flat side of the arms are on the edge of the oval and the rounded parts are overlapping the red or pink heart.
Add a second red or pink heart overtop of the first one and add the googly eyes to the tan heart.
For the final steps, add a pom-pom to the point of the tan heart to make a nose and add claws to the feet using a black marker.
That’s it!! You’re done and you’ve created a cute hedgehog hugging a heart.
Final Thoughts on Valentines Craft Based on the Book Hedgehugs
Valentine’s Day is such a fun holiday to celebrate with your kids. It’s a good time to teach kids fun ways to celebrate rather than spending money to celebrate.
Which craft are you going to do with your kids? Let me know in the comments!
While you’re at it, parents, go ahead and treat yourself this Valentine’s Day with some pampering and self care.
MLK Day is approaching and as I was planning a Martin Luther King Jr craft and activity, I decided to quiz my kids a little to see what they knew about him. My littles really had no idea and their answers were as follows:
5: I saw him at my school once. Me: Like, a picture of him? 5: No, the real him. Me: I don’t think that was him, kiddo, Martin Luther King Jr isn’t alive anymore.
4: Umm, I knew when I was a baby but I forgot now.
2: I see those M&M’s mom. Can I have an M&M, please?
With those kinds of answers, our 12 year old was on his own. He was the most knowledgeable, of course, and gave us the run down. In case your kids are still a little too young to already know, here is a run down you can summarize for them.
Who is Martin Luther King Jr?
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr had a dream of equality and worked hard to make that happen in America. As a husband and father of four, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr wanted his children to live in a world where they wouldn’t be judged by the color of their skin.
To give his kids the life he dreamed for them, MLK lead the civil rights movement by leading peaceful protests, marches and bus boycotts. His most famous march was the March on Washington where he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of 250,000 people.
He went on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and, after he died, the Congressional Medal of Freedom. Since 1983, we celebrate MLK Day in honor of his birthday. While his birthday was the 15th of January, however, we observe MLK Day on the 3rd Monday in January.
Martin Luther King Jr Book
We started our MLK activities with a book called Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It focuses on the dream idea and kids in the book tell what their dreams are. I think it really helps kids understand that Martin Luther King’s Dream speech wasn’t about dreams when you’re sleeping because my littles struggled with that at first.
Our craft, like the book, went with the dream idea.
Materials:
Blue cardstock or construction paper
White paper
Glue sticks
Markers
Glitter
Directions
1. Cut the blue paper in half
2. Cut out a cloud from the white paper.
3. Write the dream on the cloud
I wrote Josie and Liam’s for them. Syas insisted on doing his own and who am I to say no, so a translation is on the back. He dreamed that everyone would be nice. Liam was just not participating well and only wanted the M&M’s that we were going to use on the experiment.
4. Glue the cloud to the blue paper, leaving space at the top to write.
5. Write “I have a dream…” at the top of the blue paper, above the cloud.
6. Add glitter.
Martin Luther King Jr Experiment
I’ve seen so many of these experiments that use one brown egg and one white egg, but since my little guy has an egg allergy I needed a different option. We decided to use some Christmas M&M’s we had leftover. You could use any color M&Ms, and I honestly would have preferred using a regular pack with more colors.
In the first box of the printable, the kids laid out their different coored M&Ms and drew what they saw. Then, they took one bite of each M&M and put them in the second box where they drew what they saw on the inside.
Once they were done, we talked about how, like M&Ms, we all look different on the outside but the same on the inside. The kids loved this and really seemed to get it!
Heres the free Martin Luther King Jr printable that I created! Feel free to print it for personal use or to share.
Final Thoughts On Martin Luther King Jr Day Craft and Activity
I feel like Martin Luther King Jr Day doesn’t get enough attention sometimes, so I want to ensure that my kids know and understand the sacrifices Martin Luther King Jr made and how much courage he had. MLK changed America for the better and left us with an amazing message to pass on to our kids.
What do you and your family do to observe Martin Luther King Jr Day? Tell me about it in the comments.
I like to make holidays memorable for my kids. One way I do it is by doing holiday-themed crafts and activities in the days leading up to the holiday. My kids love it, I get keepsakes, and it offers an opportunity to discuss what the holiday means. 4th of July activities and crafts make the holiday more fun and exciting. Plus, there are plenty of ideas to choose from.
The 4th of July is always busy for us. We have a cookout the day of the holiday and another party the weekend after. It’s hard to talk about the meaning of the holiday with so much going on. Luckily, our craft time gives us that needed time to connect.
4th of July Activities and Crafts
This year we’ve done two crafts already, including:
4th of July Ripped Paper Wreath Kids Craft
These ripped paper wreaths were fun and easy. We used white paper, cut it into a circle (or close enough), and cut a round hole in the middle. Then, the kids ripped blue and red paper to glue on. I cut out stars to put on at the end. We hung the finished wreaths on the kids’ bedroom doors.
Handprint Firework Craft
This one is my favorite one we have made so far this year. It’s so cute, and I love handprint keepsakes. I painted their hands red before helping them put their hand flat on white paper. Then, using blue and red paint (separately so it doesn’t turn purple), they used their fingers to make the “fireworks” part. Super simple.
Other 4th of July Crafts and Activities
There are three other crafts I want to do with them before the 4th of July and one scavenger hunt.
Kids Blowers Patriotic Craft Idea
These patriotic kids blowers from Natural Beach Living are so cute. The kids can use them during fireworks displays to add more festivity.
Footprint Rocket Pop
I love this Footprint Rocket Pop craft from Tippytoe Crafts. It’s another keepsake for Mama and a craft the kids will love. It could be a general summertime craft, but with the red, white, and blue, it gives me patriotic vibes.
Painted Rocks
We want to paint some rocks like these Painted Rocks for the 4th of July created by Thrifty Nifty Things. I don’t know if this is popular everywhere, but where I’m from, people paint rocks and hide them for others to find. When you find a rock, you’re supposed to post a picture on the dedicated Facebook site and say where you found it. Then, you re-hide it in a new location. I want to paint them this weekend and hide them in the couple of days before the 4th of July. My kids LOVE hiding and finding rocks around town, so it’s perfect for them.
4th of July Scavenger Hunt
I fell in love with this 4th of July Scavenger Hunt Printable from Women With Intention on Pinterest. I’m bummed that the link didn’t work, and the website no longer exists, so I can’t download it directly from who created it. Later tonight I’ll make a scavenger hunt printable to use at home on the 4th of July and maybe a second one for the larger party the weekend after.
Recap: 4th of July Activities and Crafts
How do you teach your kids about holidays? Are you doing any fun crafts or activities with them for the 4th of July? Tell me about it in the comments!
If you are anything like me, you prefer your kids to create artwork from things you already have at home. This means coming up with creative, easy activities that use up materials you have no other purpose for.
This time, I had leftover streamers that I would never use. I always save the un-opened streamers just in case I need them for the next birthday party, but I usually throw away the rolls that have already been opened.
I decided not to waste them this time and used them for crafts instead.
I grabbed the streamers, some old newspapers, scissors, glue, and paper and let the toddlers go to town making a collage.
Liam is still too little to use glue and scissors so I just gave him some streamers to play with while we did the craft and he was able to get in some no-mess sensory play, too. It was a win-win.
This activity was actually really fun even though it was super simple! The toddlers explored the newspaper while we did it, and asked questions about some of the pictures. I always love a good learning experience.
What are some easy crafts you like to do with your littles? Tell me about them in the comments! 🙂
This weekend was pretty great. With it being Mother’s Day weekend, it was pretty relaxing for me and my hubby might have gotten me some cute gifts. 😉
So Friday was a lazy day, for sure. It was rainy and SO COLD and the babies and I just stayed in all day. We got out their instruments and we sang songs while playing. We also cuddled in our warm, comfy clothes and watched movies, read books, and colored. It was a wonderfully unproductive day.
Friday night I braved the cold and went with my sister and her best friend to dinner, shopping, and out for a couple drinks. While I was out I got a couple cute Snapchat’s from Chris and Sylas.
Saturday I definitely slept in, as did all of my kids… they’re pretty great, am I right? When we woke up, Sylas and Josie helped me make pancakes. Later, Chris took Sylas and Liam shopping for a couple grocery items and I took Josie and Peyton to buy birthday gifts for Sylas. Then we went to Tractor Supply Co. to pick out a Mother’s Day gift for my mama. There was an animal called a Brahman at Tractor Supply and Sylas was brave enough to pet him! This Brahman has a medical issue that requires expensive treatment so his owners were there collecting money for him. Sylas fell in love with the store and decided to add five more things to his already extra long birthday list.
We had fried chicken, green beans, and potato salad for dinner on Saturday, which is always an event in our house. Chris and I listen to music and sing (if that’s what you want to call it) while we cook, and it turns out to be so much fun every time. Plus, fried chicken night is EVERYONES favorite here so that’s always exciting. Chris makes the best fried chicken, I make the best green beans, and we are working together to master my mother-in-law’s AMAZING potato salad. She never measures so it’s a guessing game for us… we’ve gotten close but never gotten it perfectly.
Sunday was Mother’s Day and it was also my due date for Sylas 4 years ago, so it’s extra special to me! I don’t know why I always get emotional on his due date day, but I do. Probably because he was my first baby and I remember so vividly the way I felt when the due date came around and still no baby… he didn’t come until 13 days later. Stubborn boy lol
Chris surprised me with the best gifts… I was so surprised he nailed every gift perfectly. We had donuts for breakfast and I drank coffee out of my new mug.
We got all the kids around and went to visit my mama. Sylas and Josie made her a cute little craft. They wanted to cut out flowers and tape them to paper so I let them go to town on Saturday. LOL. I drew the flowers out for them so my mom would have some idea of what they were and then the rest was up to them. When they were finished I did write a little message on them.
We also got my mom a gift for her garden.
We came home for a nap (the babies, not parents, unfortunately) and then went to my in-laws’ house for pizza night. We got Chris’ mom flowers because she is too tricky to shop for. I had delicious wine (of course) and will be posting about it on Wednesday so make sure you come and check it out.
Mommy drank wine on the deck while everyone played. 😉
Josie played on the rocks.
Liam walked up and down the ramp with Nana.
Peyton and Chris played catch.
It was such a good weekend! How was your weekend?!
We work on letters and name recognition SO MUCH. When I was working full time and my kids were with a babysitter, I felt like they were falling behind and not learning quite so much anymore. That feeling had a lot to do with me quitting my job to stay home with them. We couldn’t afford a daycare, so the littles just went with whatever friend or family member was available that day. They were taken care of, don’t get me wrong, but they were not learning anything and that was a huge issue for me. (Let me just add that my friend Nikki did watch them sometimes and she worked on learning stuff with them, but she didn’t have them often enough to really enforce it).
So, since I’ve been off work, we’ve worked on letters quite a bit. Sylas is starting preschool in the fall and I want him to know how to write his name before he starts and I want him to be able to recognize letters.
That leads us to this – Name Recognition with Caterpillar Letter Matching.
I found two objects with different size circles to use to draw the circles, one only slightly bigger than the other. I used the smaller circle shaped object to trace on construction paper and then I cut out different colored paper for each letter of their names. The first time I cut out the construction paper, my circles were too big and wouldn’t fit on the piece of paper so I had to find a smaller circle and re-cut. I used a canned good from the play kitchen and it was a perfect size.
The bigger circle is for the caterpillars head, which I traced onto a full piece of paper. I didn’t need to cut construction paper for the head because there was nothing to match. Josie did insist, however, that I make a circle for her to put on the head. I didn’t, but I would if she was adamant. LOL.
So, once the construction paper is cut out and the caterpillars head is drawn on the page, I used the same toy canned good (the smaller of your two circles) to trace five more circles onto the full page, trying my best to make it look like a caterpillar. Finally, I wrote one letter of their name in each circle and did the same on the construction paper circles, and then I added a face to each caterpillar.
I made one for both older toddlers.
It was extremely easy to make and both Sylas and Josie loved it. I wondered how Josie would like it because it’s hit or miss with her, but she LOVED it. She didn’t even need help to match the letters in her name and she did it over and over again. We talked about the letters as she worked. She would say, “what letter this one mom?” in her teacher’s voice and then I would tell her what letter it is and vice versa.
When dinner was ready I told the kids we had to be done and Sylas asked if we could save it to do it again later so I put it in a gallon size Ziploc bag (I but these from the dollar tree because they are so handy. I store everything in them haha).
This activity could be used for numbers, shapes, other letters, etc. There really is no limit to what you can match up here.
What are some of your favorite name recognition activities? I’d love to hear about them!
When springtime comes, so do the bugs!! We have been seeing bugs everywhere outside, and inside our house, we are seeing ants. UGH. I know, I know, ants are harmless. I still don’t want them in my house. Chris will DEFINITELY be spraying that bug killer/repellant stuff around the house this weekend because JoJo and I are sooooo over the ants.
Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to create our own little bugs to celebrate this warm weather we are having. After seeing the bugs that my kids created, I am SO THANKFUL we only have ants in our house. If I saw one of their bugs crawling across the floor, I’d burn the house down. On paper, they are VERY cute, though… just don’t bring these little guys to real life please. 😉
Peyton and I cut all the pieces ahead of time. We wanted a variety of shapes and sizes to work with, so we just free handed everything. Sylas and Josie worked on cutting, too, but they used crafting scissors to cut strips with designed edges for a different project.
Once the cutting was finished, everyone chose a blank piece of colored paper. We used glue sticks and began making our own bugs. It was so much fun. Sylas loved it and exclaimed how awesome the project was a couple times while making them. They aren’t as “pretty” as some of our others, but we definitely enjoyed this one. I loved that we each got to do something different and all of the kids were excited to check each others’ craft out.
Sylas’ bug
Mommy & Liam’s bug. Liam mostly just played with the glue stick and tried crumpling the paper, but he loved joining in on our big kid crafts.
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