Straw Necklace Update

Our straw necklaces turned Put super cute with this orange polka dotted ribbon that we had left over from another project. Miracle of miracles, we had just enough ribbon for BOTH necklaces! Simple and easy easy project.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Straw Necklaces

This morning, we practiced some scissor skills by cutting up these happy color straws.

After nap, we are going to string them into ribbon to make necklaces - which is good small muscle exercise.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Craft Day Tuesdays - Necklace plus Art

 Does inspiration ever come to you at the weirdest times? It does me.  I went to Hobby Lobby on Saturday.  I was a woman on a mission.  I knew exactly what I needed.  I had a short window of time...then BAM!  Inspiration struck.  I saw these tiny wooden discs and I thought, "I know our next project!"

 We painted the discs pale blue.  It took very little paint to do 4, so a whole bottle of paint would probably paint 50+.  Then, we went off to play while they dried.

 Later, we drew the "scenery" with Sharpie markers.  Just fun things like sunshine, grass, rainbow, etc.  Easy, right?

We picked which button would go with each scene (Dress It Buttons - aren't they cute?).  I hot glued on the buttons.  I burn my fingers ev.ery.time.  Then, I hot glued the ribbon on the back for the necklace.

They turned out sooo cute.  I might make theses with my nieces and nephew, too.  They were a hit!

8 wooden discs - $1.99
Blue paint - $1.00
Ribbon - $1.00
We already had the Sharpies and the buttons

Are you inspired to make some adorable necklaces?  I think I want to wear the unicorn one!  :)

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Safari Ltd. Toobs Terrariums

We made terrariums yesterday.  They are simple and easy to make.  Kids LOVE to make them.  I mean, come on, you get to play with dirt!  After we layered rocks, potting soil, and plants, we played around with what we would put in them.

Of course, I have a lot of Safari Ltd Toobs - toobs full of possibilities!  I snapped a few photos of the different versions that we made.

We also used Dress It Up buttons and Safari Ltd Good Luck minis.  Kids (and adults!) will enjoy creating these mini worlds and taking care of them.  There's something magical about terrariums, something that makes the imagination start buzzing!

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Baby Food Jar Terrariums

 Remember this hint from yesterday?  No, there will not be a new baby in our house.  We are making mini terrariums with baby food jars!

 It's sooo easy.  Layer pebbles then potting soil then plants.  I used a plant called "baby's tears" available everywhere.  I went to my local nursery and they had tons of it.

 Now, comes the fun part.  Add in any small animal, rocks, gems, fake mushrooms, etc.  Use your imagination or "borrow" some of my ideas.  I used these teeny tiny mushrooms that I found at Micheal's Craft Store - a bundle was $2.99.  The deer is a button from Dress It Up buttons. You can find them at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, or at shellysbuttonsandmore.com

 The rabbit above is from a Safari Ltd Toob.  Very woodland, right?  AND just in time for Easter.

 The blue butterfly is from Safari Ltd as well - it's in a "good luck" pack found at Michael's.  They also have dragons and unicorns and animals - very tiny not recommended for kids under 3. :)

 I call her Cinderella, but she is a princess button from Dress It Up.  There are 3 princesses in that pack - purple, yellow, and blue for $2.00

This bear is also a button - how cute are these??? - from Dress It Up.  I cannot get over the cuteness level of their buttons!

The fun thing about terrariums is...1) they are easy to make, 2) kids will enjoy making them, 3) it's creative and imaginative, 4) if you can out the animal or button, it's a whole new scene!  I love creating terrariums, because you don't need much of a green thumb to keep them alive.  They cost very little to make.  And it's like you are creating this tiny new world.  Plus, it's science.  It's nature.  It's fun...and kinda messy, too.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Make a Sprinkles Necklace

We are totally making these necklaces soon!  Aren't they adorable???  A certain 4 year old said, "You can never have too many sprinkles."  And that's how we live in this house - sprinkles go on EVERYTHING!  You need only a few items - little bottles (these found on etsy), ribbon (also found on etsy or Michaels), an eye hook (not pictured), and of course some sprinkles.  Pour the sprinkles in - maybe with a funnel, put the cork in, screw in the eye hook, add the ribbon, and tie! Ta-da! Easy Peasy!
Have a fun & playful day
Mel

Math Games Monday - Roll the Dice Games

Games are fun...and easy to make.

You need very few supplies - paper, glue, cutouts or stickers, 2 penguin game pieces, and a die.  My penguins are from Safari Ltd. Penguins Toob.

Simply map out a twisty path with your snowflakes and glue them on.  If you are using stickers, place them on.  Kids can help make the gameboard.

Roll the die and move that many spaces. Easy, peasy.  You can make these easy game for little money and for any theme you want.  You could coordinate your game to your child's favorite book or movie.

 OR if you have 2 players...you can use the penguins to take turns (patience is a good thing!) to see who reaches the end first.

 So that there's no hard feelings, I always say, "Kate is the first winner. Ethan is the second winner." I learned that from a veteran preschool teacher of 20 years.

 I used Safari Ltd. Penguins from a Toob, but you could use any animal as game pieces.  If it's snow-themed, you could use any polar animals or Anna, Elsa, or Olaf figures like these at the Disney Store as game pieces.

 The possibilities are endless.

Games are great for teaching taking turns, patience, counting, one-to-one correspondence, and family bonding time.

Have a Fun & Playful day!
Mel

Craft Day Tuesday - Small Shadowboxes

 Do you remember making dioramas as a kid?  I used to love getting an assignment where I could make a diorama instead of writing a book report...more fun and creative.  Well, on this cold and snowy day, I decided that we would do a mini version of a diorama.  Instead of a shoebox, we are using 3x3 jewelry boxes (found at Michael's for $.99 each but 1 box makes 2).

 Just a few supplies are needed: scrap paper, cotton, felt, stickers, glue, scissors.  I found these adorable fox and polar friends sticks by Sticko at Walmart.  Greta was so into this project.  She could do most every step.

 We lined the bottom of each box with a scrap of paper that I had.  Then, we just added tree cutouts, the stickers, felt or cotton, and a few plastic flowers that I had laying around.

 They turned out sooo cute.  You could hang on a wall, but we decided to tape ours to the frig.

 It's a beautiful little display of art, don't you think?

Rainbow Treehouse Animal Hospital

 So when a 4 year old says, "I have a plan", you take notice.  Not only did she have a plan, she had a mission.  She wanted to make an animal hospital for her little animals, but she wanted it to be a treehouse..."So the giraffes won't have to strain their necks."

 I saw her vision and made a pattern.  I cut it out of cardstock to make it easier to trace onto the cardboard.  I just did a simple tree shape (no art degree needed here!).  I cut two and notched out the second on.

 The tree slid together then l made "shelves" out of spare pieces of the amazon box (they have the best boxes!)

 Then it was time to paint :) - time to add the "rainbow"!

 Of course, we had to have a sign..."So the animals know where to go."

 And we added a popsicle stick ladder.

 Then it was time for the animals to get care.  Two Lego Friends girls were the vets and took excellent care of the animals - both wild and domesticated.

 Stretchy Cat rested after her shots.

 Panda nibbled on bamboo after his exam.

 Giraffes, ponies, pandas, cats, dogs, llamas...all were welcome.

I am not sure how the pony got up in the treehouse - yes, I do - with the imagination of a four year old.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
-Albert Einstein

I think we will create more tree treehouses for our collection of Schleich, Papo, and Safari Ltd primates.  The possibilities are endless with this.

Fairy House Kit Love

 I have these fairy house making kits in my etsy shop and received this sweet note about one of my sold kits.  Thank you sooo much!

Hi Melanie
I recently ordered a fairy house kit for my young niece and she absolutely loved it. She couldn't wait to get on the phone and tell me all about it. She just knows the fairies will love it! Magical!
Thank you
N