One of
my goals for 2012 was to do a craft with my kiddos once a week. They absolutely light up when I say, "Who wants to do a craft?" so, needless to say, making this a weekly thing does not disappoint them. In fact, I've found that we are doing it more like twice a week! Here's what we've been up to:
Pencil Stamping Hearts:
This idea came from
Lil' Magoolie! Use the end of an eraser as a stamp! Since Valentine's Day is just next week, we decided to do a heart. I traced a heart with red marker and let them fill it in (and out) with red and pink ink! I got the pink ink from
Michael's with the $5/$5 coupon they had available last weekend (they didn't have washable red ink) and a
40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby for the red ink.
Amazon has
Melissa & Doug Rainbow 6 Color Stamp Pad
for just $5.90! This is a great way to get multiple colors for a low price. The multi-color pads that I've seen are more than $10 and I'm not sure I saw one with washable ink.
What we used:
*white computer paper
*washable ink
*red marker
*pencils with unused erasers
Handprint Hearts:
I've been doing these with Cailynn for a few years now! This is a fun thing to keep and watch her hands grow as they get bigger. All you have to do is paint each hand a different color (or the same color). Press them down one at a time so that they overlap. I did guide their hands, especially Ellie's. We used cardstock and Tempera paint that I purchased from Hobby Lobby. $1.77 is the regular price and they often go on sale for $1.27!
We turned a couple of Cailynn's into valentines for her teachers. Notice the spelling - we are really encouraging her to spell it out herself. It is tempting to correct her but this is a great way to learn! And gives her an opportunity to take chances without fear of being wrong. All she heard from me was what a great job she did! These would be a great homemade card for classmates as well!
What we used:
*tempera paint
*cardstock
*sponge brush (to paint the paint on their hands)
Cotton Ball Painted Snowmen:
We used cotton balls to paint the snowmen. After the white paint dried, we used cotton swabs to decorate the snowmen with different colors.
They turned out pretty goofy looking but they were original works and that's what's important!!
Paper Plate Valentine Animals:
This was an already prepared, boxed craft from Michael's. Cailynn used her
$5/$5 coupon to purchase this. I didn't get a picture of the completed project but they had pieces and pictures to make either a ladybug, bear, or lion. They turned out cute and it was nice to have the pieces already made and cut out for us but it would be something you could easily create yourself. Here's a picture of Ellie holding the example of what could be made if that helps a bit.
They really did turn out great - lopsided ears, a crooked nose. It's great to see the kid quirks in it!
