Messy Painted Pig

Print out or draw a picture of a pig.
Mix equal parts of shaving cream and glue.

Add some brown paint to make it look like mud.
Add the mud to the pig.
When finished, the paint will dry puffy.

SOURCE: http://ourcraftsnthings.com/page/4/

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Rainy Day Umbrella Preschool Craft


Stuck inside with your preschooler on a rainy day? Short on craft supplies? Then improvise! Check your pantry, bathroom, closets – you can find something in almost any room to use for a craft. This Rainy Day Umbrella Preschool Craft uses colored sugar and cupcake baking cups from the pantry and cotton balls from the bathroom. Gather up a few things and get creative!

What You Need
Sheet of Paper – any will do
Glue
Scissors
Cotton Balls (or even marshmallows!)
Blue Colored Sugar (or glitter if you have it)
Baking Cups (cupcake papers)
Chenille Stems (or tooth picks, spaghetti noodles, etc. for the handle)

How To Make It
Step One:
Spread glue all over the piece of paper and sprinkle the blue sugar “rain.”
Step Two:
Stretch out some cotton balls and glue onto paper to make “clouds.”
Step Three:
Cut three baking cups in half and glue onto paper for the “umbrellas.”
Step Four:
Add handles to your umbrella with the chenille stems or whatever else you have to use. Now you’re done with your rainy day scene!

Source: http://crafts.preschoolrock.com/index.php/crafts/rainy-day-umbrella-preschool-craft

Great Resource for Daily Activities

I recently found these calendars that suggest a daily activity to do with your toddlers and preschoolers. Activities range from reading stories on specific themes to cooking to crafts to movement to science. What a great resource . . . especially on those days where you are stuck inside due to weather, etc.

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/calendar_station.shtml

Paperplate Snowman

Source: http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2008/12/best-of-2008-count-down-3.html


Gather your materials. You will need a paper plate, some orange and black construction paper, 2 buttons, some sequins, sparkles, contact paper, scissors, double stick tape, a stapler, and some ribbon. I also used some paint because my son wanted to paint and I like how it looks but you can skip this step if you want.


Have your child paint the paper plate, and let dry. If you use a sponge paint brush the paint will go on lightly and dry fast.

While they do that cut out a nose from the orange paper, a hat and some coal for the mouth.

Cut a rectangle of contact paper and fold in half , make sure it’s big enough to cover the hole you will be cutting in the plate.

Peel back the contact paper backing and let your child shake the sparkles on it.

Add some sequins.

Fold the contact paper so it sandwiches the sparkles , seal it. You may have to use some tape to make sure it’s sealed and nothing falls out.

Cut out the middle of the plate.

Add glue to the cutout middle for the coal mouth, nose and hat. Obviously older kids can do this themselves but it gives toddlers a great guide to be independent.

Add the face pieces.

Add the button eyes.

While your child is adding the face pieces , attach the contact paper to the inside of the paper plate ring, I used double stick tape cause it holds contact paper well.

Staple the face to the belly, I use staples with coated paper plates because glue doesn’t always work very well.

Add the ribbon as a scarf to cover the staples.

Plastic Easter Egg Snakes

SOURCE:  http://mommymeatloaf.blogspot.com/


Grab some line and some plastic egg halves
String the eggs onto the line.
Turn the very last egg backwards to give it a "finished" look and tie a knot.
Paint a face on it and glue on a piece of ribbon to make a mouth.

Crayon Iron-Ons

SOURCE: http://mommymeatloaf.blogspot.com/2010/04/crayon-iron-ons.html

Crayon Iron-Ons


Take a piece of coarse sandpaper and color your design on the rough side. I free-handed some hearts and flowers. Since my son isn't old enough to really draw designs yet, I cut out some shapes and letters for him to color. Remember: When cutting out letters or when coloring words, you must make them backwards so when they are transfered, they face the right way.

Now for the adult portion! Take your material (shirt, bag, whatever) and put it on your ironing board. Be sure to put a piece of white paper or aluminum foil under the layer of fabric you are putting your iron-on on. If you don't, the crayon will bleed through. Place your picture on the fabric, crayon side down. Now iron it on. Be sure to move the iron very slowly and iron for 10-20 seconds (don't burn your shirt though).
Now, carefully peel off the sandpaper while its still hot and ALL done!!

Wait until your child sees their masterpiece on a piece of clothing. They'll love it!
BE SURE TO READ THIS: While handwashing is best, you can wash your project in the machine on cold. DO NOT DRY YOUR PROJECT IN THE DRYER! Not only will the crayon melt all over your project, it will probably ruin all the clothes in the dryer. I know this from experiences with crayons left in pockets.

super letter hunt

ages 2-6 

supplies

Paper and pen

activity detail

Play a hidden alphabet game with your child. Write each letter of your child's name on a separate piece of paper. Then hide the letters throughout your house and send your child on a letter treasure hunt. When she has found them, help her put the letters in order to spell her name. When she has mastered this, try it with other words. Another variation would be to write the whole alphabet on 26 pieces of paper and then have your child place them in order after finding them all.

Source: http://www.savvysource.com/activities/activity_a2-3i601_SuperLetterHunt

paper bag pinatas

ages 3-6 

supplies

Small brown paper bags, candy, yarn, crayons, decorative materials of parent's choice

activity detail

Give your child a small brown paper bag and let them decorate it how they want. This can be elaborately, with sequins and glitter, or simply, with crayons. Put a few pieces of candy in the bag and close by folding over the top. Punch two holes at the top and run enough yarn through the holes to be able to hang it from a high place and still be at children's height to swing at.

Source: http://www.savvysource.com/activities/activity_a2-3i129_PaperBagPinatas

Snacklaces

Source:   http://www.savvysource.com/activities/activity_a1-2i114_CreatingSnacklaces

creating snacklaces

ages 2-6 

supplies

Yarn or string, pretzels or Cheerios

activity detail

This is a slightly more nutritious variation of candy jewelry. Cut yarn or string in different lengths for your child to wear as a necklace or bracelet. Let your child decorate it by stringing on Cheerios or small pretzels. Make extras - they're fun to carry around for your child to nibble on!

Clothes Pin Names

Source: http://www.savvysource.com/activities/activity_a1-2i49_ClothesPinNames

ages 2-6 

supplies

A clothes pin for each letter in your child's name, paper.

activity detail

Write each letter of your child's name on a separate clothes pin. On a piece of paper, write your child's name. Mix up the clothes pins and have your child find each letter in their name, match it to the letter on the paper, and clip it on the paper. For an added challenge, add extra letters on clothes pins that your child will have to eliminate from the pile. This activity is a great way for kids to learn to identify the letters in their names.

Fishies

Mommy put some toothpaste in a Ziploc bag and I squished it all up. While I did that Mommy cut a fishbowl shape out of construction paper. We glued the Ziploc bag to a piece of construction paper then we glued the fish bowl on top of it. I stuck some of my foam fish on it and we were finished.



 
Source: http://www.internettoddler.com/category/arts-crafts

Toilet Paper Tube Poinsettias

Source: http://preschool2prek.blogspot.com/search/label/Arts%20and%20Crafts

Poinsettia ornaments out of toilet paper tubes. We cut five equal slits about 1 inch wide and stopped one inch before the end of the tube. The trimmed each slit on one end to resemble a petal. My youngest painted his with red acrylic paint on both sides (he was eager to paint and did not let me trim the petals on this one).


Before drying, we sprinkled red glitter all over the petals and laid them to dry in a box.

Handprint Turkey

http://busymomsblog.com/category/toddler-art-and-craft/

Lid Wind Chimes

Source: http://www.cool-kids-craft-ideas.com/sensory-crafts-sound.html#wind_chimes
Supplies
3 large canning lids (the flat insert piece)
10 small canning lids (the flat insert piece)
1 large canning lid band (the part the twists on the jar)
Metal Paint (like Rustoleum)
Ribbon or String
Glitter Glue
Scissors
Hot Glue

How to Make Wind Chimes
Paint all the lids with rustoleum paint and let dry.
Using glitter glue, write out your message or decorate the lids as you want. Use the larger lids for the first letter of each word.
We used the words Peace, Love and Hope on one side and Faith, Life and Wish on the other side.
Cut 3 long strips of ribbon (long enough to hold all the lids for each word.
Hot glue the lids to the ribbon leaving enough of the ribbon to tie to the lid band and some to hang from the bottom.
Tie each ribbon to the lid band in different spots. Tie another piece of ribbon to the band for hanging.
Hang your wind chime somewhere outside to catch the wind and make some noise.

Pine Cone Hyacinth

Source: http://www.cool-kids-craft-ideas.com/flower-crafts.html

Supplies


1 Pine Cone (per flower)
Colored Tissue Paper
Green Construction Paper
Colored Aluminum Foil (or colored paper)
Plastic Tub (like from margarine)
Scissors
Glue
Pencil
Ribbon or Bow





How to Make a Pine Cone Flower

Place the tub on the aluminum foil and wrap the foil around the tub. Fold over the end into the inside of the tub to hold in place and cover the rim.
Tip: If you use paper instead of foil, just use double stick tape to hold it in place. Fold the end of the paper into the tub and tape in place.
Glue the pine cone into the plastic tub.
Tip: If you have a smaller pine cone, just build up the inside of the tub with flower foam and then stick the pine cone in a bit to hold in place.
Cut the tissue paper into 1 1/2 inch squares. Place the eraser end of the pencil in the middle of the square and twist the tissue paper by twirling the pencil.
Dip the pointed end of the tissue paper into glue and stick it between the pine cone petals. Repeat this until the pine cone is completely covered with colored tissue paper.
Cut leaves from the green paper and glue in place.
Wrap a ribbon or place a bow on the outside of the pot.

Odds and Ends . . . Sources Unknown!

Bubble Wrap Prints

http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/search/label/0%20grade

1. I cut panels of bubble wrap that were smaller than the journal pages so that the paint wouldn’t go all the way to the edges. The students were given a brush, acrylic paint and paper plate. After spreading the paint out on the plate, the bubble wrap was pressed into the paint (bubble side down) and then printed in the center of a blank journal page.


2. After a successful print was made, the students pressed a paper towel on top of the page to absorb any extra paint.

3. When the paint felt dry, the students used colored pencils to color in the bubbles. I love how they look like marbles all lined up in a row.

A Couple Cute Animal Ideas . . . . No Instructions Required :p

Source: http://blogs.familyeducation.com/parenting/14452/archive/200906?page=1

Handprint Caterpillar

Source: http://daycaredailies.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html
Supplies Needed:


Poster board white
Finger paint or tempera paints
Pipe cleaners
Wiggly eyes (or a marker to draw eyes)

Take the poster board and have child do three hand prints from the paints listed above.(see the sample on the left)

Make the head as a painted or finger painted circle attached to hand print. Let dry, cut out shape similar to above photo and attach (staple) pipe cleaners on top of head. Add wiggly eyes or draw them in.

Snowflake Ornament

Source: http://www.inspiremecrafts.com/inspireme_crafts/gotta-make-itwith-the-kids/

Here's an easy one for you! Just a few supplies and your little ones will create some masterpieces to showcase on your tree. They will be so proud of their button snowflake ornament they'll want to make one for everybody. Hang them on your tree, attach them to the ribbon on gifts, or if you don't think you'll see real snow this year, just hang several from your windows!










MATERIALS:
Popsicle sticks (3 for each ornament)
Buttons (I chose white ones so I wouldn't have to paint them)
White glitter
Glue
Ribbon

HOW TO:

1. Glue the popsicle sticks together one on top of the other, attaching at the middle. Space them out to make the shape of the "snowflake". Let the glue dry.
2. Spread glue over the top of the popsicle sticks. Apply the buttons. Let dry.
3. Spread a light coat of glue over the buttons or use a spray adhesive. Apply glitter. Shake excess glitter off.
4. Glue ribbon in a loop at the top of one of the popsicle sticks.