I had this crazy idea just now to document my summer. Essentially using this like the journal it was meant to be, except I won't tell mom if you read it. So hold on to your shorts and get ready to follow me and my family on our daily adventures and hopefully you'll find some useful information on things to do and where to go when you find yourself with a little extra time.
Today is Sunday. In our house that means I get myself and our girls ready for church. No, I am not religious. Yes, I understand the irony. There is obviously a bit more to it than that but I'll save that for another post. The fact of the matter is that the particular church I attend I also once worked for. So when I left my position I found my children asking me every Sunday why they no longer got to attend their Sunday school. I eventually decided that my personal religious beliefs, or lack thereof, didn't seem like a good enough reason to deprive my children of the routine they had become accustomed to for over a year and a half. On my first day at the church I stayed with my girls in Sunday school visiting with old co-workers. I quickly decided that unless I was on payroll I was really just a distraction to the lovely ladies working. This is how you'll now find me in a pew every Sunday singing songs, taking communuion, and even making my donations. My girls are quite content playing with their friends and they enjoy the activities and play time that they get during my time in mass. So if you are someone who is of any kind of faith and you have a church that you have thought about attending go ahead and look into it. And be sure to check out their services for children. It has been in my experience that nowadays almost every church has someplace for the little ones to go. It gives them a place to continue working on their socialization skills and gives both you and your child a break to focus on your own development as a person.
After church we headed home and got ourselves ready to visit my parents. My family and I all live very close together but since I am incredibly fortunate to also have extended family living in my house and helping me with watching the girls my daughters rarely get to see my parents during the week. That means grandma and grandpa are thrilled to see them on Sundays from around lunchtime to bedtime. If you have family nearby, and you like them, see if they can babysit now and again. Maybe just a few hours a week. Or one day a month, whatever works. Again, give you and your little one that time to recharge. You'll all be better off for it.
While my girls were at my parents swimming and causing a general rucus I was out with my husband and father-in-law watching Snow White and the Huntsman for only $5 a person. Not a bad deal if you ask me. It was a good movie and you can rarely beat the price. And don't think that this was a special summer deal. Our theatre offers discount movies twice a week for the whole day. Save yourself a little money and if you really want to go out for a movie find out what the deals are at your local theatre. Whether it's a matinee, a summer deal, or an AARP discount, every place has something to offer. And don't feel like you have to trek to the dollar theatre if it's 3 cities over. It's not really worth the gas, money and time. Of course if you happen to be very fond of said theatre then drive away. I personally want to save in every way I can meaning time, money, and gas.
Oh, I almost forgot our lunch date as well. Holidays and birthdays are a great time to remind people of places you like to shop or eat at. My husband received a gift card for the Olive Garden and we all ate there. Lunch was great and we got it at a discount, in a way, thanks to the generosity of the gift giver.
After the movie our night out was just about wrapped up so we headed over to Trader Joe's and did a little shopping for a fun evening at home. I also decided to surprise my husband by running off and buying flowers and a card when he wasn't looking. Yes ladies, your husband will appreciate flowers even if you don't think so. Who says the woman can't be the romantic? Besides the flowers, wine, meats and cheeses were purchased for the intent of waiting till the kids went to sleep then bringing them all out for snacks, drinks, and good music. Since our television is out of comission this seems like a wonderful alternative.
So my message for today is this: find a weekly habit that allows you to be more introspective i.e. church, yoga, etc. Let your kids be without you and vice versa for a few hours because we all need a break from one another. Make sure you've done a little research on the places you frequent and see if there's a way to save money there. And lastly, turn off the tv. It's amazing how capable we are at real conversation (says the woman blogging).
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
A Place In The Sun
I haven't written for this blog in ages and now that my television has decided to stop working (it involved a loud popping sound) I feel that it's about time I began again.
Although most everything I wrote about involved crafts I have decided to widen my spectrum of writing. Since this is meant to be everything to do with parenting I should be writing about all our little family events, crafts, expeditions, and so on. So today I'm starting with my concern over my children's nature deficit disorder and what I decided to do about it.
Being in my 30's I did not grow up in a time when kids played outside until the sun went down. I did not run out the door with my baseball glove, unless it was to practice, nor did I have a swimming hole I could while the summer away in. There was no playing in the woods, all nighters at a local beach, or anything else that involved nature for the most part. I grew up having a sibling or babysitter watch over me at all times. All outdoor play was monitored and at man made playgrounds. That's if I was taken to a playground to begin with. Don't get me wrong, I have some great memories of camping with the family. And as I grew older we occassionally took large family trips to places like Yosemite but with time that grew few and far between. And truth be told, I don't blame my parents. Nowadays most homes need a dual income so no one is around to have these kinds of outings. And even when you are out it's rare when you can really call a place you're in NATURE. Our parents were fortunate to have those memories and I am determined to do my best to make sure our family is instilled with the same love of nature that we, as adults in this household, have.
I have been wanting to begin hiking with our family for some time. Now that my husband has found time in his schedule to go I have been planning some of our mornings around short hiking trips. Our first trip was a hike through Irvine Park. We picked a trail and headed out hiking for about an hour. I had a backpack full of snacks, water, extra clothes, and a first aid kit. We hiked for about an hour taking breaks whenever necessary and the kids did as well as I expected. There was some whining but we took it nice and slow and I distracted them by reminding them about the train and zoo tickets I had waiting for them. I even threw in a pony ride just to sweeten the deal. That seemed to do the trick. All in all we hiked for an hour, watched the kids on their pony rides, boarded the train, then visited the OC Zoo. By the time we got home we had been gone for about 3 hours and the girls were happy to just sit quietly and relax.
This weekend I thought we'd take it a little slower for them so as not to turn them off from my new found hobby. I planned today's trip to be geared more towards them so we drove out to Anaheim's Oak Canyon Nature Center for a Saturday morning nature walk led by one of the naturalists. It started out in the eduaction center where the girls played with puppets and looked over live animals as well as not live ones. That was followed by an hour long walk through the beautiful and wonderfully shaded trails of Oak Canyon all the while listening to the informative tidbits our naturalist had to offer.
Our girls recieved this type of "hiking" quite well and my hope is that by slowly introducing them to the great outdoors we can continue to increase their desire and comfortability with, and for, nature.
Nature is not the only thing I am a huge fan of. Arts and crafts are something I enjoy sharing with my children and doing myself and since our morning walk was quite easy going I decided to have a nice lunch at home followed by a trip to Michael's for a make-it-take-it event. What this means is that you show up with your child and Michael's provides all that you need to create whatever craft they have set up for the day. Today was a Japan inspired craft. My girls colored a koi fish which they then glued to a paper kite before adding glitter and a string. The only thing that might have improved the craft was if they had given the children little take home sheets about the koi fish and how they are connected to Japan. Then again I suppose the parent can do that themselves at home. By the time we finally got home it was after 2:30pm and we were able to rest before attending a family get together.
So make a mental note, friends. Nature is good. Get out more and teach your kids about all the wonderful things that exist in what was once their own backyard. It's costs little and will last a lifetime. And craft! Get those creative juices flowing. Children nowadays are too stressed and not allowed to be as free and creative as they should be. Exercise the body and the mind. And do it often.
Although most everything I wrote about involved crafts I have decided to widen my spectrum of writing. Since this is meant to be everything to do with parenting I should be writing about all our little family events, crafts, expeditions, and so on. So today I'm starting with my concern over my children's nature deficit disorder and what I decided to do about it.
Being in my 30's I did not grow up in a time when kids played outside until the sun went down. I did not run out the door with my baseball glove, unless it was to practice, nor did I have a swimming hole I could while the summer away in. There was no playing in the woods, all nighters at a local beach, or anything else that involved nature for the most part. I grew up having a sibling or babysitter watch over me at all times. All outdoor play was monitored and at man made playgrounds. That's if I was taken to a playground to begin with. Don't get me wrong, I have some great memories of camping with the family. And as I grew older we occassionally took large family trips to places like Yosemite but with time that grew few and far between. And truth be told, I don't blame my parents. Nowadays most homes need a dual income so no one is around to have these kinds of outings. And even when you are out it's rare when you can really call a place you're in NATURE. Our parents were fortunate to have those memories and I am determined to do my best to make sure our family is instilled with the same love of nature that we, as adults in this household, have.
I have been wanting to begin hiking with our family for some time. Now that my husband has found time in his schedule to go I have been planning some of our mornings around short hiking trips. Our first trip was a hike through Irvine Park. We picked a trail and headed out hiking for about an hour. I had a backpack full of snacks, water, extra clothes, and a first aid kit. We hiked for about an hour taking breaks whenever necessary and the kids did as well as I expected. There was some whining but we took it nice and slow and I distracted them by reminding them about the train and zoo tickets I had waiting for them. I even threw in a pony ride just to sweeten the deal. That seemed to do the trick. All in all we hiked for an hour, watched the kids on their pony rides, boarded the train, then visited the OC Zoo. By the time we got home we had been gone for about 3 hours and the girls were happy to just sit quietly and relax.
This weekend I thought we'd take it a little slower for them so as not to turn them off from my new found hobby. I planned today's trip to be geared more towards them so we drove out to Anaheim's Oak Canyon Nature Center for a Saturday morning nature walk led by one of the naturalists. It started out in the eduaction center where the girls played with puppets and looked over live animals as well as not live ones. That was followed by an hour long walk through the beautiful and wonderfully shaded trails of Oak Canyon all the while listening to the informative tidbits our naturalist had to offer.
Our girls recieved this type of "hiking" quite well and my hope is that by slowly introducing them to the great outdoors we can continue to increase their desire and comfortability with, and for, nature.
Nature is not the only thing I am a huge fan of. Arts and crafts are something I enjoy sharing with my children and doing myself and since our morning walk was quite easy going I decided to have a nice lunch at home followed by a trip to Michael's for a make-it-take-it event. What this means is that you show up with your child and Michael's provides all that you need to create whatever craft they have set up for the day. Today was a Japan inspired craft. My girls colored a koi fish which they then glued to a paper kite before adding glitter and a string. The only thing that might have improved the craft was if they had given the children little take home sheets about the koi fish and how they are connected to Japan. Then again I suppose the parent can do that themselves at home. By the time we finally got home it was after 2:30pm and we were able to rest before attending a family get together.
So make a mental note, friends. Nature is good. Get out more and teach your kids about all the wonderful things that exist in what was once their own backyard. It's costs little and will last a lifetime. And craft! Get those creative juices flowing. Children nowadays are too stressed and not allowed to be as free and creative as they should be. Exercise the body and the mind. And do it often.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Oh my, oh my, oh exercise
It was a Saturday and for some unearthly reason I decided to wake up early, as usual, don my workout clothes and go for a walk. Not just a walk but a bit of a jog. This is the norm for those chosen few. Those wonderful people who eat healthy, exercise, and take in every bit of life they can suck in while they sweat out the bad stuff. Essentially, not me. I'm not in horrible shape mind you. I'm an average weight. I have an average endurance. I eat average size meals and am moderately active. Nothing to write home about. But one day it happened. I put on my jeans and realized that they did not quite fit the same. In fact, I seemed to be slightly smooshed into them. Yes, smooshed. Did the dryer shrink them? Absolutely. Was I somewhat bloated? Why not. I could have eaten too much for dinner the night before. Sounds reasonable. The problem was I knew I was lying to myself. A big, obvious, bold-faced lie. And it was ugly. I had gained weight. Five pounds to be exact. Perhaps not the end of the world. But for someone all of 5'4 and who wears fitted clothes five pounds can be a little unsettling. Not only was I heavier but I suddenly noticed that I wasn't as tone. When did that happen?! It's like I hit 30 and my body decided to rebel. I suppose it happens to all of us. You can't have those candy binges you once did. Have your fourth meal of the day at 10pm or even later. Never have thought of a gym or exercise unless it involved having to walk because you were too young to drive a car and didn't know anyone else who could. Nope. Those days are over. At least they were for me.
Sometime in November I decided I'd had enough. I was tired of making excuses for why I didn't exercise. I was tired. I couldn't go out because I had the girls all day. There wasn't enough time. I couldn't afford the gym. Blah, blah, blah. Even I knew I was full of it. I just didn't have the drive. So I forced myself to. I turned on our Wii, which was ironically purchased years ago for the purpose of exercising at home, put on the Wii Active and began my 30 day workout. It's a program where you set your difficulty level, answer some questions about yourself, and begin training. It tries to customize itself to what it thinks you need. And I loved it. It wasn't always easy to get up and exercise. I do all my working out around 11pm and sometimes that means a day with the girls, a night at work, then still working out. But the way I would feel afterwards was great.
I completed my 30 day workout. Didn't lose a pound. But I can see a difference in tone. My stomaches flatter and my arms have muscle. So the scale can take a hike for all I care. I think they're a horrid invention anyways. Does anyone really need a scale to tell them what shape they're in? I find that if I look into a full length mirror I pretty much know where my problem areas are. Another giveaway of my need for exercise was the fact that jogging to the corner winded me. The corner! Not even a far corner. So again, scale bad. Keep your self esteem. Workout for you not for the number on the scale.
I am currently working out with the XBOX Kinect Your Shape game. I prefer the Wii but am happy to try new things just to keep it interesting.
I workout with a console 4-5 times a week. I jog on the weekends. My goal? A healthier me. I am sharing this so you're goal can be a healthier you. We all have the energy for the excuses. Save the talk and lets all get up and sweat out the bad. If all you can muster is a daily walk then I say walk on. But move your body. We get one body and one life there's no sense in wasting either one. So let this health blog be all about exercise. I will be posting more blogs as I go along about my mission to create a better me. Physically, mentally, and spiritually. I hope they can encourage at least one person out there to want to create a better them.
Sometime in November I decided I'd had enough. I was tired of making excuses for why I didn't exercise. I was tired. I couldn't go out because I had the girls all day. There wasn't enough time. I couldn't afford the gym. Blah, blah, blah. Even I knew I was full of it. I just didn't have the drive. So I forced myself to. I turned on our Wii, which was ironically purchased years ago for the purpose of exercising at home, put on the Wii Active and began my 30 day workout. It's a program where you set your difficulty level, answer some questions about yourself, and begin training. It tries to customize itself to what it thinks you need. And I loved it. It wasn't always easy to get up and exercise. I do all my working out around 11pm and sometimes that means a day with the girls, a night at work, then still working out. But the way I would feel afterwards was great.
I completed my 30 day workout. Didn't lose a pound. But I can see a difference in tone. My stomaches flatter and my arms have muscle. So the scale can take a hike for all I care. I think they're a horrid invention anyways. Does anyone really need a scale to tell them what shape they're in? I find that if I look into a full length mirror I pretty much know where my problem areas are. Another giveaway of my need for exercise was the fact that jogging to the corner winded me. The corner! Not even a far corner. So again, scale bad. Keep your self esteem. Workout for you not for the number on the scale.
I am currently working out with the XBOX Kinect Your Shape game. I prefer the Wii but am happy to try new things just to keep it interesting.
I workout with a console 4-5 times a week. I jog on the weekends. My goal? A healthier me. I am sharing this so you're goal can be a healthier you. We all have the energy for the excuses. Save the talk and lets all get up and sweat out the bad. If all you can muster is a daily walk then I say walk on. But move your body. We get one body and one life there's no sense in wasting either one. So let this health blog be all about exercise. I will be posting more blogs as I go along about my mission to create a better me. Physically, mentally, and spiritually. I hope they can encourage at least one person out there to want to create a better them.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Happy Chinese New Year!
I hope you enjoyed another New Year's celebration with your family. My girls and I had a wonderful time celebrating the year of the Dragon at my daughter's school and did a craft or two on our own.
Chinese New Year celebrates the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar. This year is the year of the Dragon. The Dragon signifies good fortune for yourself and your family. So many blessings to you all. My nephew happens to be a dragon in the chinese zodiac so I expect he'll have a wonderful year times two. Lucky little guy. For the rest of us we'll just have to learn to be content with plain old good fortune.
At my daughter's school she was served sweet, sticky rice, orange slices, popcorn, a fortune cookie and an almond cookie. To my understanding these are common things given during this time all symbolising good fortune. They also had a parade where they carried their dragon in one hand and their dragon mask in the other. The younger siblings where allowed to follow behind with tamborines. We made our rounds through the school wishing everyone a happy new year.
Why am I telling you all this? Because there is more to life than crafting. You can explore the world with your children in other ways as well. For ethnic holidays serve traditional foods. Read them books related to the subject matter from the library. If people have a parade get some of your friends and their kids together and have one yourself. Get into it. Really get to know other cultures and you will find that not only are you spending quality time with your child but you're teaching them tolerance not to mention introducing new foods, teaching them geography, maybe language (if you choose to learn a few native words), etc.
A craft my girls and I did do at home were paper bag dragons. They're simple and you most likely have all the materials at home. You'll need the following:
A paper grocery bag
Paint
Paintbrushes
Scissors
Tissue paper/Streamers
Glue
Chinese New Year celebrates the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar. This year is the year of the Dragon. The Dragon signifies good fortune for yourself and your family. So many blessings to you all. My nephew happens to be a dragon in the chinese zodiac so I expect he'll have a wonderful year times two. Lucky little guy. For the rest of us we'll just have to learn to be content with plain old good fortune.
At my daughter's school she was served sweet, sticky rice, orange slices, popcorn, a fortune cookie and an almond cookie. To my understanding these are common things given during this time all symbolising good fortune. They also had a parade where they carried their dragon in one hand and their dragon mask in the other. The younger siblings where allowed to follow behind with tamborines. We made our rounds through the school wishing everyone a happy new year.
Why am I telling you all this? Because there is more to life than crafting. You can explore the world with your children in other ways as well. For ethnic holidays serve traditional foods. Read them books related to the subject matter from the library. If people have a parade get some of your friends and their kids together and have one yourself. Get into it. Really get to know other cultures and you will find that not only are you spending quality time with your child but you're teaching them tolerance not to mention introducing new foods, teaching them geography, maybe language (if you choose to learn a few native words), etc.
A craft my girls and I did do at home were paper bag dragons. They're simple and you most likely have all the materials at home. You'll need the following:
A paper grocery bag
Paint
Paintbrushes
Scissors
Tissue paper/Streamers
Glue
Take the paper bag (get a plain one if you can) and cut the front of the bag in half. Then cut the sides on a diagonal. Next you'll make eye holes for your little one. After it's all set up go ahead and let them decorate it. We used paint but markers or stickers work just as well. Once they're done cut up the tissue paper length wise and glue them to the back as streamers.
Okay, so our dragon looks a bit on the lack luster side. Nonetheless the girls had a blast running around the house growling at everyone.
Besides what the school did and this craft we did get to do one more activity. Although we were set to make frames at our local library today we ended up making kites. Apparently the Chinese were the first to make them and they were originally used during wars. There's a little something for you. This craft was also super easy and fun. You'll need a plastic store bag, skewers (or some straight sticks), tape, string, and scissors.
Start by laying your plastic bag flat. Now cut across the bottom so that way it opens from either end. Next, you'll cut only one side completely from top to bottom so it can be laid open and flat. Place your sticks in the center just like any other kite. One horizontal and one vertical. Don't lay the horizontal one directly in the middle though. Lay it down a bit towards the top. Tape them in place. Take your string and tape one end to the top of your stick. Tape it again on the next point and so on. You want to reinforce the shape of a diamond by taping the string to each point of your stick/skewer. Cut off any excess. Now that you have the diamond shape take your scissors and cut around your diamond leaving only about an inch all the way around. Save the excess plastic. Fold over the sides and tape them down in the shape of a diamond. Cut the excess plastic into long strips them tie them together end to end. That will be your kites tail. Attach it to the bottom of your kite with the tape. My girls taped a photo to the front of their kites. You can do the same. The finished project should look something like this.
Hopefully you were able to follow all my directions and have a wonderful time making your own kites and dragons. And although the big Chinese New Year celebration has passed you can still enjoy these crafts. As my husband says "It's a new year, all year".
Happy New Year, and happy crafting!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
I Have A Dream
Many years ago a very wonderful man made a very powerful speech. It touched many people then and still touches us now.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was yesterday and although I am sorry I did not have my girls craft sooner so I could post it for you I will post it now. I look at it this way, any day can be Martin Luther King Jr. Day as long as we remember his message of love, peace, and acceptance. So try out this craft. Do a little research with your children about him. And on the powerful message he once gave us to pass down to another generation.
What you'll need for this craft:
A computer and printer
Paper
Scissors
Glue
Crayons (or any kind of coloring medium)
Copy and paste the following link http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/martinlutherking.html and it will take you to the page where you'll find the I Have A Dream craft. The rest is self explanatory. I used white paper to print out the craft but you could jazz it up a little by using colred paper if you like. You could also give them stickers or anything else to adhere to the finished project just for fun. Here is what the activity looks like.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was yesterday and although I am sorry I did not have my girls craft sooner so I could post it for you I will post it now. I look at it this way, any day can be Martin Luther King Jr. Day as long as we remember his message of love, peace, and acceptance. So try out this craft. Do a little research with your children about him. And on the powerful message he once gave us to pass down to another generation.
What you'll need for this craft:
A computer and printer
Paper
Scissors
Glue
Crayons (or any kind of coloring medium)
Copy and paste the following link http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/martinlutherking.html and it will take you to the page where you'll find the I Have A Dream craft. The rest is self explanatory. I used white paper to print out the craft but you could jazz it up a little by using colred paper if you like. You could also give them stickers or anything else to adhere to the finished project just for fun. Here is what the activity looks like.
Have your kids color the people before they cut them out. Then simply cut and paste. There is a quote on the bottom of the page that did not come out in the photo. It reads as follows "I have a dream that one day...little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."
While my daughters worked on coloring and cutting I told them a little about Martin Luther King Jr. Depending on the age of your child will depend on how you explain to them who he was and what he did. I kept it simple letting them know that many years ago our country was very different. How we didn't treat everyone the same due to the color of our skin. I gave some basic examples such as not serving certain people at restaurants. Not sharing water fountains or swimming pools, etc. And how not everyone believed it was right. Again, keep it simple. You just want to get the lesson of being kind to everyone across. After all that was done we had a finished project.
And there you have it. One more holiday down. One more lesson taught and one more reason to feel good about being a parent. Because you have someone to teach the beauty of love and friendship to.
We will be working on Chinese New Year next and hopefully give you plenty of time to complete that one at home, or wherever you are. You can also look forward to our nature birdhouses, Valentine's Day, and health blog.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Felt and More Felt
Here we are ready to tackle felt boards. And after having to re-felt my felt board I realized that even the simplest task can be made more difficult. But after a bit more patience and perserverence I finally finished my board and 5 Little Snowflakes story. To make this a part of your educational collection you'll need the supplies shown below. A foam board, felt, glue gun, glue sticks, scissors, colored felt for characters, and puffy paint or markers (to give your characters a face).
Next, you'll need to visit one of my favorite web sites:
where you will find the story and templates necessary to complete this activity. Below is a picture of my finished project.
Of course, you can make your sun and snowflakes any way you like. I just find it faster for me to use the templates. Once you've got your felt board squared away you'll be able to build on it by occassionally adding new stories.
Now that we've talked a bit about our felt board we can now review some more activities we received over the holidays. Below is a cardboard house which is made white so it can be colored.
These houses seemed to be advertised everywhere this Christmas so it was only a matter of time when my oldest asked for one. Wouldn't you know it? Santa heard the request. So although this house is made more for my three year old, due to its size, they both had a blast helping me put it together then coloring it. It wasn't that hard to put it up and just as easy to store it back into its original box. So I give it 5 stars.
We also received some art sets, which I am always a fan of. Below is my little ones finished water color.
This is an oversized water color book based on the Nick Jr. characters. I'm not normally a fan of children and water colors. I just find that the colors all end up black and used up by about the second use. But ultimately my feeling that all children should be exposed to art overuled my thoughts of wasted art supplies. And she did me proud. Her paper was bright and the colors still look in tact.
My oldest received a travel art easel with acrylic paints, canvases, and brushes. Here she choose to paint a knight. Although it wasn't completed I thought I'd post it anyway.
The best thing about these kinds of activities is that children can truly learn to express themselves through all kinds of mediums. So if paint is not your thing try clay, or oil pastels, or colored pencils, etc. You and your childs options are limitless.
On my next blog we will revisit our Christmas gift crafts and then work on our bird houses. All you'll need for this craft is one small bird house, glue, glue dots, paint (if desired), and a basket/bag. This will be more about getting outdoors with your child than about being in the house so be ready with your walking shoes and camera.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year! Happy Crafting!
Happy New Year, parents! To kick off such a wonderful occassion my girls and I thought we'd work on a craft we received at Christmas. Pictured below is a felt sewing craft. These are perfect for children ages 3 and up. What you usually find in these kits is felt for the design, thread, a craft needle, and stuffing. You may need scissors and glue as well before beginning.
\As a side note, make sure your thread is untangled before beginning. I had the girls all set to go and ended up taking about 15 minutes to get the thread sorted out. With younger children I recommend starting the craft for them then letting them take over. You may need to do the end of the craft as well. They can become bored of all the sewing. The gluing and sticking should be all them, though. Here is the finished craft that my youngest completed. My oldest decided to read instead of waiting for mommy to figure out the thread.
So there you have it, Mr. Frog, as he is so affectionately named. Let your felt dry for 30 minutes to an hour before handing it over to your little one. And make sure they play gently with them. Although a craft like this is meant to work motor skills and helps with learning patience the small, decorative pieces, are not likely to stand up to rough play.
The next craft we will be working on will be our felt boards. Just to get you prepared for this one let me give you the list of supplies now. As we will be working off of a winter snowflake poem you will need the following: a foam board (any color), a large package of felt (enough to cover the board and then some), a hot glue gun, glue sticks, colored felt pieces (you choose the colors), puffy paint, and printouts from the following web site
Make sure you read through the web site so you can decide what color felt pieces you'd like to purchase and what color puffy paint you'd like to use as accents for the felt characters.
May the New Year find you all in great health and spirits. I look forward to the next few blogs on kids crafting and parent health. Remember, we can't be at our best for our children if we're not at our best for our selves.
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