I wanted to start a thread about - arts and crafts

cameragirl21 wrote: for the holidays that we can all do with kids.
i have lots of them but let's just do one at a time so i don't hog the board.
ok, here's the first one--a Christmas wreath.
there are two versions to this, the green thumb version and the brown thumb version.
let's start with the brown thumb.
take a wire hanger (lol, think Mommie Dearest) and bend it into a circular shape. Then take some green tissue paper, lots of it and cut it into 4-6 inch strips for the kids. Have the kids twist it into the hanger and make sure the pieces get put on very close together so there are no gaps...twist the paper strips all the way around and tie a red ribbon onto the top. The hanger part at the top can be used to attach it to a door or wall.
the green thumb version goes like this:
buy one of those molds at Michael's or any craft store that is wirey and looks kind of like something you'd bake a bundt cake in. Add some peat moss and stuff it into the folds...you may want to use some sort of glue or something to make it stick to the wire. then take small pieces of vine plants like Ivy, cut right below wher a root was forming and press them into the peat. Put out in the sun, water, etc. you can take a very thin wire, or fishing wire and lightly wrap it around the whole thing so that none of the peat falls out, but you don't have to b/c after a day or so of being in place, it will settle and not fall out. the plants will grow in the peat and you'll have a living wreath.
anyone else have ideas?

coasterqueen replied: I don't have any original ideas. For Halloween/Autumn I went out to google and did craft searches and printed a bunch of stuff out.

I printed pumpkins out on orange construction paper. Printed out eyes, noses, mouths, and eyebrows off a craft site on black construction paper and cut everything out. Then the girls took stick glue and made their pumpking faces. Even Megan had fun doing this and their pumpkin faces turned out so silly! It was fun. Then we hung them up all over in their playroom.

Then I printed out a tree and leaves on colored construction paper. Cut everything out and then I put the tree stump on a cork board. The girls then put their leaves up on the tree where they wanted, had some of the blowing in the "wind" and some in piles on the "ground". It was a cute little scene and Megan, once again, at her age loved it as well.

Then I printed and cut out pumpkins and ghosts and the girls hung that up around the outside of the cork board as a border.

So far that's all we've done. Kylie is a HUGE art and crafts person so we do a lot of them.

ETA: I forgot we also made a Ghost and a Scarecrow out of construction paper and hung them up in their playroom as well. I think Kylie had the most fun doing the scarecrow and pumpkins.

cameragirl21 replied: I'm very big into arts and crafts too, Karen, in fact i think I have more fun with them than the kids do.

coasterqueen replied:
I'm not a big art & craft person because I can't be original and come up with ideas. Thank goodness for the internet. I LOVE LOVE seeing the expressions on Kylie's face when we get to do these types of things, though, and that's well worth the effort it takes to go find the stuff, print and cut it all out.

She does stuff like this at daycare, but I think she loves it more when we do it with her.

cameragirl21 replied: aren't you a Virgo, Karen? Virgos are more meticulous and analytical than they are original.
you never voted on which of my Virgo pics you like better, did you?

Crystalina replied:
How in the heck do you remember things like that? I've been here for awhile and can't barely remember half of the members. If they change their siggy I'm so lost.

coasterqueen replied:
Yes, I am a Virgo. I am pretty much both of those so it's good to know I'm not supposed to be original. As a Virgo I tend to think I have to be perfect and strive for perfection so not being able to be everything gets to me.

I did not see your post on this. If you can find it put the link here and I'll look.

C&K*s Mommie replied: I will have to bookmark this page for future ideas/projects to do with my girls.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Well since I'm the activities coordinator for my mom's club, I have to come up with all the craft ideas. I'll check back here to get some more ideas...

Anyhow, in November, we're making Pinecone Turkeys...you know the kind we probably ALL made back in elementary school?! I'm asking everyone to bring a pinecone, then you cutout feather shapes out of red, yellow and brown construction paper, glue them in between the pine cone needles, glue on googly eyes and cutout a red felt turkey neck (what is it called, the loose skin by their neck? LOL) and glue that on. Very simple.

mom2my2cuties replied: Here are links to some of the craft pages I use with the kids! Hope you guys enjoy


Christmas Crafts


Holiday Crafts

coasterqueen replied:
Oh I remember doing those!!!!

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Hmmm.

Our agency gives us lists and lists and lists of stuff to do... but my daycare kids don't care much for them... my kids love them though...so we do them anyways...

Take the foam plate from meat packages (if you buy it..otherwise, foam sheets from a craft store) and cut them out in ghost shapes of different sizes... have the kids draw on them with crayons, then hang them in a tree for Halloween

Pinecones are always fun... lol

Turkey handprint - have the kids outline their hands on a brown paper... have them cut it out (or you do it) and have them color it...instant cheap turkey... lol

egg shell grass heads... wash out egg shell halves... have the kids draw faces on the shells... then put them in the egg container... get some grass seeds... grow them... the grass is the hair...

Toilet paper mummies - empty roll of toilet paper, cut in half, or in thirds... close up one end of the roll with some tissue paper and an elastic...have the kids wrap the roll with gauze... fluff it up...stick on googly eyes... it's a little container for candy...

Hillbilly Housewife replied: But you probably meant the December Holidays... lol

we get some pinecones (again with the pinecones!) and snow spray them...

use some twine or other thicker string (cotton is good too), and have the children string different types of dry pasta on it, as well as wooden beads, popcorn, old buttons... it can make a old-fashioned mini garland to hang around a doorknob or something

dried orange slices (or apple, or whatever) - cut the slices really thin...have the kids arrange them on a cookie sheet... bake them at the lowest possible temperature...it may take a few hours... or even overnight... bake them with the oven door slightly open to let out the moisture...they make really nice decorations on a wreath, and smell really nice too... and you can use them in Sangria...

Cinnamon stick reindeer - wrap a brown pipe cleaner around the top of a cinnamon stick, fold to resemble antlers, stick a red cinnamon heart to the stick using a sugar paste... you could add a ribbon and make this into a hanigng decoration

making your own paper - we recycle a lot of stuff... and one thing we recycle often is newspapers... we get em by the mailbox fulls almots everyday... and I get my MIL's, my mom's, my grandmother's and a couple of our neighbours donate them to me when they're done with them... anyways we throw pieces of newspaper in the blender with some water to make a paste... then we use a screen (like a door screen) that is nailed between some pieces of wood and we make some paper... we use an internet recipe... I can dig up the link if you're really interested... sometmies we add herbs or dried flowers or something else to give them a nicer look... we use them for cards mostly... and gift tags

holley79 replied: We use to make tissue paper weaths. I will do things with Annika when she is old enough.

Crystalina replied:
Waddles. They are called waddles.

mom2my2cuties replied: That's funny - we always called them thier "Gobbler"

Crystalina replied:

Hmm, I never heard that before. Maybe that is a "generic" name for it. I actaully mispelled it in my post. It should be wattles.

I googled this.

Q. How do you tell the hens from the toms?

A. It is nearly impossible to tell them apart until they mature. They are sexed at the hatchery, and raised separately. Once they mature, the toms are noticeably larger, with a longer leg. Also, toms will grow a beard, which is a black coarse feather, that appears in the middle of their chest. Their head and their wattles, which is a fleshy growth under their chin, will be larger. His snood, which is a fleshy growth on top of his bill, will be longer and hang down the side of his face. Toms are the only ones who strut and gobble.