One of the things I absolutely love doing with kids come springtime is growing plants from seed. That being said, I’m most likely the worst gardener on the planet. Like really, really bad. Cactuses, succulents, and other kill-proof plants? Give them to me for a week or two and I can almost guarantee that they’ll be dead. It’s terrible.
Category Archives: get crafty
Fruit and Veggie Dyed Eggs
A couple of days ago, Miss G and I had the absolute pleasure of having a morning out at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. together. Besides it genuinely being one of our favourite kid-friendly restaurants in the city {I’ve written about it several times in the past – see here and here}, while there, we got to hang out with fellow blogging friends, sample the delicious brunch menu {yum!}, and learn all about dyeing Easter eggs naturally! Our kind of morning.
Clay Easter Egg Garland
Several weeks ago, Mr. Sam and I had our first ever crafting session together {ha!!!} I’d whipped up a batch of our go-to homemade modelling clay to make little hand and footprint keepsakes, and when I had some leftover, I decided to cut out several egg shapes knowing that Easter would soon be on its way.
AWESOME DIY Squishy Soap
With Sam home from the NICU, one of the things we’re extra on top of now is hand washing. It’s the easiest way to keep germs at bay and help ensure our little preemie boy doesn’t come down with something during cold and flu season, which could be really awful for him. To make the constant hand washing a little more fun for Miss G, I’ve been switching up our soap every now and then by adding different essential oils to it, putting it in a bottle with a foaming pump, and once even adding a drop or two of pink colouring to it {you do what you gotta do, right?} Thankfully Grae’s really great about it all, even though I feel like I ask her to wash her hands about 100 times a day.
Homemade Air-Dry Modelling Clay {aka baking soda clay}
Several years ago, we discovered the beauty that is baking soda clay during one of our annual Christmas ornament crafting sessions. Since then, baking soda clay ornaments have become a regular occurrence in our house – and not only for Christmas either! We’ve used the homemade modelling clay for all kinds of projects, and this year we’re using it for two new ones – something spring-themed and something Easter themed {so stay tuned for those!} In the meantime, if you’ve not used it before, I’d highly recommend giving it a try. It requires only 3 very basic kitchen ingredients, it can be used for all sorts of projects, and it air dries in a couple of days time.
Valentine’s Card Creation Station
Each year about a week or so before Valentine’s Day, I set out a Valentine’s card creation station for Miss G. It changes a little bit year to year and the supplies have matured with her somewhat over the years {the valentine’s creative table she enjoyed at 2.5 can be seen here}, but overall the idea stays the same. It’s simply a collection of inviting supplies set out for her to use as she wishes – no expectations, no prescribed outcome.
DIY Science Kit for Kids
For the last week and a bit, Miss G’s been having a total blast experimenting with all sorts of open-ended science activities and challenges…
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And it’s all because of this book – The Curious Kid’s Science Book by Asia Citro. We are big fans of her first book, 150+ Scree-Free Activities for Kids {which actually inspired us to create a taste-safe sensory play kit for a friend last year}, and this second book certainly does not disappoint! What I think I love most about it is that it really gets little ones into the scientific process {but in a totally organic and child-led way} – asking questions, testing different methods, making observations, making adjustments, re-experimenting, and coming to conclusions. What I also really love about it is that at 5 years old, Miss G is very capable of leading many of these explorations completely on her own, giving her a huge sense of pride and independence. Win!!
So, when I asked my good friend what her little guy was into a few days before his birthday party and she responded with, ‘He loves doing science experiments!’, there was no question what we’d put together for him. A DIY science kit it would be!
Luckily for us, Asia {the author of the book} has made this part extremely easy by providing a list of the most common materials needed to do the experiments in the book both on her blog and on page 28 of the book itself! And in case you’re wondering, most of what’s on the list is really easy to find either at a grocery store or at a dollar store.
Here’s what Asia recommends including:
- salt
- sugar
- corn syrup
- cooking oil
- vinegar
- lemon juice
- baking soda
- pinto beans
- food colouring
- coffee filters
- plastic cups, short and tall
- zip-close bags
- straws
- masking tape
- cotton balls
- cotton swabs
- dish soap
- potting soil
- children’s safety goggles
We took a few liberties with our list, but included most everything {save the darn children’s safety googles that I waited too long to go out and find!} and also included one of Miss G’s favourite science tools – plastic pipettes. In the case where something came in a monstrous size bag that we felt was excessive for the size of our kit, we simply re-packaged the goods into smaller sets / bags and used some funky washi tape to pretty things up a little bit.
Next up, Miss G created a personalized book plate and stuck it just inside a copy of The Curious Kid’s Science Book.
Then we tied the book up with some baker’s twine and placed everything neatly into a pretty plastic bin.
As a finishing touch, we added a little label to the front of our kit, and it was done and ready to be given. ☺
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‘Mix It Up!’ Colour Exploration Kit
Yesterday, as Miss G and I were reading two of our favourite Hervé Tullet books {Press Here and Mix It Up!}, I was suddenly reminded of the fun colour exploration kit we put together months ago for one of Grae’s little friends. It was nearing the end of our time in Kuwait, so things were crazy with our upcoming international move and me being deep in the throws of early pregnancy sickness/exhaustion, so I never got around to sharing it, but after hearing Grae talk about it so excitedly yesterday afternoon, I think we may just have to whip up a similar kit for her to enjoy this weekend.
Glittery Bejeweled Mini Pumpkins
This afternoon’s invitation to create was a very simple one… Tons of glitter, jewels, glue, and a few adorable ‘baby boo’ pumpkins.
Yearly Handprint Canvas {Year 5}
Though more than a month behind schedule, we finally got Miss G’s fifth yearly handprint canvas done and hung on her bedroom wall today.
Star Wars Play Dough Kit
Admittedly, neither Brad nor I are huge Star Wars fans… But Miss G? Well she’s recently become one thanks to this Cosmic Kids Yoga video. {Hah!} So when she heard that the birthday party we’d been invited to this weekend was Star Wars-themed, she was absolutely thrilled. Of course, when I asked what she’d like to get the birthday boy as a gift, she threw out ‘A STAR WARS PLAY DOUGH KIT!!!’ almost immediately {sorry friends, I promise to get her onto a non-play dough gift giving kick very soon} and then I realized how over my head I was…
Mini Pumpkin People {An Invitation to Create}
Yesterday while visiting The Apple Barn out in Abbotsford, Miss G fell in love with the itty bitty pumpkins scattered throughout the u-pick pumpkin patch. While we’re planning a family trip to pick the pumpkins we’ll carve later in the month, she totally convinced me to buy a couple of mini ones by telling me all about her grand plans to decorate Rosealina and Harold {yes, she even had names for them} with some of the fun craft supplies we keep on our art cart. {I mean how can you say no really?}
Monster Slime Halloween Favours
This year Miss G was really torn between making spider web slime and monster slime Halloween favours for her preschool co-op friends, so we decided to both! I think they both turned out absolutely adorably, but I especially love the simple little faces Grae created for these tubs of monster slime.
Spider Web Slime Halloween Favours
Slime… It’s probably Miss G’s favourite thing to give to her friends when Halloween rolls around each year. I don’t blame her – it’s stretchy and gooey and just plain fun. In the past we’ve done mini mason jars of pink sparkly slime for her ballerina friends and little Franken-SLIME containers for the kiddos that live in our building, and this year we’ve decided on two new types of slime giveaways for her buddies – the first of which is these spider web slime halloween favours.
Fall Nature I Spy Bottle
Ahhh…. Autumn. It’s something we haven’t experienced in the last couple of years, and though I certainly would mind being poolside soaking up Kuwait’s 40 degree heat currently, I’m loving seeing all of the beautiful fall colours pop up early around Vancouver this year. Of course, Gracen {my little collector of sticks, rocks, and all things nature} is loving it too. There are just so many fun things to be discovered outside right now!