image via Martha Stewart
I would like to give my little seamstress daughter more practice by helping her sew this simple project. She would probably love to give them to her cousins on Easter.
Showing posts with label 1 Hour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 Hour. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
1 Hour : Make It : Easter Chain
image via familycircle.com
I love Christmas chains, so I don't know why I never thought of making chains for other holidays. This one is actually made of ribbon, which makes for an extra-special feel; since Easter is so close and my ambition is so low, we'll probably make our chain out of pretty spring papers.
Monday, December 13, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Button Cards
image via marthastewart.comI'm using this craft at my son's kindergarten Christmas party this week. I'm sure we'll make some "practice" cards at home as well. The great thing about this project is that I can just show my kids the above photo, give them some buttons, ribbon, and cardstock, and say, "Go".
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
1 Hour : Play It : Activity Centers
image via here
Today I borrowed from the quintessential preschool/kindergarten set-up: activity centers. The truth is, I really needed to work on organizing the laundry room--which is next-door to our playroom--and I wanted my two boys to 1.)stay, 2.)play, and 3.)play happily with minimal supervision on my part.
So during lunch, I asked for center ideas and together we came up with the following:
- Coloring center--not just crayons, but markers with big paper
- Lego center
- Puzzle center
- ABC center--I added two metal baking sheets to make magnet play more of a novelty.
We put each center in a different area of the playroom, and even made "blanket islands" for some of them in order to keep the activities a little more contained. I didn't use timers like they might at school, but I did go in every so often to play, chat, or encourage a change if I sensed the need.
I got a good 1 1/2 hours out of the whole deal.
It is truly amazing how a new set-up of the old toys can change everything. Since the laundry room isn't quite done (it's also sewing/craft/general dumping area), I think we'll try more centers tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Natural Easter Eggs
image via marthastewart.comI've wanted to try out these naturally dyed Easter eggs ever since I saw the Martha Stewart article a couple years ago. The fact of the matter is, I never prepare early enough, so we end up using the traditional dye tablets. Has anyone done this project? Do you have tips for me?
Friday, March 12, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Shamrock Collage
image via hereMy five-year-old and I made a shamrock collage today. He loves cutting with scissors right now, so you can imagine how happy he was to work on this project.
Print out (or draw) a large shamrock shape on cardstock. Cut out and set aside. Cut out green items from old magazines or flower/vegetable catalogs. (My son opted for all vegetables today.) Glue the pictures onto the shamrock, then turn over and trim any hangover.
Monday, March 8, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Fairy House
image via familyfun.com
One "boring" day last year, I took my daughter out to a corner of our backyard and showed her how to make a fairy house. We used sticks, bark, and leaves to make a simple abode, but she then spent another hour or so collecting all sorts of natural building materials for expanding and decorating. Now that the weather is turning nice again, she's making a variation: leprechaun houses. In fact, I even found pieces of bark in her backpack--she said she needed supplies for leprechaun houses on the school playground.
Get more ideas to help you start a fairy house at FamilyFun.com.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Early Garden
image via familyfun.comMy daughter has been asking when we can plant seeds and I know that with the spring-like weather, I'm also eager to grow something. So, this project from Family Fun is exactly the thing we need to get going on our indoor garden. We have a couple packets of flower seeds and I want to try some herbs as well.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Clear 2-liter soda bottle
Small flowerpot
Potting soil
Seeds
Saucer
Craft stick marker
1. Cut the top from a clear 2-liter soda bottle.
2. Find a flowerpot that fits inside the dome. Fill the pot with potting soil, then plant the seeds according to the packet directions. Tip: Consider planting herbs, such as parsley and basil, that can be transplanted outside once the weather warms, or grass, which grows fast and is fun to trim with scissors.
3. Place the pot on a saucer and poke in a craft stick marker. Slip the dome over the pot. Be sure to water the soil when it looks dry.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Clear 2-liter soda bottle
Small flowerpot
Potting soil
Seeds
Saucer
Craft stick marker
1. Cut the top from a clear 2-liter soda bottle.
2. Find a flowerpot that fits inside the dome. Fill the pot with potting soil, then plant the seeds according to the packet directions. Tip: Consider planting herbs, such as parsley and basil, that can be transplanted outside once the weather warms, or grass, which grows fast and is fun to trim with scissors.
3. Place the pot on a saucer and poke in a craft stick marker. Slip the dome over the pot. Be sure to water the soil when it looks dry.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Heart Bouquet
image via marthastewart.com
Note to self: Make these with my daughter for Valentine's Day next year. This is right up her alley. Actually, I think we'll make a couple for our own family celebration.
Friday, February 12, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Valentines to Color
image via upupcreativeSo here are the (free) printable Valentines my 1st-grader chose for her class. We printed them out (four to a page) on slightly textured cardstock; since she wanted mostly elephants and just one page of sneakers, I simply selected those pages in the print instructions. She absolutely loves to color and spent a good hour carefully coloring and writing out names on a couple dozen of these beauties.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
1 Hour : Read It : Valentine's Books
We're on our way to the library to pick out some Valentine's books. Here are the titles we have on our list today:
Thursday, January 28, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Valentines
I like the printable valentines that we can find on the internet these days. A friend showed me this one, available to customize and purchase at the Etsy shop, Olliegraphic. You can make a girl or boy, then choose hair, eyes, skin color, saying, etc. Then (after paying), you just print out as many as you want. Love it.
I'm looking around for more printable Valentines and I'll post my favorites over the next couple weeks. Let me know if you find great one!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Write a Letter
image via hereJanuary 8th through 14th is Universal Letter Writing Week. Use this as an opportunity to help your kids learn the art of a handwritten note. Create a letter writing station with notecards, pens, crayons, markers, envelopes etc., and let them create handmade thank you notes for friends and family. It's the perfect time to thank others for holiday gifts or just write a quick note to say thanks.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
1 Hour : Play It : Tinkertoys
image via here
I forgot all about Tinkertoys until we visited my brother's house. Maybe it was because this was the only toy there that my son spent all of his time playing and building creations. If Santa brings a set to our house, I think we will all (re-)discover our inner tinkers.
Amazon has the 66-piece starter set, as well as larger (more expensive) sets.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
1 Hour : Make It : Monogram Tags
This project from Martha Stewart is a fun way to have your kids help wrap gifts and practice the alphabet and spelling at the same time. Use scrapbook paper or recycle old christmas cards and have your child trace a letter on to the paper. Cut the letter out, punch a hole and tie with ribbon.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
1 Hour : Play It : Snap Circuits
image via kidstoyclub
My oldest received Snap Circuits for Christmas a couple years ago...and he still plays with it. He builds the projects in the manual (included), and he also tries to come up with his own electronic creations. Here's my favorite part: he is now starting to teach his siblings.
Find it at Amazon and Kids Toy Club.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
1 Hour : Make It : Cranberry Bread
image by redrokoMini-loaves of cranberry bread make a festive, delicious gift for a teacher or neighbor. My kids helped me make a batch, then we wrapped the loaves and delivered to couple friends. Here's our recipe for this seasonal favorite.
Cranberry Nut Bread
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1 egg
2 Tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup orange juice
Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add cranberries and nuts. In separate bowl, combine egg, oil, juice, and zest. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Spoon batter into sprayed mini-loaf pan (or muffin pan, or 9x5 loaf pan). Bake at 350-degrees for 12-15 minutes (or up to 50 minutes for one large loaf), until toothpick comes out clean. Let bread sit in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.
Notes: I usually use frozen cranberries because they are storable and easy to chop with a food chopper. You could also use a food processor for this step. Orange zest is best fresh, but I keep a bit in my freezer to have ready anytime.
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1 egg
2 Tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup orange juice
Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add cranberries and nuts. In separate bowl, combine egg, oil, juice, and zest. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Spoon batter into sprayed mini-loaf pan (or muffin pan, or 9x5 loaf pan). Bake at 350-degrees for 12-15 minutes (or up to 50 minutes for one large loaf), until toothpick comes out clean. Let bread sit in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.
Notes: I usually use frozen cranberries because they are storable and easy to chop with a food chopper. You could also use a food processor for this step. Orange zest is best fresh, but I keep a bit in my freezer to have ready anytime.
Friday, November 6, 2009
1 Hour : Play It : Animal Bingo
image via here
My five-year-old loves animals, and I love teaching the alphabet using games. Magnetic Alphabet Bingo was made for us. We played it again today--he giggles when he's beating me.
Find it at Amazon.
Monday, November 2, 2009
1 Hour : Make It : Thankful Tree
image via flickr
Friday, October 9, 2009
1 Hour : Make It : Paper Pumpkin Ornament
Came across this cute kid friendly Halloween craft from three wheels turning, a paper and design company. Now these were the types of projects I was making when I was in elementary school. Maybe that's why I love them so much.
Click here for the directions.
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