Easter Egg Decorating for kids

Back in the Parent Club archives you'll find a post on Easter Egg Decorating for kids - jr & senior edition.

Click on the post for complete instructions but the gist of it is...

Egg Decorationg for little kids
Use hard boiled eggs, sponges and tempra paint.

Egg Decorating for bigger kids
Use foods (such as carrots, blueberries, tea) as natural dyes

And for a tried & true method...

Easter Egg Decorating with Food Colouring

You need:

Hard boiled eggs (or blown out ones)

Food colouring

Water

Vinegar

Container

Spoon (or wire)

Paper towel

Mix about 20 or so drops of food colouring with 1 tbsp of vinegar and 1/2 cup of tepid* water.

Repeat this step with different colours to create a rainbow (tip: use clean, used, coffee cans to hold the mixtures - then you can trash them).

Using a spoon (or my friend once made an egg holder with copper wire) lower the hard boiled egg into the colour mixture. The longer you leave the egg in the more vibrant the colour.

Pat the coloured egg dry with a paper towel.

Remember: food colouring stains so break out the art bibs.

*tepid means not hot, not cold, but just right.

Bounty Ghastly Ghost Puppet & Giveaway

Bounty Ghastly Ghost Puppets
[Courtesy of Bounty and HGTV’s craft queen, Wendy Russell]

What you need:
·Bounty paper towels
·White pipe cleaner
·Cotton balls
·2 small black pom-poms (or googly eyes)
·Wooden frozen treat stick
·Glue
·Scissors

Directions:

Place cotton balls in centre of the Bounty paper towel. For each ghost, cut a piece of paper towel measuring approximately 5x5 or make it a square shape.

Wrap the Bounty paper towel around the cotton balls to make a ball for the ghost's head.

Secure the ball with the pipe cleaner.

Wrap excess pipe cleaner around the wooden stick.

Glue two black pom-poms (or googly eyes) on the ball for the ghost's eyes.

Push the wooden stick into the bottom of the ball.

Glue can make a mess. To help with the clean-up, just wipe down all surfaces with Bounty paper towels - one sheet of Bounty leaves the surface cleaner than 3 sheets of the Bargain Brand*.

BOUNTY GIVEAWAY
WIN: a craft basket worth $100

TO ENTER: In comments answer - How many sheets of Bounty leaves the surface cleaner than 3 sheets of the Bargain Brand?

THE RULES (because life has rules)

One entry per day

*winner will be randomly chosen

Giveaway is now closed. Congralations to winner - edmontonjb!

March Break Tip #4 - Arts & Extras

March Break is - at this point - feeling fun yet a little long. Seriously, are we really only mid-week?!

Time to get out the arts & crafts box. Thank blog for youtube: keyword search CRAYOLA.



As for the extras? Four words. Swim suits in the bathtub. It will change your afternoon!

Birthday Parties - Shaving Cream Art

This is a fun activity for preschoolers and school aged kids. It's messy and uses Papa's shaving cream (which causes huge giggles!).

Remember that food colouring stains EVERYTHING so cover the table (cover the kids too if you think they are clumsy at all). The video below shows how to make shaving cream art with paper. You could do it with card stock, paper plates...I prefer using a dollar store 8x10 artist canvas (cause then it looks more "on purpose" than "I couldn't think of anything else". Plus the paper would be wet for taking home in a loot bag -- the canvas drys quickly..

My method is a bit different from the video (less messy - more kid-centred) -- look below for my shaving cream art step by step instructions.


Shaving Cream Printer - Amazing videos are here

You need:

1 can of shaving cream
food colouring
artist canvas
straws
large spoon
(cover table and kids with plastic!)

• place artist canvas in front of each child
  
• help the child spray a small circle of shaving cream on the canvas (they love spraying it - but keep an adult hand on the bottle to control spray)
  
• have the child choose their food colouring colours...drop two drops of each colour in various places on top of the shaving cream
  
• use the straw to swirl the colour around the shaving cream
  
• use the spoon to remove the shaving cream from the artist canvas

The food colouring will sink through the shaving cream and stain the artist canvas into a masterpiece.

It's a cheap art activity for birthday parties (Maman loves a deal!), messy art (kids love messy), and it requires absolutely no talent at all. Great loot bag item!

Kid Birthday Party Planning

Hosting, yet another, birthday party this weekend. Since it is an 8 year old party -- I'm trying to keep it kid-centred (with parental intervention for fires and fights).

Here is the general plan...8 kids to celebrate 8 years old (ok - really 9 kids bc Thing 2 doesn't get counted in the birthday invitation equation). I have employed two - count them two - helpers for the day (13 years old and 11 years old respectively - young enough to be "cool" for the 8 year olds but old enough to be responsible help for the Mom).

In the three hours of the birthday party - we shall;

eat cheese pizza

make shaving cream/food colouring art (it's pretty cool)

dance (high school musical 3 soundtrack no doubt)

cover naked cupcakes with invisible frosting (FUN!)

decorate t-shirts

dance some more

make a puzzle necklace (still thinking about that)

open prezzies

Wondering about the invisible frosting? Well, we just aren't big on frosting here so a few years ago I invented "invisible frosting". In a (washed and empty) applesauce container I put a tsp of icing sugar and add a bit of water to make "invisible frosting". With our "invisible frosting paint brushes" (dollar store paint brushes which are kept on the baking shelf and not the art area) we "paint" the invisible frosting on to the naked cupcakes. The perfect edible glue for "fairy dust" (coloured sugar) or sprinkles.

FREE Colouring Pages

Got kids who like to color? Looking for free printable coloring pages?
www.FreeColoringPageFun.com has more than 2500 FREE Coloring Pages to give you with hours upon hours of free coloring page fun!
(hey, clicking the picture won't get you anywhere - click text link or click HERE)

Halloween Snacks & Activities

This looks like an easy Halloween activity and also a special snack treat. Love that it is narrated by a kid!



(My Thing 1 is getting increasing fearful of ghosts this year -- she is coming home from school about "Mary Black" being in the washroom -- I remember being scared to death of the ghost of Mary Black when I was in school (so many years ago!). My stategy is to do fun, silly ghost activities to show that ghosts are not scary...mental note - rent Casper the Friendly Ghost from the library!)

Halloween Activities

Crayola has some great Halloween craft activities for you to do with your kids. This video (merci Youtube) shows how to do simple spiderwebs for decorating around the house or your trick-or-treat bag.

This is appropriate for pre-schoolers and school-aged kids. Enjoy!

Birthday Party - Low Low Low

That Low Low Low song is sung around the house a lot lately...apparently Thing 1 hears it on the school bus (it may be an inappropriate song -- who knows -- all I hear is the "low low low" part). Anyway, in this phrase I've found the inspiration to have a Birthday Party - Low Low Low. Meaning; low maintenance, low cost, low stress. Mission impossible?

Following the magic party equation; number of party guests = child's age + 1 (or maybe 2 to include sibling).

activities #1. Playing with outdoor stuff we already have (smart huh?). Have tents, play parachute, have slides & swings. Supervision to prevent accidents and bleeding required.

activities #2. Creating with stuff we already have (yes, did consult the crayola.com website for ideas). Here is how to make use of your craft cupboard; markers + paper bags (30 per pack for $1) = paper bag puppets. Little fabric crowns (20 per pack for $1) + glue sticks + Popsicle sticks = king or queen stick puppet. Supervision so that children do not colour on each other required.

Also, have a (large) paper bag pinata -- which instead of hitting with a stick (which, even with supervision, not such a good idea). Each child pulls on a string hanging from the bottom of the pinata -- one of the strings will make the bag come apart spilling its goodies. What are the goodies you ask?...being anti-candy for youngish children we have; mini-lipsticks (4 to a pack for $1), icky looking plastic teeth (6 to a pack for $1), obnoxious noisy blowing horns (8 to a pack for $1), small plastic wild animals (10 to a pack for $1). No, this isn't' the loot bag -- just part of the activity budget; which at present stands at $8.00.

As a fall-back; have plastic Easter eggs (from Easter) and plastic spoons for an egg race.

These are easy-breasy activities that can be done indoors or outdoors. But you get the drift of my theme. Keep it Low Low Low!

Will take some (unprofessional) pictures of those puppets to share with the Club.

The Deal on Binder Rings

Here's the Parent Club tip I promised in yesterday's blog.

I have always carried dollar store pads of paper in my bag. It helps curb impatience in doctor's offices and grocery store check-outs.

One day, while lunching with a fellow parent, she pulled out index cards (recipe cards work too), hole punched in one corner and fastened with a binder ring.

I made my own binder ring note pad shortly thereafter. My kids love to flip the pages (and take pretend orders as servers do). Yes, one cappuccino please. Since children only ever write on one side of a page - I use the flip side for grocery lists. I have also used the flip side for interview notes (which is probably unprofessional; but since I'm a Mompreneur and the family niche is a big part of my writing biz...it's sort of a business card too).

Plus, I can take out the works of art and put them on my fridge or cork board. Dispose of the used cards. Replenish at will -- at pennies a pad. I'm telling you - you've gotta try this!

Reader Feedback: Birthday Tips

"At Child A's fourth birthday we made decorated "binoculars" I made them ahead of time by stapling together two TP rolls and adding a string, on the string I had attached a tag to write the child's name on. A bunch of stickers and fancy metallic markers and we were all set! The next year we made crowns and tieras. My husband cut out the party hats from pieces of Bristol board and we bought a bunch of shiny beads and stickers from the dollar store and of course more markers!

Each year we made our own "pin the something on the something" game, first year was stick the spider on the web, Child A drew the big spider web and the year after it was stick the spaceship on the solar system.

(submitted by a Parent Club reader)

Birthday Tips - at home

A few tips for the "Location: Our House Birthday Party".

How do you fill the time?

• Combine activities. Have the child make their loot bag item; be it a hand print on an art canvas, a decorated t-shirt, a pot & seeds combo, a painted bird house, or other craft. (e-mail Parent Club if you need more ideas!)


• Make food an activity. Decorate cupcakes, make individual pizzas, bead fruit loop necklaces.


• Update the ol' skool. Enjoy games of "old" like musical chairs (update it by using hoola hoops to stand in), duck, duck, goose (update to Dora, Boots, Swiper), Egg race (use those plastic easter eggs you just bought in April), pass the package (give newspaper or flyers a 2nd life by wrapping layers)


• Set up stations. Have a book nook, a dress-up corner, a lego land...and if possible keep the food to one area.

Keep the time to two hours. If the kids are young; write on the invitations that there will be a tea/coffee bar for the parents (a bit of an incentive to stay). If parents are dropping off their children; have a clipboard near the door for parents to write down their cell phone numbers.

EARTH DAY - ECOkid websites

Here are some good websites for getting to know more about the Earth, science and nature. Click on the link to go directly to the respective site. All sites are Canadian.

Know Mag
EcoKids
Owl Kids

Colouring pages of animals and nature;
Hugot l'escargot

Art tip...

If you are at a loss for something to do...surf over to HUGOESCARGOT. This francophone website has over 8,000 images available for you to print off and colour. From popular comics like Dora, SpongeBob, and Winx to seasonal and birthday images...it is a great resource.

(Birthday tip; print off a bunch of colouring pages and have a colouring table for the kids. Tons of fun and an easy activity for most age groups).

For the French Immersion, Francophone or Francophile families; this website has popular kids recipes, free games, crafts and song lyrics.

Easter Egg Decorating

Easter Eggs for Jr. Kids Club
This craft is appropriate for toddler to school-aged.
You will need;

Hard boiled eggs
liquid tempra paint
clothes pins
sponge pieces
egg carton

Cut egg carton to become individual egg holders. Place a hard boiled egg in holder. Clip a clothes pin to a sponge (this is the "handle" of your paint brush). Dab the sponge piece into the paint of choice and decorate top half of boiled egg. Allow to dry. Turn egg over and decorate bottom half.

Easter Eggs for Sr. Kids Club
This craft is appropriate for tweens/teens

You will need;

Food items such as; carrots, blueberries, grass, coffee, tea
Sauce pan for each food item
Slotted spoon
Vegetable Strainer
Cooking oil
Clean cloth
Baking rack
Cooking oil

Place cut fruit/food item to sauce pan (1 item per pan). Add 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer. Watch water turn colour. It will intensify as you leave it - remove from stove when you achieve the desired colour. Strain water (in vegetable strainer) into a bowl.

Allow water to cool. Then place hard boiled or blown eggs into water. Let sit until they turn colour. Remove with slotted spoon. Place them on a baking rack to dry. Polish with small amount of cooking oil and soft cloth.

(Source: Kidsturncentral)

Avoiding March Break

Are you up to your elbows in March Break? Ready for something a little -- easier...? This post is dedicated to avoiding March Break - but still having a good time.

You could enjoy some outdoor activities close to home. For example; dropping food colouring, drip by drip, into the snow in the backyard. Give a big wooden spoon to your kids and let them mix and stir the coloured snow. It is a ton of fun. (yes, food colouring does stain -- so keep an eye on the snowsuits - try powdered kool aid as an alternative if you are nervous).

You could turn the kitchen table into an activity centre. Get out the paints, play dough or box of markers and get hands-on. For older kids - do an experiment like the ol' oozing volcano (recipe for that available on arm & hammer baking soda's website).

Go for a swim in the bathtub. Don't know how this works on tweens but youngish kids LOVE putting on their bathing suits and swimming in the bathtub. It is some crazy serious fun.

Get out, get active, get the kids tired. Then enjoy some quiet time and a sweet treat. That's a good way to avoid March break!

Make your own ABC Book

Ready for something new? Get out your digital camera and create a customized ABC book for your family. You could make a true ABC book starting with a photo of an Apple and ending with a close-up of your child's Zipper.

Smaller sized project ideas include;

• morning routine - take pictures of toothbrush, hairbrush, potty, cereal bowl. Underwear, socks, pants & shirt.


• What do I wear? - take pictures of mittens, warm hat, snow pants, boots.


• Who do I love? - take pictures of siblings, pets, parents, grandparents, friends.


• Yummy foods - take pictures of favourite dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks


• What are my chores? - take pictures of child making his/her bed, putting water in pet's bowl, child doing homework, child reading a book.

Then print the pictures on your home computer or at your photo shop. You can laminate pictures at a business shop for a more lasting book. Bind with spiral binding or rings.

This is a good learning tool for pre-readers. Also, it's a good tool to introduce French vocabulary by creating a bilingual or French version.

Kids Craft - Orange Clove Pomander

Going on a field trip to Black Creek Pioneer Village inspired me to find a kid craft for orange clove pomanders. They smell great and scream 'Victorian Christmas'. This is a appropriate craft for a school aged child - with parental help.

Here's what you need;

a washed orange or lemon
many many whole cloves
cinnamon
nutmeg
orris root oil (available at craft stores or on-line)
orange or lemon oil

Push the cloves into the orange/lemon in a pattern (stripes, swirls) or completely cover. You could use toothpicks to prick the skin first and save some labour.

Mix the orris root, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange/lemon oil in a small container. Then roll the orange/lemon in the spice mixture.

Wrap with Kleenex or cheese cloth. Use ribbon to hang it as a decoration.

If you notice mold as it cures -- throw it out. It takes about 3 weeks to completely cure. Then, you can keep it for years. Should you notice the scent lessening simply add clove oil to the pomander and re-roll it in the spices.

Cinnamon Clay

This is a sweet smelling dough that can be made into ornaments or gift decorations. No glue in this recipe so - though you wouldn't really want the kids to eat the dough - it is safely organic.

Age: Preschoolers and school aged

1 cup applesauce
1 cup cinnamon

Mix applesauce and cinnamon in a bowl. Knead the mixture until it turns into a firm clay. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

Clay is best when used at room temperature. Roll it out on wax paper (or a non-stick mat). Use cookie cutters for desired shape. (We've used stars which worked really well).

If you are going to hang your shape...use a straw to cut out a hole near the top of your decoration.

Place shapes on a cooling rack. Dry shapes for approximately 2 days. You may need to turn them occasionally.

These decorations smell amazing...and they keep for months. Great teacher or grandparent gift.