A Little Welsh Fun

It turns out we completely missed Saint David’s Day yesterday, but I found this blog post full of Welsh crafts from Filth Wizardry so delightful that I had to pass it on anyway.

I’m in love with the easy paper leeks!

(Long-time readers also know that I’ll celebrate any excuse to have fun that involves sheep.) 

If you want to continue with the theme of St. David and Wales, here are some wonderful compilations of crafts and activities on DLTK (did you know that dragons are considered Wales’ national animal?!) and Activity Village (I love the dragon sock puppet!).

In any case, happy March, chickadees!  Spring is really coming.  Yay!

Look for a post on ways to make the day magical on Monday.  My husband’s recovery is coming along well and I think it’s time for us to start easing out of hibernation.   

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Easy, Sturdy (Free) Building Blocks!

Here’s a little project that we’ve been doing for years.

These fun blocks are so easy!

I was planning on making a set of building blocks for Fiona for Christmas, but she kept trying to manhandle the presents under the tree so I decided to make her a set of “presents” of her own. 

It worked like a charm!

Here’s all you do:

1. Save your cartons of drinks like almond milk and orange juice.  You’ll need two cartons for each block.
2. Cut off the top.  Rinse and dry.
3. Fit one carton into another (open ends facing each other), so that the block is closed on all sides.  This also makes it very sturdy, since it’s basically doubled up.
4. Wrap with wrapping paper or cover with contact paper.  If you use paper, you can seal it with clear contact paper.  You can also tape on family pictures, magazine pages or other fun images before sealing with contact paper.

That’s it!  You can change them whenever you like by simply wrapping them with a new wrapping paper or covering with another layer of paper and contact paper. 

When my bigger kids were little, I made a “marble” set with marble contact paper so it looked like they were building stone buildings. 

You can also use little individual milk cartons (like school lunch size) to make alphabet blocks. 

 

10 Ways to Make Today Magical

Happy Monday!  I hope you’re warm and cozy in your little corner of the world.  We got snowed in for the first time in a very long time this past weekend and it was a little bit delightful.  My boys spent most of the day outside building a snow fort and throwing snowballs, and even 12 year-old Anna was out making snow angels.  Victoria got some gorgeous pictures of it all, and Fiona just stayed inside where it was nice and toasty.  Alex brought her a little bowl of snow to play with, but she decided she didn’t care for it at all. We also made lots of holiday treats and started on our billions of kid-made Christmas cards, which we’d better get moving on or they’ll be Valentines cards. 

Here’s a few ways to make a little magic with your kiddos this week…

1.  Got snow?  Bring a big tub of it inside to play with.  Add matchbox cars, sand toys or colored water and eyedroppers.  (Tip:  I use a big under-the-bed storage box for the snow and put lots of towels down underneath it to contain the melting mess.)

2.  Make a paper chain of happy memories and accomplishments from the past year.

3.  Make a snowball target!  I love this idea from Nurture Store: “Draw a chalk target on an outside wall, line up some snowballs and shoot to score. Award different points for hitting different areas and keep tally with a score chart. Lots of adding up practice.”

3.  Leave ice wreaths as colorful surprises for your favorite decorated houses.  Freeze one ice wreath for each member of the family (put water in a bundt cake pan and add berries, sprigs of pine and/or food coloring and colored ice cubes and freeze).  Tie a note around it, thanking folks for making the world more magical.  Let each family member leave a wreath on the lawn of their favorite decorated house.

4.  Build a snow dragon or a snow house.

5.  Take the kids sledding inside.  Have them sit on bath towels and pull them around the kitchen or down the hall. 

6.  Put on the happiest music you can find and dress up really silly to clean the house together.  Wear tiaras and aprons, superman capes and so on.  Have fun and be silly!

7.  Make gingerbread houses.  Here’s plans to make real ones, with lots of recipes and tips.  Here’s advice from a seasoned gingerbread house decorator on how to make it fun for kids and how to host a decorating party, plus a basic recipe. 

And Mary Engelbreit has plans to make darling permanent ones from recycled materials and craft supplies.

8.  Let your little ones help make a magical holiday scene with this interactive Christmas card from Ashland University.  They can click to make it snow, build a snowman, decorate with lights, hear a choir and more.

9.  Make some treats together.  Here’s a round-up of whimsical, healthy (-ish!) ones to balance out a bit of the junk of this time of year.

10. Find a few minutes to do something really nice for yourself.  Buy yourself a couple of truffles at the check-out and go enjoy them on the porch swing.  Take a relaxing bath with a magazine.  Call a friend who makes you feel fabulous.  You get the idea!  Extra credit if you come back and tell me what you did! 

You can also check out this list of 50 free (or almost free) ways to make the holidays magical for children. 

And with that, my dears, I’m off do the magical task of cleaning my living room — and maybe kissing on some little people while I’m at it.  Have a magical week!

 

Happy Leap Day!

Happy Leap Day!  Need a few ideas on how to make the most of our extra day today?  Mother Nature Network has this fun list.

29 fun things to do on Leap Day

Did you and your kiddos do anything fun to celebrate?

Celebrate Pancake Day!

That’s right, it’s not just Mardis Gras tomorrow!  It’s also Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday). 

This historic holiday was once a tradition for families to use up ingredients like eggs and sugar that were restricted during Lent. 

When we found out about traditional pancake races a few years ago, we adapted the fun with some local homeschool friends.  I bought some cheap packaged pancakes for our races.  To do your own pancake races, you line up and run as fast as you can, flipping your pancake on a plate or paper plate holder as you run, then hand off your pancake to your partner on the opposite side to race back with.   You could also adapt it for just one or two participants too, of course!

Here’s some pictures of our fun…

Of course, you could also celebrate Pancake Day by just making a load of them and eating them for dinner (ooh, with a topping bar!) too!

Want more info about Pancake Day? 

There’s info on Wikipedia, the International Pancake Day site and the Irish Culture and Customs site.  This British site has lots of really fun information about pancake races and also lists some other traditional activities, like skipping and ” the world’s oldest, largest, longest and maddest football game.”

Happy Pancake Day!

10 Ways to Make Today (and New Year’s Eve) Magical

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah or whatever your family celebrates.

Here’s some ways to make a little magic this week, especially for the new year.

1.  Make nature confetti.  Let kids duplicate the fun of tossing confetti without the mess to clean up– and help birds and squirrels at the same time.  In a large bowl, mix up bird seed, dried corn, crumpled leaves, small dried fruits, flower petals and/or any other natural materials you have on hand.  Take the bowl outside and encourage the kids to toss handfuls up in the air.  They can shout happy new year, offer up wishes for loved ones and so on as they toss.

2.  Use sand molds to make a really whimsical supper.  Wash them really well and then use them to make mashed potato castles (make it thick, oil the mold, pack it in and then very gently unmold), sea creature ice cream shapes (soften ice cream and spoon into molds, freeze and gently unmold by dipping the mold side quickly in hot water) and so on.  You can decorate the creations with fancy toothpicks, blueberry eyes, peas and carrots, you name it.

3.  Be detectives.  Take the kids to any public place and concoct a story together of what occurred there.  The kids can use clues as small as footprints or litter to figure out what kind of people (or animals) were there and what they might have been doing.  Invent the rest of the story together and weave an exciting tale based on the clues left behind.

4.  Make ice ornaments and hang them outside.  Fill small dishes with colored water and small natural items, along with a loop of yarn.  Freeze outside overnight, then dip in warm water for a moment to pop out of their containers.  Hang on low bushes and trees.

5.  If you have snow in your area, get the kids wondering what kind of visitors have been poking about!  Use carpet remnant, large pieces of cardboard or other scrap materials to make some giant beast prints.  Cut them out (an exacto knife works well) and then poke two holes in each to tie them onto a pair of shoes.  Now go stomp around in the snow while the kids are sleeping or away, and really get them wondering!

6.  Go sledding or ice skating in the kitchen!  Pull little ones around on towels, or have them put on socks and slip around the floor.  Older kids can pull the little ones and accidentally get some exercise in at the same time!  If you’re brave enough, give them a bucket of warm soapy water and have them “mop” the floor with their stocking feet.  My girls used to love to do this, though it can get pretty wet!

7.  Spend an ordinary day in ball gowns, fancy clothes or costume.  Go someplace if possible!

8.  Have your child use magic markers or fabric pens to alter a pair of old white tennies.  Slip a bell onto each shoelace so she can jingle when she walks.

9.  Take a white crayon and write some fun and simple activities on random squares of a 2012 calendar.  Each day, let your child color the day’s calendar square with a marker to reveal any secret messages (the crayon writing will appear like magic).  Some fun ideas for messages are Go on a picnic, I love you, Smile!, Wear purple day, Cake for breakfast and 100 Kisses day.

10. Gather a few branches in a pot or heavy vase.  Give the kids strips of ribbon, small pieces of paper with a hole punched for hanging, and a pen.  Ask them to write wishes, prayers or blessings for themselves and loved ones for the coming year.  Tie the wishes to the branches.  Kids can decorate their blessing tree throughout the year to match the season.  At the end of the year, give them another color of paper to write out thanks and record accomplishments.  The papers can be saved in a small container or scrapbook.

And with that, I’m going off to start on the ceremonial New Year’s Week laundry pile.   

Have a magical week!

 

10 Ways to Make Today Magical… Holiday Style

Happy Holidays!  I’m snatching a list of ways to make the day magical that I put in the Magical Childhood newsletter back in 2002!  It helps to have done this for so long and be able to steal from myself when life gets hectic.   

I know that people celebrate all different wonderful holidays this time of year so some of these might not apply to your family, but I hope that you find something that does!

1.  Camp out under the Christmas tree overnight.

2.  Give each child a small amount of money and go shopping for the food shelf.  Let them choose what they buy, reminding them to look for stuff they’d want to eat but also that they can get a lot more by buying inexpensive items.  Go together to the food shelf or drop off spot.

3.  Go for a drive to see holiday lights.  Better yet, park and walk.

4.  See if your church or neighborhood groups are going Christmas caroling, or put together your own group and visit a few neighbors.

5.  Make gingerbread people.

6. Take in a concert at a nearby school or community center.

7.  Dress up in holiday colors and/or fancy clothes for everyday stuff.  Add curling ribbon to the kids’ hair (and yours!), wear necklaces made from small ornaments, and generally dress to the nines.

8.  Make time regularly through the season to turn off all the noise, gather with the kids and read scripture or stories that move you, say prayers or concentrate on your spirituality in a meaningful way.

9.  Have a red and green meal.

10. Forget about all the “gottas” and live the season through children’s eyes again.  Drink egg nog, sing along badly to carols, sit in the dark and watch the tree, get something flashy for the yard or the door, wear one red and one green sock, tell absolutely everybody “Happy holidays” when you’re out, smile extra, buy yourself a present, make crafts with the kids, play in the snow (or in the sprinkler), light candles, give donations, look at the stars, dance in the kitchen, be goofy with the kids, wink at Santa, say thank you, watch Rudolph, slow down, and enjoy the beauty and the holiness of this amazing world.

And with that, chickadees, I’m off to do my best to make things merry. 

Have a magical week!

 

11 Ways to Make the 11th Magical

(Flickr photo by Leo Reynolds)

This Friday is 11/11/11 so I thought it would be fun to dream up 11 ways to make the day magical this week!

I got the idea from Magical Mama Sue, who is planning a fabulous 11/11/11 party for the day with lots of wonderful, wacky ideas.  Here’s her swiped plan:

Party ideas include the party starting at 11:11 a.m. and going no later than 11:11 p.m., all guests wearing exactly 11 items of clothing, and an 11 course meal!  Courses include: “beverage, olives, appetizer, meze, tapa, soup, salad, entree, veggie, dessert, cheese” (and appetizers are one bite appetizers)! 

For those who don’t know (I didn’t!), Sue explains: “Meze is greek for appetizer. Pronouced mezz-ay. You could always bring tapas instead. Spanish for appetizer. Or an appetizer, which is American for appetizer.” 

Doesn’t it sound fun?! 

And in case you’re not up for a full-fledged party, here’s 10 more ways to make the 11th magical!

1. Give your child 11 little presents to unwrap.
2. Make a list of 11 fun things to do together.
3. November 11th is also Veterans Day in the United States in support of our military veterans, and it is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other countries.  Take the day to do 11 nice things to thank veterans (take art to a veterans’ hospital, call a loved one who is a veteran to thank him or her, etc.).
4. Play 11 games together throughout the day.
5. Make an 11 memory book.  To commemorate the day, make a scrapbook or altered book (an unloved book that you repurpose and do art over) all about your child right now with an 11 theme — pages with lists like 11 things I’m good at, 11 people who love me, 11 things I want to do someday…
6. Bake an 11/11/11 cake and put 11 candles on it, and then light and blow them out 11 times.
7. Make your kids lists of 11 reasons you love each of them.
8. Serve 11′s for lunch — all foods that look like 11 when lined up, like two celery sticks, two pretzel sticks, two string cheeses, two carrot sticks, etc.
9. Spend the day doing 11 good things for others (the last one for yourselves!).
10. Everybody make a wish at 11:11 on 11/11/11.  Make it good!

10 Ways to Make Today Magical (New Year’s Edition)

One of the fabulous things about having yapped at you all for so many years is that I have lots of old ramblings to snatch when I have my hands full.  Below is an example, written in the Magical Childhood newsletter seven years ago (!) that I am swiping now to go cuddle a small boy back to bed.  I am suddenly feeling old. 

10 Ways to Make the New Year Magical…..

1.  Get out the wine glasses (plastic if you like) for New Year’s supper and serve sparkling juice.  Go around the table making wishes for the new year for each other.

2.  Together, make up some fortunes (both serious and silly, but all good) and write them on slips of paper.  Roll the paper up into tubes and tie with ribbon, then place in a bowl.  Take turns drawing fortunes and read them aloud.

3.  Take out the calendar for next year and randomly fill in dates with fun things to do.  They don’t have to be big things.  Make an appointment to eat supper in the back yard in June, to go to a matinee with your toddler in October, to all wear blue on February 9th…

4.  For each family member, take a sheet of paper and record the highlights of the past year.  Make a list of accomplishments, challenges, milestones, bad & good events, best friends, favorite activities, etc.  Take the time to make it beautiful and either slip it into a scrapbook or photo album.  Invite the kids to help decorate the pages.  Don’t forget to do one for you, too!

5.  Make a goal collage for next year.  Grab some old magazines and have everybody cut out words, pictures and images that represent good stuff for the new year.  Either fill a scrapbook page for each person or start a family altered book from an old textbook and have each person make her/his own page.

6.  Make a symbolic fresh start.  For each family member, clean a small area somewhere on New Year’s Eve.  Each person should help clear & organize her/his own space.  Whether it’s cleaning off mom’s desk, organizing a toddler’s book shelf or making a teen’s vanity table beautiful again, start the new year with a peaceful, tidy spot to focus on.

7.  Make breakfast wish roll-ups.  On New Year’s morning, spread crepes or warmed flour tortillas with spreadable cream cheese.  Fill a plastic baggie with blueberry (or other berry) syrup and snip just the tip of the bag.  Help pipe symbolic one word wishes over the cream cheese (friends, $, A+, love…) and then roll up.  Serve with extra syrup for dipping and eat your words!

8. Invite each family member to make a list of goals for the new year.  These don’t have to be resolutions but merely things each person wants to accomplish.  Some can be simple, some hard, some humorous… anything goes.  Save the sheets in a safe place for next year and then take a look at what everybody has accomplished (and what doesn’t seem to matter anymore) a year later.

9.  Take the piles of art you’ve saved from this year and all of those old math papers, activity sheets and history quizzes.  Ask the children to put aside the special stuff and cull a nice pile of them to make streamers by running them through the paper shredder.  At midnight (or an earlier hour for little ones), do the countdown and toss it all in the air.

As long as there are no strange papers in there, the whole mess can be cleaned up and used as mulch on the garden, meaning that the art and history will help flowers grow in the new year.  No garden?  Mulch some house plants. 

10. Write a letter to your child, summing up the past year and expressing all your love and pride.  Date it & leave it on the pillow New Year’s Eve.  (For younger kids, read it to them before bed and put it someplace safe for later.)

I wish you and your families all the best for the new year.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the mayhem and the clutter and the lists of what we ought to be doing.  Don’t forget what the biggest things on your to-do lists should be– having fun, loving the heck out of your children & relishing life.

Slow down.  Give things up.  Laugh it off.  Make each day count, with at least one thing that is magical or truly matters.  And give yourself a break!

And when life gets crazy this year, take the advice of those wisest of people (aerobics instructors) and don’t forget to breathe. 

Happy New Year!!
Alicia   (December 29, 2003)

Talk to you tomorrow!
Alicia   (nearly 2011!)

Free Christmas Songs and Art

From now through Christmas, Amazon is giving away free Christmas songs to download every day.  A new song is unveiled each day, and you can also download all of the songs that have been posted up till that day… all free!

So far there have been songs like Chris Isaak’s “Auld Lang Syne,” The Indigo Girls’ “Your Holiday Song” and Point of Grace’s “Angels We Have Heard on High.”

You can listen to samples to see if you want them on each page. We particularly liked “Winter Night.”

Lastly, I got this comment from MaryAnn Kohl the other day.  Normally I don’t pass on this sort of thing, but I adore MaryAnn’s art activity books (I can’t tell you how many late fines I’ve paid to the library because of hanging on to Science Arts just a couple more days and Global Art has been on my wish list for a while!), so I am passing it on…

I follow your blog – it’s one of my favorites. My name is MaryAnn Kohl. I am the author of over 20 books on art for kids.

I am writing because I need your help to win a wonderful education grant, and I hope you can let your blog readers know about the grant competition. It takes votes to win, daily votes if possible.

Specifically, I am nominated for an amazing education grant from Pepsi. If I win, I will travel the USA in 2011 and bring hands-on art workshops to 6000+ teachers whose schools do not have art programs! Ultimately this would impact 150,000+ children who have no art at school.

I am asking that you vote for my project, and I hope you will invite your blog readers to vote too!

There are 3 ways to vote (and you can use all three every day if you want to… “power voting!”

1.) Direct vote at: http://www.refresheverything.com/greatartkids (You have to sign up first with the program to be a verfied voter.)

2.) Text your vote – no sign up needed:
Text these numbers: 104840 To Pepsi’s phone: 73774

3.)  Go to Facebook and vote through the Pepsi Voting App. This is pretty easy.

Note: If you get lost on the Pepsi site, just put MaryAnn Faubion Kohl in the search box and it will take you to my voting page.

Thank you so much for helping me achieve my goal of bringing art to schools all over the USA. I’d love to come to your town!

Thank you for considering posting my need for votes on your blog!
MaryAnn Kohl
maryann@brightring.com

Good luck MaryAnn!

By the way, folks, you can find lots of really fun free art projects at MaryAnn’s web site here.

Happy Wednesday!