Simple Cross Necklace

We made the most simple version of a beaded cross necklace in our Sunday school class.  It was so simple we LOVED it!

This is what we did:

1. We used pony beads that you can buy at Walmart or the Dollar Tree.
2. I hot glued the center beads together.  (This is the part that makes it so easy for the kiddos)  I used a heart bead for the center.
3. Fold a piece of curling ribbon in half and tie a pony bead to the end.  By tying the bead you prevent the beads from being able to slip off the bottom.
4. Take the two open ends of the curling ribbon and tape them together.  This will make it much easier for the kids to slide the beads onto the ribbon.  It can be kind of tough for little hands to get the beads on the ribbon if the two ends of the ribbon are not the same length and the fit is a bit tight.
5. Start sliding beads onto the ribbon.
6. Stop once you get your desired size.
7. Tie a knot to replace your taped ends.

The kids LOVED how quickly they were able to make a cross.  For the amount of work and amount of time they took to do this activity (no more than 10 minutes) it had a high impact.  We will definitely do this activity again, next year.  There is  something that pre-schoolers just LOVE about stringing beads!

Decorating With Birch

I LOVE decorating with natural elements.  So when my husband trimmed a large birch branch that was hanging over our house, I willingly helped with the cleanup.  I had plans for these beautiful gifts of nature! 

This project would work with a variety of tree or bush branches and would look nice naturally or spray painted white.

This is what I did:

1. I brought two 7 foot branches into my house, tied them together with fish line (so it wasn't noticeable), and leaned them against the wall in my dining room.  I think it would also look nice leaning against my fireplace but I was looking for something to fill an empty space and create symmetry.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on an expensive artificial plant  and many are not as tall as I wanted. I didn't worry about bringing in insects with my branches because we trimmed a healthy limb.
2. I planted a Jade plant in a small pot and nestled it in the crook of the branches.  I chose a Jade plant because it requires medium light and infrequent watering.  I then secured it with jute rope to prevent slipping.  I didn't like the rope visible so I hot glued some dried moss aound the rope and bottom of the pot.
3. I also hot glued jute to some pinecones and draped them over limb.

During the Christmas season, I wired some red berries to my branches and perched a small bird on a limb which complimented my theme.

I also LOVE decorating outside and so last summer I leaned some branches  in a corner of my deck to add some pop!  A robin gifted me with a beautiful nest and I nestled it too in the crook of some branches.  I considered hanging a bird house on one of the limbs but didn't want the mess if a bird moved in.

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This Spring I might add some white lights to brighten up my deck.  In the mean time, I'll try to be patient and wait for the snow and ice to melt!

Honoring Birthdays

My family LOVES to celebrate birthdays, but busy schedules often make it difficult to find a date that works for everyone.  So instead of celebrating each person's birthday individually, we often celebrate two or more together in the same month.  Next month (March) we have three, and I decided to honor each one by displaying his photo on a table centerpiece. 

This is what I did:

1. I bought three 4" x 6" clear frames for $.95 each.
2. I had each person's photo printed for less than a quarter and put them in each frame.
3. I found the base of my Lazy Susan (I want my centerpiece to twirl so everyone seated at the table can see all three).
4. I put non slip shelf/drawer liner on top of the Lazy Susan to prevent objects from sliding when turned.
5. I placed my lucky bamboo plant, my battery operated LED stick lights (I bought them earlier from Michaels), and three glittery shamrocks (I paid less than a dollar each from Michaels) in a small basket and put them in the center of the Lazy Susan base. 
6. I covered the top of the basket with dried moss that I bought from the Dollar Store.
7. I filled the empty spaces with pinecones (left over from Christmas), dried hydrangea from my garden, and more moss. 

When the party's over, each honored guest can take his framed photo home.  For the next birthday gathering, I'd LOVE to use fresh spring flowers!

Pony Bead Bracelet

Toddlers and pre-schoolers LOVE to string items.  It helps with fine motor skill development.  Making a bracelet is such a simple activity and fairly inexpensive.

This is what we did:

1. I purchased pony beads (you can get them at Walmart and the Dollar Tree)
2. I also purchased friendship bracelet string.  Its just plastic string.  I like this stuff because the ends don't fray.
3. Tie a bead to the end of the string and then tape it down to a flat surface.  This will prevent the kids from spilling all the beads from their string.
4. Give the kids a bowl of beads and let them create their own necklace or bracelet.  Encourage older kids to make patterns or to count the number of beads they use.
5. Tie the two ends to each other.

Both of my boys enjoy making bracelets.  I encourage them to make bracelets/necklaces while I make dinner in the evenings.  It keeps them content and allows me to get dinner ready without a lot of distraction.  Its a calming activity so the transition when Dad comes home is a lot easier for all of us!  LOVE that!

3-D Children's Book

Make your childrens' books come alive by making them 3-D!  We buy a lot of books at the thrift store and Goodwill.  When you purchase a book for ten cents it doesn't really matter how you use it or destory it!  Books expose kids to ideas, people, places, and animals they often wouldn't have the chance to experience.  Being able to read is so important to child development and success in school!  Dive into your books, manipulate them, let the book take your child on all sorts of adventures.  You will notice that your "3-D" books will take your children on adventures that the author didn't intend or even imagine!

This is what we did:

 

1. I cut out animals from the a book.  (This particular book was all about horses)
2. I cut strips of cardboard from our recycling bin.
3. Little Guy glued the strips to the back of our pictures.
4. I folded the cardboard to make the animals stand.
5. We used the animals to pretend, talk about animal sounds, sorted smallest-largest, etc.

Little Guy ended up pretending all the animals wanted to go to the zoo.  But, when they got there, the gate was locked.  All the animals were so sad.  He also tried to feed them grass (cut up cardboard) from his hands.  We got to talk about why the animals were sad and what they could do so that they'd be happy again!  I LOVE spending special time with my boys.

Trampoline Fun!

You don't need to go to an expensive trampoline park when you can build one in your living room!  We've been doing this one for a couple of years.  It's always a hit with the boys because they ask to do it often and I say "yes" occasionally.  They LOVE it.  I don't mind as long as they help put the cushions away when we are done. :)

This is what we do:

 

 



1. We took all the cushions from our couches (they're pretty thick) and laid them out on the floor. (We have 3 couches)
2. We cover the cushions with a blanket (and pretend that it is an ocean or a pool).
3. We jump in!

 

The rule is no backwards jumps and that each child has to take turns.  That usually works (but not in the above video. Probably because I was recording them instead of watching them closely.  Thankfully, noone was hurt during the recording of this video.)  

 

 

Plastic Eggs and Colors!

My active Little Guy is trying to learn his colors.  We decided to spice up his "lessons" by playing a fun game.  Both of my boys LOVED it! 

This is what we did:

 

1. We hid plastic eggs all over the living room.  We hid them in easy to spot areas.
2. After the eggs were "hidden" I told the boys to "GO".
3. They ran around the living room collecting one egg at a time and set it in the basket.
4. They had to say the color as they put it in the basket.  Big Guy of course had no problem with stating the colors but I had to say the color for Little Guy most of the time.
5. We did it again and again!

 

I adapted this game for Big Guy too.  After the boys collected the eggs, we sorted them, counted them, laid them out in patterns, guessed which pile had the most - least, etc...  This was a high energy activity.  I used an adaption of the same game when I taught summer camp A LONG time ago.  We collected balloons and the kids had to say the color of the balloon in spanish.  We used a stop watch to see how fast they could do it.  It was a ton of fun.  You could also use letters!