Her little face looked so sad when I had to explain to her that those butterflies would die when we released them because it was so late in the summer now (But maybe we could try it next year, I told her.)  Then I found out that she wasn’t sad because she couldn’t grow her own butterflies this year… she was sad because other people would buy the kits this year and their butterflies would die.  “Those people shouldn’t sell butterfly growing kits when the butterflies will die.  Poor butterflies!” 

We opted to make some clothespin butterflies instead!

Clothespin Butterfly

The clothespin butterfly craft pictured is really simple, even for younger kids to make.  If you’re looking for something for an older kid, try turning these into magnets or note hangers.  My girls made a couple of these and use them to clip to their curtains in their rooms.

1.  Cut out a pair of butterfly wings from construction paper.  Decorate them any way you want… we just used markers, but you could really go hog wild and glue on buttons, gems, sequins, fabric scraps, etc.  Then glue them to one side of a clothespin.  This will make the body and wings.  Take a look at the picture for further clarification.

2.  To make the antenae, bend a pipecleaner in half, then wrap each side around a pencil (to make it curl).  Then all you have to do is open the clothespin and close it around the middle of the pipecleaner. 

3.  Glue some wiggle eyes to the clothespin, along with a small pom pom to make a butterfly face.  If you don’t want to do that, you can always use a marker to make the butterfly’s face.  We also used markers to decorate the butterfly’s body. 

That’s it!  Really easy and inexpensive!

ShareThis

So now we have butterflies!

Baggie Butterflies - This craft was also send in by a visitor. Fill a sandwich bag with scraps of tissue paper, aluminum foil, or colored cellophane. Don’t over fill. Gather the bag around the middle with a pipe cleaner to make the body and twist the ends to make the antennae.

Inkblot Butterfly - Fold a piece of construction paper in half and cut out a butterfly shape. Open it up and paint one side of the paper. Fold it over and rub lightly, then unfold to create the butterfly. Let dry and then you can glue it to a large craft stick or tongue depresser so the kids can play with it. You can also go a step further and glue on antennae.

Butterfly Flier Craft - This is a very different tp roll craft than most.   It ends up “larger than life” (about one square foot) and is fun to play with.  If you look closely at the photo, you can see the tp roll in the center of the butterfly’s body… that will give you a feel for the size of the finished craft.   Pull the yarn (takes two people) and the butterfly will fly between the players. 

Friendship Butterflies This is a great project for more than one child or for a child’s party. Trace both of each child’s hands and cut them out. Have each child exchange one of their cut out hands with another child. Tape the two hands together to make butterfly wings. Decorate the wings with paint, markers, glitter, etc. For older children, glue the hands onto a painted toilet paper tube or clothespin so that the friendship butterfly will have a body.

Egg Carton Caterpillar - Cut a section of 4 egg cups from an egg carton. Paint and let dry. Draw on a face with black marker.  When the kids aren’t looking, attach a pipe cleaner for anetennas, make butterfly wings, and attach them to the caterpillar.  Now put the butterfly you’ve created in a paper bag.  When the child returns to retreive their caterpillar, tell them it has made a cocoon (the paper bag).  Then if a few days, let them open the bag and see that the caterpillar has turned into a butterfly. 

I saw a teacher do all this with a pre-school class once and it made a huge impact on the kids.

I’m finding a ton of other butterfly crafts, so I think I’ll split this into two posts.  Let me know if you have a butterfly idea that should be included in the next post!

ShareThis

We decided not to fight it… we’re doing bug crafts!

Potato Ladybugs - I saw this idea in a magazine and thought it was really neat. Draw some black spots on a piece of construction paper with a black crayon. Cut a potato in half and dip half in red paint. Stamp potato over the black spots and let dry. The crayon resists the paint and makes a cute ladybug.

Thumprint Ants - Draw an ant hill with a marker on a plain sheet of construction paper. Use a black washable stamp pad or black paint and have your child put a thumbprint on the paper (or several thumbprints). Draw on the legs(6), eyes, etc. and then turn them loose to draw in the rest of the ant’s home.

You can also adapt this craft to creat “Ant Books” to go along with “The Ants Go Marching” song. Create counting books using one page for each verse of the song. On the first page, make one thumbprint ant. If they are able, have your child write a number one. If not, write a one for them. Continue the pages for as many verses as you want to do, and use the “Ant Book” when you sing the song. This is a great way to get in a little counting practice with your child.

Caterpillar on a Leaf - Cut a large leaf shape out of green construction paper. Glue eight penny-size pom poms in a row onto the leaf.

Spider Webs - Cut several pieces of yarn in various lengths. Use white glue (like Elmer’s Glue) and make a spider web pattern on a piece of construction paper. Let child glue yarn onto the paper to form a spider web.

Ants on a Log/Ants on a Stump - I remember having Ants on a Log when I was a kid. All you basically have to do is put some peanut butter on a celery stick and then put some raisins on it to make ants.

Unfortunately, my two oldest HATE celery, so I changed the recipe. Instead of celery, I use an apple. Core your apple whole and then cut it across so that it makes round shapes. Spread your peanut butter, add your raisins, and you have ants on a stump!

ShareThis

I know it’s a little bit outside of what I usually post here, but I can see how easy it would be to get caught in this scam and I wanted to let as many people as possible know about it.

 Jury Duty Scam

This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below).  Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.

The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois , and Colorado . This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

Check it out here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm 

And here: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp  

ShareThis

Claire’s Submissions:

For my 3 year old I did and “X marks the spot” treasure hunt. I made a basic map of our house and made several copies. On each one I drew a large X (in a different place). When they found the place in the house where the X was, they found another map with another hiding place marked with and X. I hope this makes sense. It was a huge hit.

 

“Bottle Xylophone” Collect some glass bottles with lids (green tea or sobe work great). Fill them with different amounts of water and let your child tap on them with a stick to hear the different sounds.

By the way, I thought some of you might be interested to know that I’ve finally made up my mind about the homeschool question… I’ve decided to give it a try for a year and see how it goes. 

It was easy to make the decision when I received the children’s progress reports, quizzed them on a few of the thing that they had supposedly mastered (like telling time, counting money, specific science concepts, computer skills, etc.) and realized that my definition of “mastered” and their previous teachers’ definitions were very different.

So… another homeschooling family is born!

ShareThis

As I was writing this, my youngest informed me that she wants to make the Daddy Snack Packs for Dad this year.  I don’t think she remembers making them last year with my son.  If she doesn’t change her mind… which she’s done several times now… and we do make one, I’ll post a picture of it.

Anyway… Enjoy!

Daddy Snack Packs - Knowing how much Daddy loves snacks, my then seven year old decided to make him his own special snack mix last year.  We started by recycling a coffe can, cleaned it thoroughly, and wrapped it in construction paper.  Then we wrote “Daddy’s Snacks” on the side and decorated the can.  Inside the can we put a variety of snacks that we knew that Daddy liked… m & m’s, pretzels, peanuts, popcorn, etc.  The combination of things that my son chose for the snack mix was a bit strange, but it made a very unique gift that Dad loved! 

Dad Rocks Paperweight - This project is so easy that any age could do it… paint a fist sized rock with acrylic paint (any color) and let dry.  Paint the phrase “Dad You Rock!” in a contrasting paint color.  You could also use foam letters with the adhesive on the back to make the phrase.  What Dad couldn’t use another paperweight?

CD Photo Frame (pictured above) - This cute picture frame is made from a recycled CD or DVD… which makes it very economical too!  I think we’re going to try to make one of these for Dad this year, only we’ll use the kind of playdough that air dried instead of salt dough for the stand.

ShareThis

Next time, I’ll post some handprint poems… but in the meantime, if you’ve come across any cute Father’s Day poems that would go inside cards, let me know and I’ll post them for everyone!

Footprint Projects

For these footprint projects, stamp a large piece of construction paper (the size of the paper depends on the size of the feet) with the child’s foot prints — one on each of the outside edges.  Then print one of the poems below in the middle.

Walk A Little Slower Daddy

“Walk a little slower Daddy,”
said a child so small,
“I’m following in your footsteps
and I don’t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they’re hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I’m all grown up,
You’re what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who’ll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true,
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you.”

Your Little Feet

The pitter patter of little feet,
Leave behind something dear and sweet.
A precious treasure for me to keep,
The memories of your little feet.

These two are my favorite because they aren’t so mushy… my husband likes a little mush, but not as much as I do!

“The footprints you leave behind will influence others.
There is no person who at some time, somewhere, somehow, does not lead another.”
                                                             - Author Unknown

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go…
Some stay and make footprints on our hearts…
And we are never, never the same.” — Author Unknown

ShareThis

Dad & Me Coffee Mug - This is a really cute idea and would make an inexpensive Father’s Day craft project that Dad will actually use (take a look at the picture above to see it)!  It uses enamal paint on a plain mug and then you bake it in the oven according to the paint manufacturer’s directions.  I love this idea!

Pencil Holders - This is not a particularly new idea, but worth mentioning for Father’s Day. You can use just about any kind of clean can to create a pencil holder for Dad. Paint popsicle sticks and glue them on, glue paper around the outside and decorate, put stickers on a can, glue macaroni around the outside, you can even glue sticks around the outside for a natural look. It all depends on the level of skill your child has and the amount of time and imagination you want to put into the project.

Father’s Day “Tie” - This is a great card idea and it’s super easy.  Cut out a “tie” shape from construction paper or card stock and let the children glue paper scraps or put stickers on it. Write “Happy Father’s Day Love, Student Name.” – Submitted by JuLeeia  

More ideas to come soon….

ShareThis

My Mother’s Day was absolutely awesome!  I may have silently wished the night before Mother’s Day for a new car in the driveway, a “day off,” or a luxurious spa day, but what I got was far better.

Mother’s Day started off with a wonderful breakfast in bed, compliments of all my children (with a little help from their Daddy)… then their homemade presents started pouring in. 

My youngest, a kindergartener, had made several very pretty cards depicting her and I in various locations.  We were very pink, very pretty, and very happy in all the pictures.  There were so many pictures that I’m sure it took her several days to draw them all.  Her Mother’s Day presentation ended with a batch of homemade brownie mix that we would make together later that day.  Yummy!

My son actually couldn’t wait until Mother’s Day, so he had given me his present the night before… a cookbook that his class had put together with each student contributing a recipe earlier in the year.  Thinking it just another homework asignment last fall, my son chose a liver and onions recipe to turn in… a decision he regretted when he found out what the recipes were going to be used for (Mom hates liver and onions).  I absolutely love the cookbook because he made it and it’s in his own handwriting, but I’m secretly wondering what all the other moms will be thinking when they see that particular recipe entry.

Once we actually got to Mother’s Day and the other kids were sharing their presents, my son was sorry he hadn’t waited to give me his.  So, he wrapped up some of his own favorite toys to give to me that morning.  (That still makes me tear up.)

The big finale was the present in the picture above.

I knew my oldest daughter, who is 10, had been working on something… but I had no idea what it was.  Not even my husband let on… the stinker!

After badgering me for weeks about what I wanted for Mother’s Day, I finally told her that I wanted a new tree for the yard.  I thought it would be nice to add a new Mother’s Day tree to our property and watch it grow over the years… I know, kind of sappy… but she took this request in a completely different direction.

My daughter meticulously traced all the kids hands and feet onto construction paper and cut them out.  Then she strung the hands and feet onto pipecleaners to make leaves and flowers.  Then she poked the other ends of the pipecleaners into a recycled paper towel roll to make the top of the tree.  After that was done, she stacked several more paper towel rolls together (one end inside the other), until she had a tree trunk.  Then she filled a small plastic bucket up with colored craft sand (Dad’s idea) and pushed the other end of the tree trunk down inside it so that the whole tree stands up inside the bucket.

This tree is almost five feet tall and stands completely on it’s own!

When she very carefully presented me with this beautiful Mother’s Day tree and I realized how much time, effort, creativity and love she put into my gift, I was absolutely overwhelmed. 

I didn’t get a spa day… My *day off* wasn’t really off… There wasn’t  a new car in the driveway with a big bow on it… but I had the best Mother’s Day ever. 

I hope your Mother’s Day brought you as much joy as mine!

ShareThis

By the way, what do you think of the new layout?  I’m still working out some of the kinks, so your comments are very much appreciated!

Mom Shrink Art Pins - I love doing things with Shrinky Dinks!  The creator of this craft made the pins pretty elaborate, but you can make it really simple for younger kids.  All you have to do is let them color the basic design, shrink it (which they love to watch!) then glue on the pinback.  This is a really fun craft/gift idea for Mother’s Day!

Cut-Out Coaster - I love these for Mother’s Day!  Basically, you stamp the child’s hand print on a piece of construction paper, let dry, then sandwich it between sheets of contact paper.  The link will take you to a full explanation and a picture.

Sunshine Flower Pot - This is a really simple craft idea where you paint a terra cotta pot with yellow acrylic paint and let dry.  Then you glue buttons around the rim to make a cute flower pot.  I think it would be really cute if you planted a marigold or another kind of inexpensive flower in the pot and gave it to Mom… although the creator of this craft suggests fake flowers instead.

Paper Bouquet - My five year old made a whole bunch of these and put them into a recycled 2 liter bottle that she decorated with stickers… she absolutely loved making them and was very proud of herself.  The one variation that we used here was to put a straw over the end of the pipecleaners to make them stiff.  That made a better flower stem and they stood up better in the bottle.

ShareThis