Sun Catcher

I love butterflies. They flutter by so freely with no effort at all. I found this neat craft on http://www.amazingmoms.com/ and thought it would be the perfect craft for summer time. It's a beautiful sun catcher made from tissue paper and card stock. I think you could use cardboard as well.


DIRECTIONS








Books related to our topic:

"A Kid's Guide to Attracting, Raising, and Keeping Butterflies. In addition to practical information, this attractive, 40-page book has interesting science information. For example, chemical sensors on butterfly feet allow them to "taste" leaves. 21 species are described with the regions of the US and Southern Canada where they may be found. One sentence I disagree with is. "No one knows why the dinosaurs died out. . . ." 1997, from John Muir Publications"
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"This book is the perfect accompaniment to spring! Even if you can't bring a caterpillar into your classroom, you can still share the magic and mystery of their turning into butterflies with this wonderful book. The tone is so kid-friendly, kids will be learning without even realizing it. A great resource!"
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Sea Shell Angels

I made these seashell angels years ago when I was looking for a church craft to donate to our local church for their bazaar. These angels are sooo precious and cute. They are inexpensive and make a cute craft to give to anyone.

Materials needed:

All of the materials used can be brought from crafts stores

2 Wooden heart shapes (they come in a bag)
1 Round wooden balls (for the heads)
1 Round white plastic ring
Sea Shell
Glitter Craft Glue
Glue Gun and glue sticks
1 Gold Ring
White paint
Permanent black marker
Clear Nail Polish
Magnet Strips

These are the white plastic rings. They come in different sizes and are under $2.00

Wooden craft balls Under $4.

These come in a pack and sell for under $4.




Directions:

1. Spread out some paper towels or you can use a paper plate.
2. Glue the plastic ring onto the shell.
3. After it dries hot glue the wooden ball on top of the plastic ring.
4. Once that dries glue your wooden picks onto the back leaving enough room so you can see "the wings" from the front.
5. Once it dries,paint the shell and the wings white.
6. After that dries,draw a face onto the ball. You can put a little clear nail polish over the face to protect it once it dries.
7. Now smear some glue on the wings and sea shell and then dip into fine white glitter.
8. Add magnet strip to the back.

This craft will make quite a few. They make great gifts or you can sell them for 1-2. a piece.

Books related to our project:

"This book was very enlightening with lots of information. Went above and beyond the cover description. Highly recommended!"

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"In response to the reviewer from Oroville, CA, who gave this book a low rating, I offer this: I think he made the mistake of seeing The Littlest Angel's Heaven as a place where there could never be any fear or suffering. The author allowed this human reality to enter Heaven with The Littlest Angel so that all of the complacent angels (but really all complacent people on earth) could be reminded that the most angelic being is the innocent one who gives what he or she loves to others and not what she or he hopes will impress others. The metaphor is perfect: wouldn't it be just like God to teach us all that those among us who are thought of (and think of themselves) as the lowest in importance and stature are actually in His heart those who are the most pure? And how could that be taught more profoundly than to let everyone see a little child, with all of his or her fears and sorrows, lovingly comforted and lovingly validated by God? In my opinion, "The Littlest Angel" is the most beautiful, meaningful, and touching Christmas story ever written."
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God's Eye Mexican craft

The Ojo de Dios, or God's Eye, is a simple or complex weaving made across two or more sticks and is thought to have originated with the Huichol Indians of Jalisco,Mexico.

The Huichol call their God's eyes, Sikuli, which means "the power to see and understand things unknown." When a child is born, the central eye is woven by the father, then one eye is added for every year of the child's life until the child reaches the age of five.

Original Huichol Crosses are extremely rare to come by. There are many that are being made for the tourist market, but they do not carry the same traditional and spiritual significance. (Credit: Wikipedia)

This is an interesting craft and you can give the kids a history lesson at the same time. I found this very interesting and although my kids and I always made the God's eye I never knew the meaning of the craft.

I think anyone who has ever gone to summer camp or day camp has made one of these crafts. It's a great way to use up those little balls of yarn that you have laying around. So,enjoy.

Some fun summer books related to this craft--

                                     
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"My son is 8 years old and had to do a book report over the summer on Diego Rivera. This book was recommended by his teacher and I would highly recommend it as well. Super easy to read and follow and made it interesting enough for my son to enjoy. He was able to read this in a day!"Reviewed By: Rocket E.R. 
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Bottle Cap Locket

This is a cute craft that I am sure most of your girls will love to make and wear.
Here are the materials you will need:

• 2 (two) metal bottle caps per child (the kind that come on a glass beverage bottle)
• 1 (one) 6 to 8 inch piece of 1/2 inch wide ribbon (I like chiffon or something like that) per child
• 1 (one) tiny paper circle (to fit inside 1 cap) per child
• red stamp pad
• white flat spray paint
• clear spray paint
• tiny photo of child
• thin ribbon (pink or red) about 1/16 inch wide --about a yard for each child
• beads with large holes (I like the sparkly faceted kind in clear, pink, red, purple--it's also pretty to mix in different style beads of the same colors)

DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE



Books related to our project:

"The Magic Locket is about a little girl who could never do anything right. She tried so hard for things to go the right way, but it seemed that everything she did went wrong. Until one day when her Aunt Emma gave her a golden shiny locket and had told the little girl that it was magical! So every since the little girl wore the locket things went right! That's because she believed in herself when she was wearing the locket. This story is one of my favorite children's book just because it reminds me of me because whenever I try and do something it turns out to be wrong. I think this book would be good for children ages 4 and up because it teaches a lesson that everyone should live by. It teaches you that if you want some things you have to believe in yourself first before you do anything. "
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"A Little Princess, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett was an inspiring story teaching a valuable lesson. Sara Crewe had everything she ever wanted when she went off to boarding school in London. Her fashionable dresses, high quality jewelery, and numerous accessories made her one of the elite. Sara's life was almost perfect, until her eleventh birthday, when a devastating tragedy occurred changing her life forever. Sara received news very abruptly that her father had died, leaving her "penniless". Sara's teacher, Ms. Minchin despised her because she had become poor, and treated her cruelly. Now Sara must face her troubles and prove to everyone that she can be strong and persevere through her difficult times. This book's moral states that everyone can be a princess when they put their minds to it. Being a princess is not about the fame and fortune, but about how you act in the situation into which you have been placed. You can be kind, or you can be mean; you can be content, or you can be greedy; you can be upset, or you can be optimistic. The book really relates to people who are going through tough times in their lives and need reassurance and confidence." Reviewed by G.Truxton FOR MORE INFORMATION

Personalized Gym Bag

This is a fun craft for Mom to make for their sons and daughters who love sports! Or you can even get the kids involved and help to create a bag that is perfect for them.

Materials needed:

• 1 yard each of narrow offray coordinating soccer ribbons (or ribbon of your choice)
• 6" wide solid ribbon
• Felt numbers and letters
• 1 Decorative patch
• Coordinating buttons
• 1 Gym bag
• Glue
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Apply the narrow ribbons across the front of the nag and glue into place.
2. Add patches and player's name and number to personalize the bag.
3. Add buttons for a finsihing touch.

*You can do the same project for any sport --just purchase related ribbons for that project. (ie...football,tennis,golf etc...)
**You can even make it girly bag by making a ballerina bag, tennis bag,acting bag or even an overnight bag---just purchase appropriate ribbons to make it girly. Use your imagination and have fun!

Books related to project:

"My four-year-old son loves all of the Froggy books! And when he signed up to play soccer, we read this book every night for the entire season. He chants "Head it, boot it, knee it, shoot it . . . " before every game or practice. We are now buying a copy for the team to autograph and give to the coach. Every soccer mom should get this book! (As well as the other Froggy books!)" Reviewed by: Anonymous
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"Yes, this is a beautiful, moving story of a girl's dream come true. I bought it for my 6 year-old grandaughter who loves her ballet lessons. I hope the book will encourage her to pursue her own dreams, whatever they may be. This is an example of a classic in children's literature. It can be read again and again and has life lessons for the young and the old" Reviewed by: L Stubbs 
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Ribbon Wrapped Headband

I found this cute little craft in Joanne's the other day when I took my daughter to get some fabric for a project.

Supplies you will need:

• A plain headband
• 2 yards of 7/8" ribbon
• 1 and 3/4 yards of 1/4" ribbon
• Scissors
• Fabric glue

Directions:

1. Glue the end of 7/8" ribbon to the inside at one end of the headband.
2. Wrap the ribbon around the headband and repeat,overlapping each previous wrap slightly until the entire headband is covered.
3. Cut and glue the ribbon end to the inside of the headband to finish.
4. Glue the 14" ribbon to the inside of the headband on top of the other ribbon.
5. Wrap the ribbon around the headband on top of the 7/8" ribbon,spacing the wraps equally apart to create a striped effect.
6. Finish by gluing the ribbon to the inside of the headband
7. With the remaining 7/8" ribbon,make a 2 looped bow and glue it onto the top of the headband for added decoration.

***You can make other bands like the ones here by adding decorative cloth daisies,beads,lace and ornamental things.

Books related to our topic:

"I loved this book! I got my first relaxer at 8 or 9 so I have never learned to care for natural hair. This became a big problem when my daughter was born with a head full of it. I got through the baby stage OK, but now she is two and her hair is thick and kinky. After using styles that put too much stress on her hair, big chunks started to fall out and I knew I had to do something. I went to the Web to see if I could find a site or book that talked about hair styles for African-American children. I found Kinki Kreations and went to the nearest Border's the next day. I immediately began to use the tools and suggestions in the book, which was easy to read and understand, and had lots of illustrations. This was incredibly helpful to a novice like me. Within two days I had washed, trimmed, and combed out her hair as the book instructed and put it into little twists. I have never gotten so many compliments on my daughters hair! Her hair has stopped breaking, it's growing rapidly and is strong and healthy. The natural oils recommended have worked wonders. My heart sang when my little girl told me, while admiring her new twists in the mirror, "Mommy, I like my puffy hair". I am indebted to Jena Williams for sharing her knowledge and philosophy in this great little book." Reviewed by:Mocha Mom For more information visit-- AMAZON

"I bought this book for a friend and she loves it!! It is a great book, with easy to follow instructions!" Reviewed by:Joy 
For more information visit--AMAZON

Patriotic Necklace

Easy to make craft made from household materials such as flour,salt and water. With 4th of July coming up it's a fun time to be patriotic and show how much you love America or maybe you could make on for a friend who is about to get his or her citizenship?

NECKLACE INSTRUCTIONS 

Books related to the fourth--

"Those charming holiday mice are back- and this time they are celebrating Independence Day. Their day is packed with activities- a noisy, flag-waving parade, a picnic to munch, a baseball game with the local bugs, and a sack race. There is even a swim in the pond where the littlest mouse overcomes his fear of swimming. The day ends in a happy burst of fireworks, and a cheer for America. The bouncy, rhymed text is great to read aloud, and the lively illustrations are full of clever details. A fun, joyous celebration of our country's birthday- a perfect book for young patriots!" review by Karenlovesbooks-Massa. 

For more information or to purchase click HERE.

No reviews but to learn more or purchase click HERE

Let's Make A Fire Truck

I found a really neat site where you can make things out of things that are just laying around the house.One of the crafts was how to make a fire truck out of a milk carton.

Materials Needed:

• Milk Carton (small pint size works best)
• Construction Paper
• Markers and/or Paint
• 4 Bottle Caps or Lids from a Milk Jugs
• Glue and/or Tape

Instructions:


Cut a piece of red construction paper to cover the entire outside of the milk carton. Glue or tape it around the milk carton. Now, using the markers or paint, draw the details on the fire truck (windows, ladders, etc)... Once you get it decorated the way you want it, you are ready to attach the wheels.
 
Here is the tricky part... Glue the wheels into place! If you are using the bottle or milk caps they will be heavy and you will have to work to find a good position to lay your fire truck until the wheels dry. You will want most of the wheel attached to the fire truck body with very little hanging over the bottom edge. If you want, glue on the wheels for one side at a time and let it dry laying on the side.

More Recycled Craft Ideas From About.Com

Here are some wonderful books about fire trucks--

"This was a gift to 5 year old grandchild who was enthralled with the fact that he could "drive" the truck. Excellent interaction book for kids. Sturdy so it will take a lot of use" Reviewed By Sandra Burnham on Amazon.com.

Click for more information on "My Little Red Fire Truck"

No reviews about this one. I think the cover is adorable. Click here for more information on "FIRE TRUCK".Paint the 4 bottle or milk caps black to make the wheels for the fire truck. You can also cut small circles from black construction paper and glue the to the outside of the caps. If you don't have bottle or milk caps, try to find some big buttons, or anything else that is small and round; even small circles cut out of construction paper will work.

Dragon Fly Pin

I love dragonflies so much that I wrote a story about one by the name of Buzz. Nobody liked Buzz because he was so big, gawky and ugly. Buzz had a heart of gold and he loved to help others. One day he was taking his usual stroll around the countryside when something terrible happened. I can't give the story away but let me just tell you that out of this terrible tragedy came a beautiful friendship. More about Buzz at the end of this post.


I love this craft. You can use it as a pin or dangle it from a fishing wire string and hang it in a window or the car mirror and watch it sparkle,

DRAGON FLY PIN









Below are some books about dragonflies---

"BUZZ, by MJ Daley-Prado, is another wonderfully done children's story by this author. I continue to be in awe of her abilities to capture a child's mind in her continued efforts as a children's author. BUZZ is an inspirational story teaching the age old moral of "don't judge a book by its cover" so to speak as in this case it is a very friendly dragonfly not to be judged by his appearance. BUZZ is a lovely story to be read to help teach morals. The moral of this story never changes and is a valuable lesson to learn for tots and toddlers the same. Its value as a lesson is rich beyond words 5***** Mind Fog Reviews - Anastasia Cassella-Young" 
If you would like to find out more about BUZZ or purchase his story visit here.

"This is an excellent book for a new reader. The wording is simple and easy to understand describing the life cycle of a dragonfly and the illustrations are quite beautiful. I gave this book to my 7 year old grandson and he loves it! I plan to buy more books in this informative, interesting series. I highly recommend it!!" By:Marion@hotmail   

For purchasing information click here.  

"I read this book to my son's first grade class and became the most popular "mom reader" around. For a group of mostly city kids who don't generally think about squishing around in the muck on purpose, this sweet, smart story opened the children's minds to the wonder and beauty of nature, and gave us all some gross (and cool!) things to ponder. The author did a wonderful job of telling a simple yet poignant story about growing up, learning from the world around us, and sharing our love and knowledge with family and friends. The illustrations are equally amazing. And the kids and I loved learning all the names of the different types of dragonflies at the end. This book makes me want to be the kind of mom who isn't afraid of anything gross!" Reviewed by Adancy Austin,TX   

For purchasing information click HERE.        

Button Bracelet

My Mom loved to sew and she used to have this basket filled with all kinds of buttons. There were big ones,shiny ones,tiny ones,and sparkling ones. They came in all sizes and shapes. Sometimes we would play store and use them as money. Other times we would make crafts using buttons. One time it was flowers and we used the buttons as the middle of the flowers. Another time it was a necklace or a bracelet.But...they were never as cute as this bracelet.


This is such a cute project for Vacation Bible school,or summer camp,or even just a project for home with the kids. Anyone can do make one. Keep it for yourself or give a present to your Mom.

Button Bracelet

Jelly Bean Jar

My sister's and I made this craft many years ago. You can replace it with just about anything. We made some with pretzels, some with paper clips, some with coins, some with buttons, some with miniature candy canes and some with cookies on it,some with lolly pops. Of course you have to find the appropriate jar to go with the project you are doing. These make great flee market,and craft show ideas.


This project is more for the older kids and does require some adult supervision because of the glue gun and varnish.

JELLY BEAN JAR

Bingo

Bingo is a fun game. One year at my daughter's birthday party we played Bingo and the girls really loved it. I was the caller and each girl had several cards. I bought prizes from the dollar store and so when the girls won they got to pick a prize. It was so much fun and the girls were giggling and having a great time.

Here in a link on how to make your own Bingo cards. They have many other kinds of Bingo on this site like Jesus Bingo and Bunny Bingo. Great ideas for vacation bible school.

Buy inexpensive prizes at the dollar store or even those miniature candy bars or even a more expensive candy like Ferrero Rocher

Bubbles, Bubbles and More Bubbles

My daughter,nieces and nephews all loved bubbles. My daughter would play jumping high trying to catch it. She would giggle and screach with laughter. Something so inexpensive that brought her hours of joy (and me too for that matter!)

It wouldn't be spring if we didn't get outside and blow some bubbles. The bigger the better!! Last year we went to a show at our local library. I don't recall her name but she made some huge bubbles.
Here is a video that shows some of those epic bubbles.
 Here's a bubble recipe to make up your own bubbles. After you and your Mom make it store it in jars or bottles overnight. Let sit for 24 hours and it will be even better.

Bubble Recipe

·        1/2 cup of dish detergent

·        5 cups water (If your water is very hard consider using distilled or bottled water)

·        2 tablespoons glycerin (It's available at your local  pharmacy)

Mix ingredients together very slowly and carefully. Pour into storage containers and let sit for several hours.

You can also make your own wands--

·        Wire coat hangers or floral wire, pipe or cleaners

·        You can also use large drinking

·        Anything with round holes in it (Spoons, string etc...

 

GOOP!

The kids are home on spring vacation. It's raining and they are complaining there is nothing to do. They are bored; Johnny is wrestling with his brother on the living room floor, Susie is screaming because Robbing is in her way and Robbie is pinging off the walls. Below are some ideas for inexpensive crafts that you can do with your children to help make life just a little bit brighter. Enjoy!!!

This is what you will need--
****Just a little heads up...it is a little messy! ****

GOOP!

Mixture #A:

1/4 cup Cornstarch

4 oz. white glue

Mixture #B:

1/2 tsp. Borax

1/4 cup warm water

Liquid food coloring

Here is how to make it--

Sift the cornstarch into medium sized bowl. Add glue. Mix well. In second bowl, mix water, food coloring and Borax until dissolved. Pour mixture #B into mixture #A. Stir constantly for 2 minutes even after goop forms.