Epic Crafts In Honor Of The Olympics!

Winter Olympics Medals

Team USA Headband

Ceremonial Olympic Torch

Team Spirit Beaded Bracelets

Paper Plate Olympic Rings

Celebrate the 2014 Winter Olympics with these kid-approved crafts and projects.  The Olympics (Winter and Summer) are a big event at my house, no pun intended. 

Finding interesting ways to keep busy little fans occupied, after they get bored with all of five minutes watching the actual Olympics coverage, is always a challenge. 

I've put together a few ideas to get you started...Who knows, you might just inspire a future Olympian!

Visit The Idea Box for more crafts, snacks and activities ideal for your kids or classrooms! 

Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, & Pinterest where I share more ideas and inspiration!

Two Winter Activity Ideas

DIY Painted Canvas

How's the weather in your neck of the woods? Periodically I bundle up my boys and boot them out into the backyard to romp and build snowmen and forts. But eventually they wander back in begging for hot cocoa. Once the hot cocoa thaws  their lips the first words out of their mouths are "I'm bored."

I've been looking for some kid-friendly DIY projects and activities to try while the snow and cold weather pile up outside. There are so many winter themed activities across the kid blogs with titles like "453 Penguin Activities for toddlers" and those are great. But I don't have toddlers anymore.

I found two DIY projects I think you'll like and, more importantly, that my boys may be willing to try. The first is this DIY Painted Canvas. It's the perfect opportunity for kids to flex their creative muscles and for parents to gain a rather nice abstract piece of art out of the process!

DIY Arm Warmers

The second one is DIY Arm Warmers. I think these would be especially fun to do at a girl's birthday party or maybe teenage girls sleepover. Be warned: if you have a favorite pair of holiday socks...hide them now. I am not sure how my boys will like this one, but I am willing to try anything to stave off the winter boredom blues.

Until my next post, enjoy the cold weather! What's your favorite winter activity for kids or for the classroom? Share with me in the comments.

Visit The Idea Box for more crafts, snacks and activities ideal for your kids and classrooms! 

Connect with us on where I share more ideas and inspiration!
Facebook 
Twitter
Pinterest

April Showers Bring Spring!

Budding Spring Tree

Start your Spring lessons with a happy Budding Spring Tree created with Q-tips or fingertips - whichever is handy! Then hang your trees on a bulletin board or around your classroom to enjoy.

April Fool's Hamburger
This snack will tickle the funny bones off your toddlers and preschoolers as they help you create "hamburgers" made from cookies and colored frosting!

Animal Matching
A simple game to create and play with little kids to teach them about different animals and the sounds they make. Use magazine images and supplies you already have on hand.

April Showers Umbrella
This craft project is easy to do and great for preschoolers learning about the weather or seasons. When it's all done you'll have a colorful umbrella to show off!

Butterflies!
This is a fun activity that's great for little hands still mastering their fine motor skills. Create this pretty butterfly with your little ones to display and enjoy.

Number Salad
This healthy and yummy fruit salad snack is fun to make and teaches little kids their numbers by mixing the counting in with the preparation. Yummy!

The weather and the outdoors are starting to show definite signs of Spring. Take advantage of the season change by trying more fun Spring activites from The Idea Box. Connect with us on Facebook for kid-inspired ideas and crafts!

Easter Crafts Part 2

Watercolor Easter Eggs

It's amazing what coffee filters, magic markers and water can do to create something special for Easter! Your kids will love this simple and easy craft, and you can use it as an object lesson. Or turn the coffee filter eggs into classroom decorations or pair with another craft project as an accent.

Easter Bags
I love this simple craft for creating Easter "bags." Using white lunch sacks, paints, stickers, etc your class can create their own "baskets" to fill with Easter grass and candy!

Easter Cupcakes
This is a fun snack activity that the kids can help decorate. You furnish the cupcakes and some fun toppings and let the kids get messy and create their own decorated Easter treats.

Easter Egg Fantasies
This is quite the art project for an older class (and I don't recommend it for small fingers). It involves actually cutting into uncooked eggs and emptying out the insides, then decorating the insides with small scenes.

Easter Egg Surprise
Essentially a paper mache project, this is a fun idea for creating a bit of mystery and a surprise. Again, I wouldn't attempt this with small children but it's definitely a fun idea!

Green Easter Basket
Talk about going green! This project takes it to the next level by planting and growing grass in your Easter baskets. I think it's such a fun idea and makes a great learning tool too.

No matter how you celebrate Easter, at home or in the classroom, enjoy the Spring weather, signs of new life and all that Easter symbolizes!

Visit The Idea Box to find many more crafty Easter ideas or connect with us on Facebook where I share daily inspiration and fun ideas I find out on the Internet!

Easter Crafts 1...

Easter Eggs

Are you ready for Easter? Do you have any Easter crafts or activities planned for your little chicks? Grab some paper towels and washable markers to create this simple and pretty Easter egg. Or try one of our other suggested Easter crafts!


Paper Plate Easter Baskets
Grab those paper plates and some ribbon to create simple Easter baskets to fill with a take home treat or something sweet!

Paper Plate Easter Hat
Pull out the paper plates and as many different kinds of embellishments as you can find. This craft reminds me of making a bride's practice bouquet from her shower gift ribbons.

Swirled Easter Eggs
With some clear plastic eggs and paint your class or home-school group can create some very pretty swirled Easter eggs to keep or share.

Easter Basket Cupcakes
Bake some cupcakes and add green frosting. Then set out some Easter candies (jelly beans, peeps, etc) and let the kids decorate. Don't forget the licorice handles!

Easter Egg Dance
This activity takes a bit of prep time before the dance actually begins. It works a lot like a cake walk, only with laminated Easter eggs on the floor to land on - have fun!


Visit The Idea Box for more Easter crafts and activities or other class ideas for Spring, May Day and Memorial Day. Connect with us on Facebook where we share even more craft ideas and inspiration!

Thanksgiving Day Crafts To Keep Them Busy!

A Very Special Turkey

While you are busy prepping, cooking and carving the turkey, as well as preparing a hundred other dishes, what will your little turkeys be doing? Gobbling up the free time by getting into mischief? Or creating something fun and slightly more productive, as well as keeping them occupied?

Here are a few last minute Thanksgiving themed craft projects and ideas to keep your gobblers entertained and content, at least until the turkey is done.

Fingerprint Turkeys
A simple idea using those adorable kid thumbs, some paint and markers - this turkey themed project can be completed in just a few minutes and makes an adorable painting to display or share!

Best Turkey Hands Down
This is another easy turkey craft that will delight your kiddos as they get to show off their "handy" work and their turkeys!

Fall Colors Placemat
If you are having company for Thanksgiving and planning for several little ones, why not let them help decorate by creating their very own fall colors place mats?

Turkey Hand Puppet
If you have a paper bag and some construction paper, you've got yourself a happy little paper bag puppet for little hands to stay busy and be creative!

Celebrate your holiday in style with some of our Thanksgiving and turkey themed crafts. Connect with us on Facebook to share your favorite turkey day project, or visit The Idea Box for oodles and oodles of Thanksgiving Day projects and activities!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Turkey Lurkey Love!

CD Turkeys

With Thanksgiving Day right around the corner, you may want to keep your little turkeys busy with some simple, fun turkey crafts!

I've collected just a few of my favorites for you to try this weekend or next week. You may need a go-to activity to keep little fingers busy while you prepare for Thanksgiving Dinner.

Finger Painted Turkeys
With some simple supplies, your kids can be making some finger painted turkeys in no time! This is a fun craft to do to fill a quick bit of time or even as a lesson tool.

Thankful Turkey
A great family activity and teaching opportunity, grab some construction paper and markers and draw a huge turkey! 10 or 12 days before Thanksgiving add feathers that say what each family member is thankful for.

Oreo Turkeys
An adorable food craft - turn an oreo, or two or three, into a sweet little turkey to enjoy on Thanksgiving or any time. Your kids will love creating these edible oreo turkeys!

Paper Cup Turkey
This is a fun simple craft that could be done Thanksgiving Day to keep all those little people entertained. Let them gobble up dinner and then create their own gobblers out of paper cups.

I hope I've given you enough turkey ideas to tide your little ones over until Turkey Day! These would also make cute grandparent gifts for Thanksgiving to show appreciation. Connect with us on Facebook to share your favorite turkey craft or visit The Idea Box for more fall and Thanksgiving projects and ideas!

More Awesome Autumn Activities!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Don't you love the colors and weather change Autumn brings us? It's got to be my favorite season! Sure the days are shorter and air is chillier, but the harvest comes in and there is so much to be grateful for.

This week I have some fun fall activities and crafts for you to try with your kids to keep them busy and creative during Autumn. Have a blast and jump in some leaves for me!

Fall Colors Place Mat
This is a unique project with a twist on fall colors and using leaf patterns in art. The best part - when the kids are done creating, you can turn their project into a place mat to keep!

Fall Handprint Wreath
This is a clever way to create a handprint fall wreath to decorate your class or to send home and hang. Little kids love this because of the paint and mess. Have fun!

Fall Number Tree
Take the kids outdoors for a little leaf gathering walk and it becomes a fun fall method to learn their numbers.  Practice numbering the leaves back inside!

Fall Tree
This is a simple painting project that makes a nice fall tree to display somewhere special to enjoy during fall, a great craft for kids ages 4 - 8 years.

Fall Wristband
I love this simple idea for incorporating a nature walk in to a unique make and take project. Head outdoors with some masking tape and fill those wristbands.

Try one of our awesome Autumn activities this week. Connect with us on Facebook to share your favorite fall craft or visit The Idea Box for more Autumn projects and fun!

Earth Day Ideas: Part 2

Earth Resource Wheel

There are just a few more days until the official Earth Day holiday (April 22nd in the USA), but many schools and communities focus on Earth Day topics and earth education through the whole month of April.  So...here are a few more ideas for celebrating Earth Day!

Earth Day Snack Cup Project
This is a simple idea for teaching recycling and planting seeds.  Serve yogurt or pudding for a snack and use the cups to plant seeds in.  Don't forget the dirt pellets!

Garbage Dump
This activity can be broken up into multiple parts, such as a "garbage walk" to pick up garbage from a park or playground followed by a dirt sensory table to help illustrate the importance of recycling all that garbage.

Handprint Flower
This craft is great for smaller kiddies (0 - 2 years) to create pretty flowers to give to parents or hang in the classroom.  The handprint flower can also be incorporated into an Earth Day lesson.

Need more Earth Day activities, crafts, games and recipes?  Visit our Earth Day list for more!  Enjoy Earth Day and have fun educating your kids about caring for our planet.  We love feedback and photos, so be sure to send some!

Fingerprint Spring Flowers

Fingerprint crafts are always cute and kids love making them. This colorful project is perfect for spring!

Get the instructions for Fingerprint Spring Flowers!

Friday Activity: Bleach Snow Picture

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Bleach Snow Picture

blue or black construction paper
bleach
q-tip

Draw a snow picture using a Q-tip dipped in bleach. The picture magically appears. It is amazing to the eye as the picture shows up! Be careful not to spill any bleach on your clothes. You may want the children to wear gloves and/or aprons for this activity.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Hanukkah Mobile

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Hanukkah Mobile

Fun foam dreidels
string
hanger

Make several fun foam dreidels and a Star of David. Attach string hangers to all these. Cover a wire hanger with blue ribbon, and then tie the dreidels and star to the hanger and enjoy!

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Hanukkah Memory Book

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Hanukkah Memory Book

Brown paper grocery bag
6 - 12 zipper-closed gallon plastic bags
red black and green construction paper
hole punch
scissors
pipe cleaner
markers

1. The plastic bags will be the pages of your book. Stack them so that the bottoms of the bags are on your left.

2. From the brown paper bag, cut a cover that folds around the plastic bags to form both the front and the back of the book. (The cover should be a little larger than the pages.)

3. Make sure all the pages are lined up inside the cover. Then punch a hole near the top and the bottom of the fold.

4. Use pieces of the pipe cleaner strung through the holes, with the ends twisted together, to hold the book together.

5. Use markers to color a picture on the front of your memory book.

6. Cut pieces of red, green, or plack construction paper to fit inside each of the plastic bag pages of your book. Then you can tape photgraphs, drawings, and other small memories of your Hanukkah celebration to the front and back of each construction paper sheet, and they will be protected by the plastic pages. (This idea can also be modified for vacation memory book, Birthday memory book, etc.)

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Apple Hunting

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Apple Hunting

colored tag board
laminating machine
scissors

Make a copy of different sizes of apples (small, medium, large). Color them red, yellow, and green. Laminate the apples to make them sturdier. Hide the apples throughout the classroom. Have the children to go and find the small green apples and so on until all the apples are found. This game will help the children to learn their colors as well as different sizes.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Thanksgiving Tablecloth

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Thanksgiving Tablecloth

Lg sheet of butcher paper
crayons
markers
paint and brushes
stickers
glitter
glue
construction paper
scissors

spread butcher paper out on table and decorate using crayons, markers, etc. use your imagination. using a thanksgiving theme. there r no limits to the fun. trace hands to make turkeys... write a list of what your thankful for, etc. makes a very cute tablecloth. You can use fall colors to decorate with, and you can also write "Happy Thanksgiving" down the center of the 'cloth'.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Thankful For Book

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Thankful For Book

construction paper
markers
scissors
stapler

Have children trace their hand and cut out. They can write their name and what they are thankful for on it. Put all the hands together and staple to make a book. optional - you can also punch a hole at the top of each one and thread string through to make a banner and hang!

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Felt Weaving

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Felt Weaving

2 felt rectangles
scissors
glue

Pick one felt for the base, and another for the weaving stripes. Cut slits in the base felt about 2" apart. Make not to cut all the way to the edges - so be sure to leave a border of about 1/2" at the edges. Cut the other sheet of felt in 1" strips. Now weave the strips through the base one at a time. Make sure to alternate strips over and under as you add new ones. Also, after you finish weaving in a strip - make sure to push it up close to the last strip as to not leave spaces. Finish off the ends that stick up with a little glue and you are done! You can use as a placemat, or as a wall hanging.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Child's Lasting Hand Print

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Child's Lasting Hand Print

Flour
Salt
Water

Mix equal parts Flour and Salt (example: 1 Cup flour and 1 cup salt) Add enough water to get a firm clay-like mixture. Take out about 1/2 cup of dough and squish into a circular shape on a lightly greased cookie sheet. It must be big enough for child's hand (or foot) to fit onto with fingers (toes) out spread. Push child's hand or foot firmly into dough. Repeat the whole procedure for remaining children. Let dough dry for several weeks or put in oven at 225 degrees for 2-4 hours depending on thickness of dough. You will cherish these prints for the rest of your life!

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Apple Hunting

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Apple Hunting

colored tag board
laminating machine
scissors

Make a copy of different sizes of apples (small, medium, large). Color them red, yellow, and green. Laminate the apples to make them sturdier. Hide the apples throughout the classroom. Have the children to go and find the small green apples and so on until all the apples are found. This game will help the children to learn their colors as well as different sizes.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids

Friday Activity: Fall Triangle Tree

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Fall Triangle Tree

construction paper
red, orange, yellow, brown triangles
brown tree trunk
poem
glue

This is a great way to introduce fall colors as well as triangles. Have students cut out a brown tree trunk and glue it onto a blue (or any color) construction paper. Then have them cut out, (or you precut if necessary) several triangles from the fall colors to make leaves. Students glue them onto the tree and have some falling to the ground.

Teach and attach this poem:

The leaves are falling gently down.
They make a blanket on the ground.
Then "Swish" the wind comes blowing by
and takes them flying to the sky.

This is a fun art project that also teaches some great concepts.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our activities for kids