Easy DIY Secret Message Decoders

Do your kids love ciphers, spies, and secret messages? My two boys LOVE pretending to be spies. We recently tried our hand at making some secret message decoders from recycled items around our house. Both boys loved this craft, so I'm sharing the directions here!

How to Make DIY Secret Spy Decoders

Easy Recycled Gnome Sun catcher Craft

We love making easy kid-friendly suncatcher and stained glass crafts! They're especially fun in the winter when everything outside seems cold and grey. When I saw this adorable gnome sun catcher on Etsy, I knew we had the perfect inspiration to make our very own kid-friendly holiday version. Tada!

How to Make an Easy Recycled Gnome Sun Catcher

They're so cute!!!

(I love hanging out with my gnomies. It's the only hanging out that we're allowed to do. Oy. Quarantine humor..)

Creepy Moving Eye Portrait Craft

We love a good cardboard craft! (In fact, I even wrote a series of cardboard craft books a few years back!) So of course, we had to make a Halloween-themed cardboard craft. :) Have you ever seen those spooky portraits? You know, the ones where the eyes seem to follow you wherever you go? Well, here's an easy way to make some creepy moving eye portraits with the kids. You just need a cereal box and a few other materials to make this cute and easy Halloween craft!

How to Make Creepy Moving Eye Cardboard Portraits with kids!

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links.  Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Giant Paper Bag Frankenstein Preschool Craft

Even though it doesn't feel like fall here in California, my preschooler and I are already starting to do our fall crafts. We have a ton of large grocery sized bags and plastic bags lying around, so we made our very own grumpy GIANT paper bag Frankenstein from everyday materials. Isn't he adorable? Keep on reading to see how we did it. 

Let's Make A Giant Paper Bag Frankenstein 

(A Fun Halloween Preschool Craft)

Ha! I love his grumpy face. Doesn't that just perfectly describe Halloween 2020?!?

Easy DIY Tie-Dye T-shirt Macrame Plant Holders... with kids!

It's summer! Which means it's time for succulent crafts and tie dye crafts! Today's activity is perfect for this time of year. Everybody is tie-dyeing. Everybody is reminiscing about nostalgic summer camp crafts. And everybody is going bonkers planting. (And who doesn't love succulents?) So grab an old tie-dyed t-shirt, a cute potted plant, and let's make this adorable DIY macrame plant holder for yourself... or give it to a friend!

How to make Easy Tie-dyed T-shirt Macrame Plant holders

(A fun summer craft for kids, tweens, teens, and adults too!)

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links.  Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Easy Styrofoam and Marker Printmaking with Kids

Do you have styrofoam and markers? Looking for an easy and affordable way to create a “wow” art experience for the kids? Have you tried styrofoam and marker printmaking? We love doing printing activities together and ever since I saw Shelly's IG post sharing how to make prints without printing ink, I was excited to try the activity with my kids too. 

Here’s how we made prints with everyday items around the house.

How to Make Styrofoam and Marker Prints with Kids at Home

Adorable Woven Cardboard Llamas

Are you looking for an easy weaving project to try with the kids? Well, look no further! Today's llama weaving craft is such an easy and cute way to introduce the art of weaving to kids. Plus, you won't need any special materials to try it out.

Are you ready? Let's get weaving!

How to Weave and Adorable Llama (with kids!)

How to Draw Cute Bunny Tessellations: An Easter Math Activity

Is anyone else surprised that Easter is just around the corner? Today I'm sharing an Easter Craft that also doubles as a Math activity. (I love it when art and math mix together, don't you?) Today we're drawing these adorable bunny tessellations.

How to Draw Cute Bunny Tessellations:

How to Make Clapper Trapper Toys

Hi friends! How are you doing? I have a small cold, my husband is working from home, and the boys are *thankfully* still happy to be home. If you're like me and looking for easy and affordable ways to encourage creativity and fun, then you're going to love today's post.

We're making cardboard clapper trappers! These nifty homemade toys transform potential energy into kinetic energy and by making loud snapping sounds when released.

How to Make Clapper Trapper Toys

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means I make a tiny bit of grocery money from each purchase made at no cost to you. Thank you for your support! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

How to Make An Adorable Paperback Book Hedgehog

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this is probably the cutest animal book craft you'll see today. If you like hedgehogs and you don't mind tearing apart a book or two... this craft is for you! Read on to see how I made this adorable paperback book hedgehog!

Easy Paperback Book Hedgehog Craft

Chomp! Chomp! Tissue Box Eaters

Looking for a super simple craft to help preschoolers learn their letters or numbers?  This past week I battled a cold... and used (what felt like) hundreds of tissues.  Before I tossed out my empty tissue box, I transformed it into a fun letter eater to help youngest learn his alphabet!

Tissue Box Letter Eaters

This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small portion off of any purchases made through the links at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

DIY Homemade Spirograph

Ever play with a spirograph toy?  We LOVE them and the other day I got to wondering.... could we make a DIY version using materials around our home?  Well, the answer is... YES!  Today I'm sharing this artsy- science craft.  It got a big two-thumbs up from my eldest. He really loved trying it out with me.

Let's Make a DIY Homemade Spirograph Toy!

This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small portion off of any purchases made through the links at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Cute Toilet Roll Turkeys

Looking for another easy Thanksgiving craft?  Grab your cardboard rolls and make these super simple turkeys using everyday materials:  toilet paper rolls and cereal boxes!  A great kids craft,  crafters of all ages from toddler to adult will certainly enjoy making and decorating these Fall fowl.

How to Make Cardboard Turkeys

(A gobble gobble great craft!)

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  This means I make a small portion off of any purchases made through the links at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Making Oatmeal Container Castles with Kids

Princesses, Princes, Kings, and Queens!  Calling all kids who love castles and fantasy!  Do you have an old oatmeal container lying around?  Well, don't throw it away!  Here's a super easy recycled craft that transforms oatmeal containers into castles!

What should you do with oatmeal containers?  

(Turn them into castles with kids!)

This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small portion off of any purchases made through the links at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Easy Stuffed Owl Craft for Kids

I'm not sure why, but when I think of fall crafts for kids, I think of owls.  My littlest guy has just entered that sweet age where he seems to enjoy drawing, cutting, and gluing.  It's fun for me because now we can start our own crafting journey together.  Our first craft of the school year was this adorable stuffed owl.  My little guy really loved making it and proudly proclaimed "I love it.  It is so cute" when he finished.

Let's Make Easy Stuffed Owls with Kids

This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small portion off of any purchases made through the links at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

How to Build an Epic Cardboard City With Kids (And our 15+ Favorite Books to Inspire Building)

Looking for an easy and affordable group craft idea?  I recently hosted a cardboard craft event to celebrate the launch of my new cardboard craft book Epic Cardboard Adventures (aff link).  Kids and parents were invited to help me build a cardboard city.  If you're looking for an easy group crafting activity, I really recommend this one.  It's super easy to set up and both adults and kids had a lovely morning of crafty fun!

How to Build an Epic Cardboard City with Kids

 Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links.  Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

How To Make Bottle Cap Art

We've been collecting bottle caps for what seems like FOREVER. Why?  Well, to make some DIY Bottle Cap Art!  (We love making recycled crafts.)  This summer we finally finished the collection (woot woot!) and we made two pieces of cool bottle cap art (one for my son's room and one for downstairs.)  Here's how we made it!

DIY Bottle Cap Art

 Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links.  Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Super Easy Recycled, Homemade Sun catchers

If you're looking for a super easy kids craft that you can make from recycled materials... this is it! We've tried making several fun suncatcher crafts with the kids.  But today's suncatcher craft is by far the easiest one ever.  You can literally make dozens in minutes.  Intrigued?  Read on!

How to Make Super Easy, Homemade Recycled Suncatchers

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links.  Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Play-dough and Cardboard Mazes

Hello friends!  I'm currently on the lookout for easy (and not too messy) ways to keep the kids entertained.  Today I'm sharing a fun preschool STEAM activity that kept both my boys entertained.  We've made outdoor rock mazes, edible candy mazes, and Lego mazes.  Today we're keeping the theme going with these super easy play-dough mazes!

Let's Make Play-Dough Mazes!

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links.  Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Recycled Tin Garden Marker Craft

Everything is blooming and we're still loving garden crafts!  Today I'm sharing a fun recycled craft that turns disposable baking pans into cute tin garden markers!  This is a great kid-friendly craft project!

How to Make Recycled Tin Garden Markers with Kids

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links.  Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here.