Long time, no see!

Hello there blogging friends!

I know, I know, it's been awhile.  I just wanted to apologize for my 2 month long absence from this blog.   I really didn't think anyone would notice... but then I received a super sweet comment from a reader asking about my whereabouts...  and I figured I owed y'all an explanation.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a picture for you:
(This is what my garage wall currently looks like)

Yup.  It's cardboard central over here.

No, we're not building the great wall of cardboard.  And nope, we're not moving.  But yes, this does have to do with my absence.

I haven't been posting regularly because I've been writing a craft book.  *Gasp*  I know.  It's really strange sharing this because I'm not quite done, but I figured it was time.

I've collaborated on several awesome craft and STEAM books over the years.  This past year I  dreamt about authoring my own book.  But I wasn't sure how to go about it.

Two months ago a book publishing company contacted me to write a cardboard and duct tape craft book for them.

What?  Could this be?  I LOVE cardboard and this was such a wonderful surprise.  So I jumped headfirst into the opportunity.

I'm so excited to share the final project with you!  And I think you're going to really love all the neat projects inside.  But, I also gotta be honest and say that writing a book is both exhilarating and exhausting.  There are just two more weeks before the final deadline and with watching the kids, attending end-of-the-year activities, and staying on top of other commitments...  well gosh...I'm just pooped out.

So, dear reader, I'm sorry that I haven't shared any crafts in awhile.   But, I shall return once the last page of the manuscript is done.  Thank you for joining with me and supporting me on this crafty adventure.

I hope you are all doing well and having a great end of the year!

- Leslie

Easy Pom Pom Shooter (Made in less than 10 minutes!)

Lately my son has been obsessed with this DIY pom pom shooter.  Not that I blame him.  It's got a pretty sweet trigger.  Simply press down on the clothes pin.  The rubber band then releases, flinging pom poms into the air.

And you wanna know the best part about today's craft?  You can make one yourself in less than 10 minutes.  Cool right?  Wanna know how?  Keep reading to find out!

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Create a Rock Maze

Is the weather getting warmer where you are? Yesterday we embraced the sun with this quick and easy STEM activity.  We grabbed some rocks and made our very own rock maze for cars!

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Make a Simple Braille Slate and Stylus (inspired by Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille)

Today's blog post takes a different turn.  Instead of a cute kid craft, we're doing some STEAM crafting and making an old time Braille slate and stylus.

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14+ STEAM Activities for Valentine's Day!

Looking for easy ways to incorporate more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) into your everyday activities with kids?  Want some with a sweet Valentine's Day twist?

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DIY Outer Space Planet Ornaments for Christmas

Christmas is right around the corner.  Most likely your tree and home are already completely decorated.  My deepest apologies, friend, but I'm throwing a wrench in your plans. (Muah ha ha ha!)   Here's one last STEM inspired Christmas Craft that you'll want to try out this year.   If you love space, you'll love making these Outer Space Planet Ornaments.   (They're out of this world!)

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Gorgeous, Kid-Made Birthday Banner (And my dream job...)

A few weeks ago, we invited a few school friends over for a play date.  Since having a baby less than a year ago, I've been a bit (ok... let's be honest... VERY) nervous about having people over.  I'm always pooped and don't really feel like entertaining.  (Ever feel that way too?)  But, I pushed myself to try and that's how I found myself with 5 kids running around our fairly small home.  The kids played with toys and ran around outside... and surprisingly a lot of time was spent inside, painting and making art.

What?

You read that right, friends.  Our teacher's birthday was coming up and I invited the children to help me paint her birthday banner.  Once the kids saw the papers and art supplies on our table... they got right to work, creating the beautiful birthday letters below.

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25 STEAM Christmas Activities (Book and Coloring Page!)

Looking for ways to encourage kids to tinker, create, and explore this holiday season?  How about 25 awesome STEAM Christmas activities?


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Amazing 3D Paper Christmas Star Ornaments

What?  Thanksgiving isn't even here and we're already talking about Christmas Crafts?  Ok, you've got me.  I'm jumping the gun with this super neat folded Christmas star ornament.  But, I had to share because this week we'll be launching our new STEAM KIDS Christmas books.  Woot woot!  I'll be sharing more about those books later on this week.  Today I'm giving you a sneak peak of one of cool projects included.  These 3D paper stars are super fun to color in and such a neat way to craft this holiday season!

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STEAM KIDS- An AWESOME book with 50+ creative, hands-on projects for kids!

I love doing things with my kids.  But lately it's been hard to carve out time to find, set-up, and prep fun and educational activities.  With all the buzz about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities, I've been especially keen on trying out more of those too.

Maybe you're like me?  Maybe you're looking for a great resource full of easy and fun STEAM activities to try out with your kids too?

If that's the case, then I'm so glad you're here!  I'm excited to announce the launch of a brand new book- STEAM Kids!      

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40+ Projects that combine STEM with Art!

Seems like everyone's talking about the importance of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) these days. And hey, I get it.  We live in a highly technological world that's rapidly advancing in all sorts of new ways.   We want our kids to be be creative and adaptive problem solvers.

But maybe you're like me and you deeply love arts and crafts.  They're your jam.  And maybe you're unsure how to dive into all this STEAM goodness.  Hey, I get that too.  Hopefully today's post will help.  In this post I sharing over 40 ideas for arts and craft projects that also happen to incorporate STEM ideas.  Yup.  Here are some of my favorite artsy crafty posts...which also happen to have a little STEAM-y oomph to them!

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Fall Leaf Scratch Art (and related books!)

Are the leaves changing colors where you are?  Every year I look forward to seeing the beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows.  Today I wanted to share this really easy fall craft that doubles as a STEAM activity.  It's a science and art activity that helps kids to represent how leaves change colors in the fall.

Fall Leaf Scratch Art

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Let's design a zoo! (And our 15+ favorite zoo books!)

Are you looking for an easy, open-ended prompt to encourage children's play and creativity?  How about a building challenge?  We've designed and built playdough and rock houses , cardboard bridges, boats from recycled materials, and super hero hideouts.  Today, we're designing and building a zoo!

Designing a Zoo with Kids!

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Playful and Easy Mathematics with Building Toys (And our favorite math books!)

Wanna know a secret?  In college I majored in Engineering and minored in math.  Eek.  Surprised?  Well...it's true!   I'm a bit rusty now... but I will always have a soft spot for mathematics. There was something about solving a difficult problem that was so thrilling and satisfying.

Now that my son is older, my husband (who is also a math lover) and I have been trying to help him to love math too.  With a new baby at home, I just haven't had time lately to plan math crafts and activities.  (Mucho props to all you homeschooling mamas out there... don't know how you do it!)   But, I've been giving myself a bit of slack and telling myself that it's ok.  We've still been learning math together... just in a more open-ended and playful way.  

Playful Math Learning with Kids

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Design a Paper Glider (Free printable included!)

Does your child love the idea of flying?  Is he or she infatuated with planes, space shuttles, helicopters, or gliders?   Well, today's post is for you!  We're designing and making gliders!  (And bonus- I've even included a printable for you to do the activity too!)   This is a great STEAM Activity that allows kids to be creative, get artsy, and explore the idea of flight too!

Let's Design a Paper Glider!

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Our 30+ Favorite Flower and Plant Art + Craft Projects (and books!)

Love flowers?  Well, today I'm in kind of a flowery mood.  I've got a couple of flower crafts that I'd like to try once we all start feeling better.  So until then, I've scoured the blog for our favorite flower and plant project ideas  in case you're in a flowery, springy mood too!

Our 30+ Favorite Flower and Plant Projects

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Easy Kids' Art: Lego Stamping (and some great STEAM books!)

Have you ever tried making art with lego?  

Easy Kids' Art:  Lego Stamping

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Candy Maze (Design your game... from candy!)

Ooh la la! Today I'm going to share a fun, tasty, and creative CANDY CRAFT!   Do you have a stash of candy lying around?  I'm not a big candy addict... but I've been known to chow down on a few chocolates and gummy candies this time of year.  Yurp.   But can you blame me?  Chocolates are delicious and gummy candies are uber fun.  (Who doesn't dig their bright, happy colors?)  Well, if you have a stash of gummy candies lying around, here's a fun (and tasty) kids STEAM activity!    

Let's Design a Candy Maze!

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6 Fun Fall Preschool Corn Activities

We love fall crafts!  Pumpkins, corn, Halloween, apples, lovely leaves, cooler weather- ahhh I love it all.   If you're looking for a simple way to incorporate some fall vibes into your preschoolers' life, check out this awesome collection of 6 fun fall corn activities!

There are science ideas, artsy ideas, mathy ideas, and even free printables too!

• STEAM Candy Corn Pop Art | Handmade Kids Art

• Preschool Corn Counting Activity with Printable | I Heart Crafty Things
• Cardboard Rainmakers | Pink Stripey Socks
• Candy Corn Pizza Craft | Artsy Momma
• Printable Candy Corn Bingo Game | School Time Snippets
• Corn vs. Popcorn Science for Kids (with Printable Graph) | A Little Pinch of Perfect

Have a great weekend, friends!

Easy and Spooky Shrunken Apple Heads!

Do Halloween crafts rock your world?  Yes!?  Awesome.  They totally rock mine too.  Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year.  Costumes, magic, candy, gross things, spooky things—I love it all!

Tomorrow is the first day of October and I’m trying to squeeze in as many Halloween crafts as I can before the month is over.   Today I’m sharing a really neat Halloween activity that also doubles as a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) activity too.  We’re making shrunken apple heads! 

Super Easy and Spooky Shrunken Apple Heads

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(Ha! My husband was weirded out my this little guy, but I think he’s just adorable.  Look at that toothy grin!)