Summer Bug Cards for Kids

Bugs, bugs, bugs.  We've got bugs on the mind over here!  

So we made some cute bug themed birthday cards. 

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Frozen summer

During a weekly thrift store run I spotted a cute set of Popsicle molds and snatched them up.  I'm going to try to make tons of Popsicles before summer whizzes by.  Here's a photo of my first attempt:

(1)  I chopped and pureed watermelon,
(2) placed the molds into the freezer,
(3) struggled to pull the pops out,
and then (4) finally enjoyed the frozen treats

Lovely Yarn Wrapped Rocks

Got yarn?  Got rocks?  Good.  Then you have all the materials needed for today's summer craft.  We'll be doing some easy rock wrapping!

Lovely Yarn Wrapped Rocks

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Dip Dye Kids Art Project

If you're looking for the easiest, funnest, cheapest, and most colorful kids summer art project... you're at the right place.  We've been dying up a storm over here and turning plain old paper towels into lovely dip dye art!

How to Make Dip Dye Art With Kids

Watercolor Painted Paper Lanterns (with Jellyfish too!)

I am a sucker for kids watercolor art and crafts.  They're colorful, easy to set up, easy to clean up, and give us such bright and happy results.  (Plus, who doesn't love watching colors blend with one another?  It's pure magic.)  Today I'm pulling out another watercolor craft that will look just beautiful decorating your home this summer.  Tada!  We're painting some paper lanterns!

How to make necklaces and bracelets with kids

Ever try making jewelry with kids?  We've dabbled a bit, but honestly, I've always been kind of overwhelmed by beading. It's one thing to string on some pony beads, but we've never tried adding on clasps or *gasp* crimping anything. The crafty folks at Dragonfly Designs sent me one of their DIY jewelry making kits to review... and let me tell you, the kids and I HAD A BLAST! (And we finally learned how to make real jewelry!)

How to Make Jewelry with Kids!

DIY Watermelon Perler Bead Bracelet

That's it.  

Summer is over.

No more vacation, no more white shoes.

Want to keep the good time summer vibes going?  

 Check out this watermelon bracelet I made out of Perler beads.

It's my second craft post for Handmade Charlotte.  

Happy belated Labor Day!

 
 

Make Tricycle Circle Artwork with Kids!

When I set up today's preschool art activity, my husband thought I was crazy.   Really.  He thought I finally inhaled too many craft paint fumes, fell off my rocker, and floated away to la-la land.

To be fair to him, it really WAS a giant art activity.  But I was still surprised by his reaction because he's already seen me do messy activities  (like making jello brains), slimey activities, and fairly large scale art activities (like this GIANT DIY scratch board).... so really, in the grand scheme of things, what's the big deal with making....

GIANT TRICYCLE ARTWORK!

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What's up, Chuck?

Warm, sunny weather is finally here... and we are loving it.  I forgot how much I missed the sunshine.  Here are some photos from a recent outdoor play date with friends.  We spent the morning eating, chatting, and splashing in the water.

It's times like this that I wish summer would never end.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  See you on Monday!

An Inwood send-off

Before stepping into 2011, I took a quick look back to Inwood, our previous New York City neighborhood.

(Cue nostalgic music of your choice... mine is the theme song to Forrest Gump.)

Our apartment building ($1,000 for a first floor 1br- what a steal!)

An open hydrant one summer's day  (which Charlie and I also enjoyed a bit later)

The awesome A train:  Like LOTR, its entrance is carved into a mountain

The church we attended:  I met such wonderful ladies here when I helped out at their thrift store

To honor our favorite Inwood restaurant, Alberto's Mofongo House, hubby made this Dominican inspired supper.

Que delicioso!  I do love me some beans, pork, and rice.

Adios New York!  Holland, we're here to stay and ready to make some new happy memories.

10 Ocean Crafts and Activities

This week's Creative Preschool Collaborator's theme is Oceans and Fish!  I was excited to tackle the theme because Chuck LOVES going to the beach and playing in the ocean.   So keep reading for some ocean themed storybook ideas, 10 preschool ocean crafts/activities, AND 4 other kid blogger's creative Ocean themed activities!

10 Ocean Crafts and Activties

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Popsicle Stick Boxes for Easter and St. Patrick's Day

Last week I received a box of goodies from Oriental Trading company.  And you know what craft items excited me the most?  The popsicle sticks.  I love popsicle stick crafts.   Some of my favorite crafting memories were making popsicle stick boxes in summer camp.  Today I'm sharing popsicle stick boxes that we made for Easter, St. Patrick's Day.... and Pokemon Day! (Ok, I made the last  holiday up. We're just seriously crazy about Pokemon right now.)

DIY Super Easy Flipbooks with Kids

Love the magic of flipbooks? Want to make some with your kids? Interested in trying out a quick STEM activity? Or are you looking for a fun craft to try out his summer?

Well, you're here at the right post. Instead of going the typical route and using a lightbox and pencil, here is one super-easy way to make DIY flipbooks with children of all ages. No drawing and tracing are necessary!

How to make super easy DIY flipbooks with Kids

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Make Colorful Coffee Filter Pinata-inspired Letters

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling so inspired by all the warm weather lately.  It seems like everything around us is bursting with life, light, and color.  To bring some of that happy, airy, summer feeling inside, I made these fun pinata-inspired letters to decorate our bedroom wall.

Materials:
- coffee filters
- markers
- spray bottle
- shallow pan
- cardboard box
- tape
- double sided tape
- pencil
- exacto knife
- scissors
- white paint
- paint brush
- plastic bags

Directions:
1.  Cut out your letters from cardboard.  (I found that using an exacto knife was much easier than using scissors.)  Paint the letters white to help your colors stand out.

2.  Use markers to doodle on your coffee filters.  (Have fun with it!  It really doesn't matter what you doodle.  All your designs are going to be washed away anyway.)

3.  Spray your coffee filters to make the colors run.  Then, let the coffee filters dry.  (I placed ours on some plastic bags and waited overnight.)

Here's what the coffee filters looked like after they dried:

4.  Cut out strips from your coffee filters and tape them onto the horizontal sides of the letters to cover them.  (This way you won't see the raw cardboard edges.  The vertical edges are going to be covered by fringe.)

Oops.  I missed one edge on the "L."

5.  Cut out similar sized strips from your coffee filters and turn them into pinata fringe.  Use your double sided tape and normal tape to stick them onto the cardboard letters.  Be sure to work from the bottom upwards.  Also, wrap the strips around the letters to cover the exposed cardboard sides.

Here's what a finished letter looks like:

And here's what the fringe looks like up close:

And that's it.  Now we have a lovely set of pinata-inspired letters.  I placed them right above our bed.  I think they look nice there, don't you?

Thanks for reading!
(Psst-  If you liked this pinata-inspired craft, you can check out my number pinata or snack bag pinata.)

How to Make Origami Snails

Here's a super quick and easy origami craft that's perfect for spring or summer!  Lately, we've been bitten by the gardening bug.  My youngest and I keep sticking things into the dirt to see if they'll grow.  My oldest is not as keen on gardening as we are, but he loves folding origami.  So today I'm sharing how to fold these really easy and fun origami snails. 

Easy Origami Snail Tutorial

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50+ Super Cute and Easy Origami and Kirigami Projects for Kids

Looking for origami projects that are unique, cute, and easy-to-fold? Or, do you feel the need to grab a pair of scissors and cut some beautiful kirigami designs?  If you're on the hunt for kid-friendly paper folding projects for spring, summer, fall, and winter, then I've got the ultimate post for you. Here's a growing list of over 50 super cute origami and kirigami ideas for kids!

50+ Easy and Kid-Friendly Origami and Kirigami Projects

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DIY Scalloped Jean shorts

DIY Scalloped Jean Shorts

It's Memorial Day Weekend.  How are you going to celebrate?  We're going to eat burgers, attend a wedding, and nap.... a lot.  (<--If Chuck lets us... that is...)  Inspired by all the lovely lazing about that I hope to be doing next week, I made myself a pair of comfy scalloped jean shorts from a pair of old jeans:

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Bye nanna and grandpa

Dear nanna and grandpa,

Mom told me that you left today.  Why did you have to go?  I miss you.  When will you come back and see me?  I can't wait till this summer.  Then I can visit you and meet cousin Manny and pet some kangaroos.  I'm going to pet at least five.  Mom says that I'm going to be a really big boy then.  You might not recognize me.  I'll be the one in daddy's arms.     

Love,
Baby Chuck

Let's Make Easy and Colorful Magnetic Sculptures!

Magnets are such fun things to explore!  For me, there's nothing cooler than feeling that invisible magnetic force pull or push two items together.  Today we're exploring magnetism and the connection between art and science with this really easy Magnetic Sculpture Activity!  

Kids STEAM Activity:   Making Magnetic Sculptures!

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Can you explode a Watermelon?

How many rubber bands does it take to explode a watermelon? That's a question that I issue to you, dear reader.  And it's one that we recently tried tackling in today's fun science activity!   Now, I'm not a mom who enjoys making a mess... but when I saw people exploding watermelons with rubber bands, I just couldn't help myself.  We had to try the challenge too!  So, we celebrated the end of summer with this explosive science activity.   It was super duper fun and so, so easy to set up. 

Here's how you Explode a Watermelon 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.