Panda Felt Finger Puppets

Earth Day Panda Name Tags

The bamboo needs some help here, but a certain 5 year old was ready for Mom to be done cutting...

Earth Day Yard Ornaments

O.k., this is kinda pushing it.  Does Earth Day need a yard ornament? Aren't blossoms enough decoration for this "holiday"?  I can't help myself sometimes.... Earths just had to be made. Just one more tree decoration... the leaves are almost here. Egads!

Crafty Fun With Packing Peanuts

For this fun, all you need is a box of starch based, biodegradable packing peanuts.  Dip one edge onto a wet sponge and then stick it wherever you like.  Squash them, connect them, wad them up as you like. 

Our neighborhood boys had a preference for pokemon and starfighters!  The sponge keeps the peanuts from getting too wet-- otherwise they dissolve into a sticky goo.  Of course, the boys had to try this out, too.

JoAnn Crafts sells a bag of these for about $5, in a rainbow of colors. They are more durable-- don't dissolve as fast in the water, not quite so sticky, and also a lot of fun!

Bunny Rabbit Finger Puppets

bunny puppet pattern

Post-Easter Egg Hunt

Do kids ever get tired of an egg hunt?  Here's a little fun for that moment between games when the kids start to get cranky the week after Easter....

Call in the child who is getting the most cranky. Have her/him help you fill a few eggs per kid with a snack (we used cream cheese wheat thin crackers and goldfish).  Then, let him/her go hide the eggs and call in the other kids!

When the kids were little (2&4), my friend and I put a whole picnic in the eggs for the little ones to find. Joy!

Sweet-Gum Easter Chicks

Cheep, cheep!  Spring is here, spring is here! And so are seed pods are from "sweet gum" trees.  We turned them into Easter chicks that made colorful decorations for our Easter table. (I'm sure you could do this with pine cones or other seed pods, too.) 

Ahead of time, my preschooler and I collected and painted the seed pods bright yellow.  I cut orange pipe cleaners in half and twisted each into a three-toed foot and leg. If you are using pine cones, have the legs stick out to the side for a sitting chick.

Next, the kids poked the legs into the holes of the pods, balanced them, and glued them in...

Then we glued in feathers....

Lastly, we attached eyes and beaks using Crayola Model Magic. The kids used a sharpie to add pupils to the eyes. My favorite part of the project was seeing the kids' personalities shine through their art!

Happy Spring!

Hatching Easter Chicks Felt Finger Puppets

Chick Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Simple Pinecone Easter Centerpiece

A simple craft idea for little ones... gather some small pinecones while on a walk in the neighborhood. Paint them in pastel shades, sprinkle with glitter, and display in a spring basket when dry!