Spotty Silly Spring Smiley Slimey Snails

These little cuties deliver a lot of cuteness and charm from a simple and easy design. Only three pieces mean you can whip out a class size group of these in no time.  With the range of printed felt out there, you can make quite a statement in shell design!  

Have your kids add a bow, bonnet, or bling for a fancier design, perhaps to go with Ordinary Oscar, an entertaining snail story by Laura Adkins and Sam Hearn.  Oscar Slimeglider is tired of being like all the other snails: dull, drab, and BORING!  On his quest to go beyond the ordinary, he learns that there are good reasons for snails to look ordinary on the outside... but that doesn't mean he can't be EXTRAordinary on the inside...

Our family snail story favorite, with artwork sure to appeal to Olive the Other Reindeer fans, is Gluey, a Small Snail Tale, by Vivan Walsh and J. Otto Seibold. This is one of those feel-good stories that sticks with you long after you read it, one that you can use to start many different "character" conversations with kids.  Celerina, a rabbit, moves into a house that is already occupied, but she doesn't realize it. Gluey the snail lives there, and keeps the place in shape like all good carpenter snails do. When things she breaks start to "fix themselves", she starts to think her house is magic... She doesn't realize it is Gluey, who is so small and has such a small voice she doesn't even hear him.  You are sure to enjoy this wonderful tale of mistaking someone's character, making a mess, then making it right again...

Free Snail Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Ribbon Rainbow Cloud

Cheerful ribbon rainbows dangled from the lamp over our kitchen table for St. Patrick's Day (and I'm posting this in May?).  It would make a colorful add-in to a teacher appreciation basket or an easy summer sewing craft for kids.

Yay for oodles of colorful 1/4" ribbon, each just 50 cents! Sparkly glitter felt, a little tacky glue, and some silver thread is all the materials you need.  Make your own cloud or use the template below.

Stories to go with these... do you have any favorite rainbow stories?  When my kids were little.,they had two favorites.  What makes a rainbow, by Betty Ann Schwartz was super fun pre-k sturdy book because it has real ribbon inside.  Colors are added to the rainbow as you turn the page. Each page features the color that is added with other things the same color with a full rainbow at the very end.  I'm pretty sure it was the ribbon that my kids liked... the text is so-so.

A Rainbow of My Own, by Don Freeman, was a favorite bedtime story or one to read right after the rainbow disappeared. What would you do if you had your own rainbow to play with?  Dreamy illustrations invite you to keep on imagining... 

 I haven't tried Krupp's, The Rainbow and You, and it is out of print but it sure looks like a good one to answer questions about how rainbows work, their meaning in ancient culture, and even how to make one at home. Keep an eye out for this one at thrift stores!

The Rainbow Goblins, by Ul De Rico got high reviews on Amazon. A story about good triumphing over evil and the golden rule sounds like one right up my alley... Darn, library doesn't have this either!

Ribbon Rainbow Cloud Pattern

Welcoming the Leprechauns!

St. Patrick's Day is coming... will the Leprechaun's stop by?

We'll do our best to welcome them,  shhhh... don't spy!

With shamrocks, rainbows, froggies, too,

May our green and friendly spirit shine through! 

The kids drew their special pictures which were so loved by the Leprechauns that they disappeared on St. Patrick's Day morning.  Phew to Mom's foresight to scan them first, or all evidence would have disappeared!

Chica and Jo showed us how to turn Halloween pots into Leprechaun friendly pots of clover (thank you!).  We dug clover from our yard, added potting soil to our pots, and in just a few "dirty" minutes, our railing was looking very festive!

We could tell the Leprechaun's liked these, too, because they left a shiny coin in each and every one!

A fresh coat of chalkboard paint had our blackboard pot looking spiffy.  (This idea has been around awhile... you just need a spray can of chalkboard paint, a big terra cotta pot, and some painter's tape). An artist-helper added the seasonal detail....

Which turned into making a chalk dust rainbow... and foot prints... tracks... then paint... and well, you know where this is going, don't you?

On the dog, of course. Who made out great with a big treat after he was cleaned up... and then there was the laundry, the floor, the chair... wasn't this an outside project? Creativity is messy!

One more thing I tried inside was a St. Patrick's Day banner.  I saw this idea on Pinterest.  It captured the St. Patrick's Day spirit so perfectly I couldn't stop looking at it... spring green against the black and white winter background.  Only problem was, the provided link didn't lead me to the original post. Could I make this on my own? Sure... the trickiest part looked like the black and white background. Where to get the paper?   Shopping wasn't an option.

I found some flowered paper in my stash, and played around with the black and white copy options on my printer. Whala!  I had what I needed!  The heart shapes were easy enough to trace and fold.  I hot-glued them to the pennants and folded the pennants over twine, keeping with a rustic look. 

 I made a couple of extras, singles, for hanging on window latches.

Then I was messing around on Pinterest again and got curious... This time I was able to trace the original banner all the way back to Lil' Luna.  Wow, it sure would have made things easier to go there first!  Kristyn even provides an Irish map banner to use as the background, and distresses her hearts with black stamp ink around the edges. Simply elegant! 

In the end, the test was to see if the Leprechauns liked it... and I'm happy to report, they came with their map and treasure once again. :)

Frog Felt Finger Puppets

Zip, zap, zut!  Froggy's catchin' flies!  The fly is sewn onto a long ribbon that is poked through the puppet near the frog's mouth. There is a tiny safety pin on the other end so a child can pull the fly into froggy's mouth. 

Happy Leap Year!

Frog Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Setting the Mood for a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta With Picture Books

Why do gringos celebrate Cinco de Mayo? May 5th has become a date where our family celebrates Hispanic culture, American style. Tanya over at The Rockin' Momma Blog has said it so well I just have to send you straight to her:
 http://teslagirl360.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-gringos-celebrate-cinco-de-mayo.html 
I knew that this holiday is more American than Mexican, but didn't realize the confederate connection...very interesting, especially in Virginia, where recounting history is a daily part of my life!

There's nothing like picture books to help set the mood for a fiesta.  True to the status of our holiday, none of our favorites here are truly Cinco de Mayo stories.  Instead, they reflect Hispanic culture or influence.  The list is small!  I have a few more on hold at the library but the selection there is small, too.  I'll add more as I find them.  Please feel free to share your favorites!

The setting of, She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain, by Philemon Sturges and Ashley Wolff, is what makes it a great Cinco De Mayo choice.  It takes place in the desert Southwest, with desert animals as the main characters, including the singing collared lizard story-teller.  The story follows the animals doing various tasks that suit their personalities (ie. grouse drumming), to get ready for a grand fiesta honoring a special guest.  Kids will see a fiesta unfold from food to music and even a pinata.  This book can be read, but it is even better sung.  The words/lyrics follow the folk tune of  "She'll be coming round the mountain."  And who is coming? The librarian in her bookmobile!  Now that is a good reason to celebrate! 

We stumbled on this gem, Rosa's Parrot, by Jan Wahl and Kin Howard, while perusing the stacks on our mobile library service bus.  Kids know that parrots like to mimic humans, right? Wahl transforms this fact into a magical and clever story of a human/bird friendship.  Pico the Parrot helps Rosa, who is hard of hearing, by repeating things for her. Being a parrot though, and possessing the ability of a great and LOUD mimic, he can't resist getting into a little trouble at the market.  Rosa figures this out, of course, and is not happy with him.  It is not long, however, before all is forgiven and the two are sharing hot chocolate together.  All of us were entranced by the rich art and imaginative story.  After we checked it out three times, we had to go get ourselves a copy!  The colorful art, inventive story, and south of the border scene make it a great choice for Cinco De Mayo.  The universal theme of friendship in a setting of overcoming a human disability (hearing loss) make it a great and unique choice for anytime.

Mice and Beans, by Pam Munoz Ryan and Joe Cepeda, is another lovely fiesta story.  A grandmother (also named ROSA, no kidding!) is preparing a birthday party for her grand daughter, Catalina.  She has lots of room in her house for the party, except for mice.  The very mice that are in her way (she's always setting traps) are the very mice who help her when she forgets something important (to put candy in the pinata).  The mice and Abuelita become friends!  The text introduces Spanish vocabulary seamlessly as the party preparations proceed through a week. A fun little story full of love and rich, happy illustrations.

Fast & Easy Chili Shaped Party Favors for Cinco de Mayo

Looking for a last minute party favor to add some fun to your fiesta? These chilis are colorful, easy, and fast... I made two while my enchiladas were baking!  Their small size and simplicity made them more practical than a pinata for our family's celebration.  Of course, the boys loved them! 
Materials
masking tape
paper cardboard tube
green tissue paper
red crepe paper (used for paper streamers)
glue
scissors

Cut a paper towel tube in two.  Make slits from one end towards the other, leaving an inch or two uncut.  Collapse the slits into a curvy cone shape, using masking tape to hold the shape in place.

Put a little glue around the outside of the chili and wrap it in red crepe paper (streamer paper).  Let dry!

Find some prizes to put inside.  These cute fruits were on clearance at Target...  The tubes don't hold much, so a bag of Skittles would be plenty!

Take a quarter of a sheet of green tissue paper and fold it.  Wrap LOOSELY around chili as shown, securing the end with a rubber band.  Fill your chili with the surprises.  Then fold the green tissue back up over the rubber band, working the layers separately to avoid tears.  Twist the folded tissue into a stem shape. 

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Cinco De Mayo Felt Burro/Donkey Finger Puppets

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Little finger puppet burros to get your fiesta going!  Ole!

Hide these cuties in a piñata or top silverware or pencils with them for holiday theme!  Place a small dot of glue on front and back to hold trim in place before sewing. Use fabric paint for facial features.  Fringe “fur” between ears for a touch of whimsy.

Donkey/Burro Finger Puppet Pattern

If you need some stories to go along with these cuties, be sure to check out these...

Cinco De Mayo Activity: Cascarones (An Egg Smashing Activity)

When I first read about this tradition, I knew it would be a winner in my family with kids that like to smash and crash things!  It started as an Easter activity but has shifted to Cinco de Mayo, depending on the organization of the Mama...

The basic game is to take a blown out egg and smash it over another person's head.  The painted egg is full of confetti, so the person gets a head full of tiny pieces of paper.  As our kids have grown older, our the tradition is to give the person a wish as you crack the egg of their head, such as, "I wish you a year full of lots of Lego's!"  among the kids, or "many happy days" between grown ups...  Also, I've taken to hiding a dollar in some of the eggs, for an eggstra special crackin' surprise. 

Materials needed:
At least one egg for each person
push pin or other sharp object to make holes in eggs
paint & paintbrushes
confetti
glue
tiny bit of tissue paper (or other thin paper)

Use a small sharp object such as a push pin to make holes in top and bottom of egg.  Using a small diameter object is easier for preventing cracks!  To make the bigger hole will take many pricks from the pin.

Blow contents of egg out through larger hole.  (I save the blown out egg contents in pairs, mix them with sugar and other wet ingredients, and freeze for future baking activities).

Gather confetti to put inside.  I'm trying paper shreds this year to see if it is slightly less messy yet still fun. I put a folded dollar in two of the eggs as an EGGSTRA surprise..

Keep stuffing the confetti in until the egg is full.

Put a ring of glue around the larger hole and cover it with tissue paper.

Paint your eggs in bright colors!  Don't strive for perfection here as your art will get SMASHED soon enough!

Instruct your game players to break the egg in their hands on top of someone's head rather than directly on it to avoid the "OUCH".  In our family, the egg smasher says a nice wish as they cover their victim with confetti...

HAPPY SMASHING!

Happy May Day!

The boys were busy this morning delivering flowers and gourds to the neighbors... Now they are busy peeking out the windows to see if anyone has discovered them!

We made classic tissue paper flowers (cut a standard sized tissue paper rectangle into two the long way, fold it in half, fold each half into accordian style pleats, wrap a wire around the center of the folded paper, spread out the tissues, wrap wire onto wood skewer stem).  We ran out of time for leaves!

We added cardboard tube sunflowers, one for each basket (http://www.bhg.com/crafts/easy/1-hour-projects/what-to-make-with-craft-scraps/).  Of course, the professional ones look much nicer than ours... but ours are still colorful.  You take one 4" section of paper tube and cut fringe toward the center on both ends, leaving about 1/2 inch in the center. I painted mine white before the kids decorated them so all the colors would adhere well.  Poke a hole in the center of the painted flower with sharp object (Swiss army knife awl), then poke a painted bamboo skewer through for the stem.  Crumple a small square of tissue paper inside for the flower's center.










We put three tissue flowers and one paper tube flower in each paper cone "basket."  The kids wrote "Happy May Day" on the handles.  They hung one basket on each neighbor's door.

Bird House Gourd Painting

We inherited a bird house gourd last spring and had great fun painting it.  A bird even attempted to nest in it... It was full of twigs by the end of summer! The boys loved watching the little wren flying to and fro.  What fun!

Of course, the gourd was full of seeds.  We just had to plant a seed or two after we carved it.  Instructions on the web said plant seeds, water, then leave alone until you can't stand to look at them any more (or the gourds have dried).  Easy enough!  The gourds grew and grew, taking over our front yard.  It gave the neighbors something to talk about besides the weather!  By Halloween, the shriveled plants were looking nice and spooky.  We stored the gourds in our garage until last week...

This spring, our job was to decorate!  My plan was to have a neighborhood paint party but the neighbors were all busy with other things, and we wanted to get them out for May Day, so we set to work.  Another great use for the joust pole!  Note, I painted all the gourds white (old house paint) to give the boys an even background for painting.  When the kids got tired of painting, I added the spirals and had them "dot" extra colors.  We used tempera kid's paint for color (WASH OFF!).  Then I added a few coats of polyurethane for weathering.

Do we have seeds now, you betcha!  I think the squirrels got most of them. Meanwhile, the boys are excited to deliver these to neighbors in the morning...

Easter Bunny Wind Spinner (A Recycled Milk Jug Craft)

This didn't turn out as neat as I thought, but it is still festive and has the appeal of being made from recycled products... perfect for an Earth Day Easter!  It has mega kid potential. Mine loved to help staple, color, and thread.  I'm thinking that the Easter Bunny might just want to hide something in those eggs... I'll have to leave him a note not to put anything that might melt though.  The forecast is for 88 degrees!  Yikes!


You'll find the bunny templates below. 


To make this spinner,
1) Copy 2 or 3 bunnies onto a white plastic milk jug. You will need 8 bunnies for the project shown.  Bend the patterns around the corners of the jug to give the bunnies 3D shape.
2) Use colored Sharpies to add facial features to the bunnies.
3) Staple four of the standing bunnies together by paws (hands AND feet).
4) Use a sharp pointed object (like the awl of a pocket knife) to put holes in 4 plastic eggs for the string to go through, or enlarge the holes already there.
5) Tie a length of string (about 20") to each point where the bunnies are "holding hands."
6) Thread an egg onto each of the strings, tying a knot at the height where you want the egg to hang.  Close each egg around the knot when threaded.
7)  Staple the next four bunnies directly onto the strings by sandwiching a string between two neighboring bunnies' feet (this was a Mom job).  I alternated the two sitting bunny types so the same types were across from each other.  I stapled the hands of the "hands down" bunnies onto the string whereas the "hands up" bunny hands were free.
8)  Gather the four loose strings together and tie in a knot.
9)  Loop a last length of string under the knot and tie securely.  Make a loop at the other end to hang your new wind spinner at the desired height.
10) Have a great Easter!

Free Bunny Rabbit Templates