Tag Archives: kids crafts

Oct11

Smart Scissors – Must Have Craft Tool

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The first thing I thought when I saw these amazing scissors was “I have to get these!” . I don’t think I have ever used scissors without needing tape, I mean they go together like peanut butter and jelly. I am not saying you are going to replace your sewing scissors with these, but wrapping a present or doing a project with the kids will surely be made more convenient by these. This is definitely one nifty tool for any craft mom and with gift season quickly approaching us, I might be wrapping a few for presents. You can get yourself a pair of Scissortape here , where they have a lot of clever and playful items to browse. They even have a holiday edition with colorful tape.

Sep23

Spiderweb Balloon Craft

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I wanted to share this amazingly simple and fun Halloween craft to do with your family or school kids. The directions couldn’t be easier and you can really take this idea and tweak it a million different ways to suit your decorating needs. With little ones in the house, I have been forced to tame the dark and scary decorations , so I chose to keep it classic white. My 2-year-old loved making this craft and he calls them his spider family. Some other variations include spraying the finished spiderweb with glow in the dark paint, adding glitter glue to make it sparkle, and of course using a variety of colors. I will make some more in different sizes to create a grouping and hang them from different heights. Here are the directions:

  • Inflate a balloon and hang it above your table . I used a chandelier to hang my balloon.
  • Pour white glue out on a paper plate. Put newspaper under the balloon.
  • Dip yarn of your choice into the glue and squeeze it through your fingers to remove excess. It should still be coated with adequate glue.
  • Place the glue covered yarn onto the balloon in a random fashion overlapping until you are happy with how it looks.
  • Let It dry overnight .
  • Pop the balloon and remove the balloon pieces.
  • Marvel at your masterpiece and then hang it with toy spiders attached to the web.

Sep18

Apple Shrunken Heads Craft

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If you are looking for a simple and fun craft to do with the kids, then look no further than the classic Apple Shrunken Head Craft. I remember doing this in class as a little girl and getting so excited to watch my carved apple transform into a shriveled up little face. The best part is that no two apples turn out the same, it’s inexpensive, and anyone can do it. I am the room mom this year in my oldest son’s first grade class and I am going to do this with the kids next week.  Here’s how to do it!

  • Peel your apples. I prefer Granny Smith, but a variety of apples will provide different results.
  • Draw a face on the peeled apple with a pencil or marker to map out the places to carve. You can skip this step if you want to free hand cut the apple face.
  • Carve away at the apple to sculpt a face. Be sure to carve off all marker or pencil. Kids can carve with a plastic knife with adult supervision. I have also let the children use Play Doh utensils for different effects.
  • Next, you need to make a mixture of 1 CUP Lemon Juice and 1 TBSP of salt.
  • Spoon Lemon Mixture over your carved apples
  • You can use uncooked grains of rice for teeth and a bead or a seed for little eyes.
  • Poke the bottom of the apple with a stick. You can use a pencil, stick from outside, anything you have available.
  • Place the apple heads upright on their sticks in a DRY, WARM environment. Each day they will transform with the final process taking 1 -2 weeks.

I know the kids will be so excited to bring their creation home and display it for everyone to see. Pictured above is a simple, yet effective, way to display a group of Apple Heads. Just fill any glass bowl with river rocks and top with moss to create an eerie decoration. You could use anything in the bowl, like candycorns, pinecones, or anything your creative little heart desires.