Additionally, creating interesting materials for written communication encourages engagement.

Materials

• White paper (watercolour paper works best, but your could also use cardstock)
• Clear drying craft glue
• Glitter glue (optional)
• Items to make circular prints (we used caps, spools etc.)  You could use other objects- this is just a starting point.
• Shallow containers (for glue & water)
• Watercolour paints
• Paintbrush
• Smock
• Finishing coat such as Modge Podge (optional)
• Circle punch (or circular cap, pencil & scissors)
• Pre-made cards (can be purchased at craft, dollar, office or stationary stores) or make your own, folding over pieces of cardstock.
• Envelopes
• Wet cloth for clean up

Directions

• Using your circular objects, dip them in the craft glue and apply to your paper.  Allow to dry overnight or as specified.

• Paint over the glue resist with watercolours.  Allow to dry overnight.

• We  painted over our project with a finishing coat of Modge Podge to add a bit of shine and texture (using a more stiff bristled brush).  Allow to dry overnight so it will not stick to your punch.

• We then punched out circles out of the work and glued them to cards.  You could also attach them to the outside of the envelope as well.  (Instead of a circular punch, you could also flip the work over, trace light circles with a pencil and cut them out.  Any shape will work- be creative!  This is simply a starting point.)

• Be sure to add your child’s name and the year on the bottom corner and share your personalized cards.

Purpose

• Exploring the idea of a resist technique, developing fine motor skills, creating interesting materials for communication purposes

Safety Notes

• Be sure to use scissors with adult supervision.
• Follow the directions for use of glue and be sure to chose brands that are non-toxic.

This post was featured on:

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2014/05/unique-gift-ideas-kids-can-make-for-mothers-day.html

An amazing collection of activities for children!

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While looking through a craft book that my mother-in-law compiled for the seasons throughout the year, we found an activity for Easter lilies made from paper.  We then “made it our own” using different set of materials.  It is a great personal touch to the top of a gift.

Materials

Felt Flowers

• Various colours of felt for the petals of the flower
• Green felt for the leaves
• Yellow felt
• Artificial stamen (optional)
• Glue gun
• Thin dowel (can be purchased at craft or dollar stores)
• Green paint (we used acrylic craft paint)
• Scissors (we recommend fabric scissors)
• Pencil
• Paper
• Stick pins
• Ribbon
• Piece of styrofoam (for drying painted dowels)
• Print-out label/ gift tag: made with love- handprints (There is a space for the child to write her/his name and multiple copies for classroom use)

Paper Flowers

• Various colours of paper for the petals of the flower (you could use cardstock or regular weight or a combination)
• Green paper for the leaves
• Yellow paper
• Green chenille sticks
• Glue gun
• Paper
• Pencil
• Bone folder (optional)
• Stick pins
• Ribbon
• Print-out label/gift tag: made with love- handprints (There is a space for the child to write his/her name and multiple copies for classroom use)

Directions

• If you are doing the felt version, paint your dowels green and allow them to dry.  (We stuck ours in a piece of styrofoam so that they could stand and not adhere to a surface while drying.)

• Trace your child’s hand and cut it out to use as a template.

• Pin the traced hand onto the coloured felt or paper and cut out handprints to make your petals.  Repeat this on the green felt until you have the desired amount of flowers and leaves.

• For the paper flowers we cut out long leaf shapes.

• For the inside of the flower, cut out a strip of yellow paper or felt that is about 10 centimentres or 4 inches tall, fold it over and cut down repeatedly on the fold about 3/4 of the way to make a looped fringe.  (You could use fringing scissors for this step as well).  The length of the paper will depend on how many flowers you hope to make.  Then cut your fringe into approximately 5 centimentre/ 2 inch sections.

• Using a glue gun, we glued the stamen onto one side of the fringe and then rolled it up with the dowel (for the felt flowers) or the chenille stick (for the paper flowers) in the middle (glue it on top of the stamen). We glued it along the way if need be and at the end.  It is important to make it as taut as possible.

• We then glued this piece to one side of the handprint petals and rolled it up, gluing as needed and at the end to hold it together.  Again, try to make it as snug as possible.  Repeat this step with the green handprint leaves, trying to start it in between the finger petals so as to not hide the colour.

• If you are going with the paper leaves, once you have cut them out, fold the shape in half and create a crease (a bone folder can be helpful for this).  Put a little bit of glue in the fold at the bottom and attach to the chenille stick.

• For the paper flowers, we then curled the leaves and petals with a pencil.

• Attach to a present with ribbon.  We provided a little label for you, should you like.

Purpose

Making a replica of an item, development of fine motor skills, thinking of others

Safety Notes

If you are using a hot glue gun, please make sure it is being used by an adult.  Use scissors with adult supervision.

This project can be customized with anything on the front of the pocket.  We chose to make flowers out of fingerprints so it would be a nice keepsake.

Materials

• Seed packet(s)
• Square of felt
• Scraps of felt for the petals and leaves
• Buttons
• Fabric glue
• Sewing machine/ thread (optional)
• Fabric paint
• Scissors (we used fabric scissors)
• Shallow tray
• Smock
• Damp rag for clean-up
• Print-out of label/ gift tag:  made with love- fingerprints  (there is a spot for adding the child’s name & multiple copies on a page for classroom use)

Directions

• Create your petals and leaves first to allow for them to dry. Cut felt strips of the colour you would like your flowers and leaves to be.  After donning a smock, we put a small amount of fabric paint onto a shallow tray.  Have your child dip their finger in the paint and create prints on the felt.  Wash their hands in between colours if you would like them to stay solid.  Let them dry overnight or as specified by the directions.  Cut out the prints once they have dried.  We left a slight margin.

• Place your seed packet onto of your felt square, fold up the bottom to cover the packet and the top should have enough room to fold over.  Cut it to size leaving a margin on each side for where you will sew or glue it together.

• We decided to sew our pocket.  We put a matching line of thread through each of the petals and leaves to attach them onto the front (when you folded it up).

• We then sewed a margin/trim line on the top of the front of the pocket and the top and sides (just enough to go under where the front fold comes up) of the back fold of the pocket (see photograph) just so it would match up when we created the pocket.  We then folded it and sewed up each side, making the pocket.  You could hand sew this project or use fabric glue to put on the flowers and create the pocket should you like.

• After completing the pocket, we used fabric glue to attach the button centres of the flowers and allowed it to dry overnight.  If you feel that the fabric glue would saturate through the top layer and glue the pocket closed, be sure to put something in between to prevent this.

• Attach the pre-made tag or make your own.

Purpose

• Developing fine motor skills, thinking of others

Safety Notes

• Be sure to use scissors, a needle and/or sewing machine with direct adult supervision.
• Be sure to wear a smock when using fabric paints and/or glue as these can easily damage clothing.

• Plastic Mesh (we used brown, found at a craft store, used for embroidery projects)
• Embroidery floss (various shades of brown and light blue)
• Plastic needle (you can purchase these at craft stores) OR a dull tipped metal needle
• Scissors

Directions

This is a craft which gets young children started into the process of sewing/embroidery.

Begin by cutting lengths of the various embroidery thread.  For children starting out, the length from between their wrist to their elbow or their wrist to their shoulder seems to work.

Knot the end several times (depending on the size of the holes in your mesh).

Thread the other end through a needle.  Sew (as you can see we used large “stitches”) in a circular pattern (leaving an empty centre), creating a nest design using various colours of brown.  Start the first stitch from the bottom going up and finish your last stitch on the bottom so that your knots are hidden. Once a length has been used, knot it and cut off the excess thread.

In the centre create egg type shapes, using light blue embroidery thread and smaller stitches (a progression to a more difficult skill).

Purpose

Fine motor skill development, hand/eye coordination, using/ becoming familiar with a variety materials.

Safety Notes

Use scissors, needles and yarn with adult supervision.

• Plain/ neutral coloured bag (can be purchased at a craft store)
• Nest coloured fabric paint (browns) and egg coloured fabric paints
• Collected twigs or popsicle sticks and/or yarn
• Shallow dish
• Craft tray or table cloth
• Smock, apron or old clothes

Directions

This is a great alternative to a basket for collecting eggs or for everyday use.

Purchase a plain, neutral coloured bag from a craft or dollar store.  They are often featured in the plain t-shirts section.

Before you get started on the project be sure to cover yourself and your work space as the paint may not come off all surfaces if it accidentally spills.

Buy brown or tan fabric paint (nest colours) and place it in a large, shallow tray.

Use collected twigs, popsicle sticks or yarn to dip into the paint and create a nest shape in the centre of the bag, leaving a space in the middle for your eggs.

Let dry overnight and complete on the other side in the same fashion if you like.  We added a bit of sewn lines (using a sewing machine) to create additional texture.

Be sure to clean your tray/dish between uses.  Put a small amount of blue fabric paint in your tray and using your thumb, create an “egg thumbprint”.  Be sure to wash your hands throughly.  Allow your bag to dry overnight.

Purpose

Fine motor skill development, hand/eye coordination, using a variety of materials to paint with.

• Neutral coloured fabric (You could use a pillow case, napkin etc.)
• Embroidery floss (various shades of brown)
• Thicker needle (with a hole big enough for the embroidery floss)
• Scissors
• Felt or fabric
• Fabric paint
• Shallow dish
• Cloth (to wipe your hands or up any potential spills)
• Fabric glue
• Smock, apron or old clothes
• Sewing machine & thread (optional & with adult help)

Directions

Take a piece of plain, neutral coloured fabric.  You could make napkins, a pillow case etc.  We decided to make a spring table runner.  The edges were folded, ironed and sewn over with a sewing machine.  You can often find items that are prepared for adding your own details in craft stores.

Take nest coloured embroidery floss and sew it into a nest pattern (see photograph for a starting idea) using simple stitching and leaving the centre empty for eggs.  We had an adult  add some machine sewing as well to create more of a textured look.  This is a good beginner hand sewing project as it lends itself to more of an “organic” look.

Select a fabric paint that you might use for eggs such as light blue.  Place a small amount in a shallow dish.  Use thumb or finger prints to make eggs for your nest.  Or if you would like, cut egg shapes out of felt or fabric and trace the edges with fabric paint like we did.  Let dry overnight or according to the directions. Glue onto your table runner or project using fabric glue.

Want to give this as a gift? We will soon have some card ideas posted to accompany it.

Purpose

Fine motor skill development, hand/eye coordination (sewing), creating a visual representation of a real life object

Safety Notes

Use scissors and a needle with adult supervision

A sewing machine should be used by an adult or with adult supervision, based on your age and skill level.