LilSugar

Kidoodles: Thanksgiving Tablecloth

babysugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:29 -0800

Since Thanksgiving is next week, we thought you could use a simple arts and crafts project to entertain your kiddos and help you prepare for the holiday. Let your children be in charge of the tablecloth. They will appreciate the opportunity to get involved and relish the chance to get a lil messy - all in the name of helping out!

You just need the following items:

A piece of butcher paper (white works well with all colors)
A few sponges
Festive colored paints
A few pieces of blank paper
Scissors
Plates or bowls for paints
Markers or crayons

For my guide to making a kid-friendly tablecloth, read more

First, measure the table so you know how much butcher paper you will need. Once you have that, cut the paper and place it on a flat even surface like the floor or table top.

Next, draw whatever designs you want to use on the tablecloth and draw them on a piece of paper no bigger than the sponge you will use.

Once you have completed your drawing, cut it out and trace it on the sponge. Then cut along the traced line so you have your sponge design.

Now you are ready for the fun part! Put some paint in the plates or bowls and dip one side of the sponge into the paint. Gently press it onto the butcher paper. Voila! Use different colors and shapes to fill the paper.

Once it's all dried up, let your little ones draw on the paper and write "Happy Thanksgiving" or "I am thankful for ...", or a saying of their choice.

Finally, put the cloth on the table and ask your lil helpers to set it with plates and silverware!

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Unique Crayon Shapes Get the Creative Juices Flowing

LilSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0700

Empty out your craft box and start fresh with some crayons fit for lil hands. The custom made wax creations like these adorable handmade egg-kittens ($17) will inspire plenty of easel time. The creator melts down non-toxic crayons and molds them into the perfect egg-like shape before hand-carving the faces and ears.

For mamas looking to teach their children a thing or two about recycling, many Etsy sellers use recycled or upcycled wax – often the leftover stumps from a broken crayon – to create their fun-shaped coloring pieces. Check out some of our other favorite drawing options below.

Yellow Tea Bus: Cost-Conscience End of Year Teacher Gift

LilSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:00:16 -0700

We all know the drill - the bell rings on the last day of school and students line their teachers' desks with boxes of candy, coffee gift cards and glass apples. But when economic times are tough and families need to stick to budgets, a creative thank-you is a nice concept that will evoke the year's memories.

Inspired by Maum's school bus tea bags, we asked our favorite lil ones to help make a yellow bus filled with tea bags adorned with each member of the class's picture. It costs just dollars to create and will invite the teacher to kick back and relax with a soothing cup once the last kiddo has cleared out his desk.

To see how to create the moving tea box, read more.

Supplies for Project:

Small box of tea bags
Scissors
Yellow construction paper
Glue
Crayons
Photos of child's classmates
Cardboard box

Directions:

Cut little "people" out of the cardboard, ensuring their "arms" are the length of the width of the box and that their "bodies" are narrower.
Closely cut out the faces of your child's classmates and attach them to the "head" of the cardboard bodies with some glue.
Cover the box in yellow construction paper and decorate it to look like a school bus - get as fancy as you wish even calling the bus line "Ms. Bruin's First Grade Class."
Cut slits in the top of the box.
Drop the "bodies" into the slits, ensuring that the "arms" stay on top of the bus, which the bodies drop down.
Attach tea bags to the bodies.
Close the box.

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Kidoodle: Flag Your Love

babysugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 10:27:04 -0700

Buying a present for a one-year-old always seems a tad impersonal since the tot hardly acknowledges the gift. Give him something made with love that he can save throughout the years. It will keep mama from having to make a tough choice at the toy shop while keeping a few dollars in her pocket.

To see how to make this simple sign to hang in the nursery or play room, read more.

Supplies for the project:

Old cereal boxes or manila folders
Glue
Ribbon
Hole puncher
Pencil or pen
Glitter
Ruler or straight edge
Newspaper
A traceable circular object like a can
Bright construction paper

Directions

Use a ruler to draw a few flags on the back of the cereal boxes.
Cut some newspaper in the same shape but about an inch bigger all the way around.
Glue the newspaper to one side of the flag. Fold the edges over and glue them to the back for the triangle.
Trace circles on the bright colored construction paper and cut them out.
Glue the circle onto the newspaper side of the flag.
Draw a letter on the circle and fill it with glue.
Sprinkle the glitter on the glue, shake it off and allow it to dry.
Once dry, punch two holes in the top of the flags.
Run the ribbon through the tops of the flags.
Put it in a cute package and give it to the birthday boy!

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Kidoodle: The Cheap, Easy Way to Create Window Art

LilSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:00:02 -0700

Moms are always looking for fun, entertaining ideas to keep their tots busy throughout the day's waning hours. We were recently sent a pack of Crayola's new Window Crayons ($6) and decided to test them out with a hard-to-impress preschooler during that harried hour before dinner.

The pack comes with five basic, bold colors that easily glide onto a window or mirror surface. The variety of shades and ease with which they could be manipulated, made them an instant hit. Once our tester saw how his drawings "glowed" when the sun hit them, he went to work scribbling, writing and finally narrating a whole story while he drew. When he was through, the entire window was covered and the colors had not smudged a bit. We stepped back and admired his work before it was time for the tot to clean up!

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To see the biggest drawback of the crayons, read more.
Though the packaging claims that the crayons are washable, it took ten paper towels, and a lot of glass cleaner, to make our windows sparkle again. However, when I looked at the clock and saw that it occupied over an hour of the youngster's time, cost a few bucks and had a lot of uses left in its twistable tube, I figured they were worth the elbow grease!

Kidoodles: Eggcellent Bouquets

babysugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:00:01 -0700

Besides yolks, there is another by-product of the Easter egg dying process that usually gets tossed to compost - the egg crate. Instead of throwing it away, use it to craft up something floral with your lil ones. They will enjoy making something out of nothing and you'll get a nifty centerpiece out of it. To see how to make the eggcellent masterpiece, read more.

Items you will need:

Egg crate
Scissors (with fun edges if you want)
Paint
Paintbrush
Green and other colored pipe cleaners
Crinkled paper or cellophane grass
Vase

Now you are ready to begin making your eggtastic bouquet!

Cut the egg cartons into single cups.
Paint the cup and let it dry.
Poke a tiny hole in the bottom of the cup.
Pull the green pipe cleaner through the bottom of the cup and make a small loop to keep it in place.
Use another color pipe cleaner and wrap it around the green to create a pretty eye-popping center.
Fill your vase with the crinkled paper or cellophane grass and place the flowers in the middle.

Voila! Enjoy the poppy inspired flower arrangements!

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10 Indoor Activities and Crafts for Children

LilSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Spring may be in the air and on the racks of clothing stores and drugstore Easter shelves, but most of the US is still battling rainy days. Finding constructive and engaging warm activities can be a challenge, but there are plenty of ways to keep your children entertained indoors. Here are some of my favorite ways to keep my children on the move and creative when a thunderstorm is a-brewing.

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Wrap It Up: Snowman Gift Tag and Ornament

LilSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 06:00:24 -0800

Wee ones love helping to wrap presents, but if their small hands make maneuvering the big packages more of a hassle, set the kids up with a quick art project that will hold their interest. Made from the cotton makeup cloths you have in the cabinet, these frosty lil snowmen gift tags double as ornaments for the recipient's tree. For directions on how to make these simple creations with items found around the house and for step-by-step pictures, read more.

You will need:

Cotton makeup cloths
Glue
Markers
Scissors
Paper clips

Directions:

Take a cotton round and put a dot of glue on one edge and then secure another round to it. Do the same with that round until you have three in a row to form a snowman shape.
Use a pen or marker to write your gift tag info on one side of the snowman.
Flip the snowman over and decorate by adding coal eyes, a carrot nose, buttons, scarf and hat. Or whatever you prefer
Using a scissors snip a small hole in the top of the snowman's head.
Next take a paper clip and open it up a bit to resemble an ornament hook.
Slip the hook through the hole and your tag becomes an ornament.
Hook the ornament through the bow of your gift or tape the bow gently to the wrapping paper.

Hanukkah 101: Your Hanukkah Party

LilSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:00:56 -0800

What's Hanukkah without a party overrun by lil ones feasting on traditional foods, playing festive games and singing along to funny songs. To wrap up our week of Hanukkah coverage, we thought we would help you plan the ultimate party for kids of all ages.

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Hanukkah 101: Create Your Own Menorah

LilSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:00:04 -0800

Get a little crafty this Hanukkah with a homemade menorah of your own. Using just a few household items and an hour or two of your time, it is easy to bypass the child-oriented menorahs in the stores for one that shows your tot's real creativity.

Based on one created by Martha Stewart, this menorah is easy enough for a toddler to help with, and pretty enough to be put on display with yours throughout the holiday. Just remember to always place a menorah on a ceramic plate or a piece of tin foil to help prevent fires.

To see what you need to create your own menorah, as well as step-by-step directions, read more.

Supplies you will need:

A piece of wood, approximately 8 by 2 by 3/4 inches
10 1/4 inch nuts
Wood glue
Clear drying glue
Glitter
Hanukkah candles

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