Reindeer with Shapes

My daughter came up to me this morning and asked if we could do a craft. Of course we can! So I looked through my archive of craft activities and found one that we didn't get a chance to complete before Christmas.

This adorable Reindeer craft uses basic shapes to make a fun and simple craft for toddlers.

(Click on pic to make larger)

Materials:
construction paper
glue stick
scissors
googly eyes

Directions:
1) Cut out shapes of varying sizes to make three reindeer faces.
2) Separate the materials needed for each reindeer into piles.
3) Starting with the largest reindeer (or what my daughter calls the daddy reindeer), have your child glue the nose, eyes, and antlers onto the head. Repeat with the other (mommy and baby) reindeer.
4) Once all of the reindeer are put together, have your child stack them on a piece of construction paper from smallest to largest and glue down.

***My toddler is getting good at using a glue stick by herself but I'm always right next to her to help out if she gets frustrated.

While making crafts, I ask learning questions to enrich the activity.

Learning Questions:
What shapes do you see?
What shape are the reindeer's eyes?
Where should the reindeer's nose go?
How many eyes (nose, antlers) do reindeer have?
How many sides does a square (rectangle, circle) have?
Which reindeer is the largest(medium size, smallest)?

(Click on pic to make larger)

For a step by step tutorial of this need craft, see Housing a Forest.

Happy Crafting!

Baby and Toddler Leg Warmers

If you are like me, changing diapers all day and/or taking your toddler to the potty several times a day, you probably feel like all you do is dress and undress your children. In the summer, this isn't too bad because I'll have my daughter run around in a dress and my baby in a onesie, but it is too cold to leave their legs bare in the winter. Putting leg warmers on babies/toddlers is the perfect solution! I've decided that it is time for me to try my hand at making baby leg warmers. Here it goes!

Materials:

Adult Knee High Socks

Scissors

Ruler (or just estimate)

Coordinating Thread

Sewing Machine

Lay out your knee high socks onto a flat surface. 

Note: You don't need a rotary mat for this project, I just tend to always use it when I am crafting.

 Make a cut right above the heel. This will detach the foot of the sock.

With the foot of the sock, cut off the heel and the toe section. This will leave about a 4 inch section.

 Fold the 4 inch foot section inside itself to where the ends are together. 

Flip this piece inside out to where the wrong side is facing out.

 Align the folded foot section with the cut off end of the leg section to where all of the ends are together.

 The ends tend to roll so you will have to do your best to keep them flat.

Using your sewing machine, sew the leg section and folded foot section together. 

I followed the line between the black and yellow stripes to ensure a straight stitch.

Remember to back stitch at the beginning and end.

 Remove from the sewing machine and cut off the excess material.

Pull down on the smaller piece which will turn it right side out again.

 You finished one leg warmer, now complete the other one the exact same way.

   All finished! That wasn't too difficult. 

Now for my little princess to try them on...

Voila!!!
 I'd say they turned out pretty darn cute!
Now if I can only find some boyish knee high socks to make a pair for my son...

Happy Crafting!

Elf on the Shelf Tutu Tutorial

So excited to start Elf on the Shelf with my daughter this year. She chose to adopt a little girl elf. The little elf was purchased along with the book online.When "Elf" (the completely original name given by my daughter) arrived I was a little disappointed with the her outfit. It was pretty plain and not very festive.

Something had to be done. Before my daughter woke up one morning, 

I constructed a new addition to Elf's outfit. 

She now has an adorable new tutu to wear! It's perfect for a spunky little Christmas elf!

                                                      DRAB                                                       

            

FAB!

Doesn't she just glisten with her sparkly new tutu?!

Here's what you need to make a little tutu for your Christmas elf.

Materials:

Scrap Fabric (red sparkly, green, white- 

need less than 1/8 yard of each color.)

Rotary cutter

Rotary Mat

Ruler

Ponytail Holder

 Directions: 
Cut scrap pieces to 4 inch by 6 inch strips.

 Cut out 4 red, 4 green, and 8 white strips.

 Here are my stacks of tulle ready to tie.

Place pony tail holder around Elf's waist.

To make the tutu, you will tie each piece of tulle to the pony tail holder by following these simple steps:
Fold the tulle in half.
Place folded part under pony tail holder.
Make a loop at the top.
Push end pieces of tulle through loop and pull tight.

Once you get the hang of it, it doesn't take long to tie all of the pieces.

I used a red, white, green, white pattern.

 When the tutu is finished remove it from the elf. Make sure the tied knots are about the same size and evenly spaced. Trim up any extra long pieces of tulle.

(Remember to fluff up the tulle so that it looks more full.)

  Replace tutu around your elf's waist and smile, 

because this little elf will have lots of nice things to say to Santa Clause tonight!

Enjoying the morning sun. 

Ready for her favorite two year old to wake up!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Happy Crafting!

Old MacDonald's Farm Animal Puppets

I love to sing with my kiddos. 

One of our favorite songs is Old MacDonald's Farm.

When I came across a tutorial for animal puppets to use with the song, I knew I had to make them. 

The tutorial I used is from Spoonful.

I changed up a few of the designs and colors and I think they turned out adorable.

I didn't make the Old MacDonald farmer, but there is a pattern for him as well.

The longest part is cutting every little piece out from the felt, 

but it was a pretty simple (hard to mess up) project.

 Here's a look at the front and back of each puppet that I made.

My daughter has received so much enjoyment from playing with these animal puppets.

Sing along as you watch this Old MacDonald's video.

I hope your favorite little person does too!

Happy Crafting!

Fall Crafts for Toddlers

Pumpkin Circle Painting

Cut out a pumpkin from orange construction paper.
Put small amounts of green, orange, and brown paint onto a paper plate.
Use an empty toilet paper roll and dip into paint.
Press toilet paper roll onto pumpkin creating circles.

Leaf Color Sorting

Go on a leaf hunt!
Dump leaves onto table and let toddler explore while you get paper ready.
Depending on what colors you find, divide up the paper into sections for each color.
Write out the names each color using the same color crayon.
(This makes it easier for the toddler to sort.)
Have toddler sort leaves. Glue onto paper.

Turkey Paper Bag Puppet

(Found the printable for turkey here and made some modifications to the original.

I didn't use the "pilgrim" costume pieces and chose not to print onto colored paper.)

Open printable and print selected pages onto white card stock.

Color with crayon and cut out turkey pieces.

Glue pieces to paper bag.

Gobble Gobble.

Hand Print Turkey and Poem

(Found the printable for Handy Turkey here .)

Print out Handy Turkey sheet.

Paint child's hand with selected colors.

Stamp hand onto sheet.

Add turkey details with markers.

Share with someone you are thankful for.

Indian Corn

Cut out corn cob and husk from yellow and green construction paper.
Cut out many square pieces of assorted tissue paper.
Roll tissue paper pieces into little balls (aka corn kernels).
Dip the corn kernels into glue and stick onto corn cob.

Leaf Wreath

 Go on a leaf hunt!
Cut out a paper plate ring (just cut a circle out of the middle).
OR to make it more fun, cut out a shape from the middle and paint the plate.
Pick off the leaf stems.
Glue leaves to plate.

*The leaves will dry out and curl after a few days.
If you want to make a leaf wreath that will last longer, see Fallen Leaf Wreath.

Fallen Leaf Art

See Fallen Leaf Art.

I hope you enjoy these fall crafts as much as we did!

Happy Crafting!

Teaching with Tot Books

In my post Tot Books for your Toddler, I walked you through how to make a Tot Book. In this post, I will discuss how to use Tot Books with your child in an effective way.

Note: The learning materials I use for Tot Books can be found on www.1plus1plus1equals1.com. Go to this site to find and download the printables for Tot Books and a ton of other awesome kid stuff.

How do I use a Tot Book?
Tot Books can be used as an introduction to concepts, for guided learning (working with a parent) or as independent play for the child.

 Checking out her new Farm Tot Book.

Here are a few suggested activities:

 Matching cards (colors, animals, heads and tails):
1. Spread out all of the cards on the floor and have have your child pick up the matches independently or you can call out specific matches to find.
2. Keep one set of cards in your hand and lay out the other set in front of your child. Hand the child one of your cards and he/she has to find its match.
3. Turn the cards upside down and play a memory game.

Animal Matching

Heads and Tails

 Size sequencing cards:
1. Discuss the terms "big" and "little". Model with objects in the room. Lay out the cards in random order in front of the child. Have the child pick up one that is "big". Then have them pick up one that is "little".
2. Use names for the cards to help them remember the order. My daughter likes referring to the cards as Mommy Bear, Daddy Bear, Big Sister Bear, and Little Brother Bear, so we use that strategy to help her remember how to order things from biggest to smallest and vice versa.
3. An alternative to putting the cards in a line, would be to try laying the cards one on top of the other. This may provide a clearer visual for which card is bigger than the other.

 Tractor Size Sequencing

 Coloring Books and Mini Books:
1. Read the books with the child, pointing to each word as you say them and color accordingly.
2. When child is familiar with book, read it again but leave out key words and have the child use the picture to finish the sentence.
3. Have the child tell you the whole story using the pictures in the book.

Alphabet cards: 
1. Use the cards as a visual while singing the alphabet; pointing to each letter as you sing.
2. Show the child a card and have him/her pick out the letter you name. For example, you would hold up the card that says DEF and ask the child which letter is F? You can also do this for letter sounds when the child is ready.
3. Practice putting the cards in ABC order.
 (pictures coming soon)

Number cards:
1. For each card, point to the pictures with your finger while you count. Then, point to the number and repeat its name.
2. Put the cards in number order.
3. Guess and check. Have the child guess how many items he/she thinks is on the card at a quick glance and then count the items to see how close he/she got to the actual number.
4. Lay out all the cards in front of the child and call out a number to find.
 (pictures coming soon)

As you begin to use Tot Books, I'm sure you'll come up with other fun ways to practice these early learning skills with your kiddo. Remember to keep it fun!


Happy Crafting!

Tot Books for your Toddler

I love using Tot Books with my toddler to practice early learning skills in a fun way. My daughter loves to pick out the theme for her Tot Books (Dora, Princess, Brown Bear, Brown Bear) and the activities. I enjoy putting it all together into a book for her. I have made several tot books but they are well used and pretty worn out. Now that I need to make new Tot Books, I thought it would be fun to share what they are and how I make them.

What is a Tot Book?
A Tot Book is a small book filled with printable learning activities.

How do I make a Tot Book?
1. Gather Materials.
file folder (I just use the plain folders but colored folders would be fun.)
scissors
white card stock
white printer paper
stapler, tape
permanent marker
crayons

2: Cut file folder in half width-wise. This will make the "shell" for two Tot Books. Fold the outer flaps toward the middle and crease edges. This should give your book four sections.

 3. Click here to find an assortment of Tot Book themes. Guide your toddler to pick out a fun theme and printable activities. For my daughter's newest Tot Book, she wanted Farm Animals. Click here to find the Farm Tot Book printables. (BEFORE YOU PRINT READ NUMBER 4)

 4. Some printables work better on card stock than regular printer paper. My rule of thumb is, if it is a game with cards or a pocket to hold game pieces then it should be printed on card stock.

For coloring or mini books, print on regular printer paper. I can usually put 3-5 activities in one Tot Book depending on the sizes. Print all needed printables.

5. Cut out all pieces. 

For the pockets, fold them and tape edges. If you don't do this, the pockets will not stay together.
For the books, simple staple the pages together.

6. Arrange activities inside the file folder to your liking. Remember you will need to be able to fold the Tot Book. Staple activities to the inside of file folder.

 7. Write the theme on the front of the Tot Book.

 8. Let the learning fun begin! See post on Teaching with Tot Books.

See my post on Teaching with Tot Books to find fun ways to use these activities.


Note: The learning materials I use for Tot Books can be found on www.1plus1plus1euals1.com. Go to this site to find and download the printables for Tot Books and a ton of other awesome kid stuff.

Happy Crafting!