Author Archives: Susan
Hot and Cool Colors Lesson Making Leaves
I taught this hot and cool colors lesson to some very eager pre-K’s. They’ve been learning about hot and cool colors, so we incorporated that as we made TONS of leaves! This project doesn’t require very many materials, and is appropriate for kids at lots of different levels. I think it would work for kids […]
Back-and-forth Drawing
I recently read this book about artist Mica Angela Hendricks, who has been making collaborative work with her four year old. While I don’t have her awesome illustration skills, I still thought it would be fun to create a game out of making artwork together. So, inspired by Hendricks (and partially by the game “Exquisite […]
Multi-colored Hand Stamps
Make your own handprint stamp, and use all the colors of the rainbow to make this project! As you stamp, you can use the process as an opportunity to talk about differences, working together, and equality. You’ll need A “block” to make your stamp on. We used a piece of linoleum, but […]
Simple Animal Masks
Dress up is always a favorite around here, no matter the occasion. Today we made this simple, but cool masks using only some basic supplies. Maybe you’ll be able to tell (or maybe not!) we were inspired after a talk about how Eric Carle might make his artwork in some of our favorite books, like […]
Monet Inspired Waterlilies Project for Kids
I think it’s fun to introduce kids to art history in a variety of ways! Luckily, here in Philly, we have one of Claude Monet’s paintings featuring his famous waterlilies. After seeing the painting in person, and looking at some of his other paintings online (like my favorite one at MoMA), we decided to make […]
Kids Party Ideas: Make Sparkling Slap Bracelets with Friends
It’s pretty hard to run out of ideas for kid’s birthday parties Dayton because there’s no such thing as getting TOO creative! So, this might seem like our 1000th post on activities you can do at birthday parties but we think all of them are good ideas that you can do with your kids and […]
Recycled Storybook Stationary
Mail is such a treat, to send or receive! Make these super adorable envelopes to send some mail to special kids in your life. For this project, I used an oversized book scissors pencil gluestick an envelope as a template Start by choosing a book. It could be one your kids have outgrown, or […]
Easy Winter Animal Paper Costumes
At school recently, we found ourselves in a time crunch to create a whole bunch of winter creature costumes for the winter pageant. They had to be super affordable, easy enough that the kids could make their own, and I obviously wanted to have them be recognizable! These paper costumes were fun to make in […]
White Chocolate Colorful Party Popcorn
Some times it’s fun to change up a old standby. Dress up a favorite snack to fit any color scheme you can think up! For this special treat, we started with popcorn. You could air pop it (probably your healthiest bet) or make it on the stove, but I’d stay away from microwave popcorn, which […]
Pinch Pot Monster Texture Project
We recently made these “pinch pot monster texture projects” in my classroom, and it was such a fun project! I think the lessons involved can easily be implemented at home too. The project came about because we were learning about texture in art class. There’s no better way to cement an idea than to actually […]
Fall Leaves Mobile
Make this beautiful leaf-mobile to hang in your space! Kids will have fun learning about warm and cool colors, and the whole family will be able to enjoy your mobile once it’s hung! This project is fairly quick, easy, and cheap (three big plus’s in my book). We used coffee filters (white work best) scissors […]
Paper Plate Craft: Thanksgiving Pies
Half the fun of Thanksgiving is in the preparation, right? Make these funny little pies with your kids in anticipation of the holiday weekend! We used small paper plates, paint, construction paper, pencils, glue and scissors to make these mini play pies. You probably have all these things around the house already! First decide what […]
Fall Placecards
We’re having a fancy Fall tea party, and we used leaves (which are so abundant in my yard!) and Sharpie paint pens to make some personalized placecards for our guests! I must say, I was so impressed by how these markers worked on an organic surface! We doodled on some leaves, wrote names of our […]
Measurements Lesson and Play (with free printable!)
After reading some particularly encouraging testimonials and blogs, we’re trying to work a LOT more water drinking into our daily routine. Staying well hydrated is good for both your mind and body! In figuring out the optimum amount to drink I ran into a lot of logistic problems. Should I count ounces all day? Cups? […]
Pantone Leaf Necklace
I seriously might have a problem, I think I’m addicted to paint samples. In any case, we did this fun project immortalizing the colors of Fall, and turned it into a beautiful fun necklace. Check it out! We started on a crisp morning with a walk around our neighborhood, collecting some “samples”. It was fun […]
Spirit Animals
If your world is anything like mine, Halloween costumes are a hot topic around this time of year. I keep a running list of costume ideas going year-round, so we don’t get caught clueless at the end of October, and I’ve got plenty of bits and pieces for a variety of personas saved from years […]
Halloween Party Idea: Disco Pumpkin
Carving pumpkins is tons of fun (and the tools have gotten ridiculously better since I was a kid!) but it sure is messy, and sometimes it doesn’t seem like a great idea to put all those sharp tools into tiny hands! While the grown ups are carving, and sorting the pumpkin seeds for a treat […]
Milk Jug Skull Lanterns
Use a few materials that you might already have on hand to make these spooky milk jug skulls! I saw some of these on someone’s stoop the other night and thought we have got to try that! This simple craft calls for just a few supplies, doesn’t take long, and makes a big impact in […]
Halloween Garland
Every trip to the hardware store seems to result in a pocket full of paint sample colors, and we LOVE making crafts from them! I guess because of the season, we ended up with a lot of spooky colors this time – we used them to make this easy holiday garland. Your garland is only […]
Play With Your Food: Pizza Fun Faces
Spice up an easy meal by encouraging your kids to really play with their food! Here’s an easy project on a day when you might not really have time to do anything but make dinner. Use pizza toppings (we used pepperoni, green peppers, and tomato) and some little frozen pizzas. Or you can easily make […]
Ghost-mallows!
Make your fall drinks way ghoulier with these fun and easy Halloween marshmallows! We used: – pre-packaged instant hot chocolate mix (but you could definitely make your own) – marshmallows – black FoodWriter marker After cutting the marshmallows in half (which isn’t totally necessary, but means the marshmallows will float flat, or “face up” […]
Halloween Party Idea: Spooky Ice Hands
Use household gloves to make some ghostly hands to add to Halloween party games and decor! You may use a giant porch spider, funko figures, or even a spook-tacular neon sign customized to suit the Halloween decor (available on online stores like Neon Filter and alike). But adding a couple of creepy hands could be […]
DIY Mummy Decorations from Toys
We’re getting pretty into dress-up here lately, and it’s extending into the toy collection. It’s almost like they have a big costume party coming up or something… Today we turned a ordinary dollar store tough guy into a seasonally appropriate mummy! This project is fun because kids get to work with their hands preparing the […]
Spaghetti Painting
Here’s another unconventional (but fun and silly!) painting method to try out: spaghetti painting! It’s slippery and slimy and messy – a super tactile way to paint! You’ll need cooked spaghetti paint containers (we used muffin liners – you’ll need something shallow enough that the floppy spaghetti can really “get in there” and […]
Easy Geometric String Art for Preschoolers
Encourage fine motor skills and pattern making with this easy-too-make geometric string art project! There’s a number of ways to complete this project. We used Cardboard A marker to trace a circle Styrofoam plate Scissors (and for thicker cardboard, a utility knife) A variety of embroidery floss or yarn tape We made two string […]
Secret Agent ID Card – Free Printable!
When you’re a kid, there’s nothing more fun than pretending to be a mysterious spy. Print these secret agent ID badges, and let your little ones create their own secret identities! Let them paste or draw their photo. Get a stamp pad and fingerprint them. Fill out the important secret agent information. Cut out, […]
Washi Tape Flags
Here’s a way to make some super cute and super easy muffin toppers! They look great with our wild-berry muffins and are a good activity to get into while you wait for the muffins to bake (especially if you have antsy little bakers around). You’ll need toothpicks washi tape (in a few different […]
Toothpick Porcupines
Make these pokey, adorable toothpick porcupines with air dry clay and toothpicks. We made two different kinds, a “regular” porcupine, and a rainbow porcupine! You’ll need air dry clay (we used 2 different brands, both worked great) toothpicks markers For a rainbow porcupine, you’ll start by coloring toothpicks in any […]