Artful Thursday - A Big Mouthed Thank You

Fun times are spending some creative time with your 6 yr old....Aidan and I had a little creative time after school this Artful Thursday. We finally got around to making Thank you cards for all those who celebrated his birthday with him. I picked up this fun big-mouthed stamp. I thought this character could be shouting out anything including "Thank You!". So I gathered up some cardstock, ink, paste and a pen, then let Aidan lead the way on this project.



He decided that I should stamp and tear cardstock, and he would cut and paste. This is what we came up with.



Fun little cards to thank all his friends and family for all the love they sent his way on his special day.

Meet The Monsters

Meet the "Dark Blue Grrrster", "Milesbot 3000", and Z'Sun'z. These monsters enjoyed themselves searching for moon rocks, flying spaceships and just having silly fun.

I'd forgotten about this Hallmark Make-A-Mask kit that included sticker activity. I found this unopened kit at a thrift store quite some time ago for .30 cents. I came across it again today while digging around in my craft stash for some fun for the kids. This was lots of creative fun making the masks as well as, making up silly monster, robot, alien stories. Masks are fun and easy to make even without a kit and sure makes for good make believe play. As for this kit, it sure was .30 cents well spent.

Rules of the Wrap

I know I've said it many times but I really enjoy wrapping presents...there's just so many possibilities that makes it so much fun. But there's a few rules I like to follow when I wrap a kids gift. Especially, when you're wrapping a toddlers to let's say 4 yrs old, young kids just love bright colors. So, I try to wrap with fun brightly colored patterns and if there's more than one item I wrap them separately in coordinating wrap. Why wrap it all up in one box when visually you can make it feel so much more grand for them. If you're thinking for green reasons, there's so many possibilities that are still earth friendly. Repurposed papers such as Sunday comics, old maps and children's art work, gift wrap made from recycled paper or even fabrics that can be reused/repurposed. Be creative, if their birthday is in the summer you could use a bright colored beach towel...you get the idea. Same goes for the ribbon. Some of my favorites are raffia (comes in so many colors), grosgrain and satin ribbon that can always be reused for something else. I try to stay away form the plastics, curling ribbons and bows that end up in our land fills and harming birds. Why just slap a bow on it when you can embellish it with so many other fun items whether it's pretty ribbon, or another fun little toy.



This age is also around the time when kids start to recognize their name in print and get so excited when they see it. For this reason, I love to make sure I tag the gift with their name in large print. What's more exciting for a little kid than receiving a fun colored package that has there name on it? Well I guess maybe opening it! Yippee! I usually just use a shipping tag that I embellish with stickers, stamps, or markers. When you make your own tags, it's so much more personal, made for that specific individual, you can't get more personal than that.


So those are just a few of the things I keep in mind when wrapping a gift. Most importantly, have fun with it, you can't wrong when it's your own creation.

What We Like Wednesdays: Coloring Fun For Easter

The boys love to color...because of this, I make sure to keep plenty of crayons, paper, and coloring books in the house. There's lots to be learned from coloring. Despite some arguments against it, my background in occupational therapy leads me to believe coloring encourages cognitive development including creativity, as well as physical functional development. I observe this in my kids when they color. I'm able to see their differences in attention and focus as well as their coordination, grip and endurance. These are all important skills for handwriting readiness. So as long as they're interested in coloring, I encourage and indulge them in this favored past time.

We recently enjoyed coloring these great Easter coloring pages I came across over at "make and takes" fabulous blog. So, if your looking for some great Easter activities and you want to encourage your child's development, check them out. Oh and did I mention they were free!

What We Like Wednesday: A Hodge Podge Including an Oldie But Goody

We've got some fun stuff going on here which I'm thankful for at the moment. Rainy weather and sick kids makes for a home bound household. It during these times that I'm in search of some good entertainment that helps us make it through the day. I usually keep some goodies in the closet for times like these, or as special prizes for good behavior, last minute gift for someone etc. Actually need to find a new hiding place for these items as the boys have discovered the treasure closet. I digress, let's get back to the main topic, shall we.
This is an oldie but goody. Perfection, I remember playing this at a neighbors house when I was a kid many (yes many) years ago. We rediscovered the joy of it while at a friend's house during Superbowl Sunday and decided this was something worth having. The kids absolutely love it, and what's even better is that this game has some educational value. Playing this game challenges cognitive abilities such as, attention span, spatial relations, and focus/concentration. These are the kind of toys/games I especially love. What's especially great about this is that every one young and old can play this. With my 3 yr olds I initially didn't set the timer, just letting them put the pieces in. After a few times of this we were then able to set the timer for them along with the rest of us.



My kids love trains and they love puzzles so this little goody packed plenty of fun. Ride on Loco, it's a small 9 piece puzzle that forms a 6 inch square with a round track. Wind up toy and watch it go round and round. If your thinking of Easter already, specifically Easter baskets, this is a perfect little gift to add to those baskets.


And finally, thanks to my friend Ebba, who brought these over for the boys, we've been enjoying fuse beads. Ebba put these together in little packages with a small pegboard in each as a party favor for her kids birthday party. What a fabulous idea. So once again, this was a great activity that we all enjoyed, my only caveat is this should be done with close supervision for the little ones. As I stepped away for a minute to refill my coffee mug, Miles ( 3 1/2 yrs old) had stuck a bead up his nose. Thankfully I was able to get it out but it sure had me in a bit of a panic for a moment. Besides that scary moment, this has been fun and it's another one of those great activities that allows for creativity. Aidan was thrilled when he made and "L" in his square, "L for Liam" It's always a sweet experience to watch my kids take such pride in the things they make.

Since it looks like we have a few more days of being home bound I'm certain we'll be enjoying these new goodies for awhile.