I have gathered some family craft ideas for Easter or just to celebrate spring!
Kid Friendly Craft Ideas Can Be Found @ Boulder Families on Pinterest.
#Easter #Egghunt #outdoorfamily #getoutdoors #Boulder
I have gathered some family craft ideas for Easter or just to celebrate spring!
Kid Friendly Craft Ideas Can Be Found @ Boulder Families on Pinterest.
#Easter #Egghunt #outdoorfamily #getoutdoors #Boulder
Every year I promise I will get better at organizing my kids’ art projects, school projects, etc.. To be honest I still have the bags of items that came home from school and need to be sorted through in my office closet. This used to be the bane of my existence because I loved everything they created, beat myself up over needing to keep it for them [and us], and at the same time was overwhelmed by the sheer quantity. Here are a few suggestions of how to tame the stuff:
1. Buy Frames for Special Art. The pieces we love go on the wall in our dining room. Nicely displayed in matching frames I purchased at Michael’s. They come in different sizes and you can open them easily so I can slip in new pieces and remove the old ones when the time comes. These types of frames are often on sale. Just buy lots of them if you care about them matching.
2. Create a Designated Place for All School Work/Art.I put two [I have 2 kids] file folders [the accordion type] in a file drawer with each of my kid’s names & school year on the front. When items come home I look them over to see if anything still needs to be done with them, then I put it all in the folder. This includes report cards, art, work, etc… I can cull through that pile any time. Don’t forget to put a name and date on each piece.
3. Buy a Large Tupperware for Each Child. After I have culled through the yearly accordion file I move them to a tupperware I created for each of my kids. I keep the accordion files by year in the tupperware. Larger art pieces go in the tupperware along the edge. Don’t forget to date these items.
A few reminders:
How do you store your kids’ stuff? What works best?
Recently I have been really inspired by tents, forts, teepees, and any other fun place for kids to play, dream, create, be inspired, and just be a kid. There are a few links below to articles on just this. Remember that you and your kids can build a fort with a simple sheet [go to Savers for a cheep one you don’t mind leaving outside] and some sticks. Or start with a tree for the base. Have you made any shelters with your kids recently? Share you photos and ideas, please!
Look at these two sites of inspiration:
http://www.improvisedlife.com/2012/06/22/fort-magic-pop-up-rooms-indoors-and-out/
http://www.bellissimakids.com/2012/06/20/playtents-teepees-on-etsy/
The garden is finally all in the ground. It looks great, but we really needed some markers. I hate to let this opportunity slide to get the kids involved in creating something for the garden. They love to pick the plants and harvest the produce and fruit, but I wanted them to have some artistic buy in, so I wanted them to create garden markers. Here are some ideas of ways you can create markers:
1. Wood Markers: You can pick out sticks or 1×2 cedar in short 1ft lengths [more or less as you like]. The kids can carefully carve points on the ends for pushing into the ground. Then then can draw [paint or sharpies] on the wood. On sticks you could create flags with tape to draw on.
2. Rock Markers: Find rocks and have the kids paint names of the plants/veggies in the garden. These turn out super cute. Any rocks work. I like to take the kids on a walk to find the “right” ones for them.
3. Recycled CD Markers: Remember all those old CDs sitting around that you never listen to? The ones that clutter your house. Grab some of those [If you don’t have them ask a friend or neighbor!] and have your kids use sharpies to write the names of each of your plants/veggies. They can add artwork or whatever they like. They could easily embellish with gems or stickers [great for little kids!]. We then used a glue gun and some popsicle sticks to make the stake. They love them and they were so easy!
What every you decide to do consider having your kids go into the garden with you and write down a list of the different veggies/fruit you have. They can do some fun math with this one [e.g., if we have 5 tomato plants, 6 pepper plants, & 3 basil plants, how many do we have all together]. They can also get some writing practice by writing down the different types of plants for which you need markers. The ideas are endless. Whatever you do have fun with it! It always helps if you stay involved and make some markers or something else that has to do with the garden at the same time.
How do you get your kids involved in the garden?
Family Craft Ideas for Easter/Spring
Kid Friendly Craft Ideas Can Be Found @ Boulder Families on Pinterest.
I am always looking for a way to simplify my family’s life! I have enjoyed getting to know the blogging world, Facebook, Twitter, Evernote as well as some others. To nurture my creative side and keep my creative ideas organized I use Pinterest. This website is used by individuals and businesses alike and is growing in popularity at an incredible rate!
“Pinterest is a social media network based on images. If you find a recipe, a blog post, a pair of pants, a livingroom set, you can “pin” it to a board and share it with your followers. Similarly, if you see something someone else has “pinned” you can “repin” it to your board. Picture an enormous blank wall with individual bulletin boards organized by your interests.” As said by Social Velocity I personally keep “pins” in categories such as: Crafts, DIY, Recipes, Design Ideas, Rainy Day Projects, Organizing, etc. But you can keep it in whatever form works for you. Be very careful because this “pinning” can get addicting!
Here’s why I love it:
1. It’s Easy: It allows me to organize my creative ideas and inspirations easily. I keep ideas of crafts to do with the kids, design ideas for our house, things that inspire me, etc… These are all kept on separate “boards”. I can find the ideas on Pinterest or elsewhere and simply “pin” to a board. [You can download a simple app that allows you to “pin” things to your account.]
2. It’s Creative: I can browse for ideas & follow people who have ideas & projects I like. I can take a look around Pinterest and find others who are posting things I appreciate. I can then “follow” them to find out what else they are doing.
3. It Helps Me Keep My Ideas Organized: I can organize recipes. There are tons of yummy recipes on Pinterest. You can get great ideas and keep them well organized on their own board.
4. It’s Always With Me: I can access Pinterest wherever I am. I like that I can pull up or share my boards any time.
To get started: Go to Pinterest.com. You have to request an invitation. If this doesn’t work just email me and I will shoot you an invitation. [When I tried to join without an invitation from someone already on it took weeks to get an invitation.] Then start to browse around. Before you start “pinning” ideas to boards you will want to consider what categories you want [just sketch it out before you get going]. Now make new boards and when you see something you like you can “pin” it to a board. You can also download a “pin it” app for your computer or phone so you can “pin” things you like outside of Pinterest.
If you have any questions shoot me an email or comment. Enjoy!
Make Pinwheels with your kids. Engaging project for the 6 to 10 year old set. These are fun to make & use.