I love how these flowers look, they are brightening up my kitchen as I type and I love that they will look just as good in a week! My son hasn’t been into making crafts as much lately so I haven’t been pushing it, and have been resisting the urge to offer cookie bribes for crafts too. Kids go through different interests and just because I have a blog doesn’t mean my kid is any different, pushing and bribing them will just send the wrong message . He came in to help with some of the steps but really just wanted to play with the tape !  Choose your battles and for me art time is not one to bother with, it should be fun not work.

1. Gather your materials. You will need a pool noodle that has a pretty flower shape, a bread knife, some green pipe cleaners, some green construction paper, a pen and double stick tape.
2. Start by cutting your pool noodle into 1″ – 1.5 ” slices, one for every flower you want to make.
3. My son was determined to cut the noodle but he’s not allowed to use knives, I think this is where he decided that I would be on my own for art time , he got angry, frustrated and tried to explain to me why he is old enough to use a knife , and when I didn’t buy it he was done .
4. Stick the pipe cleaners into the flowers. This will be tricky for little guys but 3 and up can do it with minimal help. Just be careful they are sharp.
5. Cut the leaves, if my son was helping I would have had him cut the leaves from the green paper. To make it easier on beginner cutters, pre cut the paper into a strip and have them simply cut pieces off. For more adept scissor users just let them make the leaves however they want.
6. Write on each leaf something your child says they like about mom – I managed to get answers from my son who was playing in the next room.  Make sure to leave some room on the ends of the leaves for the tape .
7. Add double stick tape to the ends of the leaves and wrap around the stems.
8. Pop them in a vase and enjoy the flowers and all the special messages on them.

Mother’s Day Books

Did I Tell You I Love You Today? by Deloris Jordan is a very practical yet heartwarming look at all the ways parents show love to their children everyday, from feeding them healthy food to praying after they go to bed. My son loved all the big boy things in the book like, the school bus, basketball and the playground. I teared up reading the book, but I cry at American Idol so that may not be indicative of anything!

Piglet and Mama by Margaret Wild is a mother’s day book I would suggest for the under 3 crowd. My son loved it. Piglet is searching for his mom and even though all the other animal mommies offer for him to join them and their babies he wants his mom! The illustrations by Stephen Michael King capture the warmth between a mama and her baby beautifully . My son has the “Mama” scream perfected and quite enjoyed seeing the little piglet do the same thing for her mama. We had a nice chat after reading this about separation, something we have been struggling with for a while. Before nap today I reminded my son that just like piglet his mama will come get him when he wakes up. Even if separation anxiety isn’t something you are dealing with at your house this is a sweet book.

Mama Always Comes Home by Karma Wilson was a last minute grab at the library that I am so thankful I saw. It starts off with animal mother’s leaving their babies, for all different reasons . A bird gathering food, a dog greeting his master and more. The animal mothers leave, but they also always return to their babies. Then it switches to a child and mother. She reassures the child that she will be back and we watch her leave, and return . I loved this book because my son isn’t the best when I leave him, he related to this book immediately and was repeating ” Mama always comes home!” half way through.

You May Also Like

Newspaper Flowers
Mama and Kid Kissing Hand Necklaces
Pool Noodle Garland