Archive for February 2011
“This is the best craft EVER.” I wasn’t even sure it was going to be a post until he said that. But let’s be honest when your child declares that and then stays busy playing with it, it’s got to be shared. This was really fun and helps clean out my art closet that is in a sad sad state. I will be doing crafts inspired by my “Spring Cleaning” ( really cleaning before listing our house for sale) on my other blog so check them out! Also please remember any crafts with ribbons. yarn and strings should be closely supervised and only played with while supervised.
- Gather your materials. You will need a dinner sized napkin, clear tape, a hole punch, yarn, scissors and a wee paratrooper ( we used our playmobil ambulance driver).
- Start by cutting 4 pieces of yarn all the same length ( we did about a foot).
- Next open your napkin all the way.
- Reinforce the corners with clear tape. I did the front and the back. This will make it sturdy and resist ripping.
- Punch holes in about the same place in each corner.
- Tie the yarn to the holes. I also taped the ends down.
- Now tie two strands on each side together.
- Make two more knots close together, these will be the arm holes.
- Pop them in it.
- Drop!
I love the crafts Allie does for letters. We have done many of them at our house. We also try to come up with some different ones, too. Here is our favorite for the letter E.
You will need an empty egg carton (we used 18 count carton), scissors, glue, paper, and a marker.
Have your little one cut the carton into strips.
While they are cutting you can draw an upper case E on the sheet of paper.
Have your child glue egg carton strips onto the lines of the letter.
Poof, you have a beautiful upper case E.
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Kim is a contributing writer for No Time For Flash Cards, a mom to a toddler, a preschooler, and a foster parent, too. She juggles her day by trying out fun activities and crafts with the kids. After all, she is just a big kid herself. See what she has been up to over at Mom Tried It.
Our 1st public post - February 2008
No Time For Flash Cards turned 3 years old this week. We promise not to get too sassy, picky about what we eat or even start refusing to nap. No in our 3rd year we are planning on finding more ways to focus on WE and celebrate kids, books, learning through play and sharing ideas because all kids win when we share . So share your best post you wrote this week , and remember it can be about anything, as long as it’s your best!
Have a fantastic week and thanks for being a part of 3 wonderful years here at No Time For Flash Cards.
I admit I am not a huge fan of fairy tales , as a child the old classic ones scared me and as a teacher I rarely liked the lessons. However kids enjoy them and when my son grabbed one of these books from the shelf at the library I decided to grab three other versions and compare . It was fun to introduce my son to compare and contrast while critiquing these books.
The Three Bears 
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Goldilocks
Do you have a favorite Goldilocks and the Three Bears book?
Painting with an infant is messy. I don’t like using paint brushes with tiny kids because paint flings everywhere, they look like spoons so they tend to go straight in the mouth and even ones with thicker handles are hard for little hands. Instead using easy to wash plastic toys like these blocks are a great way to paint and explore .
- Gather your materials. You will need some paper, paint, blocks, plastic plate, painter’s tape and an eager baby.
- Start by using the painter’s tape to secure the paper. This is a must for us, for whatever reason my daughter has a serious fondness for paper. This keeps it as art instead of food.
- Pour some paint on the plate.
- Dip the block in and go for it.
- She examined it for a long time.
- Then started moving it around the paper. I took the other block and tapped it on the paper but she wanted to roll . It’s tempting to show babies and toddlers how to do things by holding their hands in yours and moving them, resist that urge when it’s a free exploration like this . Show them by example and then just narrate what they are doing. *( ETA – reader Brooke asked for an explanation about this and I want to make it clear that it’s not wrong to help your child do tasks by holding their hands , I was referring to free art explorations like this. My reasoning being that by letting them explore with their own motivation that they will direct their own play. I hope that clears it up ! Thanks Brooke!)
- She managed to get it up to her mouth but because the blocks are big not much made it in and was easy to wipe off.
With toddlers and preschoolers you can make fun shape prints with the blocks by slamming it down so if you have multiple ages this is a fun easy project for a rainy day.
