Age 8 and older
Image courtesy of acclaimclipart.com
Teaching your children especially the littlest ones about giving, charity and service is not an easy task . When I try to explain why we give to charity to my son sometimes his questions stump me and I am not used to being stumped by kid questions. After much thought I decided the best way to learn is by example and we can all get into the spirit together. From today until Christmas Day, I want to see how many acts of charity, service and giving we as a blog community can accomplish with our kids. Every Saturday I will showcase these acts of giving in a photo slide show and feature one on the blog. It’s not a contest, it’s not a giveaway, it’s just a way for our kids to make a difference and to be a part of something greater than themselves .
Here is what you need to do :
1.Go do some good ( donate a toy, drop off some food at a food bank, shovel an elderly neighbors driveway, take dog food to the local shelter…)
2. Take a picture of that good deed.
3. Send that picture to us : allie@notimeforflashcards.com with the subject ” Giving” feel free to add a blurb about what your child is doing, their reaction or thoughts.
4. Visit the blog on Saturdays (Starting December 4th) to see how many good deeds were done and your picture in the slide show- and to see what the “Good Deed Of The Week” was .
Together we can show our kids how important taking care of each other is and how even little hands make a big difference!
Sometimes when I make a craft I get inspired but I am not sure where from. I made this ghost craft and couldn’t remember where the inspiration came from until I was reading I Can Teach My Child and remembered this project. You can see the similarities! So yes my inspiration comes from all over . This is a parent and tot craft , there are many steps that are tricky for little ones. But my son loves the final product, he runs into the foyer looks at the ghosts and screams ” I am frightened, ahhh!” then burst out in giggles daily. So I would say it’s a hit. I will be packing these up and taking them out every year with my Easy Halloween Wreath .
- Gather your materials. You will need clear contact paper, black construction paper, white tissue paper or party streamers ( or any white paper) , Scissors ( kid and adult), and black sticky back foam.
- Start by drawing a ghost and cutting out many frames. I used the insides for fun fast activities and let my son color them with chalk .
- Have your child cut the tissue paper – if you use a streamer I find it’s easier for beginning cutters to handle and cut independently. Tissue paper is flimsy. My son still only cut a few – another tip, make sure kid scissors are clean ours had something sticky on them and weren’t cutting well, by the time I cleaned them he was over it. Learn from my oops.
- Place the frames on the contact paper so the sticky side is up.
- Add the paper into the frames.
- While they do that make eyes out of sticky back foam.
- Cover with another piece of contact paper, press firmly.
- Cut the ghosts out.
- Add the eyes
- Pop on a mirror, window, door… wherever you need a few adorable ghosts!
Halloween Books
Dem Bones 
Monster Math
Big Pumpkin 
This craft came about because my son wanted to make a puppet to have a puppet show, and I wanted to do a panda bear craft because we’d never done one and I get requests quite often. I love using short cuts like cupcake liners if I have them on hand but you can just use white paper too. Puppets make great crafts because their usefulness extends past their creation and spark my favorite type of play – pretend play!
- Gather your materials. You will need a paper bag, some white cupcake liners or paper, black paper, black marker , googly eyes, glue and scissors.
- Start by having your child color the paper bag, a little, a lot it won’t make a difference to the end result. I have been trying to fit more pen/pencil/marker time for my son because we are working on his tripod grip and I am not a fan of sitting down and forcing a skill at this age. However if I can use a fraction of art time to practice it’s a bonus!
- While they color cut out a nose( which I forgot and had to do after I took this picture), 2 ears and 2 eye patches for the panda using the black paper.
- Next glue on a cupcake liner on the main part of the bag for the panda’s belly.
- Glue the 2nd liner on the folded bottom ( now the top) for the face.
- Time for more glue – for the eyes.
- Add the eyes. You can see crafts are so useful for things like fine motor skills not just killing time with your kids!
- Add the ears and nose too!
- Let dry and play.
Books
Dinner at the Panda Palace 
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
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Need a fun art project for your older kids? This fall tree project is perfect. It’s somewhat time consuming for the careful or perfectionist child but dries quickly enough for those who are more impatient. Welcome fall into your house and or homeschool curriculum with this .
- Gather your materials. You will need a canvas, painters tape, a sponge paint brush and paint.
- Start by taping the tree form. I ripped my tape into strips for the branches.
- I also made falling and fallen leaves with tiny pieces.
- Press down hard so paint won’t seep under.
- Start painting. I used all different fall colors and blended them.
- Let dry
- Peel off the tape carefully.
Need a fall themed craft for a younger child? Try this Fall Leaves Craft
Kids are heading back-to-school and it’s time to celebrate whether you wave goodbye as they get on the bus or sit down to teach them at the kitchen table. These are fun crafts for a new school year!
Need some alphabet activities for homeschooling? Try my ebook!
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