: Earthworms :

Earthworms are one of nature's wiggly wonders. Kids love to hold them in their hands.

They love to watch them move around and disappear magically into the dirt.

And kids love to discover the unseen; what goes on beneath the soil.

We filled a large jar (one that does not have ripples works better) full of moist soil. We gathered several earthworms from around our house and put them in the soil. We covered the jar and wrapped it tightly with a towel, safety pinning it. After a day or so, we unwrapped it and looked at all the trails and earthworms themselves. The boys thoroughly enjoyed watching what happens underground in the earthworm community.

Then Jared decided to take it a step further and sew a felt earthworm...it was his idea. So, I cut out two earthworm peices and he stitched away.

: Nature Wall Hanging Made with Cartons, Boxes, and Knick Knacks :

We live tucked away on the edge of the forest up here in the mountains. Our family loves nature hikes, listening to the array of local birds, smelling the flowers.... So, I thought I would create a cute collection of naturey things we love for the boys to enjoy in their own space. My idea originally was inspired by Giddy Giddy, but as always, I decided to create something quite a bit different. :)

I utilized milk cartons (1/2 gallon and quart sized), a tea box, granola bar boxes, tape, glue, scrap fabric, and various knick knacks mainly from the thrift store.

I cut each box and carton down to about 2 inches tall.

I laid out how I was going to put the wall hanging together.

I picked out different fabric for each little "cubby" and cut each to fit in its corresponding box by placing each box on top and marking the corners. Then, I cut right angles to each corner, as shown above.

I brushed each thoroughly with glue and placed each piece of fabric in its place. We let that dry overnight.

I used packaging tape to adhere all the boxes together. Then, I cut long strip of denim fabric, slightly thicker than the depth of the cubbies. I brushed the sides with glue and placed the fabric around the perimeter of the enitre decoration. I allowed that to dry before snipping the corners of the extra fabric and folding it over, gluing it to the inside edge of each nook. I also cut little denim strips to fit over the edges of the inside nooks. We let that dry. Note - if there are trouble spots that refuse to stay glued together while they are drying then use paper clips to clamp down the edges until they are dry. You could apply Mod Podge to seal everything when all is dry, but I skipped that step this project.

This froggie on toadstool figurine was found at the thrift store a day after I finished the boxes. I love the matching pink and green! And we love frogs and toadstools!

I grabbed this frame at the thrift store, as well. The picture was cut out of an old book. "The Littles" are shown dancing in a circle near the roots of a tree and a little stream. The kids like this image quite a bit.

We like owls in this house and I found this little handmade wall hanging at the thrift store, too. It appears to be from the 1970s... I love vintage.

When I was there, I also found this wood portrayal of bird, the bird figurine shown in the middle next to the egg, the 2 little boxes with the plants on the lids, and the wooden vase. At the dollar store, I found some little flowers to put in the vase. I added one of the boys' knitted gnomes and one of our plants. I hot glued everything on, except for the plant so it could be watered and moved when it gets too tall, their picture frame because it fit snugly in place, and their gnome, in case they want to play with it. Design your own structure, pick your own theme...this project is very flexible and very gratifying in the end. It will end up being a special collection that both you and your children will enjoy now and in the future!

: Bookmarks = A Carton + Fabric :

There is a huge rave about the new Kindle, but I personally still prefer reading books. I like to hold the actual book itself and turn the pages and trace back by looking in the table of contents or the index..... I like books! But often times, I find myself refering to many books at one time and I can't always remember where I left off. So, I found this bookmark tutorial on Punkin Patterns, but I then decided to make it a little different, as I usually do.

Essentially, I used a rice milk carton and scrap fabric to sew up these bookmarks. I was able yield 6 long rectangles from one small carton and I cut pieces of fabric just a bit bigger than the rectangles themselves. I pinned everything in place and sewed a zigzag stitch around the perimeter. I trimmed the excess fabric and that is it. Note - my sewing was horrible this time around. Again, I am an amatuer and apparently lack common sense :) . I couldn't figure out why the bookmarks weren't moving through the feed, so I figured I just suck at sewing and manually tried to pull it through. Only until I was all done and getting ready to do a straight stitch did I realize I needed to make sure the teeth were up, so as to pull your fabric through. I then remembered that around Christmas time I was attempting to sew buttons, which is why the teeth were down. I have one word for myself....Duh. Yet still, I think it is a project worth sharing.

These also make a great Mother's Day gift, so get started soon, or simply enjoy these functional beauties for your own reading delight.

: Toilet Paper Roll Centerpiece :

Though Earth Day was last week, Earth day truly should be every day. Recycling and finding creative ways to reuse materials is always an eco-friendly choice. I actually got this toilet paper roll centerpiece idea a couple weeks ago and I cannot trace back to where it originated. I will keep searching. Either way, it was fun for my kids to make and they now have a decoration they can be proud of.

We just used 8 toilet paper rolls, a paper plate, glue, and some acrylic paint (doesn't really matter what type of paint you use). I cut the rolls at an angle at varying heights. Meanwhile, Jared painted the plate black. Then he chose different colors and painted each roll. I told him it would be a good idea to paint the insides rather than just the outsides of the rolls, but he insisted on leaving them as they are. You could certainly paint the insides to add to the colorful effect of the centerpiece. After everything was dry (it didn't take very long), he glued them to the plate in sequence and let that dry.

This centerpiece reminds me of a colorful choir..people clad in bright cloaks as they all sing in unison. Ask your child what it looks like to them. Use your imagination, as well, and enjoy making this project with your little ones.

: More Flowers For Little Ones :

Flowers are things of Spring. They are things of beauty. They are things of life and of color. Flower are great for awakening your child's mind and imagination, both boys and girls. Here a couple simple, thrifty ways to make flower art with your toddlers and preschoolers.

Field of Flowers

Cost: Not even 2 bucks

Materials:

Various colors of paper streamers or tissue paper

Green pipe cleaners

Green construction paper

Scissors

Glue

Tape 

Directions:

1. 
   
   Draw zigzags horizontally across the center of your construction paper. Have your young one cut along the lines. Mount your grass in a long row.
2. 
   
   Tuck and bend your pipe cleaners where you want your flowers to be. Tape at the top of each (they will be covered by the flowers themselves).
3. 
   
   To make your flowers, take a pretty long strand of streamer from your roll. Your kids will have fun crumpling these up and spinning a little, then gluing the loose parts. Also, make sure they make little centers for their flowers by pulling off 6-inch pieces and crumpling really tightly. Glue them on the flowers.
4. 
   
   Allow to dry for several hours (we waited til the next day). Use double stick tape or fold tape onto itself so that it is sticky on both sides and mount each flower to its stem, making sure to cover the tape at the top of your pipe cleaners.
5. 
   
   Additionally, you can create leaves with pipe cleaners, construction paper, etc... 

Wooden Flower Corner

Cost: About $3.25

Materials:

Wooden flowers ready to be painted

Paint

Directions: 

1. Get your wooden decorations (I bought mine from the dollar store) and red, yellow and blue paints.

2. Have your child mix red/yellow, red/blue, blue/yellow to yield orange, violet, and green.

3. Now, simply paint.

  

This makes a great window sill decoration, addition to a nature table, or put these anywhere that will add some personal springtime joy to your child's environment.


There are so many ways to create springtime flower crafts for your little ones. Look around. See what you come up with and let your child's imagination bloom.

: Spring Flowers Garland :

Spring is a time of color, life, gardens, wildflowers.... Why not celebrate the very essense of the season with your little one. This project is a cheap way to entertain your kids and decorate your house for spring.

Materials

Green yarn of choice

3 to 6 bouquets of fake flowers

Needle

Directions

1. 
   
   Pluck each flower and leaves from the bouquets.
2. 
   
   Thread your needle with your yarn and get ready to start stringing.
3. 
   
   Take the center out of each flower individually as you get ready to string them onto the yarn.
4. 
   
   Push your needle through hole in the center and pull about 3 feet or more.
5. 
   
   Do the same with the leaves, alternating between flowers.
6. 
   
   Once you are done, cut the yarn to the desired length and tie both ends each in a loop so it can be easily hung.
7. 
   
   Separate the flowers evenly how ever you like.
8. 
   
   Hang it either verticly hanging or draped horizontally.

: Cozy Cardboard Cottage :

Celebrate Earth Day by making a carboard box cottage with your child. I got this idea from Sweet Fancy who created a quaint gift box out of hers. We decided to make ours a bit different.

My preschooler and I used a small cardboard box, packaging tape, scissors, scraps of fabric, and a gluestick. We guided eachother as to what we would include and he had the final say as to how it would be done. He wanted a window with shutters above, a dog house, grass all the way around, a red door similar to Sweet Fancy's, spring-inspired curtains, a dog house, and a bicycle, although we compromised and decided on a ball this time around. He also picked out the fabric and helped with gluing.

On the side of the house we made somewhat of an English garden with very full rosebushes (also to cover the ugly packaging sticker on that side). In the backyard, he decided on a garden and told me we needed a brown strip of ground for what was going to be the vegetable garden and ended up being the flower patch. We added windows and designed a yellow kiddie pool similar to the one we have.

Have fun and get creative reusing a packaging box. By the way, you will need a little more cardboard to make the roof because the existing long flaps will not be long enough. You can paint it, use construction paper or use fabric as we did. We like the fabric because it creates a rich, lively feeling and it has a better quality when touched. By all means, add your own personal touches when decorating your house. Fun to make and satisfying to look at again and again.

: Egg Carton Counting :

Earth Day is here! There are so many ways to take care of our environment, including the reuse of household recyclables. For instance, egg cartons have countless possibilities when it comes to transforming them into other things. We will continue to use egg cartons for crafts and activities. We have already created starters for seeds with cartons that were leftover from Easter. Today, Jared used an egg carton as a counting board with individual pouches for each number.

Materials

One dozen-sized egg carton

Lentils or other dried legumes

Paper

Pen

Scissors

Tweezers

Directions

1. Simply write numbers 1 through 12 on your paper (I used an index card because it is thicker), then cut them out to fit into each slot of the carton.
2. Fill a small container with your lentils (use lima beans if lentils are too difficult).
3. Demonstrate to your child how to pick up each lentil with the tweezers and set it in each slot. Also, explain to them that the object is to put as many lentils in each slot as the corresponding number calls for.

Other Comments

This activity is wonderful for your preschooler's fine motor skills and coordination, therein. It also reinforces math/counting skills by associating the written number with actual objects counted to that number, and it gives a 3-dimensional look at numeric sequence. So, don't throw away that egg carton. Create an easy, frugal counting activity for your young child.

: Transforming Egg Cartons Into Seed Starters :

'Tis time to start gardening! There is nothing like the gratitude children get when they plant seeds and can watch them grow into plants that can further gratify by producing tasty, colorful food. This project from Growing Up Creative is great for Earth Day. It is biodegradable, it prevents the unnecessary purchase of supplies, and it is fun for the kids.

 My 2-year-old practiced scooping soil into each nook of his egg carton, while my preschooler carefully distributed soil to his own. He chose several different seeds from which to choose, including romanesco broccoli and 6 different types of heirloom tomatoes. He planted them and covered them with more soil, and we kept track by him drawing grids of his egg carton that are now hanging just above them. Lastly, we watered each little pod and covered it with a cutout from a plastic bag. Within a week we will be seeing some progress.

: Earthy Hand Print Wreath :

This wreath is a great way for your preschooler to throw a splash of color in honor of Earth Day. The tutorial on DLTK's Growing Together varies slightly from how my son and I decided to do it, partly because we were out of any more blue construction paper and we currently have no brown either.

I helped him with tracing and cutting. He performed the positioning and the gluing of his little colorful hands.

 So, try out this project with your little one because it is very easy, yet very rewarding because it is so lively and decorative. Furthermore, you can do this for any holiday or occassion using your own selected color scheme.

: Earth Hand Prints :

I thought of this project last night. So, this morning I pulled out the fingerpaints and doodled on my hand. My toddler awoke about 10 minutes later and we decided to test out this activity on his little hands.

Simply use the paint of your choice in blue and green.

Paint your fingers blue and fill in the ocean.

Paint the landformations green.

And press your hand down!

You can decorate anything with this Earth hand print.

Our project has also been featured on The Crafty Crow!

: Sewn Wool Felt Earth :

Earth Day is coming up in a few days...well, Earth Day is every day. So, we have decided to create a few crafts surrounding our planet, in addition to the recycle/reuse projects we have been doing. Here is one cute and thrifty project for your child to do.

My 10-year-old boy helped my pick out the thread for this Wool Felt Mother Earth. I rather sloppily cut out a circle in the blue felt and roughly cut out North and South America and pinned them to the circle. Then, my son sewed away, which is great for him because he is so high strung. This brings him to center. He focuses and relaxes, engaging his hands with his mind and imagination.

Our project has also been featured on The Crafty Crow!



Happy Earth Day to all. I hope you try and enjoy this project.

: Cactus Collection :

Last week, we took a trip to our local nursery. I looked around for standard houseplants, but everything was so much more expensive than I remember it being 2 years ago. So, as we were reluctantly browsing, we came across the Cacti family. I fell in love with the succulent selections available and the decent prices. My preschooler helped decide which varieties were the most attractive and lively. Each one is unique in its own way, which is extremely intriguing to each of my boys, and to me, for that matter.

We have yet to find a thrifty treasure in which to plant these beauties. 

 

I couldn't believe these cacti when I saw them. There were about 20 of them grouped together in these 2 colors, yellow, and magenta. It was half a rainbow of psychodelic cacti. Apparently, they are grafted together. It is called a gymnocalycium mihanovichii (Hibotan).

This aeonium "catlin hybrid" was just so lovely. It reminds me of a lotus.

This one is our golden ball. It is nearly soft and furry to the touch.

This one feels so unearthy, as if I have travelled to another planet to gaze at their vegetation. This aloinopsis schoonesii seems so finger-like and porous. We love it.

In addition to touching the cacti and looking at them, Jared (my preschooler) wanted to draw a few of them in his botany journal to further the cacti experience. Who knew that cacti could be so intriguing.