Showing posts with label crafts for dummies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafts for dummies. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Boys and Indoor Activities Don't Always Mix
At first when Little Buddy was young I didn't think he was going to be that wild. He was very calm at first and I thought he was going to be very easy and laid-back. I was wrong. Very wrong.
As it's been getting colder outside, I've been scouring the blogs for things to keep kids busy. We found several great ideas and at first, things were going well. Munchkin Girl was enjoying our monster project. I put construction paper on the outside of a paper coffee cup and the plan was to glue on eyeballs, nose, etc to make a monster.
She was really having fun until Little Buddy came over to inspect. I gave him a monster too, and to his credit he did glue on a nose. His interest in the project lasted approximately 10 seconds. Then he tore off the construction paper and started using the coffee cup as a microphone. He let Munhckin Girl have a turn too and they were yelling, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"
Shortly after that, the craft became fun inside his truck
Moving on. Next we tried some sensory learning. At first, everything was very peaceful and I was patting myself on the back. I put noodles, fluff balls, etc. in the cardboard box and they got to pour and play with things.
Little Buddy started getting a little wild so I moved the project to the floor. Still, things went very well for a few minutes
I went to the pantry to get out some things to start dinner. When I turned around, I was greeted with this
The whole box emptied out on the floor. They had started on the next box too but I was able to prevent that at least.
The good news is that I'm always entertained. Life is never boring with Little Bull-dozer. I mean Little Buddy. And we did have a few successful projects too
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Importance of Crafts and a Fun Thanksgiving Craft That Even I Can Do!!
As most of you saw in my last post, I'm very challened in the craft department. However, I'm scrappy and determined that I'm going to figure this out. I have enlisted the help of Susan Case, who is a fellow blogger and has her Masters in Family and Child Development. She is the author of a wonderful book called Kindergarten: Tattle-tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs, and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents and taught Kindergarten for many years and I'm so thrilled to have her help! We did a quick interview:
Me:
“Susan, why are crafts so important? Do my kids really need to do crafts since I'm not creative and struggle to come up with ideas?”
Susan:
"Research supports the fact that children develop their learning
capabilities in the first five years of life. The more neuron
connections formed, the better a child’s ability to learn new
information will be in the future. Making crafts together is part of
play and fosters many skills such as:
capabilities in the first five years of life. The more neuron
connections formed, the better a child’s ability to learn new
information will be in the future. Making crafts together is part of
play and fosters many skills such as:
- Creativity and imagination
- Sensory integration: Children love learning using the five senses
- Fine Motor by picking up objects, cutting, pasting
- Self-Esteem: Earning praise for accomplishments
- Self-Confidence—harder tasks in future will be tried and accomplished
- Thinking/Cognitive skills
- Language: Express what you are doing and encourage children to talk about the experience and their feelings
- Following directions in sequence develops math skills
- Reading skills: Read what is printed on craft containers as you run your finger under the words going left to right
- Writing: Let children see you write a list of supplies needed
- Reading/Writing Connection: Children can cross words off list when supplies are acquired
- Bonding: Spending quality time with your children instills trust that they are important to you and loved."
Me:
“Okay, but I don't even know where to begin. If a mom is intimidated like I am, what are some standard items they need to get from the craft store?”
Susan:
"Basic Craft Supplies:
- Glue gun —only to be used by an adult. Remember to unplug it when not using and to glue over newspaper. Glue is hot but can be peeled off surface when dry.
- Glue—liquid and sticks of glue
- Paints –washable
- Brushes—inexpensive and various sizes
- Markers –washable
- Crayons– inexpensive is fine because children like to break them
- String or yarn
- Colored and Manila paper—can be purchased at the best prices right before school starts
- Fiskar scissors are a good brand —fit children’s hands and are not sharp but will cut paper
- Adult scissors
- Craft sticks—“tongue depressors” come in different sizes and colors or buy plain and let children paint or an adult can spray paint
- Fuzzy sticks (used to be called “pipe cleaners”)
- Cheap plastic tablecloth to protect table or use old newspapers
Me:
"Okay, Susan, give me something easy to try first. Do you have anything related to Thanksgiving that we could do to start?"
Susan:
A Thanksgiving Tradition: The Thankful Turkey
Let your children help you decorate a container to put notes
or drawings in of Thankful Things:
This jar is a plastic nut container. You can use paper or
cardboard for the lid if you don’t want to cut a hole into a plastic
lid. The children can glue eyes, beak, and feathers on the jar to
make a look like a turkey. You can cut feathers out of colored
paper if you don’t have real feathers.
Help your children write or draw pictures of things they are
thankful for then help them read the notes on Thanksgiving Day.
Encourage the whole family to participate.
Linking Learning to Crafts:
· Creativity
· Promoting the reading/writing connection
· Expressing gratitude
· Creating a family tradition
My Thanksgiving Challenge—Be Thankful for Books
My challenge to moms is to read a book a month for yourself. We
are fortunate to live in a world of technology and it is tempting to
spend hours blogging, tweeting, texting, and surfing. I love
meeting friends and learning by connecting to people all over the
world with similar interests. But children follow your example. Do
they see you reading books? Or do they see you reading the
printed word on Kindles and Nooks? Do you read books to your
children every night?
I guarantee that reading to your child is one of the most
important developmental advantages you can give children.
Snuggling while reading provides security, consistency in bedtime
routine, bonding, and learning about our fascinating world. Your
children will grow up quickly. What do you want them to remember
about the time they spent with you? What feelings do you want
them to have about reading?
Yes, continue with crafts! Creativity will be lost if we don’t pull
children away from technological gadgets, but please remember to
be thankful for books.
Thanks Susan!!! Okay, back to me. First things first. Of course we had to play with the feathers right after we got them out of the bag:
"Hold still Little Buddy...tickle tickle," Munchkin Girl instructed.
Then we got down to business. Yes, the kids are in their pajamas and Munchkin Girl is wearing a stocking hat. It's her latest obsession. She wears it everywhere, including her bed.
Susan advised me to use a clear jar, but I didn't have one so I looked around my house for something else to use. I selected an empty coffee jar from Trader Joes. I covered it in brown construction paper, using tape.
Most people would probably do this project at the table. Not us! We chose the floor because Little Buddy likes to plop down in my lap and I think it's fun to have him there. See his little feet? I'm sitting cross-legged and he's in my lap. Anyway, I laid out a strip of blue contstruction paper with glue and let them glue on the feathers.
Then we glued on the eyes and beak. Munchkin Girl held the eyes on until the glue dried:
We did two strips with feathers and voila!! We had a finished turkey!!
It ain't pretty but we had a lot of fun! And like Susan said, I truly am thankful for books. Real books that make me think and get me out of Mom and work mode for a short period. I read every night before bed, so in the spirit of being a good role model with real books, I will start posting what I'm currently reading. I'm in a Book Club so we read a lot.
Thanks so much to Susan for her help and encouragement on this project. I'm looking forward to more fun things.
PS...Don't forget, Susan's book about Kindergarten Basics might make a great Christmas present to Moms or even better, for grade-school teachers!
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