Goo-Yuck is weird, but I love it and so do kids. It’s slimy, gooey, wet, dry, and just plain fun. With the weather outside yucky, this is a great activity for the kids—and you! And it’s not as messy as it sounds, so give it a shot.The first order of business is to make the …
What Kind of Parent Are You? A Quick Guide to Parenting Styles
I love craft. That’s obvious. And my kids loved doing crafts–and still do. But today I thought I’d take a step back and have you consider parenting styles. It matters … for crafting with your kids and for, well, raising kids. Parenting is something that is done in many different ways by each parent. The …
No Papering Over the Educational Benefits of Origami for Kids
I’m a former kindergarten teacher and any public school teacher knows all-too well that we lag behind far too many countries in math and science. As scholar William Schmidt, who was the principal investigator of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), often says, American mathematics education is an inch deep and a mile …
The History of Play Doh
A few weeks ago, I posted a video tutorial how to make goo-yuck. It’s great fun for the kids (and Mom and Dad). But if you don’t want to go all-out and make gak, then there is always that close cousin: Play Doh. It’s an all-time favorite for pre-schoolers and kindergarteners. I can tell you …
DIY PlaceMats as Blrrr Day Craft
Making placemats out of contact paper is very easy because you don’t need a laminator. I’m all about easy and not needing the glue guns and the laminators and all that. So here’s what you do. For the younger children, have them cut shapes out of construction paper and glue them onto a whole piece …
Top 10 Go-To Craft projects For Little Kids (and Bigger Ones, Too)
In my experience, crafting with young children really isn’t about creating something in particular. My daughters loved doing stuff, pretty much anything that fell in the general craft category, especially when they were preschoolers. The fact is that most young children don’t have the foresight to see what a project is going to be.For young …
Best (and easy) Craft Ideas for Toddlers
If you’ve got a toddler, then you’ve got your hands full. That’s an understatement. One of the great things about toddlers who are learning to get about by themselves is that they love learning new things and exploring them with or without Mom or Dad. What better way to help them learn than to introduce …
10 Tips for Stress-free Crafting with Your Kids in 2016
It’s a new year and we wish you all the very best. So many crafts await in 2016 and we hope you and your kids enjoy every minute. We can’t imagine a better way to spend quality time with the kids than doing some good old-fashion crafts. So as we start a new year, we’ve …
Fingerpainting with … pudding?
Kids love to finger paint, but I’m the first to admit that it can be a mess. And then there’s the issue of the kids eating the paint. Even if the paints are nontoxic, it’s not cool having your kids ingest that stuff. So what’s the solution? Let them paint with pudding! Seriously. In fact, you …
How to Make Play Dough
One of our all-time favorites is play dough and there isn’t a kid on the planet who can’t spend endless hours playing with it. And play dough is also a great way to spend time together. Roll it, mold it, and create great works of art. It’s safe and can be used over and over …