Q-Tip Snowflakes

Creative Projects A winter time favorite is cutting Q-Tips to make beautiful, unique snowflakes. It is a good project for school aged children. I typically cut up a lot of Q-tips before getting started but older kids love to cut them up themselves. Here is what you’ll need to get started. You Will Need: Blue […]

Making Paper Snowflakes

Creative Wednesdays Whether you are buried under a foot of snow or not, all children enjoy making and decorating paper snowflakes. You can make the project as easy or difficult as you want and in a countless different shapes, sizes, and colors. Even kids that are too young to use scissors will love decorating paper […]

New Year’s Eve Hats

Creative Wednesdays Although my Nanny Family and I are not attending New Year’s Eve parties due to social distancing during the pandemic, the children deserve to celebrate the New Year with their family! I found some simple New Year’s Eve hats for my nanny kids to decorate at the merrimentdesign web site. It’s best to […]

New Year’s Eve Noise Maker

Creative Project 2020 used to be the term that meant perfect vision. Now, for many, it will be remembered as one off the toughest years of their lives. This week I’m helping my Nanny Kids get ready to ring in a new year by making crafts and hats (stop by to see how to make […]

Paper Chain Christmas Tree

Creative Wednesdays Making paper chains is one of the easiest decorations to make with children for the Christmas season. I found this paper chain Christmas tree craft on the internet at makesandtakes.com. You can help the kids tape or staple paper strips around one another in the form of a paper chain Christmas tree. I […]

Reindeer Mask

Creative Wednesdays I found this cute reindeer mask on Shutterfly. I recommend using heavyweight paper but if you only have regular printer paper go ahead and use it like I did. I printed the reindeer templates on regular printer paper then just pasted it to another piece is regular printer paper. You Will Need: Paper […]

Paper Plate Hanukkah Menorah

My Nanny Kids loved making this paper plate menorah for Hanukkah. Let the kids paint the paper plate, candles, and flames themselves. Older children can cut out their own candles and flames. But you can cut the shapes for little kids and allow them to paste the candles to the back of the paper plate […]

“The Dreidel That Wouldn’t Spin” by Martha Seif Simpson and Make a Dreidel Craft

Weekly Trip to the Library “The Dreidel that Wouldn’t Spin: A Toyshop Tale of Hanukkah” is a folklore-inspired tale. In this story, a magical dreidel just won’t spin for greedy, spoiled children. The shopkeeper wonders: will it spin for another child — one who carries the true spirit of Hanukkah in his heart? “The Dreidel […]

Holiday Cardboard Picture Frames

Creative Wednesdays I typically buy a wooden frame for the children to decorate and put a photo in for a winter holiday gift for their parents. But this year I wanted to try to make the frames myself by recycling cardboard boxes from deliveries. If you care for older siblings this is a great project […]

Thanksgiving Wreath

Creative Wednesday With Thanksgiving tomorrow there’s no better time to help kids appreciate all they have. Each year I have my Nanny Kids make a Thankful Wreath. When I first ask children about what they are thankful for they often just rattle off a list of all the toy. Being thankful for material possessions is a […]