Perler Beads

As this photo shows, one of my Nanny Kids loves Perler Beads. She spends hours and hours making beautiful patterns. For children with great fine motor skills Perler Beads are the best boredom buster ever. The girl in my care used the Sunny Days Perler Beads Kit and Perler Beads Flower Madness to make these […]

Playing Dress Up with “Collage Workshop for Kids” by Shannon Merenstein

Collage Workshop for Kids: Rip, snip, cut, and create with inspiration from The Eric Carle Museum by Shannon Merenstein is an excellent resource for caregivers and is a pleasure to share with children from toddlers to primary school-age children. Artist Shannon Merenstein wrote the book with the art educators from the Eric Carle Museum. Eric […]

“Fiona Flamingo” by Rachael Urrutia Chu and Craft

My favorite activity to do with children is help them make a craft or do a fun activity that corresponds to their favorite children’s books. My Nanny Kid loves “Fiona Flamingo” by Rachael Urrutia Chu and enjoyed made her own Fiona with paper plates and colorful tissue paper. There is also a “Fiona Flamingo Coloring […]

Sewing Paper Plate Snowflakes

My 8-year-old Nanny Kid constantly asks me to find her lacing projects to do. I found this lacing snowflake activity on the iheartcraftythings web site for beginner sewers. I love how creative Caroline from the web site was by finding this design on a paper plate at Target and thought to make into a sewing […]

Beaded Snowflake Craft

I had leftover white beads from Christmas crafts to make this easy snowflake craft. But you can let the children use blue, silver, and clear beads to make their own patterns to make this snowflake. It’s great activity to encourage fine motor skills, counting, and pattens. Don’t forget to check out how to make snowflakes […]

Snowflake Sun Catcher

I googled “Outline Snowflake Pattern” and printed a snowflake template to make beautiful snowflake sun catchers. The children I care for love hanging these sun catchers in the windows of their playroom and bedrooms. Don’t forget to check out how to make snowflakes using cotton swabs, or coffee filters, or paper and paint with water […]

Happy New Year Hats

As New Year’s Eve approaches making these party hats with children is a lot of fun. I let the children I care for decorate six different hat designs. Click the links below to print the different paper hat templates. Click here to see the template for Party Hat #1. Click here for Party Hat #2. […]

Handmade Button Christmas Cards

Children love making and giving holiday cards. Their friends and family love receiving the handmade tokens of love as well. I helped a seven-year-old I care for make Christmas cards using buttons this year. We made Christmas tree shapes but you can make snowmen, candy canes, or any holiday shape the child wants to create. […]

Snowman Advent Calendar

Creative Wednesdays I made this snowman advent calendar for my Nanny Kid to build excitement for Christmas. We started in November so I added days from November on this advent calendar but most advent calendars start on December 1. You can purchase the supplies needed for this project by clicking the links below or visiting […]

Paper Plate 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 […]