Paper Plate Dinosaur Craft

This is a super easy dinosaur craft to make with girls and boys with a paper plate and toilet paper roll. Be sure to read “How to Catch a Dinosaur,” “Danny and the Dinosaur,” “How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight,” and “Dinosaur” while making this simple craft. You can purchase the children books and supplies needed […]

“Elmer the Elephant” by David McKee and Craft

Children love the Elmer the patchwork elephant book series by David McKee. I love the Mini Mad Things blog. After reading “Elmer’s Colors,” “Elmer and Butterfly,” “Elmer and the Rainbow,” and “Elmer’s Special Day,” by David McKee I let the child in my care use paint and pastels to decorate a cardboard Elmer. It might […]

Elmo and Cookie Monster Jack-O-Lanterns

These are cute jack-o-lanterns a little girl and I made to resemble some of our most beloved Sesame Street characters — Elmo and Cookie Monster. Check out how to make cute painted pumpkins that look like donuts by clicking here. You Will Need: 2 Small or Medium-Sized PumpkinsRed and Blue Spray PaintRound and Oval Styrofoam […]

Watercolor Spider Webs

One child I care for has a phobia of spiders so badly that the child has nightmares about arthropods. Children’s books always help kiddos when they have issues or are anxious. I bought “Mrs. Spider’s Beautiful Web” by Beverly Randell and “Spiders” by Gail Gibbons to help the child learn about how amazing spiders can […]

Lacing Paper Plate Spider Web

This is a super easy Halloween project that isn’t scary for little kids. Be sure to read children’s books about spiders such as “Anansi the Spider,” “The Very Busy Spider,” “I’m Trying to Love Spiders,” “Mrs. Spider’s Beautiful Web,” and “The Magic School Bus Spins a Web” to correspond with this project. Click here to […]

Cardboard Circle Weaving

The school-aged children I care for enjoy making beginner weaving projects. I grabbed some cardboard from their recycling bin and traced round shapes onto cardboard to create circle weaving kits for them. This project is not for toddlers, but a beautiful boredom buster for older children. You Will Need: Various Yarns in Different TexturesSafe Plastic […]

“A Fish Out of Water” and Craft

In “A Fish Out of Water” by Helen Palmer a young boy hilariously learns the consequences of not following instructions when he feeds too much to his goldfish. Overfeeding the goldfish causes it to grow as big as a whale. With delightfully retro illustrations by P.D. Eastman this book shows that getting a pet is […]

Turtle Weaving Craft

The 8-year-old I care for enjoyed making Ojo de Dios (oh-ho-day-DEE-ohs) yarn crafts this summer. So I glued three crafts sticks together instead of two and the girl figured out how to make turtles all by herself without instructions by me. You can purchase the supplies needed for this project by clicking the links below […]

Making a Patriotic Friendship Bracelet

An 8-year-old in my care is making red, white, and blue friendship bracelets for all of her friends for Labor Day. Rainbow Loom and the Mega Rainbow Loom kits allows kids to make all kinds of friendship bracelet creations. The Original rubber band set from Rainbow Loom is the perfect craft to keep kids busy […]

Recycled Box Car for Dolls

When the weather is bad outside let the kids be creative. On a rainy day this week I grabbed a cardboard box out of the recycling bin for the child in my care to decorate. I helped her make a car for her dolls — allowing her to decorate the car all by herself. You […]