Despite working as a nanny for 30 years I can always find a new way to make Christmas ornaments each year. I found this super easy melted candy ornament idea on the frugalmomeh web site. Our ornaments turned out beautiful looking like stained glass. You Will Need: Hard CandiesCookie CuttersParchment PaperBaking SheetsToothpicksRibbon or Ornament Hangers […]
For last few years I have been cutting out 3-D crafts for the children in my care from cardboard found in their recycling bins. I found this amazing winter wonderland idea from the Mr Printables web site. Although the child who decorated this project only wanted to decorate the trees with green paint, one star […]
These sun catchers make beautiful Christmas decorations made by children of nearly any age. I found this fun Christmas craft on Fun365 web site. They provide free printables that I used but you can use any simple silhouette pattern you wish. I find it easier to use high quality self-adhesive laminating sheets than contact paper. […]
“Thankful” by Elaine Vickers is the perfect children’s book (and project) to do with children for Thanksgiving or anytime of the year. “Thankful” is a beautiful story of being thankful. Each year, a little girl writes down the things she’s thankful for on strips of paper and links them together. As one idea leads to […]
The school-aged children I care for loved decorating these standing 3D sculptures I make from cardboard for them. I just grab cardboard boxes from the recycling bin and cut out characters from cardboard. For this activity they used paint, pastels, and tissue paper squares to decorate their Thanksgiving turkeys. You Will Need: Turkey Template, remove […]
A toddler I babysit loves this easy Thanksgiving-themed project my other Nanny Kids and I made for her. She carries the turkey jug with her every where she goes and loves putting colorful pom poms in and then pouring them of the bottle. You Will Need: Pom Poms Empty Plastic Bottle Construction Paper Scissors Glue […]
Children enjoy collecting acorns in the backyard or while on autumn hikes. Each year I have the children decorate the acorns they collect to make little faces. Be sure to read children’s books about acorns including, “Because of an Acorn,” “The Acorn Thief,” “The Oak Inside the Acorn,” and “Acorn.” You Will Need: Acorns Acrylic […]
This Halloween craft has been a favorite of mine for years. Inspired by a project from Sarah Jane Studios, this spooky little house features opening and closing doors and shutters that are just begging to be peeked behind. This year, we added a creative twist by printing Halloween characters clip art for the children to […]
I found these super quick and easy Halloween masks on the itsalwaysautumn website. Use card stock paper and either staple elastic to the masks for the kids to wear them or paste them to jumbo crafts sticks for the children to hold the masks up to their faces. You Will Need: Card Stock Paper Printer […]
One of my favorite children’s books is “Stumpkin” by Lucy Ruth Cummins. It’s the story of a pumpkin without a stem trying to be sold in a store in the city that feels left out. “Stumpkin” has a stump, not a stem. So, no one seems to want to buy a stemless jack-o-lantern for their […]
