Once Upon a Holidaytag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//262009-11-20T17:45:05ZMovable Type 3.33DIY Holiday Calendarstag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.26672009-11-19T02:19:51Z2009-11-20T17:45:05ZWe created two free printable calendars customizable to reflect your family's own celebration of the holidays. One calendar is a gingerbread house with 24 days to count down until Xmas and the other calendar is a winter village with eight window openings to celebrate the days of Hanukkah. Enjoy!Ellen Baker
Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained next week? Create a countdown calendar for the holidays. As a child, our family had an advent calendar each December to count down the days until Christmas. You can read more about the history and religious significance of advent calendars here. For this project, I've created two printable calendars that you can customize to reflect your family's own celebration of the holidays. One calendar is a gingerbread house with 24 days to count down until Christmas and the other calendar is a winter village with eight window openings to celebrate the days of Hanukkah.
Just print out the calendar pages on card stock, let the kids make drawings for each day and color the front piece, cut out the windows with a craft knife and put it together to create a calendar with windows to be opened each day, revealing a new drawing.
Create your own family tradition by sharing simple ways that you can celebrate each day with your family in a special way by writing down a kind deed or an activity for that day. The kids colored this calendar, but I think I'll also create an activity version with cookie baking, gift-buying for needy families, parties, and craft activities. We'll have an activity for each day with some that are simple like "give hugs". Whatever the holidays mean to you, share your traditions and start new ones with your children this season.
To get started, click on a calendar image below.
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Thanksgiving Crafts for the Kids' Table tag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.26562009-11-12T06:50:23Z2009-11-13T07:30:38ZKeeping kids busy and entertained at the holiday table can be easy with our FREE printables. Isabel
By Cindy Hopper
Let your children color their way to a festive Thanksgiving table. Grab some crayons and colored pencils, print off the downloads and your kids can decorate their own table.
A
Start with a colorful turkey for the centerpiece.
Thanksgiving Turkey Centerpiece DownloadA
Print two turkeys, color and cut-out. On the backs of the turkeys, place glue stick at top of each wing only. Stick the two turkeys together. Once turkey is dry place it over a small drinking cup.
Thanksgiving Napkin Rings Download
For the napkin ring, print on cardstock and color. Cut out and fasten with glue stick.
AThanksgiving Crayon Holder Download
This crayon holder is a quick and simple way to keep crayons together. Print download on cardstock, cut on solid lines, fold on dotted lines. Fold bottom up and the tabs to the back. Glue tabs with glue stick.
Thanksgiving Coloring Page Download
Don't forget the coloring sheet to be used as a place mat. Use butcher paper for the table cloth and the kids have even more room for coloring.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Recycled Napkin Rings for Your Thanksgiving Tabletag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.26452009-11-05T05:32:44Z2009-11-06T14:17:00ZHaving a beautiful Thanksgiving table can help set the dinner mood getting more compliments than the turkey! Here's a fun way to spice up your table with these decoupage napkin rings made from recycled paper tubes.Marie LeBaron http://www.makeandtakes.com
Thanksgiving Craft: DIY Recycled Napkin Rings
By Marie LeBaron
Having a beautiful Thanksgiving table can help set the dinner mood. Sometimes the table gets more compliments than the turkey! Here's a fun way to spice up your table with these decoupage napkin rings made from recycled paper tubes.
Supplies:
- paper tubes, toilet paper roll or paper towel roll
- craft paper, preferably fall colors
- decoupage, I used Mod Podge
- sponge brush
- scissors
- napkins
- embellishments, acorns, leaves, berries (make sure the kids know these are NOT edible)
1. First, measure and cut your piece of paper to fit around your paper tube. You'll want the lip to over lap just a little, about 1/4 of an inch. And it's okay if it's a little longer than the tube, you can trim the extra paper off after it's done drying.
2. Apply decoupage to your paper tube, make sure you get every inch. Then apply it to the inside of the paper, the side that wraps around the tube. I like to apply glue to both of these, just to make sure it sticks and stays on.
3. Attach the gluey craft paper to the gluey paper tube and roll it on. Smooth out any bubbles or bumps. Make sure it is sealed on the edges. Then let this dry and set for at least 10-15 minutes.
4. You will now apply another coat of decoupage to the outside of the paper craft tube, to help seal it, and it gives it a nice shine. Then let this dry completely, up to 30 minutes.
5. Once the paper craft tube is dry, you'll need to cut it down into little 2 inch rings. Since the tube is kind of hard at this point, in order to cut through it, you'll need to smash the tube in half, bending it enough to get your scissors around. Then cut 2 inch sections out of the tube. You can also trim any little extra bits of paper that may be hanging over the edge of the tube.
6. Using your fingers, try to mold the tube back into a circle (although, this doesn't matter too much, as it will be around the napkin anyway).
7. Now it's ready to add to a fan folded dinner napkin. Just slip it over and spread out the napkin. I also added some pressed leaves that I wrote the dinner guests names on, and a few berries (not edible). You could also add acorns or feathers, something else to give it some flare.
Have fun dressing up your table, as well as your turkey!]]>
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Last-Minute Kids' Owl Costumetag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.26302009-10-29T05:42:03Z2009-10-30T15:21:53ZStill looking for a Halloween costume for your kiddo? Here's an easy way to turn a t-shirt into an owl costume in a couple of hours without any sewing involved. Ellen Baker
By Ellen Baker
Still looking for a Halloween costume for your kiddo? Here's an easy way to turn a t-shirt into an owl costume in a couple of hours. If you don't have a sewing machine, you can simply glue the fabric feathers onto the costume with permanent fabric glue found at your local sewing shop or craft supply store. You can cut up old t-shirts or other old clothing for the feathers. So just cut and glue. Easy, right? I think this would also work pretty well for a wild thing costume.
Supplies:
-dark colored tee
-fabric scraps (50-60 feathers)
-thread and sewing machine (or permanent fabric glue)
-card stock
-scissors
-craft knife
-tape
-children's sunglasses
1. Cut out the feathers from fabric scraps using the template below.
2. Begin pinning and sewing in rows from the bottom (or just line them up and glue).
3. Continue until you reach the top and then form a circle around the neckline.
4. Print out the owl mask and cut it out. With a craft knife, cut out the center eye holes.
5. Attach the mask to the sunglasses with tape. Hoot!
Click here to download the template for mask and feathers: Download file]]>
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Kids' Halloween Menutag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.26272009-10-26T06:12:59Z2009-10-26T21:33:56ZStill figuring out what to serve on Halloween? A lot of recipes look awfully complicated, but we've found ones that are easy-peasy. The key for us is few ingredients, quick assembly, great presentation and fabulous taste. Isabel
Mummy Dogs
We found the instructions to make these in several locations, but I love the pictures at the Instructables. All you need are 1) hot dogs, 2) Pillsbury Cresent Roll dough and 3) mustard.
Monster Finger Food
We found this recipe at Family Fun which has some really great recipes. All you need are: 1) string cheese, 2) bell peppers (hello vegetable!), and 3) cream cheese to secure the "nails."
Vampire Cookies
LOVE these vampire cookies. They were surprisingly easy to make and especially delicious right out of the oven. Also, you can reuse this recipe next month when the new Twilight movie hits the theater.
Have a delicious Halloween!]]>
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Celebrate Day of the Dead with a festive homemade necklace!tag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.26182009-10-22T08:52:49Z2009-10-23T13:38:56ZRemembering the dead doesn't always have to be about grieving. Celebrate the lives of those who have passed on with this festive Dia de los Muertos craft.Brenda Ponnay
By Brenda Ponnay
Halloween isn't the only holiday that gets to have fun with dancing skeletons. There is another holiday called Dia de Los Muertos (or Day of the Dead in English) that is all about honoring the dead. Many of us struggle with the concept of death and spend a lot of time being sad about it, but that's not what this holiday is about. Dia de Los Muertos is a happy holiday. Families gather together to remember their loved ones who have passed, eat all their favorite foods, dance, and generally celebrate life and the afterlife.
It is quite popular to celebrate this holiday with dancing skeletons, marigolds and ofrendas (or altars) filled with pictures and mementos of the dearly-departed. For a kid-friendly take on this holiday we decided to make a pretty necklace out of salt-dough skull beads and bright orange tissue-paper marigolds. Both are quite easy and just a little bit silly.
To make the marigolds I used two different shades of orange tissue paper. I cut them into circles that were rough and irregular in shape. To make one flower you will need six circles. Make half of them small (1-2 inches) and the other half a little bit larger. Then with a piece of black twine and a needle I punctured the circles right in the center. I tied a knot on one side and left the other side with two pieces of twine hanging out. These two pieces I would later tie onto my necklace.
Then I crumpled the center circle up around my knot. That became the center bud of my flower. I crumpled the remaining circles up around that bud but looser so that they would gradually lay down like petals on a real marigold. Then I set them aside to make the salt-dough beads.
Making salt dough is really easy.
You will need the following ingredients to make the beads:
1/2 c. salt
1 c. of flour
1/2 c. of water
a cookie sheet
a toothpick
1. Preheat your oven to 250 F.
2. Mix the salt, flour and water together until the mixture is elastic and smooth. If dough is too sticky add flour; if it is too dry add water.
3. Pinch off small pieces and roll them into balls into the palm of your hand.
4. With beads or a toothpick make two small indentations for eyes.
5. Make some teeth by pushing the toothpick into the lower portions of the skull like so:
I pinched the bottom of the skull just a little to give it more of a human head shape, but this is optional. I let the kids make the skulls look any way they wanted.
Using the same toothpick, puncture a hole all the way through the skull from the side where the ears would be. This will be the hole that you will use later to thread the beads onto a necklace. Make sure you wiggle the toothpick around quite a bit so the holes are big. I found that many of the holes I made closed up during baking because I didn't make them big enough. But you don't want to make them too big so that they compromise the shape and sturdiness of your bead.
Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for two hours. I baked mine about 15 minutes short of two hours and I'm glad I did because I was able to poke some of my side holes through with a strong needle. If they had been baked completely, I wouldn't have been able to do that.
While we were waiting for our beads to bake, we colored our ofrenda coloring sheets and talked about the different people we know who have died. Ofrenda is the Spanish word for "offering" but it has nothing to do with worship. They are simply careful works of art that pay tribute to a deceased loved one. Usually ofrendas are collages or a collection of pictures and things that remind you of the person who has passed on.
You can create your own ofrenda, or you can download a coloring sheet here. The big circle in the center is for a photo or a drawing of the person you are remembering. The two circles at the bottom are for drawing things that they liked, or things that remind you of them.
My daughter is only three, so the only person she knows who has died is the lady who used to work at our laundromat. We miss her. She was a sweet old lady. To remember her we drew a bottle of laundry detergent in one circle and a purse in the other. She loved purses and was always commenting on mine. I also made one for my grandmother and colored it pink, her favorite color.
When the beads are done baking and have cooled, you can go ahead and paint your skulls with a dab of black paint in the eye holes and some quick swishes of black on the teeth. We used a toothpick to paint the teeth but I'm sure a small paintbrush would work well too.
Then we covered them with a decoupage sealer (we used Mod Podge). When everything was dry we strung them onto our twine interspersed with some wooden beads that I bought at a craft store. Then we tied our marigold flowers on wherever we fancied and tied the ends together to make a necklace.
I think they turned out splendidly. Very festive and not somber at all.
And we had plenty of spooky skulls left over for Halloween.
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Halloween Craft: Cereal Box Stencilstag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.26002009-10-16T17:30:03Z2009-10-18T06:58:02ZMore ghosts and jack o' lanterns! I'm afraid of the scary Halloween stuff, so we like to keep it happy around here. We made these fun and simple stencils to use on treat bags, but you could add them to tees, banners, or any other fabric decorations. Ellen Baker
Halloween Craft: Cereal Box Stencils
By Ellen Baker
More ghosts and jack o' lanterns! I'm afraid of the scary Halloween stuff, so we like to keep it happy around here. We made these fun and simple stencils to use on treat bags, but you could add them to tees, banners, or any other fabric decorations. You can buy a simple canvas tote bag at most craft stores, or you can make one like I did with muslin using this tutorial (just skip the pocket and embroidery). If you make your own bag, it's easiest to add the stencil to your fabric before you sew. The kids can do the painting so they'll have a bag they love to carry. Be sure to allow a day for drying time.
Supplies:
-fabric tote
-fabric paint
-stencil brush or sponge
-cereal box
-craft knife and cutting mat
-masking tape
1. Cut one of the largest rectangles from your cereal box.
2. Click on one of the images below and print out the template. Secure the template to your cardboard with masking tape. Cut out the shapes with a craft knife on a cutting mat. Obviously an adult will need to do this part.
3. Next, tape your template to the fabric and have your kids dab on the paint using a stencil brush or sponge (we used the end of a spongy paint roller). The trick to getting it on neatly is to hold the brush or sponge end perpendicular to the surface.
All done! Now let those kids get a belly ache!
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Halloween Craft: Paper Bag Candy Bowlstag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.25982009-10-15T05:55:39Z2009-10-16T21:03:33ZServe up your candy this year in these fun papier mâché Halloween candy bowls. Made from paper bags and recycled tissue paper, they are a fun and messy project for the kids. This project uses some recycled materials and others that can probably be found around your house. Ellen Baker
Serve up your candy this year in these fun papier mâché Halloween candy bowls. Made from paper bags and recycled tissue paper, they are a fun and messy project for the kids. This project uses some recycled materials and others that can probably be found around your house.
For the base, we used a metal bowl for the ghost and a real pumpkin for the pumpkin bowl. If you decide to use a pumpkin, you'll need to cut the top off at the widest point. You'll also want to find a space that can get messy, or cover your work surface before you begin. Lots of drippy glue in this project. The drying time for the bowls will be about 48 hours, so make some time.
Supplies (for one bowl):
-paper bags
-plastic bag or plastic wrap
-bowl or pumpkin for the base
-tissue paper
-white school glue (one medium-sized bottle)
-old paint brush for applying glue
-acrylic paints
-paint brushes
Instructions:
1. First, cover your base with plastic wrap or a grocery store plastic bag.
2. Then mix one part of glue to one part water in a mixing bowl.
3. Rip the paper bags into long strips and dip them one at a time in the glue mixture, running your hand along the strip to remove excess glue. It might take your kids a few tries to get the hang of this.
4. Place the strips overlapping all over the bowl. Allow the bowl to dry for at least 24 hours and put your remaining glue mixture in an airtight container to save for the next step.
After the paper bag layer has dried for 24 hours, you'll move on to the tissue paper step. With an old paint brush, apply the glue mixture directly onto the bowl and lay the tissue paper in strips. Again, allow to dry for 24 hours. You can trim the top edges or leave them ragged. Once dry, remove the bowl from the base and paint it. Have a spooky, sugary Halloween!
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'Where The Wild Things Are' Halloween!tag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.25922009-10-12T17:48:54Z2009-10-13T16:30:41ZWe predict a serious run on and scramble for Where The Wild Things Are costumes once the movie hits theaters. We've searched the web and much to our delight we found some Max and Moishe costumes! Isabel
Where The Wild Things Are costumes once the movie hits theaters October 16. Have you SEEN the trailer? Oy, it's amazing.
Anyhow, we've searched the web and much to our delight we found some Max costumes!
There are a number of independent designers that have designed Where The Wild Things Are costumes and accouterments. Enjoy!
This is perhaps my favorite and is available at Irongate. Psst, it's available in adult sizes too.
This lovely is by Etsy designer Katesy. She can make a Moishe too and has lots of other lovely costumes to choose from.
These are by Etsy designer Munsters and Cupcakes. Love the Moishe costume especially.
The most affordable costume find is by the movie studio itself, Warner Bros. Our friend Kyran shared a photo of her cutie pie in that costume version:
Also, just a reminder that if you're looking for monster-related fun, you can find it Alpha Mom columnist Marie LeBaron's eBook, Monster Mania.
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Halloween Craft: Paper Ghost Garlandstag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.25842009-10-08T13:49:11Z2009-10-10T06:53:05ZLooking for a simple and inexpensive way to decorate your home for Halloween? Let your little ones make these cute paper ghost garlands.Isabel
Paper Ghost Garlands
By Cindy Hopper
Looking for a simple and inexpensive way to decorate your home for Halloween? Let your little ones make these cute paper ghost garlands.
All you need is some butcher paper or freezer paper ---any paper you can have a long length. Decide how long you want your garland, then accordion fold. Draw your ghost on the top. We have a template if you like.
Paper Ghost Garland Template
Cut your ghost out making sure to not cut around the hands.
Draw faces on each ghost.
It wasn't too long before someone decided the faces should be pink!
If you can find some long orange paper, pumpkins would be festive! I think it would be funny to see all of the different faces kids could come up with!
See? Easy-peasy-lemon-squeasy!
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Halloween Craft: A Ghostly Garden Graveyardtag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.25642009-10-01T06:25:21Z2009-10-10T06:54:21ZOur vegetable garden was on its last leg this week, so we decided to pull everything out and say goodbye to Timmy the Tomato and Zach the Zucchini. Also, good timing for Halloween.Marie LeBaron http://www.makeandtakes.com
Vegetable Garden Graveyard
by Marie LeBaron
Our vegetable garden was on its last leg this week, so we decided to pull everything out and say goodbye to Timmy the Tomato and Zach the Zucchini. We crafted some tombstones to remember them by, laying to rest our sweet vegetable garden. Plus the timing is perfect for Halloween.
Supplies for Garden Graveyard:
- cardboard pieces
- gray paint
- sponge brushes
- black marker or paint
First, cut your cardboard pieces to look like tombstones. They can be tall and skinny or short and fat. My stones are a few different sizes. These are about 2 feet high and 1 foot wide.
Using the sponge brush, paint each cardboard piece with the gray paint. You don't need to paint the bottom 3-4 inches, as that section will be stuck in the ground.
With your black marker, or paint, write the name of the vegetable on the tombstone. We had potatoes, snap peas, string beans, tomatoes, and Holy Mole peppers. I gave them silly names and added words like: RIP or Here lies or In Memory of.
Now stick them in your garden where your vegetables used to grow! You could even say a short speech about how they helped provide for you and how great the zucchini bread you made turned out. Farewell you delicious bounty, rest in peace!
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Make your own Magical Toadstoolstag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.25592009-09-23T22:40:20Z2009-09-25T15:11:25ZAdd some fairy lore to your little one's life with this easy toadstool terrarium craft. It's simple, fun and probably magical!Brenda Ponnay
Magical Toadstools for your own piece of Fairyland
By Brenda Ponnay
My daughter and I have been on a fairy kick lately, so for this month's craft I thought we would make little toadstools for our own little imaginary fairy woodland. We live in a small beach town in Southern California, and the closest we get to a real forest is some pine trees at the local park. I've never seen any real toadstools growing around here, so we took matters into our own hands and made some!
All we needed for this craft were wooden drawer pulls from a local hardware store and paint. We also bought some small wood plugs, the kind you use to cover exposed screws on wooden furniture. We used those to make little bugs to sit on our toadstools.
Our friendly hardware-store employee suggested we sand the wood before we painted it, but in our haste many of the knobs got painted without being sanded first, and that worked just fine. On some of them we taped off the bottom portion with masking tape to avoid painty fingerprints. The smaller knobs can be a bit challenging for little fingers to paint, but all the kids who did this craft with me enjoyed themselves.
We painted most of our mushrooms red with white polka dots to imitate the popular fly agaric mushroom (whose scientific name is Amanita Muscaria). To give the kids something to do while the red paint dried, I handed out some mushroom coloring sheets. You can download it here if you'd like to play along.
When the red paint was dry we turned our painted brushes over and used the handle end to create the dots like so:
While the white paint was drying, we created little terrariums for our toadstools to live in. Making a terrarium is very easy. First, we gathered up some old pickle and jam jars, soaked them to remove the labels, and washed them. Next, we put about in inch of wet rocks in each jar.
On top of the rocks we put about a half-inch layer of peat moss (which can be bought at craft stores by the bag). This creates a barrier between the rocks and the real growing moss and is supposed to keep things from getting moldy, though don't quote me on that. Then on top of that moss we added some Scotch moss that I bought at our local nursery. I chose it because I thought the little white flowers were cute, but any kind of moss will do.
If you don't want to spend the money to buy a flat of moss ground cover, you might try looking on the south side of your house.
I think terrariums are an experiment in general. If you are the gardening type you might have fun figuring out what will grow in a jar and what won't. If you aren't the gardening type you might like to create a little faux terrarium with a small jar, some dirt colored play dough and some peat moss. No water required!
Some of the mushrooms didn't want to stay upright, so we broke some toothpicks in half and glued them inside the bottom of the knob where normally a screw would go to attach to a drawer. Thick glue, like bead and glass adhesive, worked really well. While we we had the glue out, we added eyeballs to some of our mushrooms and the little button ladybugs that we had painted earlier.
The toothpicks really helped the toadstools stay up. We had so many toadstools left over from our fun crafting session, we planted some moss in other containers too and spread the toadstool love.
If you liked this craft you might want to make some fairy wings and toadstool cupcakes and make a party of it!
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Ahoy, Make Crafts for Talk Like a Pirate Day!tag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.25482009-09-17T12:38:39Z2009-09-18T16:19:06ZSaturday is one of our favorite holidays, Talk Like a Pirate Day. Don't forget to enjoy it with your family. Here's an easy to do upcycled craft.Ellen Baker
Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day
By Ellen Luckett Baker
Shiver me timbers! There's actually a day called Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrrr! Indeed, you can read more about it here. Celebrate with the kids on Saturday, September 19 with these quick crafts made from supplies likely to be found around the house. Make a hat, spy scope and an eye patch. We enjoyed making these and I really can't stop talking like a pirate. Arrrr! This pirate gear would also work well for a quick Halloween costume and the hats could be a simple craft for a pirate-themed birthday party if you just paint the bags beforehand. And the hats will fit adults too! Listen up mateys, here's how to make the booty.
How to Make the Pirate Hat
Supplies:
-brown paper bag
-scissors
-black & white paint
-paintbrush
-stapler
Follow these simple instructions and you'll be sailing the seven seas in no time:
I spy some landlubbers!
How to Make the Eye Patch
Supplies
-thin cardboard (cereal or cracker box)
-scissors
-black electrical tape
-elastic or string
Simply cut an eye patch shape from the cardboard and wrap it with the electrical tape, being careful not to stretch as you wrap or it will curve your eye patch. Poke a hole in either end and thread elastic or string through the holes, adjust to fit, and tie off the ends.
How to Make the Spy Scope
Supplies:
-2 or 3 cardboard tubes of various sizes (found on paper towels, toilet paper, aluminum foil, etc.)
-electrical tape in black and red
-glue
Wrap the electrical tape around the longer tube in a striped design. Stop at the point where you'll add your smaller end piece and leave that part cardboard (so the glue will adhere). Then wrap your smaller piece with the black electrical tape. Attach the smaller piece to the end with the glue and allow it to dry. Go spy some scallywags!
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Make a Shofar to Celebrate the Jewish New Yeartag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.25372009-09-10T13:56:07Z2009-09-11T17:56:34ZRosh Hashanah is approaching and the shofar horn delights kids. Help your child make one easily.Isabel
By Cindy Hopper
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Friday, September 18th and lasts through Sunday, September 20th. During Rosh Hashanah a Shofar, traditionally made from a hollowed out rams horn, is blown to awake and inspire. The Shofar is such an important part of this holiday that sometimes Rosh Hashanah is called Yom Teruah, which means “day of the Shofar blast” in Hebrew.
With a few supplies you can make your own Shofar horn. Gather 3 toilet paper rolls per horn, a party horn, masking tape, glue, paint brush, scissors and white and brown paint.
Cut all they way across one roll lengthwise.
Remove fringe or cardboard from the party horn so you are only left with the plastic noise maker. Wrap the cut cardboard tube around the plastic noisemaker.
Fasten cardboard to plastic noisemaker securely with masking tape.
With the other two rolls fold the edge to make a pleat in the bottom side. You are making the bottom small enough to fit inside another roll. This will give the Shofar a nice curve.
Place the tubes inside each other.
Paper mache the toilet paper rolls with long strips of paper and a mixture of equal parts water and glue (use can also use equal parts flour and water). If you want to forgo the mess, simply wrap the toilet paper rolls with masking tape.
Allow the paper mache to dry completely. Paint with white paint. While white paint is still wet, sponge on some bits of brown and mix and smudge lightly to give the horn "realistic" color and dimension.
Finished! Now you can listen to yourTokea (which literally means 'blaster' and is the name for person who blows the horn), celebrate.
You can learn more about Rosh Hashanah and the Shofar at Torah Tots.
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Crafty Labor Day Cleaning Basketstag:www.alphamom.com,2009:/holiday//26.25272009-09-03T14:31:02Z2009-09-04T17:06:35ZLabor Day is just around the corner. Normally Labor Day is for known for its day of rest, but we're cleaning the house this holiday. We've decorated some fun cleaning baskets to help get us in the cleaning mood. Marie LeBaron http://www.makeandtakes.com
By Marie LeBaron
Labor Day is just around the corner. Normally Labor Day is for known for its day of rest, but as my kids are out of school and need something to keep them occupied, we're cleaning the house this holiday. We've decorated some fun cleaning baskets to help get us in the cleaning mood.
Supplies for Labor Day Cleaning Baskets:
- plastic baskets, preferably with handles
- spray bottle
- baby wipes container
- washcloth or scrub glove
- craft foam alphabet stickers
As my children are very little, I chose cleaning supplies that won't harm them, adding only water to the spray bottle. Or there are lots of other things you can add to your Cleaning Baskets that are perfect for small hands, like a scrub brush, dry towel, duster, or tooth brush.
With our alphabet stickers, we found lots of letters to spell some cleaning words: broom, mop, wash, clean, dust, scrub. Then my two children got to pick 3 words each to place on their cleaning items.
Attach a sticker word to the basket, spray bottle, and baby wipe container.
Now you're ready to clean. My kids love to clean the windows, and boy do they need it!
I also have them wipe down door knobs and light switches with baby wipes. Those objects are just my daughters size!
To help the kids catch the cleaning buzz, here's a few more crafty links for making cleaning tools fun for the kids:
- Dusting Puppets
- Water Sponge Toys
- Bath Sponge Creatures
What cleaning jobs do you let your kids help with around the house?
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Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained next week? Create a countdown calendar for the holidays. As a child, our family had an advent calendar each December to count down the days until Christmas. You can read more about the history and religious significance of advent calendars here. For this project, I've created two printable calendars that you can customize to reflect your family's own celebration of the holidays. One calendar is a gingerbread house with 24 days to count down until Christmas and the other calendar is a winter village with eight window openings to celebrate the days of Hanukkah.
Just print out the calendar pages on card stock, let the kids make drawings for each day and color the front piece, cut out the windows with a craft knife and put it together to create a calendar with windows to be opened each day, revealing a new drawing.
Create your own family tradition by sharing simple ways that you can celebrate each day with your family in a special way by writing down a kind deed or an activity for that day. The kids colored this calendar, but I think I'll also create an activity version with cookie baking, gift-buying for needy families, parties, and craft activities. We'll have an activity for each day with some that are simple like "give hugs". Whatever the holidays mean to you, share your traditions and start new ones with your children this season.
To get started, click on a calendar image below.
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Supplies:
- paper tubes, toilet paper roll or paper towel roll
- craft paper, preferably fall colors
- decoupage, I used Mod Podge
- sponge brush
- scissors
- napkins
- embellishments, acorns, leaves, berries (make sure the kids know these are NOT edible)
1. First, measure and cut your piece of paper to fit around your paper tube. You'll want the lip to over lap just a little, about 1/4 of an inch. And it's okay if it's a little longer than the tube, you can trim the extra paper off after it's done drying.
2. Apply decoupage to your paper tube, make sure you get every inch. Then apply it to the inside of the paper, the side that wraps around the tube. I like to apply glue to both of these, just to make sure it sticks and stays on.
3. Attach the gluey craft paper to the gluey paper tube and roll it on. Smooth out any bubbles or bumps. Make sure it is sealed on the edges. Then let this dry and set for at least 10-15 minutes.
4. You will now apply another coat of decoupage to the outside of the paper craft tube, to help seal it, and it gives it a nice shine. Then let this dry completely, up to 30 minutes.
5. Once the paper craft tube is dry, you'll need to cut it down into little 2 inch rings. Since the tube is kind of hard at this point, in order to cut through it, you'll need to smash the tube in half, bending it enough to get your scissors around. Then cut 2 inch sections out of the tube. You can also trim any little extra bits of paper that may be hanging over the edge of the tube.
6. Using your fingers, try to mold the tube back into a circle (although, this doesn't matter too much, as it will be around the napkin anyway).
7. Now it's ready to add to a fan folded dinner napkin. Just slip it over and spread out the napkin. I also added some pressed leaves that I wrote the dinner guests names on, and a few berries (not edible). You could also add acorns or feathers, something else to give it some flare.
Have fun dressing up your table, as well as your turkey!]]>
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Still looking for a Halloween costume for your kiddo? Here's an easy way to turn a t-shirt into an owl costume in a couple of hours. If you don't have a sewing machine, you can simply glue the fabric feathers onto the costume with permanent fabric glue found at your local sewing shop or craft supply store. You can cut up old t-shirts or other old clothing for the feathers. So just cut and glue. Easy, right? I think this would also work pretty well for a wild thing costume.
Supplies:
-dark colored tee
-fabric scraps (50-60 feathers)
-thread and sewing machine (or permanent fabric glue)
-card stock
-scissors
-craft knife
-tape
-children's sunglasses
1. Cut out the feathers from fabric scraps using the template below.
2. Begin pinning and sewing in rows from the bottom (or just line them up and glue).
3. Continue until you reach the top and then form a circle around the neckline.
4. Print out the owl mask and cut it out. With a craft knife, cut out the center eye holes.
5. Attach the mask to the sunglasses with tape. Hoot!
Click here to download the template for mask and feathers: Download file
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We found the instructions to make these in several locations, but I love the pictures at the Instructables. All you need are 1) hot dogs, 2) Pillsbury Cresent Roll dough and 3) mustard.
Monster Finger Food
We found this recipe at Family Fun which has some really great recipes. All you need are: 1) string cheese, 2) bell peppers (hello vegetable!), and 3) cream cheese to secure the "nails."
Vampire Cookies
More ghosts and jack o' lanterns! I'm afraid of the scary Halloween stuff, so we like to keep it happy around here. We made these fun and simple stencils to use on treat bags, but you could add them to tees, banners, or any other fabric decorations. You can buy a simple canvas tote bag at most craft stores, or you can make one like I did with muslin using this tutorial (just skip the pocket and embroidery). If you make your own bag, it's easiest to add the stencil to your fabric before you sew. The kids can do the painting so they'll have a bag they love to carry. Be sure to allow a day for drying time.
Supplies:
-fabric tote
-fabric paint
-stencil brush or sponge
-cereal box
-craft knife and cutting mat
-masking tape
1. Cut one of the largest rectangles from your cereal box.
2. Click on one of the images below and print out the template. Secure the template to your cardboard with masking tape. Cut out the shapes with a craft knife on a cutting mat. Obviously an adult will need to do this part.
3. Next, tape your template to the fabric and have your kids dab on the paint using a stencil brush or sponge (we used the end of a spongy paint roller). The trick to getting it on neatly is to hold the brush or sponge end perpendicular to the surface.
All done! Now let those kids get a belly ache!
This lovely is by Etsy designer Katesy. She can make a Moishe too and has lots of other lovely costumes to choose from.
These are by Etsy designer Munsters and Cupcakes. Love the Moishe costume especially.
The most affordable costume find is by the movie studio itself, Warner Bros. Our friend Kyran shared a photo of her cutie pie in that costume version:
Also, just a reminder that if you're looking for monster-related fun, you can find it Alpha Mom columnist Marie LeBaron's eBook, Monster Mania.
Supplies for Garden Graveyard:
- cardboard pieces
- gray paint
- sponge brushes
- black marker or paint
First, cut your cardboard pieces to look like tombstones. They can be tall and skinny or short and fat. My stones are a few different sizes. These are about 2 feet high and 1 foot wide.
Using the sponge brush, paint each cardboard piece with the gray paint. You don't need to paint the bottom 3-4 inches, as that section will be stuck in the ground.
With your black marker, or paint, write the name of the vegetable on the tombstone. We had potatoes, snap peas, string beans, tomatoes, and Holy Mole peppers. I gave them silly names and added words like: RIP or Here lies or In Memory of.
Now stick them in your garden where your vegetables used to grow! You could even say a short speech about how they helped provide for you and how great the zucchini bread you made turned out. Farewell you delicious bounty, rest in peace!
Shiver me timbers! There's actually a day called Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrrr! Indeed, you can read more about it here. Celebrate with the kids on Saturday, September 19 with these quick crafts made from supplies likely to be found around the house. Make a hat, spy scope and an eye patch. We enjoyed making these and I really can't stop talking like a pirate. Arrrr! This pirate gear would also work well for a quick Halloween costume and the hats could be a simple craft for a pirate-themed birthday party if you just paint the bags beforehand. And the hats will fit adults too! Listen up mateys, here's how to make the booty.
How to Make the Pirate Hat
Supplies:
-brown paper bag
-scissors
-black & white paint
-paintbrush
-stapler
Follow these simple instructions and you'll be sailing the seven seas in no time:
I spy some landlubbers!
How to Make the Eye Patch
Supplies
-thin cardboard (cereal or cracker box)
-scissors
-black electrical tape
-elastic or string
Simply cut an eye patch shape from the cardboard and wrap it with the electrical tape, being careful not to stretch as you wrap or it will curve your eye patch. Poke a hole in either end and thread elastic or string through the holes, adjust to fit, and tie off the ends.
How to Make the Spy Scope
Supplies:
-2 or 3 cardboard tubes of various sizes (found on paper towels, toilet paper, aluminum foil, etc.)
-electrical tape in black and red
-glue
Wrap the electrical tape around the longer tube in a striped design. Stop at the point where you'll add your smaller end piece and leave that part cardboard (so the glue will adhere). Then wrap your smaller piece with the black electrical tape. Attach the smaller piece to the end with the glue and allow it to dry. Go spy some scallywags!
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Supplies for Labor Day Cleaning Baskets:
- plastic baskets, preferably with handles
- spray bottle
- baby wipes container
- washcloth or scrub glove
- craft foam alphabet stickers
As my children are very little, I chose cleaning supplies that won't harm them, adding only water to the spray bottle. Or there are lots of other things you can add to your Cleaning Baskets that are perfect for small hands, like a scrub brush, dry towel, duster, or tooth brush.
With our alphabet stickers, we found lots of letters to spell some cleaning words: broom, mop, wash, clean, dust, scrub. Then my two children got to pick 3 words each to place on their cleaning items.
Attach a sticker word to the basket, spray bottle, and baby wipe container.
Now you're ready to clean. My kids love to clean the windows, and boy do they need it!
I also have them wipe down door knobs and light switches with baby wipes. Those objects are just my daughters size!
To help the kids catch the cleaning buzz, here's a few more crafty links for making cleaning tools fun for the kids:
- Dusting Puppets
- Water Sponge Toys
- Bath Sponge Creatures
What cleaning jobs do you let your kids help with around the house?
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