Illuminated Ornaments

Obviously, our children are interested in all things Christmas right now....so we have been doing more "crafts".  While an end product is suggestive, we always allow our children to lead the way and follow the path of play/creativity that they choose.  There is no right or wrong way, and its still all about the process.

We have incorporated fill-able ornaments into our play for a few years now, but one of our readers (Alicia Odom) inspired this activity when she commented on our page saying they had glued gems to their ornaments.  Cool!  Its a lot like our GLASS SCULPTURES post and our GLASS PUMPKIN post, but we had yet to glue anything to the outside of the ornaments.  So............

MATERIALS:

large acrylic fill-able ornaments

gems

hot glue gun

finger lights

The invitation

Gluing on the gems

I had to stop taking pics here because my son said, "Mommy, I'm feeling nervous because last time I used the glue gun I burned my finger and had a blister.  Can you help me, please?"  So he squirt the glue and showed me where to place the gems.

First he wanted to hang the ornament without the light in it.

We added a finger light and he put it on his shelf

Then he decided to hang it from his shelf and that is where is stayed until bed time.  He moved it at bed time because he hates any amount of light in his room while he sleeping.

TIPS:

The ornaments get very heavy once you add the gems.  If you plan to hang it, you will need to hot glue gun the top on.  If you add a finger light, you will need to replace it once it burns out.  We found that it was easy to remove the glued on top, replace the light, and glue the top back on again.  If you plan to place it on a shelf or table, there is no need to glue the top on.

ENJOY


- AK (MESE, MECD)

Snowmen

Materials:

This is what we used but you can really use anything you have on hand. 

Styrofoam Balls

Sticks

Mini Hats (99 cents at JoAnn Fabrics)

Googly Eyes

Mardi Beads

Pipe Cleaners

Ribbons

Buttons

Pom Poms

Light Brite pegs

Glue (we used hot glue gun)

The Invitation

Close up of supplies

I hot glued a wooden craft square to the bottom of the ball to allow the snowman to stand up.  

We connected the balls together with a toothpick. 

Be sure to hold the toothpick in place when pressing down so it goes into both ends.  

"This scarf sure is tricky"

Then the frustration and feet stomping kicks in.

"I.... NEED..... SOME..... HELP!!!!!!!!"  

Adding buttons.

Eyes

After talking to my middle girl (2.5 years) about the glue gun being hot, etc.  She chose NOT to use it.  She asked me to squeeze out the glue while she placed her pieces on.  

My oldest (4 years).... the simple things in life.  :-)  

Singing and dancing.  

Finished. 

I also bought a foam seat cushion.  We cut out some shapes to decorate as well.  

Adding pom poms to her candy cane.  

Finished. 

You can thread a piece of string through these to hang on the tree.

RL  

Baking Soda Clay Ornaments

This is the recipe we used to make as kids.  It includes Baking Soda, Corn Starch, and Water.  You can see the complete recipe here:

http://www.armandhammer.com/solutions/solution-20/Play-Clay.aspx

Recipe:

2 cups or a 16oz box of Baking Soda

1 cup of Corn Starch

1 1/4 cup of water.

Stir over medium heat until it thickens.  

Ingredients

Pouring everything in.  

Stirring.

What it will look like once you take it out of the pan.  They still should be a little moist and with a consistency of mashed potatoes.  After it cools, knead it for a bit.... then it will be more like a dough.  Be sure not to cook them to long as the dough will get dried out.  

My oldest wanted to color ours.  Here she is adding green food coloring.  

The invitation:

Beads

Cookie Cutters

Clay

Rolling Pin

Adding the beads to the shapes.

Poke a hole in the top if you plan on using them as ornaments.

You can either let these air dry or to speed up the process.... heat your oven up to 350, shut it off, and then place them in to dry. 

This is what they look like out of the oven.  

We decided to use beads but you can also paint them after they dry.  

We plan on putting a coat of modge podge on to seal them.  

RL  

Gum Drop Tree

This activity was so much fun!  I love watching him “work”.  Aside from being fun, it can also present some pretty fantastic “teachable moments” if you track their play (especially for little ones):  “You put the GREEN gum drop on the tree.”, “You put TWO RED gum drops at the top.”, etc.  It’s also great for fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, crossing midline, spatial skills, language development, etc.

Some other dialogue might look like:
“Does it taste sweet or salty?”
“Are the gum drops smooth or rough?”

Of course, finding “teachable moments” is not ALWAYS necessary, and we definitely encourage taking the personality of the child into consideration and just enjoying the time together.

MATERIALS:

Styrofoam cone (from craft store)

Toothpicks

Gum drops (we used 2 bags)

THE INVITATION

The first thing he did was put the "star" on the top of the tree.

Adding "lights"

"Wait, Mommy, my tree needs to be GREEN.  I need to paint it."
So he took off all of the "lights" and painted it with acrylic paint.

Busy at play.  The tree was still wet, so he brought out some wet wipes to clean his hands periodically.  This is soooooo my child!  LOL

Fine motor!

Pausing to wipe his hands.  LOL

Completed Tree

I asked him if he would like to document his work (I had to explain what I meant by this).  He took a picture of his tree with his camera and despite my attempts to have him show me how to draw a tree, I drew the tree for him and then he said “I can take it from here, Mommy”.  LOL  Here is his drawing....

When he was finished, we spent some time flying around the house like bats, leaving the tree and invitation out.  He revisited the tree about an hour later and began building things using the toothpicks and gum drops.  I LOVE that he took his play to a whole new place.  

Building

"I made a helicopter"

"It's a bow and arrow now."

"Mommy, look at my roller coaster."

For me, this activity was about so much more than making a Christmas craft.  The evolution of everything just makes me SMILE.

- AK (MESE, MECD)

Thanksgiving Place Cups

Don't forget to remember your children when planning your Thanksgiving Feast next week!  Often times the holiday's can become very stressful and hectic.... SLOW DOWN and let them play a role!  

It is important to us that the guests coming into our home feel welcomed and loved.  We together as a family have been brainstorming ideas.

One of the things we were talking about is where everyone would sit.  

We came up with a plan which was a joint decision and suggested by my 4 year old.  I have to give her credit.... it was a well thought out arrangement!  I asked them if they would like to make place cards to put on the table.  They said yes and I gave them a few different options.  They decided to make Pilgrim hats.  We attempted to make them with plaster and it was a bust.  

The other night at dinner my oldest asked if there was going to be enough cups for everyone.  We started talking about what cup/plate their friends would have (yes, they are particular... LOL) and I suggested buying special cups for the occasion.  This was a very exciting YES moment for them.  Off we went to the dollar store for them to pick out glasses.  

I thought it would be fun to decorate them but wasn't sure if it would be possible.  Thank you internet!  I did a search and I got a bunch of results for sharpie DIY coffee mugs.  I figured if it worked on that it would work on a wine glass??  We were going to find out!  

My oldest two decorating their cups.  

My middle girl kept wiping off her design after she drew on it.  She was in shock when I told her it could stay on the glass.  LOL LOL   

Designing

Designing

My oldest writing her name.  

After you finishing designing put them in a COLD oven at 350.  I placed ours on a rimmed cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, turn the oven off, and let them sit 10 minutes more before you take them out.  It will take a good 20-30 minutes before they completely cool.  Try not to touch them as they will be hot and can crack.  I was a little impatient and tapped the bottom of one of the glasses to see if it was cool and it cracked on me.  

Once baked in the oven the sharpie should not come off when washed.  I hand washed them and had no problems.  I didn't attempt to put them in the dishwasher. 

Here our the girls finished glasses.  Perfect with some Sparkling Apple Cider.  

RL 

Jack-o-Lantern on the Light Panel

My son really enjoyed the Magnetic Jack-o-Lantern invitation I created for him a few weeks ago.  Today I created a similar invitation for him on the light panel.  While he already know shapes and colors, this would be a fun opportunity to not only create funny faces, but also talk about colors and shapes.  He's never limited to the materials I present to him.

MATERIALS:

TRANSPARENCY SHEETS

MOSAIC TILES

Print a picture of a pumpkin onto the transparency sheet - done. 

(I just used clip art)

THE INVITATION

Adding ears

- AK (MESE, MECD)