Crayola Color Alive
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received complimentary products for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Just when you thought coloring couldn't get any better...Crayola has gone ahead and created a way for you to bring your coloring to life with Color Alive! The Color Alive coloring books are available in 4 themes at the moment: Skylanders, Barbie, Enchanted Forest & Mythical Creatures and they come with 6 regular Crayola crayons and 1 special effects color. Just like normal, you take your time coloring in a page or two or all. Then using the FREE Crayola Color Alive app (available at the Apple store, Amazon, Google Play & Windows Phone store) you scan your creation and it magically comes to life right before your eyes. And if you used one of the special effects crayons, you can scan that too and your creation will feature some added super cool special effects. The best part is that you can even save your creations and use them later on to take funny pictures & out of this world selfies!
The boys had a great time at an event where they were introduced to the amazing line of Crayola Color Alive coloring books, app & technology. They have been coloring their books and playing with their creations daily! The Crayola Color Alive books are available online at Crayola and in stores at mass retailers for about $5.99! Download a FREE Color Alive coloring page here and try it out for yourself! -SD |
"T" & "A" focused on coloring their Color Alive coloring books
"T" getting his picture taken with his Color Alive dragon!
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Valentine's Baskets with Handprint Handles filled with Unreal candy
We decided to make some Valentine's Day Crafts where we could share our new favorite Unreal candies with our friends and family plus use handprints; we came up with the idea to make Valentine's baskets with handprint handles! This craft was super easy and fun!
Materials Needed:
-construction paper -glue
-glitter -stickers
-paint -crayons
-markers -pipe cleaners
-pencils -newspapers
-candy -stapler
Materials Needed:
-construction paper -glue
-glitter -stickers
-paint -crayons
-markers -pipe cleaners
-pencils -newspapers
-candy -stapler
First we cut out large hearts using pink & red construction paper and gave the little one's markers, crayons, paint, glitter and stickers to decorate them
Then we stapled the hearts into a large cone shap and staplds the handles and handprints on them before filling them with a variety of Unreal candy
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After the hearts were decorated and hung to dry, we traced their hands on white construction paper and let them decorate those with glitter
The finished baskets are ready for Valentine's Day delivery
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Eeboo's Holiday Paper Chains
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received complimentary products to use & review.
Eeboo's Holiday Paper Chain kit ($10.99) is an easy, no mess way to create whimsical holiday decorations. These paper chains come with double sided patterns /pictures with pre cut slots & tabs for easy assembly. The children had a great time putting them together, interlocking them with very little assistance and we hung them around the house. This is a great way to get the little ones involved in holiday decorating and creating something semi-homemade!
-SD
-SD
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Citibabes Introduces Citibox
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received complimentary products to use & review.
Citibabes' new monthly subscription service - CitiBox. Children as young as 18 months can take Citibabes home with them through fun and engaging pre-assembled activities provided in every CitiBox.
CitiBox offers the ultimate solution for busy schedules by creating an educational, at-home art experience. Each month Citibox includes a uniquely themed project tailored to specific age groups. CitiBox includes two main lessons and a bonus project as well as all necessary materials to complete each task. Each CitiBox comes with detailed instructions and images of the completed project. CitiBox is available for children ages 18 months to 6 years.
We received a Citibox to review and "L" (3 years old) was super excited to open the box and get started. The 1st activity "L" completed was the “Feelings” activities. I read the poem “I use my Words” by Jaymie Gerard. She knew what each facial expression on the example was before telling her. I asked her how she feels when she is Happy, Sad, Angry or Surprised. She said Grandma, mommy, and daddy makes her happy and “Happy Birthday” is a surprise. She completed the 4 Faces and she decided to add noses to all four of them.
The 2nd Activity was the Body Parts. I read the poem which named body parts from head to your 10 toes. She counted her toes and pointed to her nose, legs, and mouth as I read. She took the doll out and picked out the shirt, pants, and shoes for the girl doll. She added a butterfly to the shirt and colored in a face.
The bonus activity was to use the box everything came in to make a “New York” Building. "L" said that she lives in a tall building in New York and there are a lot of buildings outside. She put the door on first and then the windows on every side of the box. She enjoyed the activities and gladly showed her father and grandmother when they came home.
We enjoyed the Citibox activities and it is a great tool for little ones to express their creativity and learn at home with mommy & daddy.
-VW
Citibabes Members can take advantage of these at-home activities for $15 a month for a one month subscription, $14 per month for a 3-month subscription, $13 per month for a 6-month subscription, and $12 per month for a 12-month subscription. Non-member pricing is $20 for a one-month subscription, $19 per month for a 3-month subscription, $18 a month for a 6-month subscription, and $17 a month for a 12-month subscription.
For more information or to place an order please visit www.Citibabes.com.
CitiBox offers the ultimate solution for busy schedules by creating an educational, at-home art experience. Each month Citibox includes a uniquely themed project tailored to specific age groups. CitiBox includes two main lessons and a bonus project as well as all necessary materials to complete each task. Each CitiBox comes with detailed instructions and images of the completed project. CitiBox is available for children ages 18 months to 6 years.
We received a Citibox to review and "L" (3 years old) was super excited to open the box and get started. The 1st activity "L" completed was the “Feelings” activities. I read the poem “I use my Words” by Jaymie Gerard. She knew what each facial expression on the example was before telling her. I asked her how she feels when she is Happy, Sad, Angry or Surprised. She said Grandma, mommy, and daddy makes her happy and “Happy Birthday” is a surprise. She completed the 4 Faces and she decided to add noses to all four of them.
The 2nd Activity was the Body Parts. I read the poem which named body parts from head to your 10 toes. She counted her toes and pointed to her nose, legs, and mouth as I read. She took the doll out and picked out the shirt, pants, and shoes for the girl doll. She added a butterfly to the shirt and colored in a face.
The bonus activity was to use the box everything came in to make a “New York” Building. "L" said that she lives in a tall building in New York and there are a lot of buildings outside. She put the door on first and then the windows on every side of the box. She enjoyed the activities and gladly showed her father and grandmother when they came home.
We enjoyed the Citibox activities and it is a great tool for little ones to express their creativity and learn at home with mommy & daddy.
-VW
Citibabes Members can take advantage of these at-home activities for $15 a month for a one month subscription, $14 per month for a 3-month subscription, $13 per month for a 6-month subscription, and $12 per month for a 12-month subscription. Non-member pricing is $20 for a one-month subscription, $19 per month for a 3-month subscription, $18 a month for a 6-month subscription, and $17 a month for a 12-month subscription.
For more information or to place an order please visit www.Citibabes.com.
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Amazon Studios Presents Creative Galaxy!
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post.
Amazon Studios does it again...with this great new innovative children's program, Creative Galaxy. Creative Galaxy is a make-along, create-along, and interactive art adventure series for preschoolers. The boys and I attended a screening and instantly fell in love with Arty and his sidekick, Epiphany! The boys followed the story and interacted by answering questions aloud, pointing out shapes, colors and patterns and really enjoyed tracing the shape of Arty's spaceship in the air. The series encourages and promotes creativity through various mediums while introducing children to famous artists. Each episode also includes a hands-on project that is explained step by step by real preschoolers. The boys love the show and my little artists can't wait to get creative with Arty and his friends in the Creative Galaxy! Check out Episode 1 Free!
-SD Cast and Crew: * Christian Distefano (Arty) Christian Distefano is an actor best known for children’s series Peg + Cat and PAW Patrol. * Kira Gelineau (Epiphany) Kira Gelineau is an actress best known for Dear Viola. * Jason Jones (Dad) Jason Jones is an actor and writer, best known forThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Pitch Perfect and Ham & Cheese. * Samantha Bee (Mom) Samantha Bee is a comedic actress and author best known for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. * Brooke Shields (Seraphina) Brooke Shields is an actress, model and former child star best known for Army Wives, Lipstick Jungle, Suddenly Susan and many more. * Jason Priestley (Sketch) Jason Priestley is an actor and producer, best known for his role as “Brandon Walsh” on Beverly Hills, 90210. * Cloris Leachman (Galleria) is an award winning actress known for her work in film, T.V. and stage, including Mary Tyler Moore, Facts of Life, Raising Hope and at 82, is the oldest contestant to compete on Dancing with The Stars. * Angela Santomero (Creator) Angela Santomero is a writer, producer and director known for creating Blue's Clues, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Super Why!. Angela is also the creator of Wishenpoof!, a children’s program recently greenlit for full series production by Amazon Studios. |
Having fun at the screening
Making "Stars in a jar" nightlight craft!
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Silkscreening with ALEX toys for Father's Day!
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received complimentary products to use & review.
We decided to celebrate Father's day by making some handmade gifts for daddy. Alex Toys has some great Fathers Day gift ideas for preschool aged children and up. We decided to create silk screen ties for daddy using the Alex Toys SilkScreen Factory ($32.95). The Silkscreen Factory includes 14 stencil designs, silk sheets, bright colors of ink, easy instructions plus it comes with a bandanna to get you started. I purchased 2 inexpensive ties for the boys to silkscreen and let each of them choose one. Next they looked at the stencils and decided on the design & color they wanted. I set up the frame and we practiced on a sheet of paper before applying the design directly to the ties. The Alex Toys Silkscreen Factory is recommended for children ages 7+ but the boys were able to complete the craft with assistance. They are very pleased with the Father's Day ties they made and can't wait to present them to daddy on Sunday and silkscreen some more!
-SD
-SD
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ALEX toys crafts make great gifts for Mothers & Grandmothers
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received complimentary products to use & review.
We decided to celebrate Mother's day by making handmade crafts for the grandmas in our lives. Alex toys has an amazing selection of crafts for preschool aged children and up. The boys picked their crafts and had a great time completing them to present to the grandmas!
-SD
-SD
ALEX toys My First Mosaic (11.95)
The My First Mosaic kit contains 5 mosaics preschool projects to complete. "A" chose a mosaic to make for each of his grandmothers. He immediately got to work matching the colored square & triangle stickers with their corresponding colored outlines without any direction from me. This preschool craft is suggested for ages 3+ but "A" is 2 and was able to complete the mosaics with minimal assistance. Use easy to peel triangle and square mosaic stickers to make these beautiful pictures: bus, butterfly, city, dinosaur, fish. Hundreds of stickers included to make these 5 mosaics using pre-printed picture boards. Be creative and have fun! |
ALEX toys Giant paper Flowers in a Vase (19.95)
The Giant Paper Flowers in a Vase instantly reminded me of tissue flowers I made as a child. "T" was excited to make his own flowers to surprise grandma. The kit came with everything needed to create lots of paper flowers, even precut tissue paper. I modeled how to make one of the paper flowers and "T" immediately caught on and was able to finish a bouquet with some assistance. |
Celebrate Earth Day every day with ALEX eco crafts!
We love ALEX toys and their amazing products. We decided to celebrate Earth Day by creating some fun ALEX Eco Crafts. The kits inlude everything you need to complete a project from start to finish including recycled paperboard, soy inks and earth friendly products!
-SD
-SD
Birdie Banks ($13.95)
These birdie banks are the perfect eco craft to help us celebrate Earth Day and save! The kit includes everything you need to create 2 adorable fully functional banks made from recycled paperboard. The boys chose one of the two banks (owl or egg) and began creating with some assistance. The suggested age is 6+ but my boys are younger and were able to complete the project with help. Birdie banks are so fun to make and colorful to display, kids wont even know they’re learning to count and save money! Includes everything needed for creating 2 colorful coin bank: 2 recycled paperboard coin slot molds, lids, sponge brush and glaze, paper tape, dispenser and over 150 stickers! Get creative while being green! Our Birdie Bank paper molds are made from eco-friendly recycled paperboard. This craft was named Best Green Toy by Dr. Toy. |
ECO Scrapbook ($21.95)
"T" loves taking pictures and was so excited to create his very own scrapbook to display his photographs. The kit comes with 40 earth friendly pages, stickers, paper shapes, frames, eco pencils, wodden buttons, craft sticks, glue stick, ribbons, twine & zig zag scissors. The suggested age for this kit is 6+ but "T" is younger and was able to complete the project with assistance. Celebrate all the special memories of your child’s life — and create new ones — while making a personalized, environmentally friendly scrapbook! Eco Crafts Scrapbook includes all the materials you’ll need to design and decorate a colorful, visually inspiring scrapbook. Fill all the pages of this hardcover, spiral notebook with photos, stickers, drawings, wooden buttons, string, colorful ribbons and more. Use cardboard paper frames to highlight photographs and use the letter stickers to call out special moments and names. So much fun for a family to create together! Includes over 300 pieces, zig zag scissors, stickers, paper shapes and frames, printed paper, buttons, craft sticks, glue stick, ribbons, twine cords and easy to follow instructions. |
March 31st, is National Crayon Day!
For over a century, kids – young and old alike! - have been coloring their way through childhood with the iconic Crayola crayon. I thought the following facts might help spur your interest and would be happy to dig up some additional ones if you’re interested in sharing them with your readers.
Did you know…
* The first box of Crayola crayons was introduced in 1903. It sold for a nickel and included the same eight colors
available today: red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, black and brown.
* Crayola produces nearly 3 billion crayons each year, an average of 12 million wax sticks daily. That's enough to circle
the globe 6 times!
Did you know…
* The first box of Crayola crayons was introduced in 1903. It sold for a nickel and included the same eight colors
available today: red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, black and brown.
* Crayola produces nearly 3 billion crayons each year, an average of 12 million wax sticks daily. That's enough to circle
the globe 6 times!
- * The average child in the United States will wear down about 730 crayons by his or her 10th birthday (11,464 boxes or 7 lbs of crayons) enough to cover an NBA basketball court!
* According to Christian Science Monitor, parents buy enough crayons in a year to make a giant crayon 35 feet wide and 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty!
Toddlers Learn with Tiggly Shapes
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"A" playing with his Tiggly shapes during a layover in the airport
"A" found a pig using his Tiggly shapes
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FlattenMe Personalized Photo Books
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received a complimentary product for review.
We can never have enough books in my house and personalized books are the best. I first learned about FlattenMe about 4 years ago when I was searching for a one of a kind gift for my husband and brand new proud daddy for Father's Day. I searched online and found FlattenMe, I immediately ordered the "My Super Dad" personalized book with his face in it and dedicated it to our son. The book has been a preferred bedtime pick since it arrived almost 4 years ago. This year, I wanted to get something special for my youngest son, who hardly has any personalized items and decided on the "ABC & 123 personalized book". The process was quick and simple, I chose the book I wanted, uploaded the picture of my choice, filled out the name and shipping info and the rest was taken care of by FlattenMe. Soon, we received a real hard covered book that my youngest loves to read and is amazed at finding himself in the book as different animals/characters. This book has encouraged his reading & vocalization skills as well as his letter/picture recognition. It is definitely a unique gift choice for anyone in your life!
Enter FlattenMe Holiday Cheer Giveaway on FB for a chance to be 1 of 33 winners! They are giving away 3 gift certificates, 10 personalized water bottles, 10 personalized t-shirts & 10 personalized sets of cards!
-SD
Enter FlattenMe Holiday Cheer Giveaway on FB for a chance to be 1 of 33 winners! They are giving away 3 gift certificates, 10 personalized water bottles, 10 personalized t-shirts & 10 personalized sets of cards!
-SD
Dino Dig "Fossils"
I made these fun interactive "fossils" for a friend's Dino Dig themed birthday party. They were super easy to make and the kids had a blast breaking them open and discovering the miniature dinosaur inside.
Materials Needed:
-baking soda
-food coloring
-water
-miniature dinosaurs
Materials Needed:
-baking soda
-food coloring
-water
-miniature dinosaurs
Gather your materials: water, baking soda, food coloring & dinosaurs
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Mix baking soda in a bowl with some water until mixture is a dough consistency use food coloring to get desired color.
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Make a shape using the mixture and hide the dinosaur inside. Set out the fossils to dry for 24-48 hours or longer.
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Lazoo Stickers App.
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Features:
— 8 pages of animated backgrounds — 50+ animated stickers — Revolutionary sticker-maker tool allows kids to draw and design stickers — Gesture-protected Parents section — Daily Lazoo craft feed — Free animated video featuring Lazoo characters — Japanese translation mode |
Kiwi Crate's spark creativity!
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I was sent a complimentary product for review purposes.
I recently found out about Kiwi Crate and was super excited to try one out. Kiwi Crate was built out of a passion for hands-on fun that encourages creativity and curiosity in children. Our crate arrived in a fun looking green box. "T" was immediately intrigued and could not wait to discover its contents. We opened up the box and saw that it was a "Secret Agent" box where "T" could make a periscope and disguise kit. "T" emptied the contents of the box and chose to make his periscope first which had a low messiness rating, medium grownup involvement and promoted exploring, creating and discovering. He opened up the instructions and was able to follow the pictures to decorate his telescope. He asked for my help to secure the pieces together. I really enjoyed the "Things to Think About" and the "Material Fun" sections that offered some facts, explanations and additional activities. After the periscope was completed, "T" wanted to make the disguise kit: one for himself and the other for his grandmother. The disguise kit also had a low messiness rating, medium grownup involvement and promoted fine motor skills, creating and communicating. "T" had a great time assembling and decorating his disguise kits masks with the material provided, everything he needed was right in the box! As soon as he was done decorating both masks, he was ready to play pretend with grandma. Again, as an educator, I really appreciated the real life connections and additional critical thinking opportunities posed by the supplemental sections. Also included in Kiwi Crate was a Bonus Projects, "Secret Light Messages", "Secret Lemon Messages" & "Secret Crayon Messages" as well as a "Top Secret" notebook and "spy" pen! "T" will definitely have lots more fun with his Kiwi Crate creations and continue practicing some of the vocabulary, skills and cool effects he learned.
Kiwi Crate is a great way to offer your child/children a fun learning experience in a box delivered to the comfort of your own home to be completed at their own time. Best of all, some of the projects are designed by real moms and you can even share your crate or project idea! I will definitely be utilizing Kiwi Crate again as a way to supplement my Homepreschool curriculum and offer a fun change!
-SD
Kiwi Crate is a great way to offer your child/children a fun learning experience in a box delivered to the comfort of your own home to be completed at their own time. Best of all, some of the projects are designed by real moms and you can even share your crate or project idea! I will definitely be utilizing Kiwi Crate again as a way to supplement my Homepreschool curriculum and offer a fun change!
-SD
"T" decorates his periscope
"T" punches out the disguise punch-outs
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"T" needs a little help assembling his periscope
"T" has fun decorating his disguises
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"T" trying out his finished periscope
"T" adds the popsicle stick to his disguise
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Twig Art (Name)
Now that the weather is much nicer, I will be moving most of our homepreschool classes and activities outdoors. "T" loves to go to the park and has a habit of collecting rocks and twigs. I decided to create an activity that combined finding twigs and crafting. First, I let 'T" go on a ten minute scavenger hunt to find small twigs and create a pile. Next, he spelled his name out loud and I spread glue on the construction paper in the shape of each letter, one letter at a time. Then, "T" found/broke twigs to create the shape of each letter. Finally, "T" finished gluing all the twigs down and created his name using "Twig Art".
Materials Needed:
-Construction paper
-Glue
-Twigs
Materials Needed:
-Construction paper
-Glue
-Twigs
"T" gathered a pile of twigs from his scavenger hunt
"T" is almost finished and takes a minute to admire his creation thus far
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"T" finds/breaks twigs to create the letter "T"
"T" finds a two part twig that fits part of his letter 'A" nicely
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"T" completes the letters, "R" and "I"
"T' is done and checks his work
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5 Minute Grinchmas Sticker Ornaments
I have been pretty behind in getting into the holiday spirit...decorating and trimming the tree but after what seemed like weeks of nagging by "T" pointing out our lack of holiday decor and tree, I decided to trim the tree and make some really easy decorations. I knew that I wanted to have a Grinchmas themed Christmas tree this year but when researching ornaments to purchases the choices were slim or really expensive, so I decided to create some ornaments with Grinch stickers and clear cube ornaments (recycled from last Christmas) that took about 5 minutes to assemble! Plus it was interactive and educational too!
Materials Needed: Clear cube ornaments, stickers, ribbon
First I attached a ribbon to the clear cube ornaments. Next, I layed out the 4 sheets of "How the Grich Stole Christmas" sticker sheets. We counted the sides of the cube ornament and discussed how many of the same stickers we would need. Then I placed 1 sticker on each cube and allowed "T" to place the other 3 matching stickers to each ornament cube.
This project worked on self regulation skills, spatial awareness, matching, shape recognition, small muscle control, eye-hand coordination and following directions.
-SD
Materials Needed: Clear cube ornaments, stickers, ribbon
First I attached a ribbon to the clear cube ornaments. Next, I layed out the 4 sheets of "How the Grich Stole Christmas" sticker sheets. We counted the sides of the cube ornament and discussed how many of the same stickers we would need. Then I placed 1 sticker on each cube and allowed "T" to place the other 3 matching stickers to each ornament cube.
This project worked on self regulation skills, spatial awareness, matching, shape recognition, small muscle control, eye-hand coordination and following directions.
-SD
First I attached a ribbon to the clear cube ornaments (Oriental Trading)
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Next, I layed out the 4 sheets of "How the Grich Stole Christmas" sticker sheets (Oriental Trading)
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Then. I placed 1 sticker on each cube and allowed "T" to place the other 3 matching stickers to each ornament cube
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Handprint Turkeys
To help us get in the holiday spirit, we decided to make a craft that involved every member of our immediate family. We traced our hands on different colored construction paper and created these awesome turkeys...complete with glitter glue ("T",s favorite arts & crafts supply).
Materials Needed:
-construction paper
-glue
-scissors
-googly eyes
-glitter glue
-crayons
Materials Needed:
-construction paper
-glue
-scissors
-googly eyes
-glitter glue
-crayons
We traced and cut out our handprints on different colored paper
"T" glues on a white circle for the head and the eyes
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"T" arranged the prints from biggest to smallest
"T" adds a small triangle for the beak
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"T" glued the prints together, making sure to leave the "feather" fingers free
"T" decorates the "feathers" with glitter glue
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Fall Handprint Wreath
We make a seasonal wreath to decorate our front door, this season I wantd to include both boys, so I decided on a handprint craft. Each boy chose a color and we began to craft...it only took us an hour!!
Materials Needed:
-construction paper
-scissors
-ribbon
-markers/crayons
-glitter glue
-glue
-cardstock paper
Materials Needed:
-construction paper
-scissors
-ribbon
-markers/crayons
-glitter glue
-glue
-cardstock paper
Setting up "T"'s hand on the construction paper
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"T" traces his hand with a marker
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"T" helps cut out his handprint
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"A" gets his little hand traced
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I trace & cut more copies of each handprint
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Cut out a circle using the posterboard paper then arrange and glue the handprints on
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"T" loves glitter glue, so he decorates the prints
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