Craftstick Flowers!

We did this project before when Connor was younger.  These flowers were such a cute a project I wanted Ty and Addie to make them. 
Directions:  Project- Popsicle Stick Flower-  I found this idea in the March 2009 issue of Parents Magazine. Ty and Addie picked out the colors they wanted their Pop-Art flowers to be. They then arranged the sticks in a layered circular pattern. I then helped them glue the sticks together. The green popsicle stick (the stem) goes in the middle of the floral design so the flowers look 3-D!
Materials - 8 colored Popsicle sticks, 1 or 2 green Popsicle sticks for the stem, and glue (either craft glue or hot-glue).

Mother's Day Gifts!

Here are the gifts that my 2 daycare kids made for their mom! 

Mother's Day Questionnaire

Ty answered questions about his mom.  I typed out the questions and answers and he illustrated the Mother's Day questionnaire!  I added buttons to the corners and mounted the paper to yellow card stock. 

 Tana's Handprint Poem

I printed out the poem and painted Tana's hand and pressed it onto the paper.  I framed the poem and handprint as a keepsake.

Sprouting Seedling Cupcakes!

This adorable treat comes from the April 2012 issue of Family Fun Magazine. 

Directions:  Bake cupcakes in paper liners and frost them with chocolate frosting.  Crush chocolate cookies -(we used Chocolate filled Oreos) into crumbs and dip the frosted cupcakes into them.  Use a toothpick to make a hole int he center of each cupcake top.  To make the sprouting seedling, roll a green fruit chew candy ( we used green Airheads.  I ripped the Airhead into pieces.  The magazine used Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews) into a cylinder and taper the ends.  With a toothpick, make a line down the center and fold the cylinder in half and shape it to make a v shaped seedling.  Then insert it into the cupcake.  The magazine put the cupcakes, in clean 2 3/4" wide terra -cotta pots.  I didn't have any, so we didn't do this. 

Materials Needed:  cupcakes, chocolate frosting, chocolate cookies, cupcake liners, green chewy candies, toothpick

Maracas!

Connor made these cute maracas in his 1st grade class today for Cinco de Mayo.    I thought they were a great idea, so I had Ty and Addie make them at home.  The 3 kids had a great time shaking their maracas!!

Directions:  Fill a plastic Easter egg with unpopped popcorn seeds.  Tape 2 plastic spoons to the sides of the egg with masking tape.  We only used the masking tape to secure the spoons to the egg.  You can use as much masking tape as you want - you can completely cover the egg with tape, or only cover part of  the egg.  Tape the two spoon handles together at the bottom of the handles.  Decorate the tape and egg with permanent marker!
Materials Needed:  plastic egg, 2 plastic spoons, unpopped popcorn seeds, masking tape, different colored permanent markers

Creative Cardboard Tube Flowers!

Ty and Addie with their flowers!

This project idea comes from the March 2012 issue of Family Fun Magazine under the title Cosmic Cosmos.  Directions:  Paint the inside and outside of a cardboard tube - we used toilet paper tubes.  Flatten a 2nd tube and cut  1/2" to 3/4" wide rings from it.  Pain them green on the inside and outside.  Paint a wooden dowel or bamboo skewer green - for the stem.  Let all of the paint dry.  For the petals, cut slits into both ends of the tube. leaving an inch-long section in the center uncut.  Fold the petals open.  Crumble a piece of tissue paper and push it into the middle of the flower.  Insert the stem into the side of the tube, by making a small hole.  Attach the leaves to the stem with craft glue.  Materials Needed:  cardboard tubes, paint, paint brush, tissue paper, scissors, bamboo skewer or wooden dowel