Christmas Ornament Crafts- For Toddlers and Preschoolers

Christmas Ornament Crafts- This is a toddler preschool craft we did at Christmas time.
First I went to our local Christmas tree lot. I asked the attendant if I could have the thin little cut off piece from the stump of the Christmas tree when they cut them for their customers.

We then took the children's photos and cut them into the circle to match their "Christmas tree stump piece"
Glued it on the added glitter to finish off the edges.

Hand Print Turkey Craft For Kids

Today in daycare we made hand prints as the feathers for our turkey craft.
*Trace the child's hand print
*Put about 3 pieces of construction paper under your hand print template- proceed to cut out the child's hand print. You should have 3 different colors of small hands.
*Then draw a semi oval shape. for the turkeys body- (look at the picture) and draw a turkey head.

*Glue or staple all the pieces together and voila there is your child's handprint turkey
Happy Thanksgiving

Mothers day craft hand print and poem

Oh my goodness, I forgot Sunday was Mothers Day! And I needed to do a craft project with the daycare children. After scrolling through net I came across a few ideas- I had to think and use what I had in the house, paper plates,paint,glitter.tissue paper.This is what I came up with:
Paper plate hand prints with a tissue flower and poem on the back attached and threw in some glue an glitter "voila" this is what we made. I hope you enjoy. Below is the poem we put on the back for mom.
  

Mothers day Poem:
Children have a certain way
of growing bigger every day,
But these little hands
and this special smile
will stay in our
hearts a long, long while.

St Patrick's Day Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe

St Patrick's Day is almost here! Here are some toddler or daycare food ideas for you to serve at your next St. Patrick's Day Party:

Green jello-Make rice crispy treats, add a little green dye to marshmallow mixture-Green M&M's-Green Guacamole and chips-Green cupcakes or pancakes-Green apples-Green kiwis-Green pudding-Broccoli and Celery w/dip-Green Mashed potatoes.If you have any ideas post a comment! Thanks

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Yields 5 dozen-

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

St. Patricks DayCare Craft Ideas

Green Play dough
1 cup flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil                 
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt }
2 tsp. cream of tartar
Food coloring
Mix all ingredients in saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly until ball forms. Cool and knead until smooth.     Read About Green
Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr.Suess
Purple, Green & Yellow by Author Robert Munsch
Fun With Green
What Do You See?
In advance draw a teddy bear face onto several different colors of construction paper.. Glue the bears onto craft sticks. During group time pass a bear out to each child. Chant the following rhyme: Green bear, green bear what do you see? The child or children with the green bear must stand up and identify something in the room that is green. Continue with the other colors. **Here is a Shamrock pattern you can use click the image below:

 
Sand and Water Table
Add green food coloring to water and freeze. Add green ice cubes to the water table. Color uncooked rice with green food coloring for a change in the sand table.
St. Patrick's Day Crown
Construction paper (white and green)
scissors
glue
Cut a 2 inch wide strip of white paper long enough to fit around your head.  Tape the ends together.  Cut two more strips of paper, each 1 inch wide and 12 inches long.  Fold one strip in half and make a 2 inch cut in the center.  Glue that strip from one side of the headband to the other. Glue the second strip on so that the band is divided into quarters. Tuck and glue the center of the second strip into the cut of the first. Cut a shamrock shape from the green construction paper and glue into the center.  Decorate the crown with small green shamrocks!
Shamrock People
Cut out a large shamrock from light green construction and glue on small construction paper (dark green) shamrocks for eyes, nose & mouth. Attach paper strips, folded accordion style, for arms and legs,  attach small paper shamrocks for hands/feet.
St. Patrick's Day Tube
Paper towel tube
yarn
green tissue paper
aluminum foil, colored foil paper, or colored cellophane
snack food and/or small toy
paper
scissors
glue
Cut a section from a paper towel tube to make it a little shorter. For a handle, tape the ends of a piece of yarn to the inside of each tube end. Cut and glue a strip of green tissue paper around the edge of each end of the tube.  Cut slits in the tissue for fringe.  Cover the tube with glue and foil/cellophane.  Add cut paper shamrocks.  Place small snack food or toy inside the middle of the tube.  Stuff the tube ends with crumpled tissue paper. 
Stuffed Shamrocks
Cut two large construction paper shamrocks and decorate with a special St. Patrick's Day stamps or stickers. Punch holes along the edges and lace together with yarn or ribbon, leaving several inches open. Stuff with crumpled tissue paper, finish lacing, and tie a bow at the top!
Shamrock Lunch Bags
decorate your kids brown paper lunch bags for the occasion.  Use potatoes cut in half and carved into the shape of shamrocks. Dip in paint and press on to paper bags. 
Bean Bag Toss
Cut a large (or two smaller) pot of gold shaped holes in the front of a large piece of cardboard or the front or top of a cardboard box.  Decorate in a St. Pat's Day theme!  Have the kids practice throwing bean bags (gold) into the holes. 
 
Lucky Clover Bookmark
Although it would be nice to use a four-leaf clover for this craft, the more common three-leaf variety will do very well indeed! The bookmark will be lucky, in that it will help prevent you from losing your place when you stop reading!

Here's what to do: Put your clover between 2 sheets of white paper, and press between the pages of a heavy book. In a few days, when the clover has dried, take it from between the pages of paper. Cut a strip from some colored construction paper, and carefully glue your clover to the top end. You can also laminate your bookmark to make it last longer!

Shamrock Ice Cream Sandwiches
Mmmm! These are yummy, and a great GREEN dessert option for St. Patty's Day! Just make some green sugar cookie dough (you can cheat, and buy the refrigerator rolls and then mix in green food coloring!), roll out the dough, and cut out shamrock shapes with a cookie cutter, or a pattern. Bake as directed and allow to cool.

Now take some green ice cream (vanilla with food coloring, pistachio, mint chip- whatever you prefer!) and allow to soften slightly. Spread some ice cream onto the flat side of half the cookies. Place the remaining cookies, flat side down, on ice cream. Press cookies together lightly. Wrap each sandwich in foil and freeze for at least 2 hours.
 

Leprechaun Finders!
Have fun hunting for leprechauns! Draw a magnifying glass shape on cardboard or card stock and cut out 2 patterns. Don't forget to cut the middle for the "glass." Cut out a piece of green plastic wrap, just larger than the magnifying glass hole. Glue the two cut-outs together, with the wrap between them to form your magnifying glass look-alike. Decorate the frame of the finder with shamrock stickers, green marker, glitter, etc.

Now write the directions that follow on an index card on how to use the finder to hunt for leprechauns! Attach to the handle by punching a hold in the handle and another in the card, then tying the card on with a length of green ribbon. Now you're ready to hunt!

Caterpillar theme for family daycare homes or preschool

I am a stay at home mom running a family daycare and would like to share my theme that I will be doing with the daycare children this week. Nothing fancy, just trying to offer the children some fun crafty things to do. Every week I will try to post our new theme and ideas.

Supplies Needed:
Poster board white
Finger paint or tempera paints
Pipe cleaners
wiggly eyes-or draw them in
Take the poster board and have child do three hand prints from the paints listed above.(see the sample on the left) 
Make the head as a painted or finger painted circle attached to hand print. Let dry, cut out shape similar to above photo and attach (staple) pipe cleaners on top of head. Add wiggly eyes or draw them in.
Here is a great book to go with this weeks caterpillar theme: