School art

Yes it is that time of the year when the kids have started to bring home all of their work they have done in school. What do you do with all of the nice art work they made. Well since my son was in preschool I decided to come up with a way to save only the special pieces. I saved only the art and on a rainy day I took everything out on the kitchen table and went through piece by piece. I saved only special ones that made me say "how cute". Of course all of the art work the boys do is wonderful but there is no possible way to save every piece. I had some laminating sheets and cut them to fit the art work so it would stay preserved. I then got a bigger folder from staples and had my son decorate the front and back of it. Once he was done decorating it we put all of the laminated artwork into the folder and stored it in his closet. Every year we go through the work they bring home and still do they same thing. My son's artwork from school book. It is their own scrap book of what they did in school.

This is great to do on a rainy day. They will have a blast doing this with you. Sometimes they even remember why they painted the picture and tell you the story. I enjoy these moments with the boys, time goes by so fast and before you know it they will older and you will cherish those little things they used to do in school.

Last Month of School

Well I hope we all made it through the school year. We have 3 weeks left. The kids can't wait for the summer to start. They are looking forward to going to the beach everyday to find seashells and different fish and crabs. It is amazing on all the items you can find on the beach. Sea glass is my personal favorite. I collect the pieces and put them in small vases on my end tables. Each summer we decorate my living room with washed up seashells and sea glass. The boys have a great time and they always find something different every time we go to the beach. They have so many shells that on the rainy days they love to make differnet crafts with the shells. I can't wait. Hopefully we will have beautiful weather this summer.

Father's Day Crafts

Do you remember paper weights. Well I do. When I was a child every fathers day we would make a new paper weight. This is a creative craft that any age can do. The supplies you need are very basic.

Large rock
markers, paint, or foamies
paintbrush, glue for the foamies.

You can decorate it anyway you like. Painting it is always fun, but the foamies are the new craft wave lately. You can cut different shapes, colors or you can already buy the precut ones. Just attach them to the rock. There are endless ways you can decorate your paper weights.

Magnetic Photo Craft

Here is a great craft for all ages. Recycle your magnets that you get in the mail for your refridgerator by taking a favorite photo you have, and you can decorate your fridge with these colorful magnets.

What you need:

glue stick
magnets any size or shape
mod podge
scissors
your favorite photos

This is very easy to do. With the help of an adult you can make a collage of different magnets. Find your favorite photo whether it be a favorite vacation spot, etc. Cut the picture to match the size of the magnet. Once you have the picture cut you can put some glue on the top of the magnet and the adhere the picture to it. Once you have that done you take the mod podge and cover the photo completely with a thin layer of podge. Let this dry and then you are done. You can make an array of different themes. Just use your imagination!!!!!

Easter Egg Craft

Stained Glass Easter Egg.

This craft is easy but needs an adult to help out.

All you need is construction paper, wax paper, some shredded color paper very thin, and a hot iron.

First trace out an egg on the contruction paper. Cut out the inside of the egg so you have a empty middle. Make sure the edging of the egg is thick. Take the wax paper and cut a piece so it covers the back hole of the egg, and then add the strips of shredded colors. Next you will need to add another piece of wax paper to place on top of the shredded paper. Place the egg template on top and a cloth. Take the hot iron and melt the wax paper. Make sure the wax paper can not be seen through the back edge of the egg template. Once you are done you can decorate the egg trim with anything you like.

Enjoy.

A beautiful spring day

Finally, Spring was here today. The weather was so nice and warm that the boys were able to play outside for the whole day. The day went by so fast for me. I didn't hear any fighting or the famous words of "I'm borded." The fresh air is so great for the children. The get all of the energy out, when they come in for lunch they usually are starving and at night they fall asleep nice and fast. Wow! no fighting over video games. I never thought the cold air would go away. Happy spring..

A Story my son wrote

My 7 year old had a book due from the young authors club in his school. Well writing it was fun. There were specific layouts in order to do the book. When he was done with the text he had to design the book. Here is where he was puzzled and wanted help. There is no right or wrong way to make drawings when you are that age but he has a very difficult time with it. He wants to make sure he is using the correct colors. I wanted him to use his imagination and decorate or design it his own way, and to my suprise he did a great job. I was very proud of him. There was no moaning and whining.