We Need a Beach Day!

 

We know summer is quite some time away--we haven't even seen spring yet, but this winter has been a long, cold one.  As we watch the snow outside blowing sideways past our window, we thought that maybe we could escape with an indoor beach day.


So gather your children and some friends and set up your living room as the beach.  Pull out the towels, a chair and an umbrella.  Find some shovels and buckets and sunglasses.  You can make a  pretend beach using brown kraft paper and blue paper for the water.


Let your kids dress up in their bathing suits, sun hats and flip flops as they play in their pretend beach.

Why not find some beach themed books?  Here are a few of my favorites.

Sally Goes to the Beach by Stephen Huneck

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin




Beach Babies by Puck
 



Don't forget the music!  Some slow and easy....like reggae.

Pack a picnic to have at the beach and maybe include this fun treat!

 A couple of fun crafts to do with the kids would be to make this beach scene and this fish collage.


 


We hope you enjoy your fantasy escape.  We would love to see how yours turned out.  Why not send us a picture of your special island.  Have a great day!

Sonja & Joy

It's Official!

That's right folks -- our Etsy shop is up and running!  We've been hard at work, cutting, arranging, cricut-ing, and taking photographs over the last few weeks.  In other words, we've been getting everything prepared. We've officially listed a twelve month subscription to our scrapbooking kits, as well as some individuals, with our monthly themed craft kits on their way!

Check it out if it's up your alley, and spread the word to anyone you know who has a little one with the scrapbooking bug!

Happy crafting!

~ Sonja & Joy

Make Your Own Craft Bin

This March Break, why not take a "break" (if you'll pardon the pun) from all the electronics we're hooked up to, and encourage some hands-on creativity?


Something I always had for my kids was a craft bin. It's really just that simple. We used a large Rubbermaid bin, which you can find at any old Walmart. You could always get fancy too, and find a decorated box like the one Joy uses for her yarn. You can find some on great sales at places like Marshalls or Winners, if you keep on the look out!

Here are some ideas of what you can include in your craft bin:

• glue (both liquid and glue sticks)
• glitter
• pom poms
• felt
• paint (craft acrylic, washable tempura, and little watercolour pallets are good options)
• safety scissors
• tin foil
• yarn scraps
• fabric scraps
• tissue paper
• used wrapping paper scraps
• pipe cleaners
• old greeting cards
• cotton balls
• construction paper
• stickers
• empty tissue boxes
• beads
• coloured string

The great thing about craft bins like these, is that you don't have to necessarily plan out a specific craft. They can go into the craft bin and see where their imagination takes them! Another good thing to invest in is a child sized apron -- crafting can get messy, and you don't want their nice clothes to get ruined. Sometimes you can even find them at the dollar store. No need to shell out a ton of money for something that's going to get all mucked up -- in fact, there's no need to spend a ton of money on any of these items. Just watch for sales, and use whatever is lying around the house that might otherwise end up in the trash or recycling.

Happy crafting!

~ Sonja

DIY Building Blocks

All right, we're back with another fun craft to occupy the kids (or, if you're like Joy, yourself) during March Break. It's from the book I Can Make That! by Mary Wallace. 

Drum roll please...

DIY building blocks made from stuff you probably have lying around the house!

Click on images to enlarge!

How cool is this, right? All you need is cardboard, construction paper, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, paint, scissors, and any other bits and bobs you feel like using. The sky is really the limit here. If you're looking for a craft that'll keep them occupied for more than fifteen minutes, this is definitely one to consider. Not only do they have to cut and colour the cardboard and paper, there's hours of fun to be had afterward creating all sorts of buildings and figures! This would be a good craft for babysitters to either make ahead of time, or bring to the kids' homes for something fun and different. 

Have a good one!

~ Sonja & Joy

March Break is on its Way!

I can't believe that March Break is next week!  I want to share some ideas with you this week that you can do with your little ones while they're home.

Today I want to share with you a recipe for Kool Aid playdough.  It's colourful, smells wonderful and is easy to make.

image via chocolate on my cranium

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup salt

1 pkg unsweetened Kool Aid powdered drink mix

1 cup boiling water

1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

Mix together the flour, salt and Kool Aid until well blended.

Mix in the boiling water and oil into the flour mixture.  

Mix with spoon until it's cool enough to knead.

Keep kneading until the colour is blended.

Store in a tight bag or container in the fridge.

This mixture can be kept for 2 months in the fridge.



WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME OF YOUR CREATIONS.

EMAIL US SOME PICTURES AND WE MAY FEATURE IT HERE!

~ Sonja