Confessions of a Not So Crafty Momma.

Thanksgiving is just over a week away! When we sat down to work on this turkey craft, I had something completely different in mind. However, I value child led learning and my child had her own ideas about what she wanted to do!

Materials Needed 

• Paint (We used four colors, but you can use more or less)
• Two Pieces of Construction Paper 
• White Paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• A Picture of Your Child ( For best results, use one that shows their face well) 

I started by putting paint on two paper plates. I let my little one mix the colors around with her hands, then move the paint around the construction paper. Originally, I wanted to do hand prints for the turkeys feathers, but my toddler was in more of a finger painting mood. 

Once she covered as much of the paper as possible, we let it dry. The paper took several hours to dry. While I waited, I cut out just the head of a picture of my daughter and a turkey body. 

After the paper is dry, I cut out four feather shapes from each piece of painted paper. 

Next, it was time to build the turkey! I helped my little one glue on the feathers, then the body and the head, with as little guidance as possible. This was much more her creation than it was mine. 

After the glue dried a bit, I drew on the waddle. If you’re child is preschool aged, try letting them draw the waddle on their own. The final project is an adorable turkey keepsake!

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away! Unlike Halloween or Christmas, Thanksgiving is often not a holiday that is directed towards small children. Our toddler loves to eat, so her second Thanksgiving will likely bring her some joy, but we also have to entertain her during what is usually a pretty hectic day! We have come up with up a few fun things you can give little ones to keep them entertained and occupied on Thanksgiving that we would like to share with you.

 

Play-Dough

Never under estimate the power of play-dough. You can use store bought Play-dough and some fall themed cookie cutters, but for a really interactive experience, try making these pumpkin spice play-dough cupcakes from Firefly magic. Your little one will love playing with them and they will smell like Thanksgiving!

 

Coloring and Activity Sheets

Coloring is always something we turn to when we need to occupy our toddler. We still have to keep an eye on her just in case she decides to nibble on a crayon or the paper, but that happens less and less as she gets older. If you need some great print outs, look no further than Simple Mom Project’s printable activities. There are some simple coloring pages for smaller children, but also some great pintables for children who can read as well!

Paint

I know what you are thinking, I must be crazy. Who wants to let their small children paint on Thanksgiving? Do not worry, it will not make a mess! This one takes a bit more effort than the other two ideas on this list, but it is so much fun. We love mess free art in our house. They can paint while you cook, then you can help them finish the craft after the Thanksgiving meal is over with! This Mess Free Calico Corn Painting is perfect for Thanksgiving! If painting isn’t your thing, you can also try this Fall Paper Plate Wreath.

 

We would love to hear from you! What do you give your little ones to keep them busy while you are preparing a holiday meal or doing other holiday activities that are not geared towards children?

In a busy world, the book Quiet by Tomie dePaola is the perfect bedtime or naptime story!

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Tomie dePaola’s recently released book, Quiet, is a wonderful book. Quiet takes readers on a walk with a grandfather and his two grandchildren. The grandfather points out how everything around them seems to be in a hurry. After that, they take time to sit, be still, and just be present in the moment. In the end, they realize that it is important to just be quiet and calm sometimes. The illustrations are colorful, but simple. There are very few words, but the message is powerful.

This book is a must read for busy families with young children. It is a great book to relax with. The publishers recommend this book for ages four to eight, but our almost two year old who has a very short attention span, really enjoyed the simplicity of the words and the illustrations.

I’d love to hear from you! Have you read the book? If not, do you have any other book or activity suggestions to help children learn to enjoy quiet moments?

Fall is in full swing and Thanksgiving will soon be here. This is always the time of the year we use calico corn to decorate with. Today, we let our little one join in on the fun by painting her very own!

Materials Needed

Orange Paint

Yellow Paint

Red Paint

Brown Paint

White Paper

Brown Construction Paper

Scissors

Plastic Sandwich Bag

Glue

Start by putting small drops of paint all over the white paper. We used craft paper that we buy by the roll, but white construction paper would work as well.

Next slide paper in the plastic bag and let your little one squish down the paint. This is a great sensory activity for babies and toddlers. We have been painting this way since our little one could sit in the highchair.

After your little one is done squishing around the paint, take it out of the bag and let it dry. Ours took about four hours to dry. Once the paper is dry, cut out a corn shape or if you have room, you can cut out two!  We decided to cut out two corn shapes because we had the room.

Next, we cut out brown leaf shaped shapes. We had cut out four for each ear of corn, but we only needed three. If your child is a preschooler, you can try drawing the shapes and letting them do the cutting!

After the cutting was done, we helped our little one glue the brown paper on the back of each ear of corn.

The finished product is a perfect fall craft!

 

Handprint wreaths hold a special place in our hearts. They are easy, require very few materials, and create an amazing keepsake. This one was made with fall in mind!

Materials Needed

• Paper Plate
• Construction Paper (We suggest yellow, orange, and brown)
• A Piece of Ribbon
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape (Optional)

I started by cutting out the middle of a paper plate.

Next, I sat my little one down and traced her hands on brown, orange, and yellow paper. I did not get pictures of this because Mr. Not So Crafty was at work. This activity would have went quicker with two adults, but our schedule last week just didn’t allow for that.

Next, I helped my little one glue on the handprints. I have tried laying the paper plate both ways for crafts like this, but find that if you keep it like you would to eat on it, the handprints are easier to glue on.

After that, I let it dry for awhile. Once it was dry, I flipped it over and taped a piece of ribbon on the back so we could hang it up. If you do not have tape, you can glue it, but it might be a bit messy!

The end result makes a perfect gift for grandparents or just a nice keepsake to remember how little your child’s hands were!

We love browsing our local library for new books. When I saw Carmela Full of Wishes written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson, I knew we had to check it out.

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This book lets us join in on Carmela’s birthday. She is finally old enough to accompany her big brother on errands and she is very excited about it. Carmela pick’s a dandelion and her brother tells her that she has to make a wish. She explores options such as her mom being able to stay in the fancy hotel she works in, having her dad be able to come to America, or even a new bicycle. In the end, she is so distracted by thinking about wishes, that she falls and her dandelion goes flying everywhere. Her brother saves the day by taking her to the ocean, where there are parts of dandelions everywhere, so that she can make her wish. I love how this book is both simple and realistic. It was an inspirational and beautifully written book to end the day.

 

With Halloween coming tomorrow, we are officially done posting Halloween crafts and activities. It didn’t feel right to start with the Thanksgiving themed crafts just yet, so what is a not so crafty momma to do? To celebrate our upcoming trip to Disney (we will have 120 long days left as of tomorrow), I decided to work on shapes and colors with a shape micky mouse activity!

Materials Needed

• Construction Paper (Red, Black, Yellow, and White or Grey)
• Scissors
• Glue

As with most of what we post here, the prep work is super simple. You will need one bigger black circle along with two little ones, two little yellow circles, and a red half circle. After that, it is time for your little one to put it together. I said the shape and color before I handed my toddler each piece and encouraged her to say it back. She is still pre-verbal, but it is still a great way to develop basic sounds. If your child already has a basic concept of shapes and colors, try letting them tell you what each piece is!

The end result will be an adorable little Mickey Mouse. This will not take long, but it is a great way to learn about shapes and colors.