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photo credit: DaveBleasdale

If you have little kids at home, you might have noticed that they usually have this inclination to play with your refrigerator stick-ons. Sometimes, when we use these magnetic stickers to pin our bills and other important documents on the fridge, we would be surprised that our notes and reminders are scattered on the floor.  The kids have played with your ref stick-ons and they love playing with it.

To perhaps avoid this inconvenience, why not involve your kids into making their own refrigerator stick-ons. And because December is already here, lets have the kids create Christmas-themed alphabet magnetic stickers.

Supplies:

• Small magnets
• Black paper board
• Colored paper board (green, yellow, red)
• Black marker
• Glue
• Glitter glue
• Puncher

Steps:

1. Cut the colored paper boards into 2×2 inches square tiles. Green, yellow, and red are the colors of Christmas, and they are usually prevalent at this time of the year. This will establish the Christmas theme of the alphabet magnetic stickers. Make 26 pieces.
2. Cut the the black paperboard into 2.5×2.5 inches square tiles. Create 26 pieces.
3. Glue one colored paperboards over a black paperboard. Do the same with the remaining pieces.
4. Write the letters of the alphabet on the paper tiles.
5. Punch some holes on the colored papers to create small circles. Put yellow and green circles on the red tiles, red and green on the yellow ones, and yellow and red on the green ones. Apply glitter glue on the center of the circles.
6. Glue the small magnets at the back of the stick-ons. Let them dry.

You now have your Christmas-themed alphabet magnetic stick-ons!  Happy Holidays!

photo credit: L. Marie

Want to have a Halloween accessory that would surely add color and fun in this Trick or Treat season?  Let the kids go from neighbor to neighbor getting their candy treats or doing their creepy tricks while carrying an umbrella jazzed up for the Halloween occasion.

All you will need is an old umbrella but also make sure that it is still in good condition. Once this activity is done, that umbrella you kept in the store room to gather dust will be transformed into a creepy Halloween accessory that you can use for your child’s trick or treat activities.

Supplies:

• Old umbrella
• Black and white t-shirt paint (or any paint)
• White yarn
• Plastic spiders (you can buy these in toy section of groceries or department stores)
• Glue

Steps:

1. Open your old umbrella. Apply black paint all over it to hide the prints or jolly faded colors. The kids can enjoy helping a lot in this painting activity.  Then apply white paint on the umbrella handle.
2. Let the paint dry for a while. This may take 2 to three hours, depending on the thickness of the coating and the type of paint that you bought.  It is advisable to use a water-based paint and non-lead type of paint.
3. After the paint has dried, draw two big ovals using the white paint on the umbrella. Just coat it thinly and let it dry for about an hour or so.
4. Draw a circle using the black paint inside the white ovals to form the eyes of the umbrella.
5. Get the yarn and cut it into the same length, about 6 inches.
6. Glue the plastic spiders on one end of the yarn. Let it dry,
7. After the spiders are now firmly attached on the yarns, get one yarn and tie one end to the umbrella’s pointed edges. Do this on every pointed edge of the umbrella.

Now, you are ready to use your spooky Halloween umbrella.  With big eyes and dangling spiders, this will surely be the umbrella that will do the trick and treat this Halloween season.

photo credit: Photocapy

This is one craft that your kids will surely love and enjoy. This will develop their creativity and resourcefulness. As they grow taller and stronger, they are attracted to moving objects.  They are also becoming more aware of their mobility.   Making a pull-along mini-cart would satisfy their curiosity and active desire to be in control of things.  Moreover, this craft can be a learning activity in which the children can identify colors and shapes.

What you will need:

• Drinking/plastic cup
• Colored cardboard
• Two pieces of pencils
• Modeling clay
• String
• Pair of scissors

How to do it:

1. Place your drinking/plastic cup on the colored cardboard and trace the base with a pencil to make four wheels.
2. Cut the four wheels out of the cardboard.
3. Push the two pencils through the two wheels respectively. Be careful in handling the pointed tip to avoid piercing or hurting yourself.
4. Attach the pencil on each wheel and seal it with modeling clay to prevent it from loosening.
5. Make a small rectangular box with an open top using your colored cardboard. You can use a different color this time to make the body of the mini-cart distinct from the wheels.
6. Make four holes on the sides of the box, two on each side.
7. Push the pencils with wheels through the holes.
8. Attach the remaining two wheels on the two pencils, respectively and fixing it with modeling clay.
9. Tie a string on one end of the box, just long enough for your kid to pull it along.
10. Now that you have a pull-along mini-cart, ask your child to give it a name to make it more meaningful for him.

This week at Toddler Crafts we are hosting a giveaway of labels/stickers with Uprinting!  Click Here to find out more about it!

This weeks McKlinky Blog hop is about why you should read The Toddler Crafts Blog (well actually, each blog will talk about why that particular blog is special!).   So, I will take this opportunity to share why I think you should read Toddler Craft.

As a mom, and day care provider, I am always looking for inspiration to create fun and simple activities with the kids.  I realized, that I would always search the internet and books for new ideas.  I personally liked simple crafts and activities for kids that had some educational value.

When I discovered blogging through my freebie trading I thought that it would be great to share some of the fun things I did with the kids with other parents.  From this idea, Toddler Craft was born!  My goal is to share easy, fun and educational crafts and activities for kids ages 1-7.  I believe, you should be able to create most activities with things you have on hand.  It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated to make crafts with kids.   I also  share helpful parenting tips or experiences I have had.  Some of the topics I discuss are: getting your child to sleep, potty training, school anxiety, and going back to work.

I hope Toddler Craft gives you the inspiration I was always looking for!!  I’d love your feedback and to hear the types of activities, crafts or advice you would like to see here.  Please share it in the comment area.  Thank you  for reading Toddler Craft I really enjoy the community of readers that participate on Toddler Craft!

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