Pumpkin Peepers

October 20, 2016Leave a comment

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It wouldn’t be Halloween without pumpkins of course, but toddlers are too young for carving… So what to do?

This cute idea, adapted from Parents magazine, couldn’t be easier, and allows toddlers to make a silly face, no knife required.

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Simply cut various-sized circles from craft foam, and use glue dots or sticky Velcro dots to attach the eyes and a pupil to each pumpkin. We used goofy colors, but you could also stick with a more traditional black and white palate.

To finish the faces, simply use a sharpie for noses and mouths.

Leaf Glitter

October 20, 2016October 20, 2016Leave a comment

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Turn autumn leaves into a masterpiece with this simple but delightful project!

Half the fun, of course, was just heading outside to select our leaves. With a warm and dry fall so far, the color wasn’t as vibrant as I hoped, but I set Travis the task of finding leaves in all the possible colors – greens, reds, oranges, yellows, and browns – and we came away with a better collection than I expected. Travis loved the adventure in the park!

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We let the leaves dry at home for a couple of days, and then it was time to turn them into “glitter”! What toddler can resist ripping leaves into tiny pieces?

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Exercise those little hand muscles and let your child squeeze glue all over a piece of construction paper. You can sprinkle on the leaf glitter almost like confetti, pressing down to adhere.

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We shook our creation off a few times to figure out which leaves weren’t stuck yet, and then added more glue as needed.

Autumn Painting

October 19, 2016October 19, 20161 Comment

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Prints are a great way to keep painting projects fresh and different for toddlers. At any time of year, items around the house (like toilet paper tubes and Duplo blocks!) make for fun print painting. Two very autumnal items lend themselves perfectly to this idea.

First, Travis and I tried apple prints. Cut an apple in half and remove the seeds, lightly drying the inside of the apple with a paper towel. This is also a great way to take about the fruit with your toddler, since the inside looks so different from the outside!

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Dip the cut apple halves in paint and press onto paper for a neat, almost heart-shaped effect.

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Next we tried corn rolling, using ears of beautiful dried corn from the farmers’ market. Travis loved the corn, carrying it all around the house, so I was surprised that when the time came to paint, he wasn’t interested.

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Aside from one brief roll, he had a very toddler moment wanting to dip his whole hand into the blue paint. So… you win some you lose some! On the other hand, he loved looking at the example I finished, proudly telling anyone who saw it that we made it with corn.

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What other fall items have you made prints with? Please share in the comments!

More Spider Fun!

October 18, 2016Leave a comment

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Between spider lanterns and spider rocks, we’ve been having fun with all manner of creepy-crawly arachnids leading up to Halloween. Today we not only made a new spider, but gave him a web to call home!

For the spider, invite your child to color on two paper plates with crayons however they like. Preschoolers can draw their own spider face, but I helped by drawing a spider on one plate and letting Travis have free reign on the other.

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Punch a hole in the center of one plate, and thread through a knotted piece of string. You’ll be able either to hang your creation, or to jump it about like a jumping spider once complete!

We then glued 8 strips of black construction paper onto the inside rim of one plate before gluing the two plates together.

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Let dry completely before the play begins.

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I had leftover cooked and cooled spaghetti on hand, so for Itsy Bitsy’s web, we got nice and goopy again!

Fill a shallow plate with glue, and show your child how to dip the spaghetti strands in the glue before arranging in a “web” on waxed paper.

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Travis couldn’t wait to get his hands on the spaghetti, and very quickly decided they also looked like worms. I finished our web while he had a blast stirring the worms around and making them “wiggle” a nice reminder that toddlers are very good at creating their own games no matter what materials we present to them!

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Let the web dry completely, then peel off the wax paper. Because the web is very delicate, I found it was best to leave some of the wax paper behind as backing.

Don’t forget to add one of your spider friends to live inside!

Spaghetti Monsters

October 18, 2016October 18, 20161 Comment

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If ever there was a time for oopy goopy fun, Halloween is it! Travis is too young for classic Halloween gags like a bowlful of spaghetti “brains,” but it’s the perfect time to play with cooked spaghetti and make friendly “monsters” instead.

Present your child with a bowl of cooked and cooled spaghetti. Demonstrate how to take a handful of spaghetti, dip it in a shallow plate or pie tin filled with tempera paint, and then smear onto construction paper.

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I thought Travis might be hesitant to get so messy, but he dove right in! He had so much fun dipping the spaghetti in the paint that I had to remind him to transfer over to the paper on occasion.

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When the paint is dry, finish your friendly “monsters” with googly eyes and any other scraps you have on hand, like ribbon, yarn, or fabric.

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The silly looking monsters are a nice way to decorate with non-threatening creatures around the house, making sure the holiday isn’t too scary for little ones.

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Tissue Paper Ghosts

October 16, 2016Leave a comment

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Probably the simplest and oldest Halloween craft in the books, this one still delights adults and children alike. You can make just a few ghosts, but I think it’s better to make a whole bunch of them and hang all around the house (or yard if you have one).

Show your toddler how to fold a tissue paper over a cotton ball, and then secure the tissue just under the cotton ball with a piece of masking tape. If you’re going to hang the ghosts, make sure to stick a length of string or yarn under the tape as well. Travis helped with a couple, but then just loved playing with the materials involved while I prepared more.

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We had a big pile pretty soon!

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Decorate the faces with marker. For the best ghost-y mouth, show your toddler how to press a marker firmly into the tissue paper for a big spooky O.

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Travis liked fluttering the ghosts about by hand, and helping me hang them.

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I confess the resulting ghosts look a bit morbid, dangling from their necks, but heck, it IS Halloween…

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Spider Rocks

October 16, 20161 Comment

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Following up on our spider lantern decorations, Travis helped me create a few more spider friends to populate our house for the Halloween season!

Find a few small, round rocks and paint in any color – we used blue and black for a dark Halloween feel, but neon bright colors might be fun too! Let dry overnight.

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Cut pipe cleaners in half. For the legs of each spider, wrap one pipe cleaner piece around the middle of three others, then bend the ends out to make the legs. This part was a bit complicated for Travis, but he loved watching me do it, and thought the legs made great “crickets” to jump around for a while.

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Glue one rock onto each set of pipe cleaner “legs” and let dry completely – I recommend lying them upside down.

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All you need to add are stickers or googly eyes for the cutest little spiders I’ve ever had in my house!

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Spider Lantern

October 16, 2016October 16, 20162 Comments

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween around here! Since Travis loves spiders, I knew this easy decoration would be a big hit. It was our first Halloween craft of the season, so as we made the lantern I talked about the creepy crawly things that come out on All Hallow’s Eve!

Cut the top off an empty 1-liter bottle of soda; tape around the rim to cover any sharp edges.

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Wrap the bottle in cheesecloth, draping the excess inside, then wrap colored yarn around the bottle. Kids can help with this step!

Once finished, tuck a plastic or rubber spider into your web. Add a battery-operated candle for spooky glowing decor come nighttime.

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Binoculars

October 13, 2016October 13, 20161 Comment

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Now that night is falling earlier, the stars are appearing in the sky before Travis goes to bed. Tonight, we dipped outside just before bedtime with a very special pair of toddler-sized binoculars.

To make the craft, place plastic wrap over the ends of two toilet paper rolls, securing with rubber bands. Place the two tubes next to each other and attach with two additional rubber bands.

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Now invite your toddler to decorate with crayons and star stickers. Travis loved selecting which stickers to use!

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And now it’s time for the magic. Looking through the binoculars produced wonder just raising them toward some star artwork in our apartment…

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Even better was heading outside, where we saw the first star of the evening (okay, it was probably a planet…but shhh don’t tell). “See that little glowing thing? That’s a star!” Travis said proudly.

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Shadow Dancing

October 11, 2016October 11, 20161 Comment

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With late autumn sunshine pouring in through our windows, we were inspired to take our dancing up a notch!

Depending on the direction your windows face, play this game when shadows are best projected against the wall. If it’s a rainy day (or nighttime!) you can continue the fun by putting out all the lights in the room except one, and then angling one light to hit a wall.

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