I’m a sucker for any craft that incorporates the size of a child’s hand. Last year, we made a wreath featuring Travis’s handprints. This year we switched our art medium to clay. This little dish is perfect for holding holiday candies, and would also make a great gift for grandparents on your Christmas list!
To start, we gathered our materials: air-dry clay and balloons. Balloons and clay first thing in the morning? Travis was in heaven!
Blow up one balloon to a size your child can comfortably hold in his or her hand; set aside.
Trace your child’s hand onto a piece of paper and cut out; set aside.
Now flatten your clay using a rolling pin until it is large enough to hold the handprint.
Use a clay slicing tool or plastic knife to cut around the handprint.
Now here’s the slightly funny part: drape the hand over the balloon, and let sit somewhere kids can’t touch it or mess with it until dry.
Once dry, remove the balloon and set your hand on the counter as a decorative dish.
Don’t forget to inscribe with kids’ names and the year, so you’ll always remember!
…we also took advantage of moments when the weather was cloudy to do activities best suited to grAY-sky dAYs: 
We took the fun home with a bale of hay from a craft store (easy to come by, here in the fall). Travis loved having his own little farm out back where his animals could play in the hay. 
Finally, we incorporated hay into a craft with our 
I also decided to have Travis be my sous-chef for a recipe requiring cooking sprAY, and wanted it to be something novel. That meant we pulled out my old waffle maker for the first time in years, sprayed it with the cooking spray, and scooped in the batter for homemade pumpkin waffles!
joyful parenting 