Summer vacation!!!

[Yvonne Belisle]

Summer vacation is almost upon us. I thought I would start a thread for ideas to keep kids busy during the summer. I am saving meat trays to make airplanes out of and eggshells to start seeds in so the kids can grow people. You put faces on the shells then plant grass or moss or other hair like plants so that they have hair. Any one else have ideas to share?

[Mariposa De La Luna]

Here's one I've seen off the top of my head.

Sidewalk chalk- you can make your own very cheap and the kids can do it! Take a toilet paper tube and tape off one end. Then you mix plaster of paris up according to the directions and add powdered tempera paint to give it the color. pour it into the tube and let it set up. Then you can tear off the paper and draw on the cement with your giant chalk!

BTW great idea for a topic Yvonne!

[Faery-Wings]

...right about now, and cannot think of anything! But I am a prek teacher, and am certified up to 8th grade. I have loads of ideas and books and websites bookmarked. So if you have anything specific in mind~please ask!

Chris
:sunny:

[reanna]

One of my absolute fave sites on the net for crafts( I teach preschool) is www.dltk-kids.com
Keeping in mind that it is a very "everything" sort of site, it has some really fantastic simple crafts that could be easily adapted to meet various ideas or themes.
I like the fact that for most everything, you choose it and print out the template and off you go a crafting.
My kids love it. The kids I teach love it.
Of course, we are still in the major throes of "pokemania" so this site works very well for simple toilet paper tube paper crafts.
Has an absolutely huge pokemon section as well as digimon and other friendlier(well, in my mind anyway) of cartoon and children's shows. Blues Clues, Sesame street, etc...
Check it out and let me know what you think.


:)

[Faery-Wings]

That is a great site!! Thanks so much for posting that. My son is going to kdg and I have been working with him on writing and the pages on letter and numbers will be great. And all of the other info- I could spend hours there :) I especially liked the Bible section, he he he

Chris

[moonmagick4]

Great stuff everyone!!!My son is 14 now,but I know a lot of people with young kids.I can share these ideas with them!!!!!Thanks!!!

[Yvonne Belisle]

I've just gone from year rround school with each child on a seperate track to traditional. I kept them seperate so they each had one on one time. Now all three of the older kids will be home at once and if they aren't busy they become distructive. I find markers where the 4 year old gets them and the walls suffer. I find toys everywhere. They begin to fight and bicker it's not pretty! I have 3 months to fill with things that are interesting as well as outside play time and reading time and math. This summer will be an adventure I won't soon forget. I just don't want them glued to the tv watching movies all summer. I think with my collection they could start a movie the first day of vacation and just be finishing on the last one but I don't want veggie kids.

[Yvonne Belisle]

What are people's views on kids gardens? I am going to post this in the green room to so that people know it's here. Sadly this fits both forums so I don't know where to put it. I am thinking it would be a great summer project for kids of older ages. Perhaps setting a hope or wish then planting accordingly. Small paths can be put in with a few stones that also correspond with what they wish to work in effect you would have a living spell.

[Mariposa De La Luna]

Another good site is www.makingfriends.com They have all sorts of stuff.

[Mariposa De La Luna]

Herbs are great and sprout fast too! I bought a large oval terra cotta pot, windowbox like, and let my daughter decorate it with oil pastels. they are waterproof and any mistakes can be smudged off and colored over. good for pots that are not handled much.

[Faery-Wings]

I never thought about having a special garden just for the kids. My own are too young right now (4 yo and 2 yo) but I would love to do something like that when they are older. So far this year, I try to include them in everything I do. They have their own kneeling pads, gloves and mini watering cans. I let them help me repot plants, put new stuff in and, and their favorite~ dig holes! Today I had to move a bunch of plants and I had my 2 yo daughter sing them lullabies :) I was hoping that would de-stress them a bit.

Yvonne, I like the idea of having them make a wish. Thanks for sharing the idea :)

Chris
:sunny:

[Kaylara]

One of the things that my Brothers love to do is make faerie houses. The way that you do this is:
1. Find a bunch of small sticks.
2. Find leaves, Grass, and/or flowers. (Ask the plants permission first.)
3. Find little trinkets (no iron) that the kids think the faeries will like.
4. Find a safe place for the house, A grove of trees works well, or in a secluded part of your yard where it will not be disturbed or run over with the lawn mower.

Stick the sticks in the ground, arranged in a circle. Make some of the sticks overlap at the top, this will create the roof. Leave a space for the door. Place the trinkets in the house. Next arrange the grass, leaves and flowers on the outside of the frame of sticks, so that the only entrance to the house is the door.

Create an area around the house that has things that would please a woodsprite, etc. (You can even plant some flowers)

Periodically, leave offerings in and around the faerie house for the faeries. Tell your children about some kinds of faeries, and tell them myths that you know. You may want to get some of the new books out on the market that have beautiful, colorful pictures of faeries (No Pressed fairy Books, they freak kids out.)

Just an idea!

Kaylara

[Yvonne Belisle]

I think it's fantastic and we will do at least one this weekend! Thank you for sharing!

[MammaStar]

Thanks for the idea. I think we will also include my niece on this one too! She loves that sort of thing! :D

[Vinga]

When I was younger I built a house for the vaettir (vättarna). I actually built a miniature version of a real house from tongue & grove wood paneling, with a door and a window and used old roof tiles for a sloping roof (actually one rooftile was enough) and painted the house the same colour as our cottage. Then I put up a sign so the vaettir would know it was for them and placed it in the garden.
The vaettir is the Scandinavian equivalent of the faeries. They live in the forest in large rocks etc and care for the animals and the plants. They have always played a large role in the Scandinavian peoples lives as they were believed to also help out on the farms and if you crossed them they might sabotage for the farmer instead.

I read in a newspaper a few years ago about a road construction in Iceland. They were building a new highway but in the path of this new highway was a large boulder, so the construction company called in a Vaettir speaker who had to ask the vaettirs permission to move the boulder for the new road. The vaettir told her it was ok to move the boulder because they had already moved out of it and into another one. I'm not kidding you, Iceland has had an especially close relationship with their vaettirs and still do.

[dragondancer]

I always found it was fun to do gardening things with kids, they love to play with the dirt. If you are working with a few kids, you can let them each plant their own little sweet pea by getting some of those fiber glass mini planters and some potting soil and letting them each plant their own sweet pea which could later be transferred to the ground or just giving them their own patch of earth and going to the store and letting them choose their own seeds to cultivate and have a little garden!!

[Vinga]

How about picking wild herbs or home grown and let the kids make their own oils and teas? I've done that with my cousins when they were younger and it works with kids of all ages, especially girls. We had a book with the medicinal uses of the herb and they loved the idea of making their own 'medicine'.

Or make natural colour baths and have the kids dye their own t-shirts or something. There are books that explain the process in detail, and what plant material that can be used. If that's too complicated one can buy fabric paint or pens and let the kids paint on the t-shirts instead. Permanent markers work too.

Yarn, tons of yarn and embroidery threads. You can make so much crafts from yarn. I used to be a camp councellor and yarn is by far the most popular material used for crafts, especially for friendship bracelets but that might be a camp thing.

Girls somehow seem easier to get involved in crafts etc, but for boys one could start a building project. Build a birdhouse (or faery house - see Kaylara's post), patio planter or something more of their own interest like a mouse trap car and then they can organize races with their friends.

LOL ok that was just a few ideas...if I think of anything else I'll be back ;)

[Vinga]

chryssi, I had my own tiny garden patch when I was 4 and my stepdaughter who is 5 has helped me in the garden since she was 3. As long as you don't start too big, kids can get into gardening at a very young age. Perhaps just let them plant a cherry tomato plant each and have them water and then they can pick and eat the tomatoes from their own plant (or berry bush if that's more to their taste). A toddler is if possible even more adorable when trying to operate a watering can :).
The important thing is that it's something fairly fast growing, or they'll lose interest.

[Faery-Wings]

I think I am going to have to look around my gardens and see what space I have for them now :). I have 4 garden areas, but all of them are mostly shaded and it is tough to grow stuff. I also have some herbs in pots on the front patio where there is more sun. Maybe I'll get some more pots, let them decorate the pots first, then they can pick out a plant and go from there. You are so right on about the time/no patience with a toddler. We are sprouting and avocado pit and it is taking *forever*!!! Over three weeks and all it has done was crack the outer cover and a *teeny* root is emerging. Every day, that want to see it and to them nothing is happening.

My daughter, the 2 yo, loves to drag around the watering can that is bigger than she is, even though I have little ones for them. And now she can't walk past the plants without singing, Lullaby and good night... ;) I have paper to do scrapbook pages of them gardening, I just have to remember to get the camera out too.

Chris
:sunny:

[mol]

Hehe... ;)

[Celtic_Angel]

You need:

1 cookie sheet

water

dishsoap

2 straight straws

3-4 ft of yarn

a breeze

make a bubbly solution with the water and the soap, this works much better than store bought bubbles, in the cookie sheet. slip both straws onto the yarn and tie the ends of the yarn together. pull the straws apart so you have an oval or recatngle with the straws as handles, then bring the straws together so that there is yarn hanging down in between on both ends. put this in the bubbles and swish it around. bring it out and move the straws apart again high in the air and walk against the breeze. you should have a bubble started. bring the straws closed to finish the bubble.

we used to do this when i was a kid. we competed to see who made the biggest bubbles and whose lasted the longest. :) it was fun! sorry if the directions aren't all that good.

[bluecat]

fishing, camping, etc ...

Blue

[Alphyna]

My son (1 1/2) loves to water the flowers, and pull the weeds. He even tries to use one of those garden claws! Next year is when I am going to give him his own garden. I picked up a herbal almanac, and there are some great childrens gardens in it. I will probably start with a windowsill garden.
Blessings, Alphyna

[Maggie]

Originally posted by Yvonne Thomas
What are people's views on kids gardens? I am going to post this in the green room to so that people know it's here. Sadly this fits both forums so I don't know where to put it. I am thinking it would be a great summer project for kids of older ages. Perhaps setting a hope or wish then planting accordingly. Small paths can be put in with a few stones that also correspond with what they wish to work in effect you would have a living spell.

One thing that was always popular with the small kids was a 'scratch and sniff' pot. I kept a large pot on my front steps and (over) filled it with smelly things like curry, lavendar, rosemary, scented geranium---anything that had a strong smell. The kids loved to stop by and take a leaf. Also, had a small patch out front with textured stuff, lamb's ears were popular.....

Another thing was a 'theme' garden--one year my son wanted all blue flowers......

If you have room some of the really quick vegetables are popular--radishes and lettuce grow quickly and kids like to eat their own stuff. Peas and beans are fun too, I grow scarlet runner up one step railing every year.

Zinnias and marigolds are good for kids, as are sunflowers, tomatoes can be grown in pots........

Maggie

[Rick]

I was thinking of velcro-ing mine to the ceiling... :D

(I just promised to add my 2 cents worth, Yvonne, I didn't say it'd be pretty.)

OK, OK... let the kids have their own little garden area, or window box, etc. Let them pick their own seeds, give 'em minimal instructions & supervision (the idea being: let 'em figure it out, & succeed or fail of their effort), & let 'em go.

Hint: BE PRACTICAL! If you live in a small apt., you can't let 'em grow, say, giant pumpkins (maybe little ones).

PS Most YMCA/YWCA's, city park authorities, Boys & Girls Clubs, etc. have various summer programs & activities. Check 'em out!

[Yvonne Belisle]

I've considered the velcro to the ceiling thing myself on many occasions. :D Have you seen the problem child movies??? I think the writer knew my kids! If you don't believe me ask C_A or Tanna they've met them. My 11 year old tried to pick C_A up as in girlfriend type pick up! Smack him in the but for it and she got an "Oh, Baby". The look on her face was priceless! Now my job is they are all going to be home this summer I get to keep them entertained or at least to busy to become natural disasters.

[Rick]

Yeah, I call my 7 yr old, William, "Billy the Conqueror" with good reason! ;)

[Laiste]

When the weather is bad and outdoor activities are out of the question we like to have "backwards day" dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner. We set up a "tent" in the livingroom and pretend we are camping. My husband will even stand out in the rain and try to grill food!!! My son gets a kick out of it. We play board games and cards and later in the day watch a movie together.

When the weather is nice we stay out all day swimming, hiking, taking leisurely nature walks or just BBQn' with the neighbors. I always pack some travel games, cards and sketch pads and colored pencils.

Laiste

[Ozymandias]

Frankly mine are fairly young but here goes...........
-Any outdoor event even a simple walk is good
-Put them on a sheet and let them have some paints(outside)
-SWIM!
-Encourage any crafts activity

I'm going to teach my daughters swordsmanship when their old enough.

[Yvonne Belisle]

We use bokken and shanai with ours.

[Catey]

Merry Meet :-)

When mine (all I can't remember how may I have) LOL were young I would take them on nature walks and teach them about herbs and flowers and how we use them. Also the times to pick them and the way to thank them for being there to aid us. An example ....anyone with a lawn usually has Planton growing so I taught them all the healing things this little weed did and how to use it if they were outside and got a bite or sting etc. As I said I always taught them to thank the little plants.

You can also buy bees wax sheets and they can learn to make candles. Then teach them a childrens ritual in which they can use the candles. Let me know if you have a problem finding the wax sheets. I have some extra.

Another thing mine loved to do in the fall was to collect beautiful leaves that had fallen and make a gift box to send to friends in Florida who never get to see all the fall colours.

Just a few ideas.

May the Lord and Lady always smile on you.
Catey

[Armitage]

-get paper plates, markers, a bag of dyed feathers, and sequins, and have the kids make their own masks.
-beads for bracelets and stuff are great for kids who won't swallow them
-let them tyedye their old socks/shirts/underwear (outside of course)
-get old pots and pans and things to bang them with (earplugs recommended)
-crayons and HUGE paper
-lots of construction paper and scissors. As fot the mess after, challenge them to make things from the scraps

And no, I don't have kids...Just remembering things that kept me amused when I was a kid.

[Yvonne Belisle]

That's great!!!! I am really pleased with all of the great responses this thread is getting. It doesn't take having a kid to know what you liked I'm glad you remembered that. These are all some great ideas!

[Yvonne Belisle]

I got these url's in my mailbox and thought I would share they have some free patterns and projects.

http://www.craftideas.com/ccci/articleDetail/0,1009,1602,00.html


http://www.craftideas.com/ccci/articleDetail/0,1009,1603,00.html


http://www.craftideas.com/ccci/articleCommunity/0,1010,52,00.html


http://www.craftideas.com/ccci/articleDetail/0,1009,766,00.html


http://www.craftideas.com/ccci/articleDetail/0,1009,1540,00.html


Most of those are garden type crafts for kids including a flower pot craft or two.

[Lavender]

For the older kids...the ones who are too "cool" for crafts, koolaid tie-dyed t-shirts. I have to dig out my notes on that but they were a lot of fun to do. Also a great craft for kids to do at a birthday party & they can take the t-shirts home as their goodies.

[Armitage]

Heck, Koolaid-dyed hair if they're yours and you don't mind. ^_^

[Mariposa De La Luna]

This link is the best place to buy real tye dye supplies and they are alot cheaper than the art supply stores. They even have instructions and all sorts of stuff for textiles. They even have this fabric paint that you can make sunprints with! I'm going to get some of that this summer!

http://www.dharmatrading.com/

OH yeah for real tye dye, I'd go with the Procion MX powdered dyes in fuscia, turquoise and lemon yellow.

[Semele]

Originally posted by SAHM
Here's one I've seen off the top of my head.

Sidewalk chalk- you can make your own very cheap and the kids can do it! Take a toilet paper tube and tape off one end. Then you mix plaster of paris up according to the directions and add powdered tempera paint to give it the color. pour it into the tube and let it set up. Then you can tear off the paper and draw on the cement with your giant chalk!

BTW great idea for a topic Yvonne!

Our son much prefers drawing on the walls....bad idea for us but a cool recipe. I may have to share that one with my sister as she works with children. Let them color the schools sidewalks!!!!

Semele

[Litha]

A God's Eye is a great craft to make at probably any of the Sabbats. I've seen them made at Imbolc, and then they're usually renamed as "Goddess Eyes." Works for me.
To make a God/dess Eye, you'll need:


1. 2 sticks; I've found that bamboo skewers work really well
2. yarn of different colors; save left overs from knitting / crochet projects
3. scissors to cut the yarn

As with any craft found here, you are encouraged to charge your materials in your normal way.
Make a slip knot on the end of the yarn you'll use for the middle of the cross, and slide the loop over the two sticks. Once you've centered the yarn, pull the knot, and spread the stick arms out into the form of a cross. Wrap the yarn diagonally over the center twice for each side (NW-SE, and then NE-SW).

Begin wrapping the yarn around the sticks, always remembering to move deosil around the eye. Start at one point, move the yarn over the stick, come around the back crossing over the front and moving on to the next arm. Remember - always go over the stick and then go around it. And keep the yarn tight.

When you need to add another color, figure out where you need to place the knot of the two strands so that it's hidden behind a stick arm. As you wrap the stick, wrap the loose strands to hide them. When you're done, doubly loop the yarn over the final arm.

To hang, cut 12" of yarn. From the front of the eye, push an end on either side of an arm about 2/3rds the way up the arm. Knot the ends in the back. Bring the strands together, determine the length for dangling, and tie a knot. Hang your eye, and enjoy.

P.S.
I've seen God's Eyes made using embroidery thread and jewelers wire. These were then were attached to earring hooks and worn. They looked cool, especially when metallic thread was used.

[reanna]

A family I know has started all sorts of cool dinner traditions recently. Thought I would mention it. It might be fun, I am going to try it with my kinds soon :D

Picking different themes for the dinner table. Get all creative and pick a cool meal plan like Spanish or Mexican and dress in makeshift costumes/sombreros etc.. for dinner. Another one that I thought would be really cool would be a medieval theme.
If you did Greek, you could dress in sheets and pretend they were togas.

Their most favorable recently was eating supper with absolutely no utensils. Great hit with the kids!!!
That is all I can remember right now. I will see what else I can drum up.. and I'll post them.


One of my kids faves from last summer.......
We hit the video store and rent 2 movies and then we
go to the store and buy all sorts of delectable treats. Chips, chewy candy, fruit and dip, any kind of munchies we have chosen for the nights theme. After we get home.... we build a HUGE fort in the living room with all the blankets, pillows and furniture we can in front of the television. Pop in the movie and viola! Best night of fun around.
Last summer, we did a space them. We rented the movie(of course I can't for the life of me remember the title right now! ugh!)
it has Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver in it.
Anyway, we had made stars and moons out of paper in the daytime. Once we had the fort built, we safety pinned them onto the roof of the fort so they hung down while we were watching the show. The kids had a blast. You could even expand it to include "space" typed food.

[Lucidia]

There are things that I learned to do as a child that benefited me quite a bit later...

I learned to sew, which helped me so much later when making bags for herbs and trinkets, or pillows, or even other things like clothing or curtains. Sewing is a great activity and has endless possibilities.

Starting a small indoor garden or learning to maintain an indoor plant, or starting something outdoors, is a great activity to get into while young. Gardening is such an intense and complex thing to learn all about, that the sooner you start the better. And what better sense of accomplishment than to see your labor emerge as a plant or even as a vegtable that you can enjoy at lunchtime!

The ideas about candles is great! it's really easy to do and candles serve so many purposes.

You can also take time to talk about symbols and maybe let them design their own personal glyphs or runes to symbolize somethign special about themselves. then you could make special jewelry (there are many child safe materials that you can make durable jewelry out of at local craft stores) or trinkets that they can be proud to carry/wear knowing they made it themselves.

Drawing is always great. A great group acitivity could be to make a picture book together, each person adding their own ideas.

Which brings me to another project. When I was 7 or 8, this woman came to my school and taught everyone how to make their own hand bound books. It's really easy and the books stay durable for a long time, and kids can then use them for personal journals, drawing, or just as a keepsake.

Also, there are lots of art projects, like making masks, (as was mentioned...) building birdhouses and flying (even making!) kites. nature walks, bird watching, star gazing, hiking, bike riding, roller skating, swimming, and so many other things can make a day full and productive.

i personally think TV is a last resort. TV has sucked away years of my life.. and I'd hate to see more kids grow up with all that lost youth sacraficed to the TV gods... heh 8O

[Faery-Wings]

Picking different themes for the dinner table. Get all creative and pick a cool meal plan like Spanish or Mexican and dress in makeshift costumes/sombreros etc.. for dinner. Another one that I thought would be really cool would be a medieval theme.

We did stuff like this too- mostly in the winter. We had a Pirate Night, ate fish stick and bologna cut into a skull and cross bones and watched Peter Pan. A Picnic in the floor, a campout- we made s'mores in the oven and ate them in a play tent and slept in sleeping bags in the living room (Reanna, I did a cute scrapbook layout of the camping one ;) )

Here's my craft idea for any budding paleontogists like my son.

Materials:
1. sand
2. Plaster of paris
3 Mixing conatiner
4. water
5. Stirring sticks
6. small plastic dinosaurs
7. small paper cups

Directions:
Put 5 measures of sand in a mixing conatiner- it doesn't matter if you are using cups or gallons just keep the same ratio. Add two measures of plaster od Paris. Stir these together. Now add 2 measures of water.- sometimes you have to add a little more water- the mixture should be like thick waffle batter. Stir but do not overstir. Pour into molds and quickly push the dinos into the sand/plaster mixture.

Let dry overnight. Peel the paper off and give the children a wooden popsicle stick to scrape the fossil out.

My son did this at his preschool and loved it!! He got the coolest paleontologist kit for his b-day, complete with goggles, chisels, specimen bags- he loves doing this and finding the dinos inside. Oh and you will want to do this outside!

Chris

[Eveningthief]

My son and I like to go for hikes through this one particular wooded path. The path goes on for a couple a miles; he takes his bug cage and we look for interesting plants, bugs, even birds we haven't seen before. This particular path ends us up at a shell beach. Where we sit and gaze at the ocean and collect more interresting shells and stuff. If there is something we have found that we don't know about, we will look it up on the computer later that night.

[Kiya]

Collages used to be my thing.... go out on walks to collect feathers, leaves etc, then rifle through sewing kits for spare buttons, ribbon, fabric, then off to the kitchen for dried pasta! Put it together with some water-based (I'll repeat that, WATER-BASED!!!) glue and paint and you've got a masterpiece!

Good for rainy days too - do the collecting when the sun's shining and stick it all together when the skies open!

BB

Kiya

[Lucidia]

that point about looking things up on the internet later that Sunflower just brought up is really good too. It's important to establish with kids that the internet is a lot more than just chatrooms and games. there is lot of great information out there.. you just need to breed a hunger for knowledge in their minds.

[Wyrdsister]

Just out of curiosity, how old are the children you will be working with?

Some ideas:
- to expand on the Internet education suggested above, why not get the kids to work on their own web page about the summer program? They can post their art projects online, pictures of them and their friends, write stories about what they did, etc. Could be fun!
- I LOVE the hand bound book idea above. I'd love to take that course! :)
- Will you be doing any rituals with the kids? One of the best rituals I ever attended was a children's ritual with lots of rhymes and children's songs re-written with Pagan lyrics. To smudge everyone into the circle, one of the people putting on the rit blew soap bubbles and everyone had to pop one on their nose to be smudged in! Also, the circle was cast with a big bubble wand. Much fun!

I'm interested in all of these ideas too. I'll keep reading this thread! :)

Wyrdsister

[sherry]

A good activity that I enjoy with my nieces is ....... We bought inexpensive clay pots, then Patio Paints we used brushes, stencils, leaves, anything that crossed their minds to decorate. Then they chose different flowers or herbs they chose and we read about, they had fun, and learned ;)

[Mairwen]

If anyone lives near a Garden Ridge Pottery, he can get inexpensive terracotta pots there. It's a small but growing chain ~ and they are online (http://www.gardenridge.com ~ I think).

[Mariposa De La Luna]

A post on the Just TAlk thread reminded me of an easy craft.

Get beeswax sheets, cookie cutters and wicks.
Cut out 6 shapes from the beeswax with the cookie cutter. Line 3 up and press them together, do it for the other 3. If they don't stick warm them up with a hair dryer a bit and then press them together. Sandwich the wick between the stacks and flatten the bottom a bit for it to stand and you have a candle.

You can make different shapes and colors for the different seasons and holidays.

I haven't tried this yet but collected it from somewhere.

[Yvonne Belisle]

The movie would have been Galaxy Quest.:D A spoof on Star Trek type conventions and shows, and very fun! I'm really happy that so many creative idea's are finding there way to this thread. I know I will be using it for a long time and I hope you all will to. Lets keep building this thread it's a great reference for anyone who has contact with children.

[Wildwood]

Mmmmm

Making Sweets.

We used to melt chocolate and then mix in bits
of raisin and nuts and then leave them to set in
the fridge.

Also peppermint creams are even better because
they don't require any cooking, just mixing
icing sugar (I think that is powdered sugar in
the US) with water peppermint flavouring and
food colouring.
It should have a stiff dough consistancy which
the kids can make into shapes.

Using a runnier mixture of powdered sugar, water
and food colouring we used to ice digestive
biscuits and then stick small sweets on them to
make faces.


All these will have to set in the fridge though.

Wildwood

[Yvonne Belisle]

This thread is about more than just my kids. It's being written for a reference to be used for anyone who has contact with kids. My kids are 12,11,10 and 4 but they don't begin to cover the wide array of shildren we have to deal with as a community. Thoughts are welcome by anyone who has ever been a kid or is still a kid. I have hopes it will be used as a tool by our community teachers, parents, babysitters, siblings, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and anyone else who spends time with kids. So keep those wonderfull thoughts and ideas flowing. You are all wonderfull and so are your ideas!

[Mariposa De La Luna]

I just remembered! Air dry clay! its about $6 for 2lbs in my area at the craft store, in the same department as the polimer clay. I just did my daughter's hand print and my son's footprint in it for my MIL. My daughter is working with some today for a father's day present. Its really nice stuff. It dries in a few days and takes acrylic paint nicely. You can make all sorts of things from it and get nice results, plaques, small statues, beads, whatever. They also sell it in a 1 lb size. The brand we used was Laguna in a white box with red and black writing.

[gunner]

why not try a "song circle" teaching them the folk music of various cultures and traditions, i'm not going to completely dump on rock and other modern music but there is a wealth of other music out there well worth knowing that will never get heard on the radio or taught in the schools. for example after my now adult daughter and her fiance finished watching "braveheart" on the telly last night i dug into my tapes and played "scots wae hae wi wallace bled" for them. the fiance was quite impressed by the fact that this was not just hollywood fantasty and fancy dress but real and long remembered history. as my grand daughter grows up she's going to hear "scarborough fair" "broomfield hill" "the maid of fife-e-oh" "eileen arroon" "the minstrel boy" "lord of the dance" "shule aroon" and as many more as i can find and remember.

[Mariposa De La Luna]

Wow thanks Gunner! We just went to the Scarborough Faire this weekend. I didn't know it was the name of a folk song. I've got to find it and play it for my daughter.

[gunner]

as i understand it's history "scarborough fair" was a spell song to draw a lover to the singer and here's a version for her to sing along, courtesty of "the mudcat cafe"

Are you going to Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
For once she was a true love of mine

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt...
Without any seam or fine needlework..

Tell her to wash it in yonder dry well
Where water ne'er sprung nor drop of rain fell

Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born

Now he has asked me questions three
I hope he will answer as many for me

Oh, will you find me an acre of land
Between the sea foam and the sea sand

Oh, will you plow it with a lamb's horn
And sow it all over with one peppercorn

Oh, will you reap it with a sickle of leather
And tie it all up with a peacock's feather

And when you have done and finished your work
Come to me for your cambric shirt

___________

[Yvonne Belisle]

When Simon and Garfunkle did Scarbourough Fair they combined it with a second song from the same time period and the two blended beautifuly. I would love to have the lyrics to the combination that they made.

[Yvonne Belisle]

bump

[bluecat]

Scarborough Fair / Canticle found it on the greatest hits CD

[Yvonne Belisle]

I've got that and love it now to get the words to the other half....sigh it's hard to find! At least for me.

[reanna]

Scrapbook Layout!!??!!!
Did someone say those words???? :) LOL

I am sure it was a really awesome layout too Chryssi!!!
Like to see it if you have it posted somewhere online. :D



I am so happy this thread is so full of awesome ideas!
My kids are going to appreciate it greatly too:):):)

[Dria El]

Here's some stuff from my craft tips section. I just grabbed the kid-friendly stuff. I hope this helps.

Ouchless Needles

I do a lot of work with scouts and one of my favorite "needles" is a dental floss threader. It is a small plastic loop that is easy for the kids to thread, they cannot poke themselves or anyone else, and it accommodates yarn, embroidery floss, sewing thread, (to thread a regular needle). It will sew through plastic canvas, counted cross-stitch fabric or fabric with pre-punched holes. Even 3 and 4 year olds can use it. They are found in the toothpaste/toothbrush section in little plastic cases about 1" x 2" or ask your dentist.


Pinecones

A neat craft for the children or the miniature enthusiast is small pinecone wreaths. If you can fine the bush that has the tiny little cones that works too. Using a small pinecone cut the very tip off and it looks like a little pinecone. Make a circle of cardboard 2 inches in diameter cut the center out so it looks like a doughnut. It does not have to be very think. Glue these little "cones" around it to make it look like a large wreath. Glue a tiny bow or a few beads to decorate it. Lace a 6-inch piece of ribbon through and glue the ends to make a hanger for a Christmas tree decoration. The children like them to give to their friends or to Grandpa and Grandma for Christmas gifts. Something they made.


Pinecones

I have spray painted pinecones gold and last Christmas I even made some ornaments with them. You can use gold ones or unpainted ones. I glued a ribbon loop to hang it from. I put different things on them like mushroom birds with craft snow. (Looks like thick paint). Some I put things like ribbons, string beads, plastic ivy, silk flowers, etc. I also sprayed the final project with a glitter spray.


I saw this idea somewhere (not sure where). Make a mobile out of the CD-ROMS. Cross and tie several pieces of pipe together for the top. Loop string or chains through the holes of the CD-ROMS and tie them to the pipes. Decorate each one any way you wish.


I saw an idea of making sun catchers out of them. You can decorate them anyway you choose: painting, gluing lace, beads, and small pictures here and there. Attaching a string and hanging them in the window in such a way that they spin around reflecting the light on the part of the cd that is uncovered.


You can use the CD roms to make the tops for a music box. You glue Styrofoam on the top and use the snow in the jar to cover the foam-glue your little people or critters on the top of the snow. You can leave part of the CD showing and you have an ice skating rink. You can use many different things.


My husband makes mobiles by gluing CDS to face to face, so that no printing shows. He drills a hole on one edge and attaches a key ring which has a long chain attached to it. He uses one double CD for the chains to attach to at the top. When he has finished, he hangs them on the front porch and they throw rainbows through the living room window onto the furniture and walls. It is very pretty.


Ice Candles

Age: Preschool and up
Time: About 20 minutes
Type of Activity: Back yard fun

Materials needed:

Small plastic tub or bucket (a summer beach pail is the ideal size).

Tin can or small plastic cup.
A few strategically placed ice candles can turn your backyard into a winter's evening wonderland. Ice candles are easy to make, and best of all, cost next to nothing.
The trick

The first step to create an ice candle is to make a mold. This is done by filling a bucket or pail with cold tap water and placing a tin can or cup in the center. Weigh it down with enough small rocks to almost, but not quite, sink it.

Place the bucket outside on the porch or in the freezer until the water is frozen solid. Carefully remove the block of ice from the pail or bucket (you might need to loosen the ice by running warm tap water over the bucket's surface for a few moments). Once the ice is free from the bucket, the next step is to remove the tin can or plastic cup from the center of the block. (If the can or cup seems locked in the ice you can fill it with warm water to make removal easier.)

Once the ice has been removed from the pail and the cup from the center of the block, you've got your basic ice candle. Just place a small candle at the bottom of the well where the cup used to be. Bingo! You've just made an ice candle!

Hints

To keep the can or cup from "drifting off center" you may want to anchor it in place by placing a stick across the top of the pail and taping the cup or can to the stick. An inverted sauce pan cover will also do the trick -- the knob at the top will prevent the cup or can from drifting too far from the center.

Rainbow ice candles

Essentially you follow the steps outlined above, except you will build your candle in stages. Fill your bucket with 1/2 inch cold tap water and let freeze. When your first layer has frozen solid, add another 1/2 inch of VERY COLD tap water and add several drops of food coloring. Freeze and repeat the process with a different food coloring for each layer. Don't forget to put a can or cup in the center to make space for your candle.


The best way to craft is to craft FREE... and it is very easy. Just go outside and pick up sticks!!! Little sticks are easy to work with, make letters, numbers, etc. Redo your picture frames, vases, almost any item in your house can become your own personal project with a few sticks and glue.


Fancy Wrapping Paper

When I need wrapping paper for a child's birthday gift I use plain butcher paper, or an opened brown paper bag that I have my children color on. Since the paper will be discarded anyway, there is no reason to pay loads of $$ on store-bought wraps or bags. We have used markers, crayons, pencils, paints (watercolors), and rubber stamps, glued on sequins, used stickers you name it. It is easy to tailor the decorations to each kids interests. My kids have a great time decorating the paper, I save money, and the parents of the child receiving the gift know we took special time just for their little one.


Kid Paint Cups

I use those small butter containers for my kids to use as paint cups. They are small enough for the kids and have lids to close when they are done. I also took a tip I learned from a preschool teacher; I add a few drops of liquid soap to the paint and it makes it so much easier to wash off.


Imbolc Celebration Small Children Activities

Imbolc is the Sabbat that honors the re-union of the Goddess and the God as new, vital, and purified lovers. At Imbolc, the Goddess appears in the Maiden aspect and her consort the God appears as the virile Lord of the Forest. This is their wedding night, and the God lovingly approaches her as she lays waiting upon her Bride's Bed. It is the mid-point of the dark half of the year and their union casts a brilliant light upon the frozen land.




Brideo'gas


Materials:
1-peice Wooden Clothespin, Red, Yellow, or Brown Yarn, 1 White Pipe Cleaner, Several Scraps of White Material, Black and Red Markers, Scissors, Glue, Gold Glitter.

Children will enjoy making these little Bride images that can be used later as an alter decoration. Take a scrap of white material, (silk, satin, cotton, etc.), and cut out a 6" circle. In the center of the circle cut a hole large enough to poke the "head" of the clothespin through. Fold the circle in half and cut along the fold from both perimeters to the center hole, leaving approx. 1/8 inch between each slit and center hole. Dab "neck" of clothespin with a very small amount of glue, and push clothespin "head" up through the center hole in the material. Cut appropriate length of pipe cleaner to make arms and slide up through the slit in the clothespin until it is pushed up to the end of the slits on both sides of the material. Gather the material tight around the clothespin just under the arms, and tie off with a small piece of string or yarn. Glue a couple of short pieces of yarn to the clothespin head and make eyes and mouth with markers. Finish with dabs of glue and gold glitter around the white wedding dress. A bridal veil glued to the yarn hair is optional. Explain to the children how the Goddess is a sacred bride, pure and renewed, waiting to be re-united with her consort the God.




Bride's Bed


Materials:
A Box, Colored Construction Paper, White, Yellow, Green, and Red Tissue Paper, White Flowers or Cotton Balls, Glue, Paint Brush, Crayons, Scissors, Glitter.

This is a great little activity for the smaller children in the household, and they two can boast of helping with your alter decor. Paint one side of the box at a time with a bit of glue, not too thick, just enough to adhere green tissue paper. Cover the entire outside of the box with the green tissue paper. Cut a 2" wide strip of colored construction paper the length of the sheet (11"/14"). Let the child draw symbols and pictures that reminds them of Spring, the Goddess, brides, and weddings on the strip. Cut the white and yellow tissue paper into 2" diameter circles. While you are doing this, allow the child to draw pictures and symbols on the box with glue, and sprinkle with glitter. Place finger in the middle of a tissue square and draw up tissue around finger. Give a slight twist to crinkle paper into a flower shape. Remove finger and adhere to box and decorated construction paper strip with a dab of glue. Remember to leave about 1-1/2 inches on each end of strip. Attach these ends to the inside of the box with some glue. Let dry. Fill with white flowers or cotton balls. Tell story to children of how the Maiden is a Bride and that the Earth is her Bride's Bed.




Priapic Wand


Materials:
Small Tree Branch, Acorn, Thin Brown String or Thread, Yellow, Green, and Gold 1/4" Ribbon, Small Gold/Silver Jingle Bells. Children will love the sound of this magical wand as they walk about pointing and shaking it at plants and trees, invoking them to wake up from Winter's sleep to witness the union of the Bride and the Lord of the Forest. Select a small branch about 1/2" to 3/4" in diameter. Cut top end flat. Approx. 1/2" below top score a groove (parents only) with a sharp knife. Take 1' long piece of string/thread and tie in groove. Take another 1' piece of thread and tie in groove on opposite side of branch. Place acorn at top of branch (flat end) and adhere with some glue. Now pull the string up over the cap and wind once around acorn. Repeat with all 3 other pieces of string. Pull strings back down to the groove in the branch and tie off. This will hold the acorn in place. Decorate the branch by wrapping it with the ribbons, leaving enough length at top for streamers. Tie gold/silver jingle bells to the ends of the ribbons. For smaller children, thread the bells onto the ribbon while wrapping the branch. Tell the children about how the acorn-wand is a symbol of the Lord of the Forest, and how this magical wand helps the sleeping plants and animals wake up and prepare for Spring.




Brighid's Crosses


Materials:
Dried Wheat Stalks, Brown Thread. These crosses were exchanged as symbols of protection. They are easy to make and not at all time consuming. Take eight stalks with sheaves still attached. Place four stalks on flat surface with two sheaves at the top and two sheaves at the bottom. Measure approx. 6" of stalk between the sets of sheaves and cut off excess. Tie all four stalks together with the brown thread, first under the top sheaves, then above the bottom sheaves. Cut off excess thread. Repeat this procedure with the other four stalks, shortening the length between the sheaves to 4". Carefully separate the first set of stalks (two in front and two in back) and slip the second set through approx. 1" from the bottom of the top sheaves. Tie some thread in a knot just under the arms of the cross. Take the excess ends and diagonally wrap the thread over the opposite corresponding arm and back to the knot. Tie off in back and cut off excess ends. Let the children hand these Brighid's Crosses out to guests.




Bride's Bouquet Sachets


Materials:
Imbolic Potpourri, 1 Yard White Netting Material, Yellow and Pink 1/8" width Ribbon, Scissors. These sachets can be put in the children's clothing drawers or in rooms of the house that you'd like to smell of Imbolc even after the Sabbat is over. Potpourri is made with 1/2 cup dried basil, 1/2 cup dried chopped bay leaves, 1 cup dried Heather flowers, 1 cup dried Violets, 1 cup dried white or pink rose buds. Blend together in non-metal bowl. Cut netting material into 4"x4" squares. Lay out squares on a flat surface. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of potpourri in the middle of each square. Pull up all the corners to the middle of the potpourri and gather the excess material until potpourri is caught in a "bag". Give bag on twist to the right and tie off with yellow or pink ribbon. Use enough ribbon to make a small bow in the front of the sachet. Tell children how these sachets were exchanged as symbols of good luck and fertility.




Pentacle Candle Wheel (for the older kids)


Materials:
Molding Clay, Pencil, Ruler, 13- 4" White Stick Candles (1/4" diameter), Paints (optional). This Pentacle Candle Wheel is the perfect accessory to any Imbolc altar. Use enough clay to roll out flat with a rolling pin and cut out a circle 18" in diameter and 1/2" thick. Roll excess clay into rope, 1/4" in diameter and long enough to boarder the wheel base. Wet the clay rope enough to stick to base. This will contain any wax that drips from the burning candles. Score the image of the pentacle into the wheel base with the pencil, using the ruler to make straight lines. The Pentacle's points should be approx. 1/2" away from the border. Take one of the white candles and press bottom slightly (approx. 1/4" ) into each Pentacle point, each cross point (inner angles of the Pentacle) and three depressions in a pyramid shape in the top Pentacle triangle ray. Now allow the clay to dry and harden. The Pentacle Candle Wheel can be painted if desired after dried. Place candles in each of the depressions and place in the center of the Imbolc altar. Remember that the Candle Wheel is the symbol of the light that ensues from the union of the Bride and her consort, the Lord of the Forest.


Decorative Bottle Vases

Spread white glue on the bottle and roll it in sand (better the sea sand as it has many shiny particles). Glue shells on the glass and paint with gold or silver if you prefer more sophisticated style or leave just the natural shells. Spread glue on 2-3 finger width and begin covering with cord or wool or yarn. You can vary for rustic or more 'social' look, varying the yarn. Also can make stripes with ton-surd-ton or colored ones. Good at macramé? Cover it (or find someone to do for you) with various designs. Looks very nice but more rustic. Sophisticated appearance you will get using metallic yarns. Paint on the bottles with glass paint. Choose neutral leaves or colored flowers, as you wish. Also can paint specials for Christmas (Santa, Angel, Snowman), etc. Bottles to be used to hold candles are nice if you let wax (only white or colored) drip all over the bottle. Hold old candles and let the drops run down the bottleneck and side.


Clothing Detergent Bottle Caps

I use similar caps to make large floor checker board games for the children I work with. Just put together a simple board out of an old towel or rug and the caps can be decorated or painted as you wish. Play a memory game with them (if you have children). I also use them to store paper clips and such like that. The caps also make good sturdy bubble solution containers.


Rag Rugs

Rugs can be either made from old sheets or knit fabric; it depends on you. Recycle! Cut the strips approximately 2-4 inches in width (depends on whether the material will fray). Take 3 strips and knot together. If material frays, I turn both raw towards the center. Now, braid the strips (like doing braids in children's hair). Do not braid to tight. This allows you to join easier later. Pieces can be joined together by either hand basting or overlap the two pieces (2 in.). Continue to braid. Joining the braids together can be done by sewing along the side of the braid or using narrow strips of material. The strips are better (I believe). How do you do that? Weave the strip in and out of the braid. Just poke your finger through with the material or you can use a hook to push the material if braids are too tight. You can make whatever shape rug you want. It depends on where you start to join.


Braided Rag Rug

There are two methods, you can either simply braid the strips of rags, tucking in the ends of each new rag as you braid, or you can sew them together, end to end, and crochet (if you know how) them into a long chain, and then sew them in a circle, or crochet them into the shape you want.


Another rag rug method

There are many methods for making rag rugs. My current favorite involves making a simple loom, which is just a 2x4 the length of the finished rug, an additional 4 inch piece of 2x4 at each end, and six (or more) long nails set on top of each end piece. (Lay the board down flat - the end pieces & nails will be sticking up toward you). Now warp the nails with string. Take strips of cloth, probably about six inches or so long, and weave them into the string with about one inch of fabric left out at your starting and ending points. (Don't have these "tufts" on the weft edges; they should stick up on top of the weave.) When finished you will have a long strip of tufted rug. Sew them together, as many as it takes to get the width you want. By experimenting with the length of your fabric strips, you can change the texture of the pile. I made one rug way too thick, with very short scraps, but it is good for a bathmat. (Hope you can understand this - sounds complicated but it's not) I like this method because you can use up short scraps.


Sand Castle From Milk Cartons

Simply glue them to form an open U, Make a cardboard front, cutting out the arch for the opening and to attach the draw bridge, use cardboard tubes for the turrets on each end, fold circles of paper to top the tubes. This can be covered with paper stenciled to look like rock, or, with rubber cement, glue on sandpaper to make it resemble a sand castle.


Basics of Building a Nestbox (http://communities.msn.com/AlongTheWay2000/crafttips.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=453&DDir=1)


HERE ARE SOME GREAT CRAFT IDEAS:
Make this Feeding Station for Birds out of recycled plastic pop bottles. And don't miss the simple pine cone feeder for the little ones to make.

http://www.thefamilycorner.com/archives/kids/1.shtml


SIMPLE AND FUN PROJECTS THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL ENJOY!

Wondering what to do with the kids home from school? Try these eco-friendly projects the whole family will enjoy!

Eco-Friendly Dreidel Making!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/693

Make Beautiful Recycled Paper Cards!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/706

Weave A Kwanzaa Mat!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/694

Homemade Holiday Ornaments!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/695

More Holiday Ideas!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/707


Holiday Placemats

Here's how to do it:
Save all your cards!!
Cut around the main design, but save scraps for fillers inbetween so no white paper shows through! Cut out paper to the shape of a placemat! Make a collage with the cutouts. Go to somewhere like Business Depot and Laminate. I remember it costing about $2-3 each because of having to go over it a couple of times because of the lumps. [You can also use pictures cut out from catalogs, magazines, etc. and do this for any theme - Dria El]


Pomanders

Buy a few apples, oranges and tangerines. Check in your kitchen to see if you have plenty of whole cloves, ground cinnamon, and a few toothpicks or skewers. Pierce the fruit with the toothpick or skewer, making the wholes about 1/4 inch apart. Stick a whole clove into each whole. Smells wonderful, doesn't it? Roll the fruit in the ground cinnamon. Set aside in a dark, cool place for a few weeks (I put mine in paper bags in the closet - our clothes smell wonderful while these gifts are drying!). The fruit will shrink around the cloves and be preserved by the strong essential oils in the spices. Wrap your pomander with a crisscross of lace or ribbon and tie a loop to hang it from. Now it is your gift recipient's turn to enjoy this fragrance in their closet or hung anywhere in their home.You can also pile pomanders in an attractive bowl and place them on a table or mantle to scent the room.


Snow-Glitter Pine Cones

Collect various sizes of pine cones that have opened. Wrap a sparkly pipe cleaner around the opened segments at the one end and bend the tip into a hook. Or use colored string and form a loop for hanging. Dip the other end in glue and then roll in glitter. Set on newspaper to dry. Warning: this is a potentially messy project, since glitter tends to get everywhere!


Cranberry-Popcorn Garlands

Thread a needle and make a knot at the end of the string. Have on hand a big bowl of popcorn (unbuttered!) and another of cranberries. Start by piercing a cranberry and sliding it down to the knot. Alternate with pieces of popcorn. When you get to within four inches of the needle, finish with a cranberry, thread back through that last cranberry, and tie a knot between the last two pieces on your garland. Snip off the extra thread. To make a longer garland, start with a freshly threaded needle, knot the end, and run it through the last cranberry on your previous garland. Add on as before.

Always start and finish with cranberries, since the popcorn tends to crumble if you run the needle through it too many times. [Side note - Day old popcorn seems to work best for this project ~Dria El]

[Dria El]

Here's some more...

Butterfly Feeders

This is a fun project that's easy enough for the kids to do, and it can be as elegant or as simple as you like. All you need is a small jar, such as a baby food or small jelly jar with a lid, and some cotton.

1. Drill a small hole in the lid of the jar.
2. Stuff cotton into the hole.
3. Fill the jar with butterfly food.
4. Screw the lid tightly onto the jar.
5. Invert the jar and hang it in the garden.

That's all there is to it! Of course, you'll probably want to decorate your jar with paint or decoupage. Butterflies locate their food sources by sight, so the more your feeder looks like a plant or flower, the better your chances of attracting butterflies. It may also help to cut out some fabric or plastic 'petals' and fasten them to the lid of your feeder.

To make butterfly food, simply dissolve one part sugar in nine parts of water. No coloring or other additive is needed.


STEP RIGHT UP

Rebecca Kolls, host of TV's Rebecca's Garden, gives her nine-step guide to helping kids create decorative stepping stones. Video.
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=30479&nhid=2487&uid=1085238&bx=n2


GARDENER'S TOOL BOX

Another fun project is to make a gardener's toolbox from a standard mailbox. Decorate the mailbox any way you like, and fasten it to a fencepost near the garden. A mailbox is the perfect size for a spare pair of gloves and a few hand tools. This is a great rainy day project for the kids, and it makes a terrific personalized gift.

For more rainy-day ideas for kids see:
http://www.frugal-moms.com
http://www.familycorner.com
http://www.childfun.com
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com


BUTTERFLY WATCHING: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
http://www.gardenguides.com/articles/butterflywatching.htm

[Dria El]

Originally posted by reanna
Their most favorable recently was eating supper with absolutely no utensils. Great hit with the kids!!!

Caveman dinners!!! I used to have those when I was a kid! :D

[Dria El]

I just posted tons of stuff in the Attention creative people yes YOU!!!! (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2142&perpage=15&pagenumber=1) thread.

[Yvonne Belisle]

BUMP!!! HELP!!!!! It is going to be here soon.

[Mnemosyne]

Pardon me if you guys already know of this site. This site has some really good craft ideas to keep kids learning and busy over summer.

http://www.freekidscrafts.com/

[Faery-Wings]

Wow, great site, thanks so much for posting!

[Yvonne Belisle]

bump