Free Packs of Origami Paper

While most little kids can't do origami, you can still take advantage of origami paper and all its fun colors! Use it for other crafts or for an art project for their rooms. You can get a pack for FREE (AND free shipping) from Everything in Paper Crafting--50 sheets total in three different sizes. All they ask is that if you want more, you purchase from them. But no obligation or other sign ups necessary!

How will you use yours?

Customize a Coloring Book

Little kids love to color (as evidenced by the scribbles on your walls). To help keep their creativity on paper, give them pictures that capture their interests. With all the coloring pages available online, it's easy to create the perfect, customized coloring book for your little one. Go with one whole theme (for instance, ABCs, or mix it up with some Little Mermaid, favorite animals and some shapes. Check out these links for some popular options for toddlers and preschoolers: 

• Learning themes (letters, numbers and shapes), Little People, Rescue Heroes,  dinosaurs and more
• Nick Jr. characters
• Disney, Playhouse Disney
• PBS Kids

You have several options for putting the coloring book together.Whichever option you take, start by printing out 20 pages or so, which gives your child options to choose from (sometimes they want that perfect subject to color!).

1. Punch three holes along the left side and put into a paper folder with brads. This makes for a book feel but with flexibility so it's easy to put into your bag (great for restaurants and waiting rooms). You can also have your child decorate the outside with stickers.
2. If you want durability, stick the pages into plastic sleeves in a 1/2-inch binder. This gives the option of either taking the pages out and coloring with crayons, OR leave them in the sleeves and color with dry-erase markers! 
3. Punch three holes along the left side of the pages. Then add a construction-paper front and back; pull pieces of yarn through each hole and tie. 
4. Of course, the simplest route is just to staple them all together along the left side. Maybe add a blank "cover" your child can decorate.

Kid-Customize Some Pottery

Do you have a budding Picasso on your hands? Or even just a toddler who likes to draw on whatever she can find? A and I went to a pottery shop a few weeks ago to make some gifts. Basically, the shop provides various pieces you can choose from (all varying prices), and then you are set free to choose colors and paint it however you wish. At this particular spot, the price of the piece includes the paint and the firing of the pottery. We chose a couple of tiles to use as either a wall plaque or coaster. After we picked some paint colors, I let A go to town painting however she liked. We then topped that off with her handprint (and wrote her name and the date). She did get disinterested every now and then so she'd go play with some toys the shop had available. It certainly took longer to do than it would have sans a 2 year old (we were there about two hours), but she had a great time. And knowing she basically did it all by herself, the gift meant more too.

You can even do this with babies. Of course, you'd have to do the initial painting, but you could certainly paint up their little feet or hands and press them onto your piece. We had several babies with us when we went and they all made their marks--plus, all the mommies had some time to talk.

Once our masterpieces were complete, we left them at the shop so they could be fired. We returned a week later to pick them up. The little monkey immediately remembered that was her creation (and her hand)!

Free Crafts on Saturdays at Lakeshore Learning Stores

For your kids 3 and up, check out the free craft workshops at all Lakeshore Learning stores. They're held every Saturday from 11-3 p.m. The East Brunswick and New Hyde Park locations also have craft time every Sunday at the same hours.

Here's a roundup of the crafts for the next month:


May 22: Tear-Art Tambourine
May 29: Tic-Tac-Toe Board
June 5: Summer Sunglasses
June 12: Portable Storage Pouch
June 19: Notepad Holder
June 26: Summer Fruit Baskets

Making Antennaes For Your Little Ladybug

My mom created cute ladybug antennaes for A's first birthday (which was a flower and ladybug theme). A still loves putting them on almost 9 months later. These are great for birthday parties or just for dress-up play. While little ones can't help put them together, they'll have lots of fun with the finished product!

Here's how to create them:
    1. Buy some narrow headbands (those found at a dollar store will work fine), pipe cleaners, pom-poms, and ribbon (mom used grosgrain; sticks well to the glue and doesn't slide on hair as easily. 1/4" is a good width).
    2. Hot glue about an inch worth of the center of one pipe cleaner to the center top of the headband. You'll then have to pieces sticking up acting as antennaes.
    3. Wrap the headband in ribbon, hot gluing small sections as you go. (Either butt the ribbon edges against each other or overlap them slightly so the headband itself doesn't peek through).  Go right over top of the glue-down portion of the pipe cleaners.
    4. Hot glue one pom-pom to the end of each antenna (they disappear a bit in the picture since they're black).

Like I said, this was to represent a ladybug, so mom made some with hot pink pipe cleaners and some with black. But you could certainly do any color you like to create butterfly, bee or other insect antennaes!


If you'd like to see a more up-close image of the antenna, just let me know.

Valentine's Day Card Workshop for Kids This Weekend

On Saturday, Feb. 6 and Sunday, Feb 7, 2010, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., all Pottery Barn Kids locations are holding a Valentine's Day Card Workshop (while supplies last). It doesn't list age restrictions, so you can always help the little ones make something for a loved one. Also, participants get 10% off select Valentine's Day items (must be used on the day of the workshop).

Free Scrapbook Layout Ebook

To document all the fun things you and your kids do, you might be working on a scrapbook (or thinking about it, like me!). If so, check out this free ebook you can download: 24 Simple Scrapbook Layouts.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Fun Uses for Empty Laundry Detergent Bottles

My daughter and I were watching Sesame Street this morning, and I noticed they had two fun uses for old laundry softener or detergent containers: a piggy bank and a megaphone. First, of course, be sure the bottle is totally empty and rinsed out so no soap remains. Then let dry (turn it on its opening end so that any water drains out).

- Piggy bank: Leave the top on for the nose, and add marks to the end to represent nostrils. Cut a slit in the side for the coin slot. Add a curled pipe cleaner for the tail and some triangles of felt or card stock for the ears. Then draw on some eyes and a mouth. And your child can certainly add other decorations as well!

- Megaphone: Just take off the cap for the mouth hole, then cut off the end so sound can escape. Then the bottle's handle becomes the megaphone handle. Let your kids decorate however they like. Then get ready to cheer!

Photos to come.