Baby Matters Blog

Crafts Category

Easy Crafts for Kids During Holiday Break

December 26, 2011 No Comments

Making a holiday wreath with one of our Kolcraft Kids

Your holiday celebrations have come and gone, but your holiday cheer doesn’t have to leave with the holidays. You and your children will have fun with this easy wreath craft that isn’t just for the holidays!

What you will need:

  1. Non-toxic paint
  2. Newspaper to cover the surface you are working on
  3. 2 Paper plates
  4. Ribbon
  5. Scissors (used by adult)
  6. Tape/ non-toxic glue
  7. White art paper

What to do:

  1. Poor some finger paint on a paper plate
  2. Cut white paper into a circle that is about half inch bigger than the paper plate
  3. Dip your baby’s hand or have your child put his/her own hand in finger paint
  4. Place hand-prints on white paper & rotate them around the circle to give the effect of leaves. If you want to make a holiday wreath, use red & green paints. If you want to do a New Year’s wreath use gold & silver. If you want to do a summer wreath use blue & yellow paints. Be creative!
  5. Let paint dry.
  6. Glue or tape the circle to the plate. You can fasten it with a 2-prong fastener & a sticker like we did in the photo.
  7. Cut the ribbon to the length you want to hang the wreath.
  8. Tape ribbon to back of plate.

Enjoy!

Our wreath made with one of our Kolcraft Kids


5 Homemade Holiday Craft Gift Ideas for Kids

December 23, 2011 No Comments

Homemade gifts during the holiday season are the perfect way for a child to show parents, grandparents, and even siblings, how important they are!  These fun holiday crafts are kid-friendly and super easy!

  1. Photo Frame Ornament: Glue 8 Popsicle sticks together (2 per side) to make a photo frame.  Adhere a yarn loop to the top of the frame and decorate as desired (we used macaroni noodles and glitter)!  Once the frame is fully decorated, glue down the photo
  2. Calendars: Many craft stores sell blank calendars that can be filled with fun family photos and memories.  For a more personalized touch, write in birthdays and anniversaries!
  3. Coupon Books: Creating a coupon book is a fun gift for both the child and recipient!
  4. Decorate a Mug: Most craft stores also sell mug decorating kits for kids.  Now grandma will think of her grandson or granddaughter every morning when she drinks her coffee!
  5. Butterfly Magnet: Glue a small sized photo of the child’s face onto a clothespin.  Using leftover paper (or even wallpaper), cut out wings and glue onto the clothespin.  Finally, adhere a magnet to the back of the clothespin to finish this cute butterfly!

Once your child has made their gifts for the whole family, they can even wrap them in handmade wrapping paper.  Simply take a roll of plan white or brown paper and have them finger paint, or stamp a fun holiday pattern.

Fun Holiday Kid’s Craft To Make Your Windows Sparkle

December 16, 2011 No Comments

Turn your home into a winter wonderland with this easy holiday craft. Your kids will love creating festive holiday designs for the windows (and any glass surface!) that can be used for years to come!

What You Will Need:

  • Non-Toxic Fabric or Puffy Paint
  • Large Plastic Bags (Be sure to supervise children to avoid suffocation)

What to Do:

1. Using the fabric or puffy paint, draw your holiday designs and creations onto a large plastic bag. Draw the details first, such as the snowman’s nose, buttons and eyes and then shade in the area around it to ensure that the snowman will be visible from both sides of the window.

2. Let the paint dry overnight.

3. Once the paint has completely dried, carefully remove the designs from the plastic bag and start decorating your windows!

Enjoy!

Pipe Cleaner Penguins: a Clever December Craft

December 7, 2011 2 Comments

This easy pipe cleaner penguin craft is fun to make and only requires 3 supplies!

What You Will Need:

  • Black, orange and white pipe cleaners
  • Scissors (for adult use only)
  • Wooden pencil

What to Do:

  1. Wrap a black pipe cleaner around the wooden pencil and remove. This will serve as the body of the penguin.
  2. Next, cut off a 1.5 inch piece of white pipe cleaner.
  3. Bend the ends of the white pipe cleaner in about ¼ inch on each end. Place the ends of the white pipe cleaner into the black coiled pipe cleaner.
  4. Cut an orange pipe cleaner into a 4” piece (the size may vary slightly depending on the thickness of the pencil and how tightly wound your coils are).
  5. Bend the end of the orange pipe cleaner into a small ‘M’ shape and pinch the sides together to form the feet.
  6. Bend the orange pipe cleaner upwards and feed through the black coiled body and out at the second coil from the top. Bend the end of the orange coil into a ‘V’ shape to form the penguin’s beak.
  7. Cut a 2” piece of black pipe cleaner and fold in half.
  8. Feed this pipe cleaner through the back of the penguin to form the wings.

Easy Thanksgiving Craft for Kids

November 23, 2011 1 Comment

We love this easy, fun craft from Kim who works with us in the Marketing Department.  (We love how she named them after our Wonderbugs. :) ) Not only will these easy Thanksgiving crafts spruce up your dining table, they are a great way for the kids to help the family out during Thanksgiving. These easy Pilgrim and Native American napkin rings double as place holders and can be used for many years to come!

What you’ll need:

  1. Non-toxic marker
  2. Non-toxic glue
  3. Construction paper
  4. Ruler
  5. Scissors (for adult use only)

What to do:

1. Cut a half inch wide strip of construction paper (the length will vary depending on the size of your napkins) and glue the ends together to form a complete circle.

2. Trace the outline of a cup on a piece of construction paper and cut out. This will serve as the head of your Pilgrim or Native American.

3. For the Native American, cut out a strip of construction paper for the headband. Cut out and glue different color feathers to adorn the headband. Glue this to the top of the head.

4. For the Pilgrim napkin holders, cut out a square and rectangle. Glue the square to edge of the rectangle to make the top hat and adorn with a yellow buckle. For girls, cut out a bonnet. Glue the bonnet or top hat to the head. Cut out a peter pan collar using white construction paper and glue to the chin of the head.

5. Cut out and glue hair using construction paper to match whoever the napkin holder is for. Use yellow paper for blonds or make cute black pigtails for girls!

6. Use the marker to draw on the face and write the individual’s name.

7. Glue the circle from step 1 to the back.

You can also make these napkin rings into turkeys, cornucopia, or any other fall-themed shapes. Looking for other Thanksgiving craft ideas? Let the kids decorate a piece of construction paper for fun, personalized placemats for the whole family!

Tips for Your Kids To Help with Thanksgiving Dinner

November 22, 2011 No Comments

You have a laundry list of things to prepare before you serve Thanksgiving dinner, you have company milling around and your kids are saying they are bored. What to do? You can have your kids feel part of your Thanksgiving preparations, by giving you a helping hand!

Decorating:
Have your kids make the decorations for the table. They can make napkin holders, place holders, placemats or a variety of other fun table decorations. We love the crafts our own Kolcraft fans have made for our Thanksgiving contest & think your kids will enjoy them too.

Cooking:
Let your child lend a hand in the kitchen with small tasks like mashing the potatoes, helping measure ingredients, snapping the ends off green beans or setting the timer for the turkey.

Setting the table:

Help your child feel special by setting the table: folding napkins, putting out the silverware (adults should put out the knives), serving-ware, etc. Your table will take on the unique feel of your child’s decorative eye. :)

What tips do you have for involving your children in your Thanksgiving preparations?

Win A $75.00 American Express Gift Card To Help with Holiday Shopping

November 16, 2011 11 Comments

It is that most wonderful time of the year when we indulge in family, food and festivity. Kolcraft would like to help out with the expenses that come with this most wonderful time of the year by having a fun, Thanksgiving craft contest.

What to do:

  1. With the following supplies, make a Thanksgiving craft.
  2. You can only use the listed supplies to make your craft. You don’t have to use all the supplies, but you can’t add any.
  3. Your craft can take on any Thanksgiving theme and can be decorative or functional.
  4. Feel free to have your children help and note that when you enter the contest.
  5. Take  a photo of your Thanksgiving creation & add it to Kolcraft’s facebook page.
  6. Entries will be judged on creativity and thoughtfulness.
  7. Contest ends at midnight CST next Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011.
  8. A winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011.

Supplies you can use:

  1. Empty toilet paper or paper towel tube
  2. Black marker
  3. Pipe cleaner (any color)
  4. Orange felt
  5. Yellow construction paper
  6. Red, green, brown crayons
  7. Googly eyes
  8. Glitter (any color)
  9. Glue, tape, and scissors

Have fun! We can’t wait to see your Thanksgiving Craft.

Celebrating Veteran’s Day with Children

November 11, 2011 No Comments

Veteran’s day is a time to remember, be grateful and work for a peaceful future, but how do we explain this to our children? We found a few websites that have helpful activities.

Another way to celebrate Veteran’s day is to visit a Veteran in your family or at a nursing home, etc. Your child can ask questions and get to know your own local hero who has given him/herself in service.

How will you be celebrating Veteran’s Day with your children?

Easy Halloween Crafts

October 31, 2011 1 Comment

With Trick-or-Treating just hours away, we’ve compiled our favorite crafts and ideas to get you and the whole family ready for Halloween, whether you need a last minute costume for your little one or a kid-friendly craft for your Halloween party.

  1. Michael’s Arts and Crafts has fun spider and pumpkin stickers for a mess-free and kid-friendly way to decorate your pumpkin!
  2. Need a last minute Halloween costume for you little one? Check out our easy to make Halloween masks.
  3. Use construction paper, glue and markers to turn an old paper bag into a trick-or-treat bag. This is a fun project to do with your child that can spruce up their costume. Are they going as a bumble bee? Turn your paper bag into a beautiful flower!
  4. We love Martha Stewart’s spooky Glowing Ghost . Simply snap a glow stick and place into a balloon. Let your kids draw fun faces on the balloons for an easy decoration.

    5. Do you have any last minute Halloween ideas? We’d love to hear them. Happy Halloween!

Creating a Homemade Halloween Costume and Craft

October 27, 2011 4 Comments

Still looking for a Halloween costume for your little one? These inexpensive masks are easy to do and can be made out of materials you might already have laying around the house!

What you’ll need:

  • Scissors (for adult use only)
  • Non-toxic glue
  • Construction paper
  • Hole punch
  • Yarn or string
  • Paper Plate

How to make the flower mask:

  1. Cut out the inside circle of the plate, leaving a two inch perimeter.
  2. Using a piece of construction paper, cut out one petal.
  3. Using this petal as a stencil, tracing and cutting out multiple petals until you have enough to cover the perimeter of the plate
  4. Glue the petals around the edge of the plate until completely covered
  5. Punch one hole on each side of the flower mask
  6. Cut two pieces of string or yarn and tie one piece to each hole, leaving enough string to secure the mask around your child’s head
  7. On Halloween, wear a green t-shirt or sweatshirt for the stem of the flower!
  8. For a fun variation, instead of petals, cut out brown triangles to create a mane. Paint whiskers on your little one’s face for a fun and adorable lion costume!

Marisa & Kim try on the masks for us!

How to make the Frankenstein mask:

  1. Cut the paper plate in half. Trim off an inch from the perimeter of the plate.
  2. Glue green construction paper to cover the plate and trim any access paper.
  3. Cut out a large black rectangle. Cut tiny small triangle notches in the rectangle for Frankenstein’s hair and glue onto the plate.
  4. Use a black market to draw stiches onto the forehead.
  5. Cut two eye holes.
  6. Cut out to ‘nails’ and glue onto the ends of the mask
  7. Punch one hole onto each side of the mask
  8. Cut two pieces of string or yarn and tie one piece to each hole, leaving enough string to secure the mask around your child’s head

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!