Holidays Category
Creating New Years Eve Noise Makers
Celebrating 2011 and the start to 2012 is a wonderful opportunity to spend time as a family. Your family can create homemade noisemakers to ring in the new year.
What You’ll Need:
- White Paper Plates
- Beans
- Crayons and or markers for decorating
- Streamers
- Stapler
Let’s Get Started:
- Children can decorate the back of the paper plate. If you like, you can also use jewels or other decorating materials.
- Fold the paper plate in half
- Add beans to the inside of the plate, however not too full, this will help it make more noise.
- Staple the edges together to enclose all of the beans
- Glue, tape, or staple streamers to the sides
- Shake, shake, shake and ring in 2012!
Easy Crafts for Kids During Holiday Break
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:
- Non-toxic paint
- Newspaper to cover the surface you are working on
- 2 Paper plates
- Ribbon
- Scissors (used by adult)
- Tape/ non-toxic glue
- White art paper
What to do:
- Poor some finger paint on a paper plate
- Cut white paper into a circle that is about half inch bigger than the paper plate
- Dip your baby’s hand or have your child put his/her own hand in finger paint
- 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!
- Let paint dry.
- 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.
- Cut the ribbon to the length you want to hang the wreath.
- Tape ribbon to back of plate.
Enjoy!
Our wreath made with one of our Kolcraft Kids
Merry Christmas from Kolcraft
To all our fans who celebrate Christmas, we wish you & your family the most joyful of seasons.
Merry Christmas from our Kolcraft Family to Yours!
5 Homemade Holiday Craft Gift Ideas for Kids
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!
- 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
- 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!
- Coupon Books: Creating a coupon book is a fun gift for both the child and recipient!
- 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!
- 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.
Kolcraft Celebrating Holidays with Those Less Fortunate
Jessica, Mark & friends at Blair Early Childhood Center
Kolcraft is dedicated to providing families with must-have baby gear items. During the holiday season, we realize that not all families are able to easily obtain quality products for their children. Through the generosity of Kolcraft employees, we were able to donate a van full of crib mattress, potty chairs, strollers and toys to local charities.
Our first stop was at Blair Early Childhood Center, a school that provides educational programs to children ages 3 to 6 with disabilities. Karen, the school’s principal, showed us around their facility, including the herb garden the children tend to. The donated strollers will be used to transport children around, while the new toys and stuffed animals will be enjoyed by all. Kolcraft is proud to support an organization dedicated to education and enrichment of local youths.
Our next stop was at the Toy Box Connection, a local charity that provides toys, books, and even crib mattresses to organizations across the state of Illinois, and even as far away as New Mexico. When we arrived, we were greeted by Michelle Maxia, the energetic founder of Toy Box Connection. Since its inception, this organization has donated over 1 million toys and books to children in need! Our donated crib mattresses will help a local women’s shelter, while the toys will be distributed to non-profits across the state, including the Ronald McDonald House.
Kolcraft and its employees are proud to support the Blair Early Childhood Center and the Toy Box Connection this holiday season. If you are looking for ways to encourage your children to give back, check out “When Children Give Back, Everyone Wins” article from our friends at the Neighborhood Parents Network.
From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
Happy Hanukkah
It’s that wonderful time of the year where we celebrate the holidays with our family and loved ones. For all our Kolcraft fans who celebrate Hanukkah, we wish you and your families a most wonderful Hanukkah!
Fun Holiday Kid’s Craft To Make Your Windows Sparkle
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!
6 Tips for Traveling with Kids Over the Holidays
Traveling with kids is stressful. You end up channeling your inner pack mule as you try to accommodate all your baby gear, toys, etc. Getting children through TSA becomes an event of Olympic proportions. Dodging stares of unhappy passengers who are muttering, “They better not be sitting by me” becomes second nature. And then there is the crafty art of keeping your child from melting down. Oh the joys of crowded holiday travel!
A few tips:
- Give yourself lots of extra time for check-in, connecting flights, getting through security, etc. You really can’t have too much time built in for this. (Well arriving a week early for your flight may be too much time.
) - Pack a few new inexpensive toys from the Dollar Store and pull them out one at a time when your child starts to get fussy. (We also like Kids Travel Happy site for fun travel toys.)
- Disposable bibs and changing pads make in-flight eating & changing a little easier.
- Have a smaller bag for diaper changing essentials. It’s hard enough to change a child in an airplane bathroom, let alone trying to juggle a diaper bag while you are in there.
- Take a change of clothing for you & your child in case you have a big spill or accident.
- Pack a lightweight stroller or baby carrier to make getting around a little easier.
Nightline took traveling with kids to the test. See how they handled the mid-air meltdowns.
What tips do you have for traveling with children?
5 Ways To Keep Your Kids Safe During the Holidays
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and with the increase of yummy foods and decorations, come holiday hazards for your children. Check your house for these common holiday hazards:
- Candles – Candles on the mantle, within a wreath or in the menorah are a special part of everyone’s holiday celebration. They can easily become a fire hazard if the are knocked over or pulled down by curious children. Prevent an accident by using battery-operated flameless candles. There are some very “real” looking flameless candles that can add to your celebrations without the flame. Also be sure to check that your smoke detectors are working correctly.
- Poinsettias, English Ivy, Mistletoe - Holiday plants are pretty, but also harmful if eaten. These potentially poisoning plants can cause diarrhea, vomiting, rashes, etc. If your child shows any of these symptoms or is inappropriately sleepy, call the poison center. Keep these plants out of your child’s and pet’s reach.
- Holiday Trees – Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, how flammable are your branches! Dry trees and overloaded circuits can cause fires. It takes only 3 – 5 seconds for a tree to go up in flames. Prevent this from happening in your home by making sure your tree is fresh and watered properly. Never place your tree near a radiator or other heat source. Check your holiday lights for frayed wires before putting them on the tree. Also make sure your tree is securely fastened in the stand so it doesn’t tip over especially when curious toddlers try to pull on it.
- Shiny Presents - Toys abound during holiday season and so do accidents when children play with toys that are not appropriate for their age. Be sure to keep gifts for older kids out of your younger child’s reach. Nobody wants to spend the holidays in the ER because of a choking accident.
- Ornaments – They are bright, beautiful and dangerous to children. Tiny ornaments and hooks can easily become a choking hazard. Fragile ornaments can break and cut your child’s face or hands. It’s best to keep lights and ornaments off the lower branches of your tree to avoid accidents.
The best prevention to holiday hazards? Adult supervision. Be sure to keep an eye on your little one so your holidays can remain cheery and bright.
What holiday safety tips do you have to share?
5 Ideas for Thanksgiving Leftovers
We all just celebrated Thanksgiving and have full bellies, but we can always find more room for Thanksgiving leftovers! A few ideas for recreating Thanksgiving dishes…
- Turkey Chili – substitute turkey for ground meat
- Turkey Pizza with Muenster Cheese. Yum!
- Cranberry Meatballs – orange juice & cranberries make a great meatball sauce
- Sweet Potato Fries – little healthier version of french fries
- Mashed Potato Patties – make them crispy and your family will love them!
What ideas do you have for Thanksgiving leftovers?
