DIY

Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Kids’ Friends

December 16, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever reached the last day of school before Christmas break, only to have your child announce that he needs some gifts to give his friends, you know how frustrating that last minute shopping trip can be! So today’s post is all about helping you be prepared for little emergencies with Christmas gift ideas for kids friends.

Christmas Gift Ideas For Kids Friends

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Get your craft on and help your kids make felt ornaments for their friends. It’s always nice to give and receive a homemade gift, and that goes for kids too. Teach them how to make something new and learn the art of giving gifts with heart.

No one would complain about receiving a gift bag of chocolates, of any kind! My kids also like to buy giant sized bars of chocolate, wrap them in cute wrapping paper, and attach a cute tag. Their friends love it!

If you are planning to make homemade cookies for the neighbors this year, just make another batch or two while you’re at it. Let the kids help decorate the ones that they’ll give to their friends. It’s a tasty gift that took just a little bit of thought and effort.

Purchase giant mugs and fill them with all the things needed to make a really great cup of hot chocolate. That could include hot chocolate mix packets, marshmallows, peppermint sticks, and chocolate chips. This is a fun gift for your kids’ friends that they can enjoy all winter long.

Tween and teen girls love to make and give homemade bath bombs. It’s also a great teacher gift idea! You’ll find some good bath bomb recipes at Sunlit Spaces.

For gifts for your kids’ friends on a budget, don’t be afraid to check out Dollar Tree. They’ve got fun stuff for kids’ Christmas gifts, including 300 to 500 count puzzles, sets of Army figures, bubble bath and body lotions, and more. Give your kids a set amount and let them do the shopping!

12 Days of Christmas Activities for Kids

December 10, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

This year, make amazing memories with 12 days of Christmas activities for kids. With something to look forward to each day, the kids will remember the 12 days of Christmas with fondness for the rest of their lives. And if you prepare ahead of time, it doesn’t have to be a big deal. Check out this list of suggested activities the kids will love!

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Use paper plates and construction paper to create paper wreaths. You can also get the whole family in on creating a more permanent wreath for the front door.
Talk about the needs of the homeless population in your area. Look for a clothing, gift, or food drive where the family can purchase or donate goods this Christmas.
Bake and decorate Christmas cookies. And to make it extra meaningful, decide as a family who to share them with.
Have a Christmas movie night and watch a favorite show everyone can agree on.
Create some fun 12 days of Christmas popsicle stick puppets. If you’re really motivated, make some to match each verse of the 12 Days of Christmas song. “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me….”
Challenge the kids to go about their day today doing secret acts of kindness for others around them at school or at home.
Time for Christmas cards that the kids design and make for their friends. Here are some fun ideas to inspire you!
Get out the Legos and have a 12 days of Christmas Lego challenge. On slips of paper, write down things featured in the song, or other Christmas-themed objects. Everyone has to draw a paper and try to build that item out of Legos in a specific time limit you set. Have fun with it!
Craft some paper Christmas ornaments for the tree. Check out our post featuring 10 Christmas Tree Crafts for Kids.
Cut out snowflakes and hang them from the ceiling over the kids’ beds. They make going to sleep more magical every night!
The kids will love playing with glitter slime! Add sparkly colors to make the slime look like ice, or make white snow slime. It’s all fun for kids!
Time for a holiday light tour to get everyone really into the spirit of Christmas. Check out spots in your area where the lights are irresistible. In my area, the zoo is one place to go!

These are just some of the possible 12 days of Christmas activities for kids. Do you have some activities you love that aren’t listed? Please share with us in the comments!

Toddler Halloween Costumes Not as Frightening as the Terrible Twos!

October 26, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

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At least for one day, a two-year-old should look cuter than he acts sometimes. {We can hope!} Today we have some of the most adorable toddler Halloween costumes you can find, plus some DIY ideas if you like to make your own. This Halloween, your toddler’s costume won’t be as frightening as the terrible twos!

This dashing little Dracula is too cute! All you would need to sew for this costume is a little black cape with black ribbon ties. I don’t think anyone is going to be too afraid of this toddler Halloween costume!

Fashion a face mask out of felt for an easy superhero costume. Add a cape in a coordinating color and your toddler is set. You could take this toddler Halloween costume a step further and add a felt letter to the front of a t-shirt in a color that matches the face mask.

Is this the most terrifying shark you’ve ever seen? Well, it’s definitely the most adorable shark I’ve ever seen! You can find this plush {and warm} costume at Amazon for under $25. This is one of the comfiest and coziest toddler Halloween costumes on the market.

Loving this Wonder Woman costume in toddler girls’ sizes! It comes with everything you see in the picture–headpiece, dress & cape, arm bands and boot covers. Girl power!

Any little guy will feel pretty awesome wearing a cowboy costume. The set includes the hat, vest and chaps. Add a bandana from Dollar Tree in his favorite color, and this toddler Halloween costume is complete!

Now here’s a little witch who’ll stand out from the rest! The Disguise Storybook Witch costume is available at Amazon in size 2T, 3T or 4T for less than $30. It’s going fast, so don’t miss out if you want one!

Sock Monkeys are still cute–and even cuter as a toddler Halloween costume! It includes the costume jumpsuit, headpiece, boot covers and a detachable tail. You’ll also find this one at Amazon. Again, this is one of the coziest and comfiest toddler Halloween costumes out there, so it’s probably a great fit for your fussy two year old.

Happy Halloween!

12 DIY Christmas Gift Baskets for Kids

October 15, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

Book Basket

Of course I start with a book basket! Get your children caught up in the magic of Christmas by sharing all your favorite holiday books in their very own basket. Idea source.

Movie Night

Make it a cozy movie night at home with this holiday gift box. Your kids will love opening their favorite holiday movie, complete with a new pair of pajamas and favorite treats. Perfect for a snowy night at home! Idea source.

Advent in A Basket

Advent calendars are a favorite tradition in my home. Make your own “advent in a basket” by stuffing these adorable bags with all sorts of holiday cheer. Your kids will love the little surprises throughout the month! Find the bags here.

Baker’s Basket

Baking is such a wonderful way to spend time together during the holidays. I love sharing my mom’s secret recipes and baking tips with my children. They love hearing stories from my childhood. Continue these traditions and support the little baker in your family with a baker’s Christmas gift basket. Via.

Coke & Cocoa

Bring all of Santa’s favorite drinks into one gift basket for the soda sipper in your family. Combine glass bottles of Coca Cola with little mixers of cocoa and marshmallows. Candy canes and evergreens pull the whole gift together. Get more details here.

Gingerbread House Kit

Another favorite tradition we have in our home is decorating gingerbread houses. My little Lego enthusiasts have so much fun using their engineering skills to come up with some pretty unique house designs. But decorating is always our favorite part! Rather than buying a generic store-bought gingerbread house kit this year, surprise your kids with a DIY basket instead. Via.

Snowman in A Basket

Help your kids be all set to bring Frosty to life again this year with a ready-to-go snowman building kit. Just add water for hours of wintertime fun! Source.

Winter Cold Survival Kit

Help your little one get the better of those pesky flu symptoms with a winter cold survival kit. Get all the details from The DIY Mommy.

Elf ~~On the Shelf~~ In A Basket

Haven’t started the Elf on the Shelf tradition yet? Or maybe it’s just time to add some new fun ways to share in this cute holiday tradition? Here’s your chance! Your kids will be absolutely delighted with an Elf on the Shelf gift basket this Christmas! Find this kit from The Dating Divas.

Lego Advent Basket

Lego advent calendars are an absolute MUST in our home! We’re even guilty of buying one of each version because we love them so much! Have even more more fun building some unique kits with this Lego advent calendar basket. Source.

Activity Gift Basket

Keep your kids happily occupied with an activity gift basket while Santa and Mrs. Claus are busy wrapping presents in the other room. Pile in holiday coloring books, art supplies, toys, and treats to bring it all together. See the idea here.

Ice Cream Sundae Gift Box

It might be cold outside but it’s never too cold for ice cream! Put in everything you’d need to make the perfect ice cream sundaes. My favorite part is the topping-filled ball ornaments! Get more info here.

Popsicle Stick Crafts For Fall

October 5, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

Looking for fun crafts and activities to do with your kids this Fall? Popsicle stick crafts and engineering projects are the answer! Read on for some fantastic ideas to STICK it to boredom.

Gobbling Fun

Gobble up some fun with these friendly popsicle stick turkeys. Use sticks for the body and feet and construction paper for the face, head, and feathers. Source

Stuffed of Fun

This scarecrow project will stuff your afternoon full of creativity and fun. Use permanent marker, wiggly eyes, and craft paper for the hat and hair. Candy corn makes a cute nose and a perfect treat to snack on. Scare up some more details from Activated Nest.

Jack Be Nimble

Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack jump over the ~~candlestick~~ crafting-stick. These cute Jack-O-Lantern popsicle stick crafts are great for more Halloween fun after you’ve already carved your real frightful gourds. See the original ideas and more here.

Caught Up In Fun

These popsicle stick spider webs will have your kids all caught up in fun. Simply paint popsicle sticks black, orange, and white before winding yarn of the same colors around the sticks to make spider webs worthy of the best eight-legged arachnids. Source.

Boo To You

Boo to you with this ghostly view. Buttons and wiggly eyes bring these haunted apparitions to life using eight black popsicle sticks to frame out a window. Orange paper is used as a background to make the white ghosts pop into sight. Take a peek at The Pinterested Parent for more information.

A House of Sticks

Even the Big Bad Wold will agree that this house of sticks will scare up some Halloween fun! Older children in particular will really enjoy putting their engineering skills to use with this one. Source.

H Is For Haunted House

If younger kids are too little to build a 3D popsicle house with their older siblings, this alphabet inspired haunted house is a boo-tastic solution. What other house designs will they be able to spook up? Source.

Picture Perfect

For a non-holiday Fall project, this popsicle stick schoolhouse frame is picture perfect! What an educated idea for sharing all your kids’ best back-to-school photos. Get schooled on the project here.

He’s Alive!

This Frankenstein popsicle craft is electrifyingly amusing. What a perfect way to shock some fun into this Halloween season! Source.

Something To Crow About

This happy scarecrow craft is something to crow about. The body is made almost entire of popsicle sticks while the head and hat are made of paper, straw, and wiggly eyes. Source.

R.I.P

Rest In Popsicle with this creative haunted graveyard project. Paint small popsicle sticks black and wrap them with thin wire to make the fence. Dig up some more info from Lil Blue Boo.

Up It With Puppets

Up the fun with these simple Halloween puppets. Use different colors of paint, wiggly eyes, sharpie, pipe cleaner, and more to create your spooky starring cast. Source.

Popsicle Pilgrims

Teach your kids about the Mayflower Voyage and First Thanksgiving before making these cute popsicle Pilgrims. Source.

Look No Feather

Here’s another turkey craft to help you count your blessings. After making a body and head from craft paper, use colorful popsicle sticks to make a full tail of feathers. Write one thing you’re grateful for on each feather to celebrate Thanksgiving in true holiday spirit. Cluck out the idea from Preschool Alphabet.

How to Make A Kid-Approved Lava Lamp In 3 Groovy Steps

August 31, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

Science is one of my favorite activities to teach. This surprises me because as a child, science and I did not play nicely. I always felt one step behind or, sadly, just bored. For as much as there are some who don’t like the Common Core as it is applied in public education, I personally find much value in these curriculum standards as a teacher. I feel that they set a precedence in classrooms that helps bring learning away from worksheets and into hands-on learning. One of my favorite science experiments to conduct with my students (and theirs as well!!) is to make lava lamps. They are really simple to make and are a great way to get kids excited about science! Here’s how to make a lava lamp in 3 groovy steps.

How To Make A Lava Lamp

Gather Materials

Before you get started, you’ll need to gather some (simple) materials:

Cooking Oil (Canola or Vegetable work just the same)
Food Coloring (liquid, not gel)
An Empty Water Bottle or Glass Jar (the more unusual the shape, the better!)
Water (of the liquid sort)
Fizzing Antacid Tablets such as Alka-Seltzer (as many as you’d like to keep you entertained)

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Learning Topics

I don’t like teaching something in my classroom just to pass time or because it “looks fun”. We always have a learning objective. Here are some ideas of topics you can teach your children with your lava lamp experiment:

Use senses to make and record observations and interpretations of data.
Identify properties of solids, liquids, and gases.
Investigate and record changes to the properties of matter.
Investigate and record the interactions between liquids, solids, and gases.
Practice measuring and calculating math with metric units (HUGE concept for 3rd graders!).
Conduct “next steps” experiments. In other words, what else could you do to this experiment to possibly change the outcome? Have children record their hypotheses and outcomes/data. (Suggested Next Step: Use a glow stick instead of food coloring. Crack the glow stick, cut off the top, and empty the gel into the water bottle).

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Step 1

Fill your empty bottle or jar about 1/2-2/3 of the way with the cooking oil and the rest of the way with water. BE SURE to leave about an inch of air at the top. Image.

Step 2

Add 10 drops of food coloring. Warning: May require some patience as the food coloring makes its way through the oil and water. Image.

Step 3

Break the Alka-Seltzer tablet(s) into quarters or halves. We like to “go big” in my classroom so we go with half a tablet at once. Then just watch and be dazzled! The food coloring will start “erupting” all sorts of grooviness in your bottle! Kids have so much fun watching the the food coloring as it bubbles and moves. As soon as the Alka-Seltzer has dissolved, you can add more or more for as long as you’d like. Image.

Now that you know how to make a lava lamp, it’s time to get started! For more fun ideas to do with your kiddos, check out my post on seriously cool 5 minute science projects for kids!