One Dozen Family Friendly Craft Ideas

Whether you are participating in our Pay It Forward Challenge or just looking for a fun, inexpensive, Valentine's Day project that helps build the bonds of love in your family in a meaningful way, here are one dozen project ideas you can do in an afternoon, with kids or without.

Got a favorite project to share?  Use the link at the bottom to submit yours and it will be included with the next dozen ideas!

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1. Holiday Alphabet Blocks 2. HeartFelt Wreath 3. Sugar Is Sweet Valentines 4. Easy Pop Up Cards 5. "Vintage" Jars 6. Once My Hand Was Just This Small 7. Sugar Cookie Truffles 8. Photo Frame Gift 9. Sweets for the Sweet 10. Love Notes Board 11. Chocolate Chip Scones 12. The Little Bakery

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Just Desserts Photo Contest Winner

And the winner is...

Batter Licker!

Congratulations Jenny for submitting the winning photo, and look for your restaurants.com gift certificate (redeemable for a $25 certificate to the restaurant of your choice) in your inbox!

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 Remember to join the Cookin' Hot Mamas sub-group to submit your recipes for the cookbook!

Don't forget to visit the Amazon Shop & Share Page when you shop Amazon.com! A portion of your purchase benefits the Joy Troupe general fund and it costs you NOTHING except an extra click or two! Share the love!

Keep up the good work!

Just a quick "go team!"  We have, as of this moment, raised $4,601 to help save babies! 

View our team page here.

I hope to see you at the Alexandria walk this weekend!  Please wear red or white if you don't have a March for Babies T-shirt, and look for the Joy Troupe banner so you can pick up a "Team Joy" badge and say hello!

A word about our goal:  We will keep fund raising until the absolute deadline in June, but wouldn't it feel good to show up on walk day knowing we'd met our goal?  If you've been meaning to donate, or know someone who has, here's a gentle reminder to do so.  Every dollar counts, and even the smallest gift will help us reach our goal!

Make your own preschool Weather Board

I remember doing a weather activity in school as a small child where we selected the picture that matched the day's weather and put it on the board.  A quick search for one revealed that you can purchase them, but nice ones can be pricey!  Being the thrifty mama I am, I decided to make one.

I started with a nifty little Freecycle item, but if you are not fortunate enough to find one of these, don't worry!

I have created 5 day and 7 day printable charts. Just print and use adhesive velcro dots instead of the magnetic tape I used on the backs of my weather symbols. You may prefer to print this at 11x17. In which case, you should be able to get this done for you at a copy center for less than $2. As for durability, I'm known for laminating everything that doesn't run faster than I do. If you don't have a laminator or this is too big for yours, my husband favors a sheet of foam core board and a can of spray adhesive- this makes a sturdy, lightweight poster that you can hang on the wall with more velcro dots. The kids may rip it down, but it goes right back up. Even if they fold, spindle, and mutilate it occasionally, chances are you can just glue down a new printout of the chart and be good as new.

Here is the PDF of the weather symbols. If you print four copies, you'll have eight of each symbol, so you'll have enough for the week and one to get lost. Unless you want to go "Eight Days a Week," but that's a story for another day.

I printed the symbols, cut them out, laminated them, and applied magnetic tape to the back of each one. Then I stored them in a small basket under my weekly weather board and each "school" day during circle time I allow the children to pick out the "right" magnet and put it on the board.

If you are not doing home preschool, you could make this part of the getting dressed routine at home. I remember doing this activity in Kindergarden and loving it!

Montessori in the Home

Washing dishes after snack

The Baby Steps and Building Blocks Co-op opted to go with a Montessori-based approach to preschool.  Below is a compilation of resources from my research for the lesson planning for that group, which started in September.

The group is mainly using "Mommy Teach Me!" as our curriculum. Buy the book or learn more here: http://tinyurl.com/buyMommyTeachMe
Your purchase using this link benefits the General Fund.
Also very helpful has been "Mommy, Teach Me to Read!" You can buy that one here: http://tinyurl.com/buyMommyTeachMeToRead
Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years: The Pre-School Years
http://tinyurl.com/kjew73
The general overview and presentation doesn't impress me to nearly the level of Mommy, Teach Me!, but the additional "make your own" materials section and the few extra lesson plans for the age group I'm working with made it worth picking up.

 More sites & helpful articles

Montessori Mom Blog: http://montessoriconfessions.blogspot.com/
Downloadable lesson plans, etc: http://www.montessorifortheearth.com/
Q&A: http://budurl.com/fmwd
About: http://www.preschool-lessonplans-and-activities.com/montessori-method.html
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_method
This article beautifully illustrates the premise at the heart of the Montessori method, plus adds info from new studies that support the value of it.
http://budurl.com/ckx8
Montessori at Home Blog: http://moosehuntress.blogspot.com/
(Includes articles on making sensory materials yourself)
http://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Preschool_Curriculum
What is the "three period lesson?"http://budurl.com/qpj6
Adapting the "three period lesson" for younger children: http://budurl.com/bmnx
Incorporating Montessori ideas into the daily routine at 24-36 months: http://www.dailymontessori.com/montessori-age-24-36-months/
Montessori Index http://www.montessori.edu/
Homeschooling section of the site: http://www.montessori.edu/homeschooling.html
Montessori homeschool activities: http://www.monthome.com/
Maria Montessori's book as an e-book: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/montessori/method/method.html
Free Montessori printables: http://www.montessorimom.com/welcome/
International Montessori Society: http://imsmontessori.org/what-is-montessori.htm

Preschool Curricula You Can Use at Home

The Joy Makin' Mamas have helped to compile the following list of information about where to get a preschool "curriculum" online. We all know you can't stop kids from learning and that chances are, they'll pick up whatever they need to know without an "organized" course of learning, but it's often helpful to us adults to feel like we have a course charted. 99.9% of the time you won't follow your "plan" exactly, but at least if you KNOW there's a road to come back to, you don't have to feel like you're wandering in the wilderness!

Ian doing his "homework."

Some of these are materials available for purchase, but a great many are free resources, so be sure to browse before you shell out any $$$!

Curricula links

http://www.kidsparkz.com/index.html

This one offers sample pages so you can evaluate the curriculum before you buy. They also have smaller packages of activities each month for ages 2-5 for about 8 bucks.

http://www.preschoolcurriculum.com/

This one has kits you can order that include all the supplies and are ready to go. You can order a single child or a group kit.

http://chubbiecubbie.com/

This one also offers kits and some free printables.

http://www.preschoolcorner.com/

This one has kits or just the curriculum, some $.99 downloads, and says it's for ages 3-5.

http://www.first-school.ws/

First-School features free fun preschool lesson plans, educational early childhood activities, printable crafts, worksheets, calendar of events and other resources for children of preschool age. The preschool crafts, lesson plans and activities are appropriate and adaptable for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarten level (ages 2 to 6).

same as above, but in Spanish:

http://www.primeraescuela.com/

http://www.valuesparenting.com/joyschool

This is a paid curriculum but has a very inclusive package, with music. I haven't seen it or heard it, but what I can see of their website looks like a really great approach.

http://www.mothergoosetime.com/

this one was recommended by a coop group in another state. Apparently they love it, and it takes a lot of the work out of the planning for them. It comes with all the materials you need for the lessons and seems to be geared mostly toward 3 & ups.

This one has free five day a week plans for several age groups:

http://www.letteroftheweek.com/

Free online Math curriculum: http://ceure.buffalostate.edu/~csmp/

Free online school curriculum : http://www.amblesideonline.org/index2.shtml

Another place to get fun preschool stuff online: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html

This article lists the top 100 educational websites.

http://www.homeschool.com/articles/top100-2009/default.asp

This site is maintained by a teacher and has lots of free goodies.

http://www.freewebs.com/momofallboys/

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/lessonplans/

has some sample 6-day weekly lesson plans and lots of activities organized by theme.

Tips for introducing the Spanish alphabet (page is in English):

http://www.drlemon.net/Grammar/alphabet.html

Lillian Jones' Curriculum

Excerpt:
"If you've been raising a child up to the age of "pre-school" or "kindergarten," you've already begun homeschooling. In those early years, the most appropriate homeschooling activities are things that gently introduce a child into the wonders of his immediate world and the imagination. As Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - and those early years are the perfect time to provide an atmosphere where the child can freely dream and play and explore and grow in both body and imagination.

These are lots of things a parent can do to help a child develop a love of learning and searching - things that will carry through as a foundation for a life of joyful and successful learning. Most of these are things a parent does at one time or other anyway. A bonus is that your child will be getting a good foundation for later studies, even picking up some elements of reading, writing, and math!"

Sophie creating a masterpiece.

http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/lillian_jones_ps_kdgtn.html

http://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/homeschool-preschool-curriculum.html

Full of hands-on activities you can do with materials you have around the house. Says it's for boys but equally appropriate for girls.

http://www.universalpreschool.com/how-to/teach/cognitive_development.asp

Starts out by explaining objectives and continues to detailed descriptions of activities to accomplish them.

Children's Percussion (More Make Your Own)

A while back, the Joy Troupe did an event we called "Percussion Factory," where we got together and made percussion instruments out of recyclables and found objects. It turned out to be our loudest playdate ever and was a blast- just be sure you can keep the super glue away from the little ones. The event description and some photos follow:

(You are welcome to use this event/description for your own group with credit given; links back to our blog are appreciated!)

Percussion Factory

In preparation for Boogie Woogie Babies (TBA) let's get together and make some kid-freindly instruments! **This is the easiest, no skill required craft project you have ever seen! The kids can have a fun playdate while we "work."

We'll make kid friendly percussion items from things you'd find in a recycling bin. Please collect and bring with you any of the items on the list below. (Please wash them and let them dry first.) If you can't make it this day, feel free to drop a few things (except water bottles) off in advance of the event.

small water bottles with lids
wide-mouth plastic beverage bottles (eg, vitamin water)
plastic eggs
empty bubble bottles
plastic coffee cannisters
plastic pill bottles
vitamin jars
plastic spice containers
empty trial size cosmetic containers
formula cans
wipes tubs

We will remove all labels to make sure there is no confusion with real pill bottles, etc, so if you want to work ahead, that's great!

gravel
beads
dried beans
sand
cous cous or other small pasta
bottle caps
jingle bells
plastic bread tabs
cable ties
metal pop tabs from soda cans
marbles or ball bearings
short cut offs of PVC pipe- any size

Us moms can take turns on the project while the kids play. These items can cost hundreds of dollars to buy- our guys will have hundreds of dollars of fun for pennies!

This week, we had Boogie Woogie Babies, and subjected these instruments to rigorous testing by our independent review panel, and we have some clear winners from the above bunch. (That'd be ten toddlers, a very rigorous bunch indeed!)

Clearly favored by these children when they played with these items as a group were the eggs, the baby ibuprofen bottles, prescription bottles, and the drink or vitamin bottles in 1 cup size or smaller. We had some coffee canisters (plastic) for drumming on, but even the kids who normally like to bang preferred to shake it with their friends.

The eggs, however, couldn't quite stand up to the normal wear and tear a group of small children inflicted on the instruments, and a few popped when they got stepped on, spilling the contents. It also turns out that some items (like marbles) make very loud instruments that are maybe okay for one kid, but overwhelming in a group.

The favorites among the "fillers" were cable ties, pop tabs, bread tabs, cous cous, rice, elbow mac, and black turtle beans. Close runners up were things that had one or two pennies or small pebbles.

Green & Thrifty: Make your own!

I've been doing some research on make-your-own alternatives that are good for you, good for baby, and good for the environment, and thought I'd share. I think a lot of people want to be "green" but think it's not affordable for their family, and making your own is definitely a way to change that.

Make your own cloth diapers:

http://www.diaperjungle.com/sewing-cloth-diapers.html

Lots of great resources out there for those who are thinking of cloth diapering and want to make their own, or who want to start a cottage industry. I've heard that there are some moms who make and sell the cloth diapers and do quite well for themselves.

There are some free patterns, too. Just be sure to check the copyright before you produce any pattern for sale.

Make your own baby gear:

http://www.makethemyourself.com/

"We are a small family-owned company specializing in patterns that make life easier and safer for parents and their little ones. Here you'll find a wide variety of mother-designed products that you can quickly make for a fraction of the price you'd pay at specialty stores. Choose your favorite fabrics and design your own customized baby gear!

We're doing our part to help level the playing field on overpriced baby items by letting parents make their own! The patterns you will find on this web site are personally developed and designed by me and I have carefully finished and tested products from each of them."

Make your own vegan baby products:

http://www.vegfamily.com/babies-and-toddlers/mamas-own.htm

"Conventionally produced cosmetics and personal care products often contain poisonous substances, many of which were synthetically derived from petrochemicals. These ingredients have the potential for causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders, allergic respiratory reactions, and skin and eye irritations. Many chemicals found in cosmetics don't cause immediate visible signs of toxicity, but affect our health negatively over time through repeated use."

Make your own reusable bags:

http://www.alteredcloth.com/blog/2007/07/top-7-tutorials-for-making-your-own-shopping-tote.php

I love this one, and there's also this:
http://www.threadbanger.com/post/5148/not-another-plastic-bag-tutorial

This is another one that could be an awesome cottage industry, especially if you are using vintage fabrics from thrift stores and freecycle. It's easier than you think to find vintage fabrics- just check the section where they sell sheets and drapes. That set of ugly-ass drapes could make AWESOME shopping bags!