Words To Live By

Words To Live By

To my grandkids: I love you yesterday, I love you still, I always have...I always will!

Ant Tablecloth Clips

Solve a classic picnic dilemma -- a blowing tablecloth -- with our fanciful ant buddies. These clever tablecloth clips will be your new picnic favorites.
Make It: Paint four clothespins black. Thread a 4-inch-long black chenille stems through the two holes of a large black button. Twist and curl the ends of chenille stems where they meet to form antennae. Glue googly eyes just below the antennae. Next, cut three 3-inch pieces of black stems for each ant. Have your child help you thread all three though the spring hole in each clothespin and adjust to form the legs. Glue the face and two more black buttons to the top of each clothespin. Then use the clips to secure your tablecloth, and enjoy a carefree meal in the summer sun.

 (I found it here)

Faux Glass Bowls

Rachel Motta is an art teacher with the Metropolitan Nashville Public School district in Tennessee. A firm believer in the idea that art is for everyone, she loves planning lessons with projects that students can interpret in their own way, with no wrong answers. Here, she shares an example that was a hit with her students.

A trio of exhibitions of Dale Chihuly's contemporary glass sculptures in Nashville inspired this project. Chihuly created a series of colorful, organic, bowl-shaped forms called Macchia (the word means spotted in Italian). 

For our student version, we used coffee filters. The translucency of the paper mimics the look of glass.

1. Use scissors to trim the edge of a coffee filter to create an uneven, organic shape.
2. Make lines, spots, and blobs on the coffee filter with non-permanent markers.
3. Drape the coffee filter over an upside-down plastic cup or yogurt container.
4. Apply spray starch to the filter until the marker colors bleed together and the coffee filter is completely wet.
5. Let the filter dry.

(I found it here)

Magnetic Fishing Game

Provide your kids with interactive amusement by constructing this magnetic fishing game with a few simple materials.
Make It: Help your child paint a square wooden dowel and wooden spool his favorite colors and allow to dry. Glue white string around the spool and adhere it near the bottom of the dowel. Attach a long string to the far end of the dowel and tie a magnet to the opposite end (magnetic barrels from the jewelry section of the craft store work well). Make clothespin "fish" by painting them fun colors with pink lips. Let paint dry and help your child glue on sequin scales and googly eyes. Now he'll be ready to go fishing!

 (I found it here)

Judge Grandma Will Overturn This!

Judge Grandma Will Overturn This!

'I'm going to appeal this case all the way to Grandma!'

Puffed Rice Snowballs

A healthier version of cereal treats, these little guys have apricots, flax seeds and sunflower seeds — and little hands can easily mix and shape them into balls.

(I found the recipe here)

Craft Stick Wind Chimes

Hanging craft sticks make a soft, pretty sound when the summer breezes blow -- and they look great while waving in the wind, too.
Make It: Have your child paint 10 craft sticks and allow them to dry. Put a line of glue on the back of five sticks. Sandwich a piece of string between a glued stick and an unglued stick; clip them with clothespins to hold the glue securely. Let dry. Run glue along an unpainted craft stick, lay it horizontally and stick on the five strings as shown (don't let the sticks hang too low or they'll tangle in the wind). Top with another unpainted stick and add clothespins to hold the glue securely. Once dry, tie the strings together and cut off the excess. Hang outdoors and let the wind do its work. 

 (I found it here)

I Love My Grandkids

I Love My Grandkids
Are you a grandma too? share if you're a proud grandmother

Making Kid-Friendly Chili (There’s a Trick)

By Foodlets>> "I must have made chili 10 times, all different ways — chicken chili, chili con carne, chili with corn, chili without corn — and the kids wouldn’t go near it. Until I took a tip from “Fancy Nancy” and made it, well, fancy (and until I also eased up on the cumin, which I suspect was an element that led to previous failures). It’s the presentation for knee-high critics that often counts the most. You won’t ever find me sculpting scooters out of hot dogs or sharks from watermelons. There are three kids under 5 at my house and I’d need a lot more free time in my life to pull that off. But doing this wasn’t difficult. To make your chili “fancy,” simply spoon and layer it with cheddar cheese into small glasses. Repeat, serve and bask in the success of the moment".

(I found the recipe here)

Rock Mushrooms

 Search your backyard or a neighborhood park for smooth rocks, choosing ones with flat surfaces so the mushrooms can stand upright. Have your child paint some rocks red (for the tops) and some white (for the stems). Add white dots to the red tops using paint or stickers. Glue the pieces together with liquid glue.

(I found it here)

Ain't That The Truth

 Ain't That The Truth

Children are often spoiled because no on will spank grandma

Apple Sandwiches With Granola And Peanut Butter

Try these delicious and healthy kid-friendly snacks next time you’re packing lunch. Tasty, colorful and full of goodness, they’re sure to please a growing body, and mind!

(I found the recipe here)

Pinecone Birds

 

Glue google eyes onto small pom-poms and let them dry. Help your kids fold chenille stems into legs and feet and glue them onto the pinecone. Cut out a triangular beak from orange or yellow foam. Glue on the eyes and the beak; let the creature dry completely before beginning a fun game of make-believe with your kids.

(I found it here)

Pizza Skewers

Sure, you could have everyone top his or her own pizza for dinner. But having kids skewer the ingredients (even little squares of dough!) is way more novel.

(I found the recipe here)

Paper Ice Cream Cone

Roll textured brown cardstock into a cone shape and secure with a brown brad. Crumble a piece of tissue paper into a ball, and help your child tape strips of colorful patterned paper around it. Attach to the cone. Use red buttons and a little hemp string for a perfect cherry topper.

(I found it here)

I Love My Grandson

I Love My Grandson

Fruit Pops

No matter if it’s still frigid in your neck of the woods — Ree Drummond’s stripy pops come together with frozen berries, so you can bypass the subpar fruit that’s likely still in your produce aisle right now.

(I found the recipe here)

Spheres

Make these pretty paper ornaments out of flat paper circles cut and folded in a simply ingenious way. With a pencil, lightly trace a drinking glass, can, or jar that's about 21/2 inches across. Cut out this base circle and set it aside. Cut eight more circles, four each in two different sizes (ours are about 3 inches and 21/4 inches across). Fold each of these circles in half. Make a cut across each circle's center, perpendicular to the fold, almost all the way through, leaving 1/2 to 1/4 inch uncut (A). Slide the four larger folded circles onto the base (B). Then slide the smaller ones inside the larger. To hang the sphere, use a pushpin to poke a hole through the edge of the base, and tie on a string. 

(I found t here)

Grandsons Are The Best

Grandsons Are The Best

Turkey And Rice 'Mice'

This fun recipe from Weight Watchers is easy to make, low in calories and fat, and a hit with the kids!

 (I found the recipe here)

Cardboard Tube Town

Transform cardboard tubes into cute cottages in just a few simple steps.

1. Paint the tube and let it dry.
2. Make two angled cuts into one end of the tube to form a point. Fold a 3- by 3 1/2-inch piece of scrapbook paper in half, then set it on the pointed end as a roof. Use tacky glue to secure it.
3. Make two cuts to create a rectangular door, as shown. Glue on a bead for a doorknob.
4. Draw windows onto colored paper, cut them out, and attach them to the cottage using a glue stick.
5. For a chimney, fold a strip of paper into a four-sided, open-ended box, and glue it to the roof.

(I found it here)

Crab Hat

Feeling crabby? Perk up with a crab hat made from a paper bowl and clothespin claws!
Make It: Paint four clothespins and a paper bowl red; paint two large wooden beads white. Glue eight thin 4-inch strips of red cardstock around the edge of the bowl to make legs; when dry, fold them in the middle for dimension. Glue the clothespins together as shown and adhere them to the front of the crab. Glue on the eyes and draw or cut out a mouth from black cardstock and attach. Complete the crab by punching a hole on each side; attach elastic cords to fit your child's head.

(I found it here)

Orange Smiles

These would make great party treats.

(I found the recipe here)

True Dat!

True Dat!

Salad-Stuffed Popovers

This kid-friendly twist on panzanella offers a cooking job for everyone: Big kids can measure and chop the ingredients, and little kids can stir them and help fill the popovers when they’re done baking.

(I found the recipe here)

Dragon Fly Twigs

The propeller-shaped seeds from maple trees form the wings of these delicate dragonflies. For each, place four maple seeds on your work surface with their ends meeting as shown above. Add a drop of tacky glue to each end, then rest a 4-inch twig on top. Let the glue dry. (A hot glue gun can be used instead, if an adult helps.) Turn over the dragonfly and add a line of glitter glue to the edge of each wing. Attach two small glass bead eyes with glue.

Idea by Shanti Nordholt

(I found it here)

Vegas Is Not The Only Place That Has Secrets

Vegas Is Not The Only Place That Has Secrets

Mango Strawberry Ice Pops

Use your favourite juice for these ice pops. And don't forget the basil for a hit of freshness.

(I found the recipe here)

Craft Stick Barn

Build an iconic Midwestern barn from painted craft sticks -- it will look wonderful hanging on the kitchen fridge.
Make It: Paint nine craft sticks red, six craft sticks white, and four mini craft sticks white. Let them dry. On a rectangle piece of cardstock, have your child create a blue sky and green grass with colored paper or markers. Then help her create the bottom of the barn by gluing on a row of 11 craft sticks vertically in the following pattern: two red, one white, five red, one white, two red. Glue white sticks horizontally along the top and bottom and cross two in the middle as shown. Glue the mini craft sticks to red cardstock to form the barn roof. Adhere the barn roof to the background above the barn. Cut out a rectangle from black paper and adhere it to the barn. Cut strips from a paper bag and crumple for the look of hay; adhere to black rectangle.

(I found it here)

Apple Ladybug Treats

Red apples are decorated to look like lady bugs. This is a quick and fun snack that kids will enjoy making and eating. For once kids can play with their food.

(I found the recipe here)

Star Wand

Create a little magic at the craft table with this mystical star wand.
Make It: Have your child paint a wooden dowel her favorite color with a foam brush. Allow to fully dry. On a wooden craft star, draw lines in glue from the center to each point. Line up sparkly beads in the glue or sprinkle the star with glitter. Assemble the wand by gluing the dowel and colorful ribbons to the back of the star.

(I found it here)

This So True And So Funny

This So True And So Funny

Twig Raft

Have your kids search your backyard for twigs. Use outdoor trimmers to cut the twigs to the same size. Using jute or hemp cord, weave the ends of the twigs on both sides to tie them together. Attach a twig in an upright position for the mast. Cut a sail from colorful felt. Fold the felt in half, punch a hole in the middle, and slide it over the mast.

(I found it here)

Greek Yogurt Berry Smoothie Pops

 

Three ingredients: Greek yogurt,  frozen berries, and milk. They take just seconds to make and are heavenly on hot afternoons.

(I found the recipe here)

Jumbo Wooden Dice

Challenge your children to come up with original games to play with these large, multicolor dice -- or simply watch them have a ball using the dice for their favorite board games.
Make It: Have your children paint each side of two wooden blocks a different color. Select a variety of paper colors and punch out circles as the dice dots. Have your kids count out two sets of dots to glue on each of the blocks.

(I found it here)

Orizomegami

The Setup: Iron a few coffee filters to make them flat. (An adult’s job—iron up to four at a time on the highest setting, no steam.) Set them out on a covered surface with lots of paper towels and a few bowls of liquid watercolor paint. (We used Sargent Art Watercolor Magic, $11; amazon.com.) You can also make it from cake watercolors: Remove each one and place in a bowl, then add a few drops of water at a time, mixing as you go, until the paint becomes a thin liquid.
Fold the Coffee Filters: Show your child these techniques to start— then encourage her to experiment on her own! FOR STRIPED DESIGNS Accordion-fold the coffee filter in 1-inch segments to get one long rectangle. Then accordion-fold the rectangle in ¾-inch segments to get a small rectangle. FOR CIRCULAR DESIGNS Fold the coffee filter in half three times so you have a cone shape. Unfold into a half-circle, then use the creases as a guide to accordion-fold the filter along its radius, like a fan, until you get a skinny triangle. Fold one corner of the rounded edge down to meet the opposite long edge, forming a triangle. Then accordion-fold the paper two more times, matching the corners to long edges, to get a small trapezoid.
Add Color: Dip a corner into the paint very quickly. Repeat with other corners, using new colors. Press the wet filter between two paper towels to squeeze off excess liquid, then gently unfold it and set on a protected surface to dry.
Bonus Fun: Play with other porous materials (such as tissue paper, newspaper, or fabric) to see how the paint absorbs with each.

(I found it here)

Paper Wall Pockets

Hang several of these lightweight containers in a geometric pattern for a pretty way to display a child's collection or small desk supplies. To make one, cut a 31/2- by 5-inch rectangle from double-sided scrapbook paper. Find the midpoint of the bottom longer edge (21/2 inches from the corner), and make a light pencil mark. Fold up the lower left corner along the line created by the midpoint and the upper left corner, as shown. Crease, then unfold. Make a matching fold with the lower right corner, creasing then unfolding. Erase the pencil mark. Refold both; abut the two short edges and seal them with patterned washi tape. Attach the pocket to a wall with removable double-sided tape or removable mounting squares placed at the upper corners of the pocket. 

(I found t here)

Bird Seed Star

This simple nature project lets you give feathered friends a treat, even during cold months. From corrugated cardboard, cut a large star with a circle inside. Poke a hole and add a loop of twine for hanging. Spread peanut butter on both sides of the star. Working over a rimmed baking sheet, coat the star with birdseed.

(I found it here)

I Say This Every Night Before I Go To Sleep

I Say This Every Night Before I Go To Sleep