(Photo taken from Lakeshore website)

Have you ever done masking tape art with your children?

Both of my children love creating masterpieces out of colored masking tape.  I saw this activity while my daughter was enrolled in an Early Childhood class.

Her teacher had the rolls of masking tape on this nice wooden dispenser (as pictured above).  It seemed like an item I could find at an educational store for a reasonable price.  It was masking tape.  How expensive can it be?

After doing some research, I found the dispenser and 8 rolls of tape for the bargain price of $49.95.  WHAT?  I was not going to spend that on a tape project.

So for a while we simply used pieces of white masking tape and the kids colored the pieces different colors.  We also used the white tape on different colored paper.  Then one day we decided to stop by Ax-Man and JACKPOT!  Rolls of colored tape for $.75 a piece.  Another time, I found pink at a Dollar Store.

Moral of the story: You can find colored masking tape for a decent price at random discount and thrift stores.  Keep your eyes open!

Idea of the Day:

Do masking tape art with your children.

This activity:

- helps develop fine motor skills

- focuses on creativity as your child makes designs from small pieces of tape

- helps hand-eye coordination for older children as they hold and cut the tape

- teaches younger children that once tape is placed on paper, it can not be removed

(Photo taken from Stampin' Up!)

Do you have a scrapbook for each of your children?

When my son was born, I began a scrapbook for him.  Nothing extravagant by any means but I tried to capture his “firsts” as well as birthday parties.  The first year started out good, second year dwindled and by age three I was simply only adding birthday parties.

I do not overly enjoy scrapbooking, I simply did it because I thought I was suppose to do it.  I thought that I needed to create this piece of work for my children to share with their own children one day.

I have moved past feeling that I have to do it and have created a way to document the milestones in their life, in a way that I enjoy.

Each year on my child’s birthday I create a “Year in Review” page.  I print it and hang it on the wall for grandparents to read during the birthday party and then put it in their scrapbook with pictures from the party.

My children enjoy looking back at their previous years when we add the new page.

Idea of the Day:

Create a “Year in Review” page for your child.

- Keep a note card and/or piece of paper in the kitchen or office with your child’s name on it.

- Throughout the year as your child says something or does something you want to remember, write it on the paper.

Ideas on what to add to the page:

- Favorites: books, movies, foods, songs, etc.

- Accomplishments: tying shoes, dressing self, counts to 20, rides a bike, etc.

- Favorite sayings: kids are always saying cute, funny and sometimes crazy things.  Take a couple seconds and write them down.  For example, a couple months ago my daughter said to me, “I’m too short to snap.”  I had to write that one down.

Scrapbooking Sites:

Free Fun Printables

Free Scrapbook and Card Making Supplies

Stampin’ Up!

Do your children make a point to autograph their work?

Now that my son has started collecting baseball cards, he has become more aware of autographs.  He has also realized how much an autographed card can be worth.  He of course transferred this knowledge to his own works of art.

Today he informed me, “Mom I drew some house pictures.  Only five have of them have my middle name.  These are going to be worth money one day.”

Do not worry, I will keep you all informed as to when the “valuable and rare” house pictures are up for auction.

If your children are so busy creating works of art that they are too tired to sign their name, I found an idea in which kids can create their signature with an eraser.  They can use this to stamp it on their artwork.

Idea of the Day:

Make an eraser signature.

What you will need:

- large pink eraser

- pencil

- straightened heavy paper clip or other digging tool

- ink pad

What to do:

1.  Write your child’s initials (or name if it is short) on the eraser. 

Important: Make the betters backwards so they will turn out correct when stamped.

2.  With a paper clip or other tool, dig the initials into the eraser.  Adults need to help children with this step!

3.  Press the eraser into the ink pad.

4.  Stamp your child’s initials on the paper.

This idea was found in the book, Global Art by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Jean Potter.

Eraser Signature from Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions
from Around the World ISBN 9780876591901 by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Jean
Potter, is reprinted with permission from Gryphon House, 10770
Columbia Pike, Silver Spring MD 20901. (800) 638-0928. www.gryphonhouse.com

And the dish ran away with what?

The spoon!

Most preschool children can easily answer this question.  The rhyme and rhythm of nursery rhymes imprint themselves in a child’s memory.  This is why as adults, we can easily recall most nursery rhymes that we learned as a child.

During my last visit to the library, I came across a book titled, Crafts from Your Favorite Nursery Rhymes by Kathy Ross.  The author’s philosophy is that since children will carry nursery rhyme verses with them throughout their life, it would be fun to add memories of making crafts to correspond with these beloved rhymes.

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Are your children loving the warm weather?

In Minnesota, the temperature has finally reached the fifties and we are loving it!!!!  The kids were able to get out their bikes, shovels, buckets, bubbles and sidewalk chalk.  Their mood has improved and they drop at night from all of the fresh air and exercise.

The rule at our house is that after school they need to play outside.  They can go in the house to drop off their backpacks, change clothes and have a snack.  Once these things are done, they have to be outside.  This is their time to enjoy the outdoors before the evening chores of dinner, homework, baths, etc must be done.

I think it is important to have children play outside.  There is no reason why kids should be playing video games or watching TV after school.  Outdoor play has the benefits of physical activity, vitamin D, exploration and creativity.  Parents need to make sure their children have time to play outside.

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