Heart of Grass

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Heart-shaped cookie cutter
New sponge
Grass seed
Plant mister
Plastic wrap
Paper
Colored marker

Time needed: Weekend Project
1. Trace around a heart-shaped cookie cutter onto a new sponge, then cut out the shape. Rinse the sponge well to remove any pretreated disenfectant, then let dry.

2. Dampen the sponge slightly, then put it inside the cutter.

3. Sprinkle grass seed onto the sponge, spritz with a plant mister, then cover with plastic wrap. Place the heart on a saucer so dampness won't seep through.

4. Make a card with care directions using paper and a colored marker to attach to the plant. Remove plastic wrap when shoots appear. Spritz with water daily and mow as necessary.

Carrot stamp Catepillar

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Carrot
Paring knife
Pencil
Acrylic paints
Paper plates
4- by 6-inch white index card
Paper towels
Markers

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Create the heart stamp (a parent's job): choose a nice big carrot and cut it in half. Use the pencil to etch a heart shape into the cut surface, then carve away the surrounding carrot with a paring knife.

2. Spread a different color of paint on each paper plate

3. Have your kids print a chain of hearts to make the caterpillar on the index cards. Blot the carrot on a paper towel before switching colors.

4. After the paint dries, use markers to add legs, a face, antennae, and a valentine message.

Vintage Valentine

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Hole punch
Twelve 5 1/2-by 8 1/2-inch sheets of sturdy paper
Thin ribbon
Glue
Photos
Paper doilies
Stickers

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Punch two holes in the 8 1/2-inch edges of each piece of paper. Lay two of the pieces next to each other and tie them together with short lengths of ribbon. Tie each piece of paper to another piece until you have a chain of all 12.
2. Arrange and glue the photos on the paper sections. Then glue on decorations and label the photos with handwritten messages.
3. To make the card stand up, tie together the first and last sections of the card, arranging the panels into a star shape.

Easy Chocolate truffles

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 12-oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Chopped walnuts, nonpareils, unsweetened cocoa powder, coconut or grated chocolate
Candy wrappers

1. In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat and slowly add the chocolate chips, stirring constantly until the chocolate has melted.
2. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch square pan and cool at room temperature. Then freeze for 2 to 3 hours until firm. Scoop the chocolate from the pan and shape into 1-inch balls.
3. Roll each truffle in either chopped walnuts, nonpareils, cocoa powder, coconut or grated chocolate and then place in a candy wrapper. Return to the freezer until the balls have set. Serve chilled. Makes about 40 balls.

TIP; Adults can do the cooking part and kids at any age can have a "ball" rolling the choclate into balls and then rollong the balls through various coatings!

Spinner hearts

CRAFT MATERIALS:
White paper plate
Salad spinner
Scissors
Paint

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Simply place a paper plate flat in a salad spinner, dribble in any water-based paint, and start cranking the handle.

2. Remove from the spinner, let dry overnight and cut into a heart shape (use specialty scissors to make a fancy border.)

3. Inscribe the back to your valentine. You can even place a stamp on the back and mail your sweet nothings to delighted grandparents.

Finger painted Hearts

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Plain card
Finger paints
Ribbon
Scissors
Glue
Newspaper

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Let your artist whip up a batch of finger paintings. (You may want to create a personal workspace with by laying out some newspaper)

2. Let the paint dry and then cut various heart shapes from the finger paintings.

3. Glue the hearts onto a plain card, along with ribbon or other finery (save one heart to glue onto the back of the envelope).

Splatter cards

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Paper
Smocks
Newspaper
Old toothbrush
Watercolors

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Fold a piece of paper into a card shape, and from additional paper, cut simple heart shapes

2. (This stage is messy, so kids should wear smocks and work in an easy-to-clean spot.) Lay the shapes in position, put the card on newspaper and, with an old toothbrush, splatter with watercolors.

3. Wait until the paint is dry, then remove the shapes and inscribe.

Valentine's plane

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Thin rubber band
Peppermint Life Savers
Smarties
Cinnamon gum
Heart-shaped stickers

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Thread the rubber band through the holes of two Life Savers, then balance the roll of Smarties between them, across the rubber band.

2. For wings, balance the stick of gum on top, perpendicular to the Smarties, and pull the rubber band up and over each side of the gum to hold it all in place.

3. Decorate the wings with tiny heart-shaped stickers or a message.

Tips: If smaller fingers are having trouble with all that balancing and stretching, have one person hold the candy in place while another works the rubber band up and over the gum.

Valentine's day Crafts

Since St Valentine's Day is the nearest major holiday I am going to be posting my favorite craft ideas for valentines day for the next week. After that I will start adding lesson plans (pre-K) as well as vids of my kids doing different learning tasks.

Clay Crafts Valentines pins

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Bakeable clay in red and pink
Aspic or tiny cookie cutters
Toothpick
Thin cording or string
Safety pin

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. To make symmetrical hearts, use the side of a pen to roll flat a lump of clay to about 1/8-inch thick.

2. Cut out pieces with a heart-shaped aspic cutter. For free-form hearts, use your fingers to form or coil individual bits of clay. You can even swirl together multiple colors.

3. Use the toothpick to make a hole in a corner of each bead and then bake hearts according to package directions.

Variations: Shape and bake tiny heart beads to string into a necklace or coat pin or key chain.

Cinnamon Dough

Cinnamon Dough Decorations
4 cups cinnamon
3 cups applesauce
1 cup glue
Your children will love these fragrant
ornaments. To make cinnamon dough, mix
together four parts cinnamon, three parts
applesauce, and one part glue in a bowl. Give
each of your children a small amount of the
dough. Have them flatten the dough on a
surface dusted with your cinnamon. Let them
use their favorite cookie cutters to cut shapes
out of the dough. Cut drinking straws into 2
inch lengths. Use the shapes dry for at least
48 hours, or bake at 150◦ for approximately 3
hours, then add ribbons or yarn for hanging.
Note: Ornaments may also be molded using
a cookie or butter mold.

Jewelry dough

Jewelry Dough
¾ cup flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup salt
Warm water
Mix ingredients together. Add warm water
gradually until the mixture can be kneaded
into a stiff dough. If the dough is sticky, dust
with flour. This dough is good for making
jewelry.

Cooked playdough

Favorite Play Dough – Cooked
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons salad oil
Food coloring
Cook over medium heat until soft, lumpy ball
forms. It happens quickly! Knead for few
minutes until dough is smooth. Store in
airtight container. Dough can

Play Dough uncooked

Play Dough #3
1 cup flour
3 Tablespoons cream of tartar
¾ cup water
½ cup salt
1 Tablespoon oil
Food coloring
Mix all ingredients; heat and stir until it can
no longer be stirred. Cool and knead until
you reach the consistency of play dough.
Store in a plastic bag or covered container. A
package of unsweetened flavored drink mix,
such as Kool-aid may be added for color and
smell.

Easy Dough

Easy Dough
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon salad oil
Water
1 cup salt
Food coloring
Mix flour and salt. Add oil. Then slowly add
water until the mixture is pliable (spongy and
clay like). Add food coloring as desired.

Sand clay

Sand Clay
1 cup of sand
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
¾ cup hot water
Mix sand, cornstarch, and cream of Tartar in
an old saucepan. Add hot water. Cook over
medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture
is very thick and can’t be stirred. When
slightly cooled, form clay into castles or other
shapes. Imprint stone patterns by pressing a
bamboo skewer or toothpicks into the wet
clay. Cut paper flags and glue them to
toothpicks. Push the toothpicks into the clay
before it dries.
Allow several days to dry. Store leftover clay
in an airtight container. Makes approximately
2 cups.

Sawdust Clay

Sawdust Modeling “Clay”
2 cups fine sawdust, dried
2 Tablespoons liquid starch
1 cup flour or wheat paste
1 Tablespoon glue (if flour is used)
Mix ingredients to workable consistency.
Model as with clay. Articles molded with this
compound have a wood grain appearance. To
speed drying, bake in a 200◦ oven for 1-2
hours depending on the size of the article.
Items can be sanded for a smooth finish. Will
dry hard and can be painted or varnished.
Note: Sawdust may be colored with food
coloring, and then dried on newspaper before
mixing.

Creative Clay

1 cup cornstarch
2 cups baking soda (1 pound package)
1 ¼ cups cold water
Stir starch and soda together. Mix in cold
water and stir over heat until mixture has
consistency of mashed potatoes. Turn onto a
plate and cover with a damp cloth until cool
enough to handle. Then knead. Use
immediately or store in an air-tight container.
Children can cut, roll out and mold creative
clay into thousands of creative ideas, animals,
flowers, boxes, jewelry. Dries at room
temperature in 3 days, or dry in a 200◦ oven.
Paint with tempera or water colors. Dip into
clear shellac, spray with clear acrylic or brush
on nail polish.

Salt Dough

Salt Dough

2 cups flour
½ cup salt
¾ cup water
Mix ingredients together. Form into ball then
knead well for at least 5 minutes. Thoroughly
mixing and kneading to evenly distribute the
salt is the secret of durability.
Roll flat with a rolling pin and cut out with
cookie cutters such as stars, Christmas trees,
and gingerbread people. The basic
gingerbread cutter may be used for many
figures by adding small bits of dough on top
before baking.
Creative Clay

Bread Dough Clay

Bread Dough Clay
4 slices of bread with crusts removed
4 Tablespoons white glue
4 drops lemon juice
4 drops glycerin
Acrylic paint (optional)
Tear bread into small pieces. Add all other
ingredients. Mix with a spoon, and then
knead with hands until smooth and not sticky.
For color, dab acrylic paint on clay and work
through with finger. This clay will keep in the
refrigerator in a plastic bag for weeks and can
be frozen. However, the clay must be worked
fairly fast as it becomes hard quickly. Small
items dry overnight, large ones in 2-3 days.
It dries with a porcelain finish that is good for
Christmas ornaments.

Doughs and alternatives to Plaster of paris

The other day I picked up some really cute alphabet molds and some plaster of Paris for my kids crafting time. The intention was that I would make the letters and they would paint them. To my dismay as I was reading the direstions I noticed a warning


When mixed with water plaster hardens and becomes hot. Do not submerge any body parts into the plaster as severe burns may result. When plaster is being mixed, dust may cause irritation to eyes, nose, throat or upper respiratory system. If eye contact occurs, flush particles from eye with water. Do not take internally. Call a physician immediate if ingested. Children should not use this product except under adult supervision. Warning: This product contains crystalline silica, known to the state of California to cause cancer.
Many things in this warning merit further review. In case you missed them, I’ll summarize and enumerate the salient problems of this vile substance for you:
1. It gets hot. BURNING hot. (Yet, in the application section it lists “Hand prints” as a fun activity idea.)
2. The dust will BURN your eyes and scorch your respiratory system
3. The plaster is likely POISONOUS. Good thing kids NEVER eat stuff they play with…
4. Even with the name “Kids Kreations,” this toxin is NOT child friendly.
5. PLASTER OF PARIS CAUSES CANCER





So needless to say I will be posting some Homemade plaster alternative recipes here. I welcome readers to add thier own as well.



Why on earth are poisins being sold to our kids in the guise of harmless!!!