The 413 Mom

DIY Snow Paint! #craftingwithkids #childhoodunplugged

We haven't had much snow this winter to Faith's utter dismay...so today it was time to create our own with some simple snow paint. This craft is super easy, high in sensory delight, low in mess, and cleans up very quickly. Here's how you can make your own snow too. 

Required Materials:

• Liquid Glue
• Shaving Cream
• Glitter (optional)

Step 1: Chill the glue in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Step 2: Combine equal parts liquid glue and shaving cream in a bowl and mix until incorporated. 

Step 3: Add some glitter

Step 4: Paint!

This snow glue comes together really quickly. We painted on regular construction paper using regular craft paint brushes. It takes a few hours to dry -- plan on four hours or even overnight would be better (when we went to embellish our paintings with Sharpie four hours after finishing some of the paint peeled up). The paint dries with a fun, poofy texture. 

Snow paint is such an easy, fun sensory activity. Everything cleaned up with just a rinse of hot water. We'll definitely be making this again soon. Happy Crafting!

Watercolor paper snowflakes #craftingwithkids #wintercheer

If your home is feeling a little bare after putting away the holiday decorations, add a little cheer with these colorful, coffee filter snowflakes. This is a simple craft that is easy for the kids, creates minimal mess, and can be made entirely with materials you have on hand at home -- as long as you drink coffee (and who doesn't)?! 

Required Materials:

• Paper coffee filters
• Washable markers
• Water
• Scissors

Step 1: Color the coffee filters with WASHABLE markers (washable markers are important as they'll blend together to create a beautiful watercolor design). You can make them as simple or elaborate as you wish -- just scribbling some colors together works just as well as creating a carefully drawn design. 

Step 2: Drip water on the colored coffee filters so the colors blend together. It should make a tie-dye effect.

Step 3: Let the filters dry (this only takes about an hour).

Step 4: Fold up the coffee filters about five times until you have a thin triangle shape. 

Step 5: Cut designs into the folded coffee filters to make a paper snowflake. Unfold to reveal your design!

Step 6: Hang and enjoy you cheerful creation!  #wintercheer #craftingwithkids

Simple DIY New Year's Eve Party for Kids

Without the usual community New Years celebrations for kids this year, it can be hard to make the day special for the little ones. Here are some super simple ideas to make NYE memorable for the kiddos using only materials you can find around the house to create their very own DIY New Years Party they'll never forget. 

DIY New Year Noise Maker -- Required Materials: paper plate, stapler, beans, rice or beads, ribbon, bows or tinsel. Fold the paper plate in half and scatter the beans, rice or beads (anything that will make a shaky noise) along the crease. Staple the paper plate closed. Decorate by coloring, adding stickers or use some leftover holiday bows or tinsel. 

DIY New Year Party Hat -- Required Materials: paper plate, scissors, markers, tinsel or bows. Cut along the rim of the paper plate about 3/4 of the way around so there is about 1-2 inches left uncut. Fold the cut circle along this uncut portion to create a stand up flap. Have the kids decorate this flap with a new year message. Glue some ribbon, tinsel or glitter around the rim. 

DIY Confetti Popper -- Required Materials: paper cup, scissors, balloon, confetti. Cut the bottom off of the paper cup. Tie off the end of the balloon. Cut off the rounded edge of the balloon. Wrap the tied balloon end onto the small end of the paper cup. Add some glitter (or make your own with cup up pieces of paper or ribbon) to the cup. Pull on the balloon end and let the glitter fly! See instructions for similar craft here. 

Fireworks Painting -- Required Materials: black paper, liquid glue, glitter. This looks best on thick, black construction paper but any dark color really makes the fireworks pop (this art even looks awesome on plain white paper too). You could even upcycle a holiday gift box or cut up a stiff paper bag. "Draw" the fireworks shapes with liquid glue and cover the glue with glitter. Shake off excess. Voila. Your very own DIY fireworks display. 

Fireworks Ring -- Required Materials: pipe cleaners. Find instructions here from fantasticfunandlearning

New Years Countdowns: nearly all of the streaming services have New Years Countdowns available with many of the kids' favorite characters -- Netflix alone has 13 different ones to chose from. 

Dress Up: everyone loves dress up even if you're not going anywhere. Let the kids drag out allll the costumes and let them pick something out for you too. They'll always remember the New Years party when they got to choose the outfits for the grownups. 

Build a LEGO New Years Ball Drop: love this idea from frugalfun4boys -- so simple and no special bricks required. 

Happy New Year! I hope your celebration is full of hope and promise for 2021. #craftingwithkids #readyfor2021

10 Simple, Socially-Distanced activities to count down to Christmas

This is going to be a lonnnnggg week for the kiddos trying to patiently wait for Christmas to arrive on Friday without any of our usual social distractions. This is going to be a lonnngggg week for us caregivers trying to patiently observe our anxious children trying to patiently wait for Christmas when we are all already completely maxed out. 

Here's a list of LOW EFFORT and LOW MESS activity ideas to help conquer these last few days before Christmas.

1. Take a Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt Walk -- use this picture checklist from suchatimeasthis to keep track of items to find. You don't even have to print it out -- you can just pull it up on your phone. Once you find everything on the list head home for powdered hot cocoa and all those broken candy canes the kids won't let you throw away. Or stale Oreos and milk. Or whatever you have on hand that the kids will think is fun. 

2. Make Homemade Play Dough -- This recipe requires only a few pantry staples and I promise it is not even that messy. If you feel really ambitious you can add in a holiday scent like peppermint extract and a little bit of red or green food coloring. But even a plain glob of warm homemade play dough is a sensory delight -- no extras required. 

3. Gather some old toys for the elves -- this one is a little conniving, but read the kids this story from slightlysquirrely about how Santa needs old toys to refurbish at the North Pole and invite them to be generous and collect some well-used items to donate to his project. Maybe find an old Christmas gift bag for them to fill up for Santa and leave it by the door. Your house gets a tiny bit more breathing space. This does require an immediate action on your part though to either bring the bag to the donation center right away, transfer the toys to an inconspicuous bag where they can sit in your trunk for a few months until you get to the donation center, or for Santa's gift bag to hit the trashcan before anyone notices. If the kids find Santa's gift bag after he's supposed to have picked it up, the whole gig is up. 

4. Build Christmas LEGO Scenes -- use this simple tutorial from brainpowerfamily to create some Christmas-themed LEGO builds from standard bricks. No special blocks required. 

5. Make a Paper Chain -- Creating a simple paper chain is so satisfying as you watch the links add up. Maybe you want to create enough links to count down to something special that will happen after Christmas. Or maybe you want to create a paper chain of all of the activities you family wants to enjoy once we can return to normal. Hang it somewhere in the house as a decoration and a reminder that there are still things to look forward to after the holidays. 

6. DIY Giftwrap -- OK, this one is a little messy, but it will keep the kids entertained for a while. Let them use the Christmas cookie cutters to make some DIY printed giftwrap as shown here from thingstoshareandremember. This works great on old newspapers or the paper packaging wrap from Christmas deliveries.

7. Sleep Under the Christmas Tree -- a family campout in the living with only the Christmas tree for lighting is always a magical experience and something they will remember forever. 

8. Christmas Mad Libs -- fill-in-the-blank stories are a hit for all ages and are good for some easy laughs. Check out these printables from woojr. 

9. Snowball Surprise -- use some of that stockpiled toilet paper to wrap a small trinket or treat (maybe a stocking stuffer you already have on hand or some candies) in layers of toilet paper and squish into a ball shape. You'll need some tape to make sure it doesn't come unraveled. Unveil the snowballs and let the kids have an indoor snowball fight. Then let them open them up to find the treasures inside. Check out this tutorial from 3LittleGreenwoods. 

10. Paper Snowflakes -- I feel like sometimes we overlook the simple, joyful activities. There's no easier seasonal craft than paper snowflakes. Create a bunch and display them in a window to share your artwork with the neighbors. You can keep it super simple but thethingswellmake has some tutorials if you want to get competitive. 

Hope some of these activities help you make this week memorable with minimal stress! Merry Christmas Countdown!

ENTER TO WIN: Grinchmas Activity Box from The Springfield Museums #craftingwithkids

Merry Grinchmas! Have you been able to enjoy the holiday activities at The Springfield Museums? If not, you can experience a little bit of the fun right in your own home with the Grinchmas Activity Kit. Project boxes are available for purchase at the museums or you can enter to win one of your own -- keep reading to find out how! 

The kit includes over a dozen holiday-themed craft projects with all required supplies. It's like holiday staycation fun in a box. The activities are geared toward kids in grades PK-5 and include:

• Grinch Doorknob Hanger
• Grinch Snow Globe
• Grinch, Cindy Lou, and Max Color Your Own Keychains
• A Grinch Medal
• Stuffable Ornaments
• Block Print Your Own Christmas Cards
• Mt. Crumpit Derby At Home
• Layered Heart Garland
• Felt Gingerbread Ornament
• Gingerbread Door Decoration
• Grinch Storybook

All project instructions are included. There's hours of unplugged fun offered here.

The Grinchmas Activity Box is $35, and you can add on enough supplies for a second child to complete the projects for an additional $10. While $35 might seem like a lot of money for crafting supplies just one or two of the projects in this box would retail for $10 alone at a store. With this kit you're getting 14 complete projects, plus leftover supplies the kids can be extra creative with. There's enough in here to keep them busy throughout holiday break. If you had to purchase all of the items in these kits separately the price would be north of $100. Plus -- by purchasing from The Springfield Museums you're supporting a local institution during this trying time. 

You can order the Grinchmas Activity Kit here. Flat rate shipping is $8.50 or you can pick up the kit for free in person at the Welcome Center at the Springfield Museums. Merry Grinchmas! 

ENTER TO WIN a Grinchmas Activity kit of your own by using the comments field below to share a story about how your own heart grew three sizes one day or you can share a tip on how NOT to be Grinchy during the holidays. One winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries. Winner will need to pick up the prize from the Welcome Center at The Springfield Museums. Entry period ends on December 15, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Good Luck!

DIY Puking Pumpkin #sneakyscience

Here's a fun science project to do on Sunday before you toss your jack o' lanterns to the squirrels: DIY Puking Pumpkin!

Step 1: Sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of the jack o' lantern.

Step 2: In a glass mix a healthy pour of vinegar, some glitter and a few drops of food coloring.

Step 3. Place the jack o' lantern on the edge of the sink and pour in the liquid and watch poor Jack puke his guts out. 

Enjoy much squealing and delight!

Happy Halloween!!

Gotta Try: Celebrate the holidays with DIY Diamond Art Club #craftingwithkids #diamondartclub

While Halloween is going to look and feel different this year there are still lots of ways to make it memorable. I'm grateful to have teamed up with Diamond Art Club to try out their Halloween themed DIY Diamond Art Kit. What is Diamond Art? Think Gemstones By Number. A cross between a jigsaw puzzle and cross-stich. A relaxing and satisfying craft that the whole family can work on together. 

Diamond Art Club has some great Halloween themed art kits that are fun and easy to work on for adults and kids. Diamond painting is a combination of cross-stitch and paint-by-numbers and has become a hot quarantine activity. You simply apply colorful resin rhinestones to pigmented canvas paintings. The result? A mosaic diamond artwork that sparkles, shimmers and shines.

We received our Diamond Art Kit last week and jumped right in. You don't need any special skill or knowledge to get started. Simply pick a color of diamond gem to start with, pour it into the holding tray (we overfilled ours here in the photo -- you should only pour a small amount into the tray), dip the applicator pen in a bit of the wax provided, pick up one gem with the pen and place it on a corresponding square. Continue until you want to work on a different color. It's very Zen. 

Everyone in the whole family can contribute to the finished product. Faith, age 8, loves to pop in a few diamonds each day. I love to work on the canvas before bed at night. And I love having a project that anyone who stops in to visit can contribute to as well. It's laid out on our dining room table (the side that's not being used for remote learning) so it's available to anyone at anytime. A real family project. 

While Halloween is my favorite, there are tons of designs to choose from. Including lots of other holiday themes that maybe if you ordered now you could finish by New Years. We will keep working on ours for a while. It's such a soothing project if you can't sleep or need a destressing activity throughout the day. If you purchase more than one drill pen applicator the whole family can work on it together. When you want to take a break or reclaim your dining room table, you can simply roll up the canvas and store it in the box it came in. Always be sure to recover the canvas with the clear plastic cover sheet to protect the canvas. 

Diamond Painting done by Auntie Andi

You can choose canvas projects in small, medium or large sizes. Prices start at about $15. You can purchase online at Diamond Art Club or visit Hobby Lobby or Joanne's Fabrics to purchase in person.  If you sign up to receive emails at Diamond Art Club.com you can receive a discount on your first order. Happy Crafting! 

Pumpkin bucket makeover #upcycle #glamitup

We had a whole collection of faded plastic pumpkin buckets from trick or treating of years past. I hated to throw them away but they were ugly. So this past weekend we quickly glammed them up with a sparkly makeover. 

What you need:

1. black spray paint (we used the super cheap $.99 can from Home Depot)
2. Nail polish -- we like glitter the best

Luckily for us we had lots of old globby glitter nail polish we wanted to use up so this project only cost us 2 cans of $.99 spray paint and we got a whole collection of gorgeous, sparkly pumpkins for $1.98.

We painted the pumpkins black on Friday and let them dry overnight. On Saturday morning we overpainted the facial cutouts with the glitter nail polish. So easy and fun. And now our pumpkin pails are sparkly new and ready for many Halloweens to come! 

Homemade playdough: the ultimate comfort craft #craftingwithkids

We all need a little extra comfort and stress release right now. In this house we've been pulling out alllll the stops for hands on crafts the past few weeks as breaks from remote learning. And there is no more comforting DIY than homemade playdough. From measuring and mixing the ingredients, to adding in creative scents and food coloring, and of course mixing it all together as a warm-from-the-stove blob. DIY Playdough is a cheap, quick and simple sensory delight. And oldie but goodie for any age. 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

food coloring (optional)

Essential oil scent (options)

Instructions:

Step 1: Mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large pot.

Step 2: Add the water and vegetable oil to the powdered ingredients and mix over medium heat until well combined and doughy.

Step 3: Remove from heat and transfer dough to wax paper or a cookie sheet. Allow to cool a bit. Add in scent and food coloring and mix thoroughly with hands.

Step 4: Store in an airtight container. Enjoy! 

Simple Craft: Waxed Leaves #craftingwithkids

One of my favorite memories from third grade was when our teacher heated up a small pot of paraffin wax and the students went outside to collect beautiful leaves and we were each able to dip our leaves in the wax to preserve them. I've held on to this memory for 35 years and finally just repeated this craft with my own third grader. It's SO very easy and SO very satisfying and creates a beautiful seasonal decoration. 

All you need to purchase for this project is a block of paraffin wax which you can find at a craft store or in the canning/household section of the grocery store. You can probably even find it at a beauty supply shop. I found this package of Gulf Wax at Stop & Shop for $3.99 and there's four separate blocks in here so you don't have to cut it yourself.

Step 1: Take a walk around the neighborhood and collect the most beautiful leaves you can find. Make sure they are fresh and not too dry and crumbly.

Step 2: Set up a double boiler on the stove and add the wax chunk to the top pan to melt. Medium-low heat will do the trick.

Step 3: Holding each left by its stem, dip it in the wax until it is completely submerged. Don't worry about the stem -- it does not need to be covered. 

Step 4: Once the leaf is covered in wax, pick it out and let it drip over the pan before you transfer it to wax paper to dry. 

The leaves will dry pretty quickly and be ready to enjoy. The wax dip preserves the leaves and gives them a lovely sheen. They will not crumble or fall apart as long as they are handled gently. We piled ours on a tray as a coffee table centerpiece but they can also be used in crafting. We hope you enjoy this craft as much as we did! #naturecrafts #craftingwithkids