Nature's Canvas

Fun with pine cones!

I have found that most kidlets get a real kick out of painting things that they wouldn't ordinarily paint. One fun project for fall (or anytime) is to paint pine cones. We collect them year round here at the tiny casa. So, take your kidlet out for a walk and go pine cone gathering. Once you are back home and settled in, have your wee ones paint a pine cone masterpiece!

What you need:
*pincones
*acrylic paint
*glitter
*paint brushes
*clean, paint proof area to work in

scrumdilly-do it!

Set out your supplies and let your wee ones have a blast paint, paint, painting away. Add some glitter to the wet paint for flair...Set your pine cones somewhere to dry and wait.Once they are dry, Let your wee ones decorate the house with them or perhaps load 'em into a bowl for a centerpiece.You can also add string to them and string them along...Oodles of fun can be had and a bowlful of painted pinecones would make for a great homespun gift.

**To kick it up a notch, throw in a few other collagable supplies like feathers, ribbon, pipecleaners and glue and let your kidlets fancy up their pine cones even more. Have fun!

Skelly the Skeleton Girl

Skelly the Skeleton Girl
Written by & Illustrated by Jimmy Pickering
Published by: Simon & Schuster 2007

What spookified whimsical fun this book is! Skelly discovers a lost bone in her house and wanders the haunted halls looking for the owner. It doesn't belong to any of her toys or her fish or the ghosts. Who could it belong too? Pure Halloween delight that isn't scary, just fun! You may think it morbid but kidlets thinks it's the best!

For some art fun, you and your wee ones can make pasta skeletons. Set out black paper, different types of pasta and glue. Elbow macaroni makes for great elbows of course and plain old spaghetti can be broken into bits for other parts and such! Glue your creations onto black paper that is mounted on cardboard or poster board and you're all set! Check out my Halloween list of books for some super delightful spooky, fun reads!

scrumdilly-do is heading out for a desert vacation at The Shady Dell in Bisbee, Arizona but we'll be back in November for some fun fall projects!

Halloween Fun with Marshmallows

Make fun, edible cupcake toppers with marshmallows and liquid food color!

what you need:
*jumbo marshmallows
*rolling pin
*sugar or rice flour
*small cookie cutters
*food color
*water
*plastic placemat, silpat or cutting board
*clean/new paintbrush
*plastic paint tray or small containers


scrumdilly-do it!

Set out your supplies in a mess friendly zone. Sprinkle your work surface with sugar or rice flour and set out your marshmallows.You may want to start the flattening process but this should be easy enough for a wee one to do. Place rolling pin over marshamllow and roll back and forth to flatten it out. Flip the marshmallow over after every third roll or so like you would with pie crust. Keep your work area sugared so that the marshmallow doesn;t stick to the rolling pin.Once you marshmallow is flat enough let your kidlet pick out a cookie cutter to cut with. Center cookie cutter over marshmallow and press. Pull excess marshmallow away and set aside for snacking.Set out your flat, shaped mallows and prepare your "paint". I used a plastic paint tray/palette purchased from a local asian market. You can find them cheap at Michael's and other craft stores also. add a drop of food color to each section, using more than one color to mix. Top off with water and viola! Edible paint!Have your wee ones go to town painting their tiny marshmallow shapes. Set aside to dry, about fifteen minutes. Once dry, use cake decorating gel to add eyes and other features.Whip up a batch of cupcakes while the marshmallows are drying. Once the cakes cool, add a dollop of whipped cream, an edible cupcake topper and a shake or two fo sprinkles and have a spooky fun feast!

Counting it out: Halloween style

Check out my newest listmania list for spooky-fun Halloween reads. Here is a mini review of a fun counting book brought to you by Candlewick Press.
Two Little Witches: A Halloween Counting Story
Written by Harriet Ziefert
Illustrated by Simms Taback
Published by Candlewick Press 1996

Two Little witches is a thrilling, fun read for the preschool set. It begins with one little witch who is joined by another to make two little witches. Along their trick or treat route they meet up and travel with an assortment of spooky-fun characters until a spiky, spotted, four eyed monster answers the door and all but the witches run away. Kidlets can join in with the reading as you count from 1 to 10. Predictable in just the right way this book will put a smile on most any kidlet's face. The bright colors and fun costumes of the trick or treaters will delight and the stickers that come with the book are perfect to use as a tool for your own wee one's version of the story. Available in paperback, it won't break the bank either!

Don't Throw That Away!...sock(s)

Save those socks you pull from the dryer sans their mate. Your kidlets can turn them into all sorts o' sock creatures and all they need is one sock! What you need:
*a sock
*permanent markers (sharpies work swell)
*tacky glue
*buttons, beads, baubles and bits
*felt
*scissors
*needle and thread (optional)
*fiberfill or more socks for stuffing

scrumdilly-do it!

Set up your work area placing containers or piles of your baubles and bits within reach of your kidlets. Have each wee one pick out a sock and stuff it with your fiberfill or scrap socks.

Now it is time to examine what they have and decide what their sock will become. Will it be a fish? A ghost? A monster? A cat?Your wee ones can draw directly onto their sock with permanent pens or they can glue to their heart's content buttons, ribbon and felt cut to shapes. If your wee ones are adept with a needle and thread, let them have a go. There are no mistakes in making sock critters. Check out the critters these nifty kidlets made:A snake!
A mummy and a snow-girl!
A monstrous reptile!

Fun with Squash

This is a fun project for those "I'm bored!" moments.

What you need:
*white pumpkins, any size
*washable paints
*paint brushes
*splat mat or covered surface
*paint brushes

scrumdilly-do it1

Set out paints and brushes for your wee one's. You can use small cups, silicone or disposable cupcake liners, egg cartons or a paint palette. Make sure the area you are going to be working in is covered well. Outdoors would be great for this.Place pumpkins onto work surface and let the fun begin! Note to the pumpkin purchasers, size your pumpkins based on your wee one's attention span. A small pumpkin can be finished within 10 minutes and a larger one up to 20, depending on your kidlets. A miniature pumpkin would be best suited for a toddler but the big kids tend to think they're cute also. Just an idea so that you don't overwhelm your kidlet when you present them with a twenty pounder!
The cool thing about using the washable paints is that if your kidlet is not satisfied with his or her paint job then the pumpkin can be easily washed off. Slate clean! Also, the paint, once dry will be delicate and flake off so each day can bring a new pumpkin! Make sure to keep an eye out for soft spots and add to your compost heap when you are throgh. Oops, or you can carve them for Halloween!

Repurposed Art: Connecting Cards

This activity is for you to set up for your kidlets. It takes a little more time than others but once you have set it up, the cards should last a good long while. Sure, you can go buy a set for a wad o' cash or you can make your won featuring your kidlets' fabulous artwork. It's a no brainer in my eyes, though the other set is kind of spiffy.

What you need
*your kidlet's artwork no larger than 11 by 17 inches
*access to a laminator
*scissorsscrumdilly-do it:

Get your wee one's art laminated at a copy shop or do it yourself if you have a laminator.

Cut the laminated piece into multiple squares and rectangles. Curve the corners with a pair of scissors so the pieces aren't too sharp.
Now, cut a small half inch slit with the tip of your scissors into one side of the card. Next, cut another slit overlapping the first one so that you have a tiny piece of scrap paper to pull out leaving you with a groove of sorts. This part is necessary so that two pieces will fit together nicely without being all wonky and such. Repeat this process so that each side of each piece has at least two slits. (This part travels easily so you can plop it ll into a baggie or container and take it on the road to work on while waiting to pick your kidlets up from wherever it is you pick them up.)Once you are done, you are done! Yay! Keep all pieces in a container that is accessible to your wee one's and watch them create!You can do this with an old deck of playing cards also, no lamination needed. If you are adventurous you cab cut the artwork up into all sorts of shapes and sizes. If your kidlet is old enough, let him or her cut their artwork up. Experiments and as always, have fun!

Don't Throw That Away!...giftcards

Not that we are all swimming around with oodles of giftcards carelessly tossed about, but if you do happen to have a couple and you're on your way to Target (or Old Navy, or Kmart, etc.) to use 'em up, don't toss them when you're done with them. There are oodles and bunches of things you can do with them. Some giftcards have illustrations by the talented likes of S. Britt and Anna Chambers which are perfect for collecting. Or, you can teach your wee ones all about capitalism early, pretend they are credit cards. All sorts of fun can be had, all ya gotta do is think outside the box. Luckily for you, we do a little of that here or you and here's what we've discovered, giftcards are cool! Target carries some of the niftiest cards we've ever come across. From the fly-eye goggle cards to the build-your-own Target dog to the spinning pinwheels, these puppies are perfectly sized to keep in your bag or pocket for those moments when your kidlets need SOMETHING. They even work in the car! One of my most recent discoveries is perfect for a quickie art project. Check it out!

What you need:
*store giftcards with slightly raised images
*plain old white paper, the thinner, the better
*crayons

scrumdilly-do it!

Horde giftcards that have slightly raised images, these are perfect for crayon or chalk rubbings. Have your kidlet slide a giftcard under their paper.
Next, have your wee one pick out a crayon and quickly rub the crayon back and forth over the paper where the giftcard is hiding.Ta-da! Instant pictures! Not all cards with raised images will work but it makes for a good lesson in observation and casue and effect. With cards so cool, I've been known to pick up a couple for myself just to have on hand for some printmaking. Have fun!