10 things to do with egg cartons

working as a nanny i found that the most usable and open ended items for the kidets to play with were the things we had at home. paper towel tubes, boxes, thread spools, buttons and egg cartons! i remember playing with these very items for hours on end so of course i should make sure to keep these thoughts in the front of my mind. there are plenty of other lists out there but these are the things i did as a kidlet and are among my favorites:

1.use the top for a shadow box or diorama
2.sort, sort, sort into em
3.fill with potting soil and start some seedlings
4.fill with dirt, add some pill bugs and make a bug city
5.separate the cups, decorate, fill with beans, join 2 together and you have a shaker
6.store your collections in them
7.paint, cut apart, punch holes, add string and bird seed, hang
8.make your own mancala or owari game
9.separate the cups, paint and turn em into critters
10.cut em up, paint em and glue to make robots

for something pretty, turn em into twinkle light covers. for something useful, feed 'em to your worms and for something fun, check out my birdie potpourri post over at craftzine!

10 things to do with paper plates

1. paint on 'em!
2. cut out the center, punch holes in the edges and weave a dream catcher
3. paint, fold in half and make a bunting
4. cut them into cloud shapes and cover them with glue and cotton balls
5. fold in half, seal 'em partway, fill with beans, reseal, paint and shake 'em up!
6. cut out the center of 3 or more plates. glue em all together, paint and dry, then fling it around like a frisbee
7. collage em all up and turn into a hat
8. punch holes around the edges, attach string or yarn and other goodies and make a mobile.
9.. add a couple blobs of paint, drop a marble or two on top and move the plate around to paint with the marbles.
10. cut 'em in half, collage with a nose and mouth, add a craft stick handle and you have a funny mask.

last minute fireworks painting

Here's a fun and slightly messy fireworks painting project for your kidlets. This one is definitely for the outdoors. Beware of fits and giggles!

You will need:
*2 or more small bouncy balls.
*at least 1 pair of old tights or hose
*splat mat
*scissors
*white paper
*red and blue paint (or any other two colors you prefer)
*containers for the paint
*water to thin paint
*mess friendly clothes and work area

scrumdilly-do it!
Set up your work area by filling your containers with paint and water. I used a little too much water for mine so the colors are quite muted. Liquid watercolor or tempera is fine for this. You could even use food color and water if you wanted to.Have your kidlet cut the legs off the tights near the top where the legs meet.Pop a ball, I used large super balls, into each leg and shake it down to the toe. Add a knot just above the ball to ensure it stays in place.Toss your new paintbrushes into your pain mixture and let them soak up a bit of paint.When your tot is ready, pull out a "brush" and WHACK it onto the paper. It will make satisfying THWACK and splatter as it hits. Make sure your kidlet knows to only bounce their new brush onto the paper and NOT at their sibling or friend. Have your kidlet try different techniques. Try dropping the ball directly onto the paper or dragging it across for lines. Whatever you do, the more colors your tots use, the more fireworks-y their pictures will appear.Have fun and don't say I didn't warn ya!

independence day bunting

Here's an easy way to turn your spin art into a festive holiday bunting!

You will need:
*6 or more spin art circles
*ribbon, at least 2 yards
*scissors
*glue stick

scrumdilly-do it!

Gather your supplies in one place. Fold all of your spin art circles in half.Knot one end of your ribbon about eight inches from one end. This will help keep your first circle in place.Cover a small stretch of ribbon with your glue stick. slide your folded circle onto the ribbon so that the ribbon butts up against the crease.**Slather some more gluestick on one side of the inside of your. circle and fold back into place and smooth.Add your next circle in the same manner and so on. You can accordion fold your bunting as you go. I worked from the spool and cut eight inches or so out from the final circle knotting the ribbon directly next to the last one.Hang in festive place, sit down and enjoy some lemonade.**You can of course always hand the folded circles to your kidlets along with some tape and or a stapler and see what they come up with. kids are crafty like that. Happy Fourth!