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The “No Mess” Preschool Fall Craft

October 18, 2013 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

quick_kids_fall_craftI love a good mess. There is something that is comfortable about it to me. Paint and little cuts of paper are a pretty normal sight around my house. BUT, every other week or so I do have an OCD melt down where I clean it all. We then create it again. I love crafting in a clean house. So weird.

There are times though, where I want a quick, no mess craft. I have found that having some of these on hand can change-up my day and even help entertain my kids on days where I am needed something. I whipped this little picture frame craft up for my J this week, and he loved it. And I loved that it was a no mess craft, as we were headed out-of-town the afternoon he created it.

Here is what you need:

  • Paper mache picture frame (an old cheap frame could work or even cutting your own out of cardboard or paper) You can also buy them in a bulk party pack for a birthday party, thanksgiving craft, school activity, etc.
  • Fall foam leaf stickers
  • Picture (for these types of things I just print out the picture at home on normal cardstock paper)

fall_preschool_activityMy J loves stickers, and we are constantly working on building a little more confidence and independence in him. This simple craft was something he could do on his own, have fun, create, and make something he was proud of.

I printed off two pictures (different sizes) to find the best fit for the frame. I cut the one out I liked best and stuck it in the frame for J. He then picked up leaves, pulled the sticker back off, and placed them on the frame. It was that easy. I loved that he mixed up shape and colors of the leaves. So, although it was pretty basic, it still shows his creativity.

fittin_picture_to_frame

No_mess_preschool_fall_craftThere was no glue or paint to clean up. We simply threw away the sticker backs, and his frame was complete. Side note: Peeling sticker backs off can be a task for a preschooler and really practiced his eye hand coordination! The teacher in me had to say that ;).

Proud_preschoolerHe made something he was proud of, and I hope built that little self-confidence up while having a blast. I love how the natural background looks with the pop of leaf color. You could always paint it, wrap it with string, or create a paper collage on your frame to make it a little more intricate and a step harder. Another idea is to use this idea for a card rather than a picture frame and write a message inside. The possibilities are endless to stretch or use this technique!

Kids_fall_decorI hope you are having a great weekend and are getting to use your creative juices!

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Painting: Tips for letting young kids paint!

September 23, 2012 By Erica Deuel 9 Comments

This week we did LOTS of fun things.  We got to have two play dates, a park outing with their grandma, and even a zoo visit with friends.  We only had one day this week where we didn’t have anything on the calendar, and it just so happened to be the “rainy” day.  We loved it!

In our school days, we have been talking about fall and the changes that come with this season.  Having a rainy day at home, was the perfect time to paint our ceramic pumpkins!

They did an awesome job, and I absolutely adore them!!  I know they will be a decor item I save and use for years and years!

I got these little ceramic pumpkins at Hobby Lobby last week and they were on sale for 40% off.  I think the small pumpkins ended up costing about $1.70 and the large one was about $2.80.  They cost SO much less than going to a paint your own pottery place, but I think the effects and look is the same!  Thanks to one little tip at the end that I will share with you!

We talked about fall colors and which colors they would like to use on their pumpkin.  I said they could use any “fall” color.  They said they wanted to use only orange and brown.

I let my little girl paint!  She’s about 20 months old and loves to paint!  She kept squealing with delight, smiling, doing a bouncy dance in her seat, and laughing.  While I watched her with so much joy, I had the thought that many people might not try this with a child her age.

It can be a little scary and hard, but it is worth all the work.  We are building memories!

I came up with ten tips to help make painting with young kids less intimidating and easier to do.  I hope you find them helpful!

1.  Strip your kids down.  🙂  They can wear an old shirt or paint smock.  We have both, but I usually just have my boys take off their shirts.  It’s so much easier and then you aren’t pulling wet paint over their heads, when they want to remove that shirt afterwards.  For my little girl, I had her wear an apron to stay “modest” for these pictures. 🙂

2.  Use a big tarp or old table clothe to cover your table/painting area.  I tend to use big sheets of paper or old newspaper because I can just bawl it up and throw it away afterwards.  It helps keep it simpler if you don’t have to wait for the table cloth to “dry” and worry about where to store them, so you find them next time.

3.  Use paper plates as your paint pallets!  Although those cute plastic pallets that are sold in art stores are cute with the divided out areas for different colors, they are just one more thing to clean. I stopped using them because they always had dried paint on them and were a pain to scrub clean.  We just squirt some paint on to paper plates and throw them away afterwards.

4.  Paint in steps!  If your child tends to “quit” quickly, you can let them paint till they want to be done.  If you want them to “cover” more of their area say “you can let that dry and come back later and work on it”.  It’s ok, if it isn’t completed in the first sitting.  Hardly any of our projects are, right!?

5.  Go with their creativity!  This is so important!  Let them dream and design it as they want!  I fight the urge in me to at times want to “touch up” their work.  You want THEIR work not YOURS, so let them create it as they want.

6.  Do not have a “time” crunch or crazy busy schedule where you are trying to “squeeze” this activity into a tight window frame.  The best projects are when they are the only “to do” and you aren’t rushing to just get it done, so you can go to the next project.  Any easy tip along these lines is to have a cup of water for the older kids to clean their brushes (before changing colors) on hand.  When we are done painting, I throw all the brushes into the cup, so I can walk away and help the kids get cleaned up.  I can come back and clean up the mess later, without worrying about the brushes having dried out.  Also, use a plastic/throw away cup here!

7.  Let them explore!  It might end up the little one starts painting her belly.  I go with it.  She is exploring and learning so many things (cause & effect, sensory elements, and fine motor skills are just a few).

8.  I always plan for a bath to be needed afterwards, so it’s a nice surprise when that is not needed.  After our pumpkins were painted, the rain started pouring!  I let them run and splash, so they were gonna need a bath anyways.

9.  Let them admire and show off their artwork.  They will be so proud of it, if you encourage and praise them and their work!  They will want to touch it and show it to others!  Let them.

10.  Have fun with it, and have the mindset you are making memories!

That is it!  There are ten tips to help you paint with your little ones!  I hope it helps and doesn’t make painting with “babies” so intimidating!  Our last step for this project was to give our pumpkins a thick coat of Mod Podge.  This created a shine finish to the pumpkins that makes them look like they are fresh from a ‘do it yourself pottery place’.

An easy way to incorporate step 9 being “letting your kids show off their art work” is to display it around the house.  I put my kids’ pumpkins on my mantel, and they are so proud of them.  My three-year old goes over to look at his pumpkin several times a day and says proudly “look!  It’s dry now mom!  I can touch it.” as he scoots a chair over. 🙂

I hope this post helps you tackle a painting project with your kids and gives you some tips on how to do it, and it to be a cheap and fun memory!

Later in the week, I will be sharing more with you about this pretty fall wreath!

Thank you so much for checking in and reading this little blog of mine!  I hope you all had a relaxing weekend!

Linked up at: At Home Take 2, Centsational Girl, The Inspired Room, and Hip Homeschool Moms

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Two-Minute Fall Decor

September 18, 2012 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

Yesterday, I was admiring all the fall decor in Hobby Lobby.  Fall is my favorite season, and Hobby Lobby is my favorite store.  So, this was a really good moment in my day.  While staring at some really cute fall frames, I got the urge to buy one.  I checked the prices and didn’t want to spend $15 on a frame that was already %40 off.  I decided I would make my own!  This is what I came up with…

I literally grabbed a piece of wood I already had, three frames from the dollar store, three nails, and my hammer.

I was set to just tack the frames lightly to the piece of wood.  In doing this, it would be easy to pull the nails out every year and replace the picture with a more current picture and then nail the nails back in.  Right before I started hammering my frames on, I decided I wanted to spray paint them.

I spray painted them a burnt orange, with some paint I already had.  I looked at them laid out and decided I liked it and hammered them in place with one thin nail each.

The dollar store frames were perfect for this craft because instead of glass they had a thin clear plastic to cover the picture.  This allowed for the frames to be hammered in without the worry of shattering glass.  I had plans to go back and either paint, stencil, or use stickers to create a “Welcome to our Pumpkin Patch” message across the frames like this…

BUT, I fell in love with my new framed art and didn’t want to make it too “seasonal”.  I liked the rustic/fall look, but it also keeps my frame more versatile incase I want to use it at other times in the year.

It was so easy and quick!  You can do it!  Thanks so much for all of those that read about our family the other day!  I love sharing about things and people who I love!

Thanks for checking in!  I hope you are enjoying this change of seasons too and getting a taste for it in your weather and decor!

Linked up at : Fox Hollow Cottage and Southern Hospitality

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