April 25, 2018
Decor, Early Elementary, Family Bonding, Grown-Up, Kids Rooms, Older Elementary, Organization, Preschool, Spring, Toddler, Tween to Teen, Uncategorized, Unplugged Time
March 20th was the official first day of spring, though it certainly doesn’t feel that way! But even if you’re seeing more snowflakes than flowers right now, you don’t have to wait till it’s warm to embrace the new season. This year, try thinking about spring cleaning less as a to-do list item and more as a self care strategy for the whole family. Starting from the inside and working out, changes the way you experience the world. Help your home feel fresh and make space for new things to blossom.
1.
Start with Mental Spring Cleaning
Before you get to work on your house, spend some time on yourself! After long winter months cobwebs can form in your mind as well as your closets. As Darling Magazine says, “In the same way we fall into messy physical habits that need to be cleaned up, we can just as easily fall into habits of thought that leave our mental well-being neglected and in need of some extra care.” To find new focus, first take inventory of your mental blocks so that you can move past them.
2.
Make De-cluttering a Family Affair
You’re not the only one with excess stuff. Rather than trying to sneak old items out of your kids room, introduce your kids to the KonMari method. Cleaning guru Marie Kondo suggests helping them purge by thinking in reverse.
“Don’t decide what to get rid of, only decide what to keep. You and your family should only save items that spark joy. Children as young as 3 years old can decide what gives them joy and the key principle is that each person should be making the decisions for themselves. If a parent or a spouse ever tries to ‘force’ another family member to tidy, not only will it not work, it could even have a negative effect.”
Books
Image Source: Small Shop Studio
Kondo recommends creating a “Hall of Fame” for favorite books that you return to again and again. “When we are overloaded with books or other objects, our ability to receive and appreciate new information is dulled. The space in your home that you create after you tidy your books allows more information to come to you at just the right time”.
Clothes
Image Source: Gaijin Pot
Entice your kids to clean out their closets by making an event out of it. Education.com recommends encouraging your kids to put on a fashion show. They’ll have a blast modeling their favorite pieces and will have no trouble deciding which ones are “so last season”.
3.
Roll up the Rugs
It’s a simple idea that can make a big impact. When it’s cold there’s nothing cozier than warm rugs but as Houzz points outs “Bare floors can be a treat to toes after the heavy socks and woolen carpets of winter.” Plus, carpet-less floors are much easier to keep clean!
4.
DIY Cleaning Products
Once you’ve decluttered and cleared surfaces, keep things fresh with chemical-free cleaners. Live Simply has experimented with all types of homemade recipes and shares her favorites for vinegar and castile soap all purpose cleaners. You can whip up both in much less time than a grocery store run.
5.
Make Cleaning Fun
If you do it right, family cleaning night doesn’t have to feel so different from family game night! Try out a few of these ideas and watch your kids act much more cheerful about chores.
Go Skating for Dust Bunnies: Have your children wear old pairs of socks and “skate” around the house collecting dust bunnies with their feet. See who can accumulate the largest dust bunny. Be sure to collect all of your dust bunnies in a trash bag as you go along so they don’t hop back onto the floor! Kids love this silly and energizing game that gets their hearts pumping and promotes agility and muscle fitness. (via Education.com) To really get in the game, buy a family set of mop slippers, above.
Musical Chores: Give your kids a specific task to get done by the end of a song. If they finish beforehand they can use the extra time to dance! (via Parents)
Follow the Leader: Give each child an apron and tuck an old rag or towel and a squirt bottle filled with a non-toxic cleaning fluid into the pockets. The designated leader must walk through the house and make multiple stops to clean or put away an object and the rest of the group must follow suit. Switch leaders every five minutes. (via Education.com)
6.
Organize with Matching Bins
After clearing and cleaning, bring visual coherence to your space with a set of cute containers. Each kid can have their own pattern and each room it’s own type to make clear where items live. Practice what you preach by returning things to their rightful place and your kids will learn to do the same.
Clockwise from top left, Basket – Joss and Main, Quilted Bin – Target, Forest Etiquette Cube Bins – Crate & Barrel
7.
Add a Springy Scent
Wake up your senses with a fresh fragrance. A coconut candle is all you need to make winter will feel like forever ago. Candles from Target
8. 
Bring Greenery Indoors
Flowers are always nice but planting an herb garden with your kids is a real growth opportunity. Reann Kelly’s tin can herb garden is stylish yet simple to make and you can easily add to it if your kids want to expand their plant collection. Once the herbs get going, you can teach your little ones how to use them in simple recipes, or even about their medicinal values. Check out Learning Herbs for lots of great info.
9.
Do Some Birdwatching
Offer a feast to feathered friends by hanging a bird feeder outside of your kitchen window. Your kids can practice their observation skills and learn about seasonal migration by keeping an eye on which birds visit. A cleaned nut can is easily upcycled with the addition of a twig and some twine. Find the how to in our book, Project Kid: 100 Ingenious Crafts for Family Fun.
10.
Make Space to Daydream
Designate an area for new ideas to enter by building an A-frame tent. This sweet design from Cakies functions indoors and out. You’ll be ready for the first “real” day of spring, and in the meantime your kids can enjoy some living room camping.
This post contains affiliate links.
April 10, 2018
ad, Age, Animals, Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Nature, Older Elementary, Preschool
This fun craft project was sponsored by Kid Made Modern.
It’s totally old news that we are big fans of mixing elements of nature into crafts with kids—sticks, rocks, pinecones…they are so sturdy, beautiful, and free! As a kid I used to explore the woods behind my house and pretend I was building nature’s fantasy world to shelter my toy animals and dolls.
When I saw this beautiful Animal Menagerie Craft Kit from Kid Made Modern, I knew I was destined to give it a home. Once your kids have finished coloring in the beautifully designed wood pieces, they can easily assemble the menagerie and start collecting Mother Nature’s craft supplies for the house. We mixed in some fun colored supplies from the Bright Bundle Craft Kit to add a little pop!
You can build this in so many different ways, but here’s a little detailed exploration of what we did here at Project Kid:
What you’ll need:
1. Use the fuzzy sticks in the Bright Bundle Craft Kit to bind the corners of the house together. You can add a dab of hot glue underneath for extra security if your sticks are on the wonky side. Carefully remove the caps from acorns and glue pom-poms in place of the nut. We used ours to top the main legs of the party house.
2. The pinecone is now nature’s chandelier! Glue the beads from the Bright Bundle Craft Kit to the ends of the pinecone’s scales. Use the colorful string to hang it from criss-crossed sticks above.
3. Cut leaf shapes out of the neon stickers sheets and attach them to the bottoms of the four side posts. We wrapped skinny duct tape around the base of the legs, and set some painted rocks around.
5. It’s always a party with this animal menagerie, so we folded the duct tape around the nylon cord and cut it into flag shapes.
6. No animal can resist a party hat. Make some for this crew out of duct tape and pom-poms.
Thanks to Kid Made Modern for sponsoring this post!
April 2, 2018
Age, Baby, Birthdays, Early Elementary, Favors, Older Elementary, Parties, Preschool, Toddler
Photo by Tara Donne for Parents.
I truly love planning my kids’ birthday parties—taking their theme of choice and running with it. But then it comes to the favor part and I am confronted with a personal conundrum—to give plastic junk or to not give plastic junk. I want to be known as the mom who gives killer goody bags, but I hate the idea of sending kids home with junk that’s bound for the land fill. I’ve tried so many work arounds (such that I could write a weekly column on this topic) and I feel there’s an economical, valuable solution for every single party.
We did some brainstorming and googling to find these ten goody bag alternatives that will thrill beyond the car ride home.
This post contains affiliate links!
1. 
Art Bar knows how to keep the fun going after a crafty birthday with a bag full of supplies. Include materials to make a specific project, or a random assortment to encourage creativity. For an added bonus, give the supplies in a muslin bag that can be decorated too!
2.
Kids may not be excited about soap but they’ll be eager to reach the prize inside! Homemade soap is a great way to incentivize hand washing, plus you can include toys to match any party theme. Follow the easy how to from Super Make It.
3.
For a cooking birthday buy kid sized aprons in bulk that can be used during and after the party. You can also send guests home with a jar of ingredients for a favorite treat – just don’t forget to tie on a recipe card! Image via Today’s Parent
4.
Though we take photos all the time, a printed picture feels likes a prize. Set up a silly photo booth, like this one from Mood Kids, and use a mini printer, such as an instax, for photos. For a more finished feel, slip photos into colorful frames, or have guests decorate frames as a craft activity.
5.
Form a twelve piece orchestra by giving each guest their own instrument. It may take a while before they make beautiful music together, but they’ll have a lot of fun trying! These instruments can be bought as a set from Amazon.
6.
No matter the theme of the party, a book is a favor both kids and parents will appreciate. To find affordable options, check the discount bin of your local bookstore, buy a set of classics and break them up, or browse bookoutlet.com
7.
Encourage growing green thumbs with a plant kit – the opposite of a throw-away favor! These hairy examples from Today’s Parent include a mini pot, seedlings, a bag of soil, and of course eye stickers.
8.
A scavenger hunt is the perfect pick for a nature themed party. A treasure hunt, like this one from Nellie Design, doesn’t have to involve toys, kids can use a checklist to mark observations and collect outdoor items.
9.
All mini magicians should be equipped with their own deck of cards. Or split a big box of classic tricks, like these from Becky and Me Toys, and let the party goers practice on each other.
10.
For a truly favor free birthday, share the money you would have spent on goody bags with a charity instead. Let the birthday kid choose a cause they feel strongly about, like a local animal shelter, or consider an organization like The Birthday Party Project, which throws parties for homeless youth. All the party guests can sign a card together.
March 22, 2018
Activities, Age, Early Elementary, Easter, Family Bonding, Grown-Up, Holidays, Older Elementary, Preschool, Toddler, Tween to Teen
This year I’m all about wild and crazy eggs (did you see the messy eggs I made for Parents magazine?). When we were testing different processes for that story, this was one of the rejects, but I held onto them because they were so organically gorgeous.
I love that even the youngest of makers can get with these…there is literally no way to mess them up!
Here’s how you make em…
What you’ll need:
Make it:
March 21, 2018
Age, Animals, Early Elementary, Easter, Everyday Crafts, Grown-Up, Holidays, Older Elementary, Preschool, Tween to Teen
Bunnies and chicks often steal the spotlight at Easter, but they aren’t the only animals who are craft-worthy! Who says a panda and a penguin can’t be festive? An Easter egg is the perfect canvas for all sorts of creatures. Whether your favorite animals are of the woodland, farm, or tropical variety, we’ve collected 10 fun ways to animate your eggs.
1. Don’t be deceived, this doe-pe deer only looks difficult to make. With a faux flower crown and felted collar you craft a show stopper just like Lauren Conrad’s.
2. 
For another woodland option, Lia Griffith shares great ideas for using a paper punch. A few circles and a set of ears will make your eggs bright eyed and bushy tailed in no time.
3.
They may not quite be birds of a feather, but a swan and flamingo still look sweet flocking together. Follow Studio DIY‘s lead to help eggs hatch into beautiful birds.
4.
Though they usually prefer mud puddles, these crafty pigs will look right at home on your Easter table. Martha Stewart keeps them cute from their button noses to their curly tails using crepe paper and pipe cleaners.
5.
If you want to keep it classic, you can’t go wrong with a white rabbit. Covered in yarn, felt, and pom poms, we heart these fuzzy little bunnies from Parents magazine.
6.
To craft Easter decorations that aren’t in danger of cracking, a plastic egg garland is a cheery choice. Chicks and bunnies keep things bright and can be used year after year. via Family Fun
7. 
These cute egg cups from Archies can morph into any animal you want, just add ears (and accessories!)!
8.
We love these fingerprint eggs from Fraulein Klien – especially the panda. Starting with such a simple shape means the types animals you can make are only limited by your imagination!
9.
Tiny toys, whose main purpose seem to be poking your feet on the rug, are given new life perched atop Easter eggs. Flax and Twine douses them in gold for a look that’s refined but still playful.
10.
Encourage your kids to play with their food for once. These edible animals are a waste-free way to craft for Easter. Though they’re so cute you might be tempted to keep them around for at least an hour or two. Follow directions from Eating Richly.
