Munchkins and Mayhem

Paper Mache Bank

2012-01-28T14:15:00.000-06:00

Smaller has the cutest idea for how to make a bank using paper mache. They call the money balls and start with an inflated balloon.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://smallmagazine.typepad.com/smaller/2010/02/heres--a-creative-way-to-encourage-saving-which-lets-face.html

Snowball Search Game

2012-01-27T11:02:00.002-06:00

The amazing mess has the cutest idea for a game that brings the outdoors inside. Hide cotton balls (snowballs) throughout the house and then give each child an ice cube tray for collection, that way they'll know if they've found all of the snowballs.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.amazingmess.com/2012/01/indoor-snowball-hunt.html

Colorful Thread Bowl

2012-01-26T14:07:00.011-06:00

Elizabeth Andree shows how to make a beautiful bowl out of colored yarn and paste. Your kids will love getting messy with the paste and love the pretty bowl they made as well.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://elisabethandree.posterous.com/threads-threads-lots-of-threads

How to Make a Bouncing Ball

2012-01-25T13:55:00.011-06:00

about.com's chemistry guide has instructions for how to make a polymer bouncing ball. Once again, the main ingredient, as with most of the science projects is borax. Beyond that it's just cornstarch and glue and some food coloring to make it pretty.

Good for ages 7 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ss/bounceball.htm

Candy Cane Science Experiment

2012-01-24T15:34:00.011-06:00

Candy experiments shows yohow to see the colors that make up a candy cane. All you need is a shallow dish of water and a candy cane and the stripes of the candy cane will slowly melt into the water.

Good for ages 4 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.candyexperiments.com/2011/12/candy-cane-stripes.html

Make a Snowman Out of Soap

2012-01-23T14:42:00.021-06:00

Mama in Wonderland has a really cute idea for making a snowman out of soap. The main ingredient is a grated bar of white soap.

Good for ages 4 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://mamainwonderland.blogspot.com/2011/12/yet-another-easy-holiday-craft-for-kids.html

How to Make a Snow Globe

2012-01-22T10:45:00.010-06:00

Ask listen learn show you how to make a snow globe using glass jars, glitter and virtually any small plastic object.

Good for ages 5 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.asklistenlearn.com/blog/make-your-own-snow-globe

Paper Lantern for the Chinese New Year

2012-01-21T12:22:00.026-06:00

Kiboomu has details on how to create a paper lantern for the Chinese new year. It's tradition that the celebrations begin with a lantern festival. Each color means something different.

Red: Good fortune
Pink: Romance
Peach: Opportunities
Orange: Money
Yellow: Success
White: Health
Green: Growth

Blue: Hope

Purple: Idealism

Everyone chooses the color that shows their wishes and writes down a written message on the lantern itself.

Good for ages 6 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.kiboomu.com/2012/01/19/chinese-new-year-paper-lantern-craft/

Balloon Animal Party Favors: Balloon Birthday Party

2012-01-20T11:51:00.002-06:00

Make your own balloon animal kits start at about $5. Kids will love to see you make them and they make a great party favor.

Balloon Pinata Activity: Balloon Themed Birthday Party

2012-01-19T13:46:00.000-06:00

Scrap Happy Heather has a great idea for a balloon activity. Hang water balloons and use them as mini-pinatas. The kids will love getting wet. If your balloon party is in the winter you can always change the water to candy or toys.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://scraphappyheather.blogspot.com/2011/07/water-balloon-pinata.html

Balloon Painting Activity: Balloon Themed Birthday Party

2012-01-19T11:28:00.001-06:00

Share and Remember has a great balloon party activity. Fill the balloons with different objects such as rice, flour, salt, water, corn and other small objects and use them as paint brushes, let the kids dip them in paint and use the balloons to make a design. The kids will have fun with the different textures and trying to guess what's inside each balloon. They'll also have a nice art project to take home.

Get the instructions here:
http://shareandremember.blogspot.com/2011/07/sensory-balloons-painting-rainbows.html

Balloon Cupcake Idea: Balloon Themed Birthday Party

2012-01-18T12:31:00.001-06:00

Continue on the balloon theme with this easy to make and assemble cupcake balloon cake. One great thing about this cake is that the balloon bunch can grow to as many guests as you have.

Get the instructions here:
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/balloon-cupcakes-685709/

Balloon Filled Window: Balloon Themed Birthday Party

2012-01-17T23:01:00.000-06:00

Light up balloons: Balloon Themed Birthday

2012-01-17T12:23:00.011-06:00

Save on crafts, a Yahoo shop sells LED lighted balloons in a variety of colors. The balloons either light up or blink at a fast or slow pace. They sell for $8 for a package of 5 balloons.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/balloons1.html

Balloon Themed Birthday Party: Keep the balloons deflated with this colorful birthday wreath

2012-01-17T12:22:00.000-06:00

What a great way to welcome guests to the birthday party. Make sure to have just as many inflated balloons inside to make for an extra festive and colorful day.

Unfortunately not a craft you kids can help assemble, but they can definitely help with color selection and placement.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.howdoesshe.com/birthday-wreath

Balloon Pary Invitation: Balloon Themed Birthday Party

2012-01-16T10:49:00.008-06:00

Funky time has a really easy balloon birthday invitation. Simply blow up the balloon, and write the details, deflate and tape to a card. That's it.

Get the instructions here:
http://fun.kyti.me/index.php/2011/11/inflatable-birthday-invitation/

How to Make Bubble Cards

2012-01-15T10:27:00.010-06:00

The chocolate muffin tree has a tutorial for how to make cards using paint bubbles however the idea of having children put straws with paint at the other end of the straw seems really risky. Instead just using a bubble want will do the trick. Crayola makes a paint bubble but beware they're really messy and not very washable. Make sure to lay down lots of newspaper even if you do this outside.

Good for ages 4 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.thechocolatemuffintree.com/2011/05/bubble-printing-fun.html

Tissue Paper Confetti Tray

2012-01-14T10:15:00.017-06:00

Vicki O'Dell has a great post on how to make a colorful tray with tissue paper pieces. Simply get a plastic tray and lots of cut up squares of tissue paper and glue. You'll have a beautifully colored tray to use everyday.

Good for ages 5 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.vickiodell.com/mod-podge-and-tissue-tray/

Free Disney Princess Craft January 14

2012-01-13T14:44:00.000-06:00

The Disney store is having a dress as your favorite princess event Saturday January 14. It will include a sing-along and craft project for girls age 3 and up. There are three sessions 10:30 am, 11:30 am and 12:30 pm.

More information is available here. Click the events link to see the details and find a location:
http://www.disneystore.com/in-store-special-events/mn/1001271/

Star Wars Paper Dolls

2012-01-13T14:43:00.018-06:00

Toy-A-Day offer fantastic free fold up figures including all of the Star Wars characters including Darth Vader, C-3P0, R2D2, Yoda, Storm Troopers and Boba Fett.

Get the templates here:
Darth Vader - http://toy-a-day.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-117-darth-vader.html
C-3PO - http://toy-a-day.blogspot.com/2008/12/day-85-c-3po.html
Boba Fett - http://toy-a-day.blogspot.com/2008/05/day-8-boba-fett.html
Yoda - http://toy-a-day.blogspot.com/2008/10/day-73-yoda.html
Storm Trooper - http://toy-a-day.blogspot.com/2008/12/day-84-stormtrooper.html
R2-D2 - http://toy-a-day.blogspot.com/2008/06/day-16-r2-d2.html

Putting Green Rug

2012-01-12T10:48:00.016-06:00

This putting green sells for $139 at flor.com. However it looks so easy to make using two small area rugs. One smooth and one shaggy

Make Your Own Bird Feeder

2012-01-11T17:28:00.010-06:00

Alpha Mom shows a simple way to make a beautiful heart shaped bird feeder. The key to this recipe and making the shape stick is gelatin. The heart is probably one of the easier shapes to make but any cookie cutter should work.

Good for ages 6 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://alphamom.com/family-fun/crafts/heart-shaped-bird-feeder-diy/

How to Make a Friendship Bracelet

2012-01-10T12:37:00.000-06:00

Homemade gifts made easy has resurrected the friendship bracelet from the 80s. This one is pretty neat because of the tassels. It's not as easy as some of the other methods but is definitely unique. You need a piece of circle cardboard and 3 colors of needlepoint thread.

Good for ages 10 and up.

Get the instructions here:
www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/make-a-friendship-bracelet.html

Make Your Own Switch or Outlet Plates

2012-01-09T14:27:00.022-06:00

Let your kids lend a hand in the design of their room by letting them decorate a switch or outlet plate is using stickers or paint. All you need are the plates, stickers and/or paint.

Good for ages 8 and up.

How to Make Rock Candy

2012-01-08T14:19:00.013-06:00

Gluesticks has a great tutorial for how to make rock candy. All you need is sugar, water, food coloring, and some bamboo skewers. These are great to make for parties or just a fun project.

Good for ages 6 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/09/homemade-rock-candy.html

BFF Wire Necklace

2012-01-07T13:55:00.009-06:00

Quiet Lion Creations shows how to make a BFF wire necklace, using colored jewelery wire and ready made necklace chain.

Good for ages 8 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://quietlioncreations.blogspot.com/2011/12/gauge-inc-bff-necklace.html

How to Make a Custom Notepad

2012-01-06T13:28:00.000-06:00

Chica and Jo demonstrate how to make your own mini-notepads using padding compound. This is a great project for any left over scrapbook paper you didn't use.

Good for ages 6 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.chicaandjo.com/2008/10/22/make-your-own-custom-notepads/

Build-A-Saurus - Free Lowe's Craft - January 28

2012-01-06T00:00:00.016-06:00

Lowe's is having a free build-a-saurus event on Saturday, January 28 at 10 am. In addition to the project kit, kids receive a Lowe's apron, goggles, a completion patch and certificate. Registration is required and you need to bring the signed waiver to participate.

Register here:
https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/Home.aspx

Design a Tiara - Free Michael's Craft - January 21

2012-01-06T00:00:00.012-06:00

Michael's is having a Fancy Nancy make your own tiara and story telling time for ages 3 and up on Saturday, January 21 from 10 am to noon.

Get the full event and location information here:
http://www.michaels.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Michaels-Site/default/StoreEvent-Show?event=se249

Yarn Backpack Buddy - Free Michael's Craft - January 7

2012-01-06T00:00:00.011-06:00

Michael's is having a free craft project Saturday, January 7. Children ages 3 and up can make a yarn backpack buddy from 1 to 3 p.m.

Find full event information and Michael's locations here:
http://www.michaels.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Michaels-Site/default/StoreEvent-Show?event=se243

Build a Castle - Free Lowe's Craft - January 14

2012-01-06T00:00:00.008-06:00

Lowe's is having a free make a castle event on Saturday, January 14th at 10 am. The castle even has a working drawbridge. Kids receive a Lowe's apron, goggles, a completion patch and certificate. Note the craft involves the use of a hammer and nails. Spaces are limited and you need to sign up in advance and bring a waiver to the clinic.

Register here:
https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/Home.aspx

Shed Bank - Free Home Depot Craft - January 7

2012-01-06T00:00:00.004-06:00

The Home Depot is having a free kids craft where they can make their own bank on Saturday January 7 from 9-12 am. Kids are given a Home Depot apron to keep along with a pin showing the completed project. Note that most projects involve the use of a hammer and nails and recommended for ages 5-12.

Get more information about the event and locations here:
http://www.homeimproverclub.com/kidsworkshops.aspx?month=jan&site=microsite-_-homeimproverclub-_-kids/jan

How to make indoor snowflakes

2012-01-05T13:22:00.000-06:00

Mom in Madison has a fun tutorial for how to make your own indoor snowflakes. The trick to the crystal looking effect is Borax which you can usually find at the hardware or grocery store.

Good for ages 8 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://mominmadison.blogspot.com/2008/12/snowflakes.html

Build Your Own Igloo

2012-01-04T11:02:00.010-06:00

Education.com has an awesome tutorial for how to make your own igloo and it's really simple. You can make a small igloo indoors with ice cube trays or a large igloo for outdoors with milk cartons that you cut in half. One word of warning, make sure your ice is flat. Otherwise it will be a lot more challenging to get the ice to stay put, although probably a lot more fun as well.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.education.com/activity/article/homemade_igloo/?cid=50.20

Make Your Own Plastic Bottle Bowling Set

2012-01-03T10:58:00.008-06:00

Jill from Meet the Dubiens has a nifty idea for how to create a beautiful bowling set. All you need are plastic bottles and paint. Very simple and a great activity when you are done.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.ucreatewithkids.com/2011/02/creative-guest-meet-dubiens.html

Hanging Clouds - Kids Bedroom Decor

2012-01-02T15:33:00.007-06:00

Oh Crafts has a really simple way to turn a bedroom ceiling into a cloud-filled sky. Your children can help form the cloud shapes they'd like to watch and see.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.ohcrafts.net/kids-clouds-on-the-ceiling.php

Make Your Own Bath Sponges

2012-01-01T15:27:00.015-06:00

Martha Stewart has a great idea for pop-up sponges, but unfortunately doesn't provide a template. Luckily there's a ton of stencil sites with templates online. You can also have kids create and cut their own designs using flat sponge material.

Good for ages 3 and up.

ABC stencils here:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=abc+stencils&qpvt=abc+stencils&FORM=IGRE

How to Make a Lava Lamp

2011-12-31T11:33:00.000-06:00

Home Chemistry has a great video showing you how to make a lava lamp. The most difficult item to find is the LED push light, but everything else is very easy to obtain.

Good for ages 5 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://homechemistry.blogspot.com/2011/05/homemade-lava-lamp-new-and-improved.html

Make Your Own Scratch Art Paper

2011-12-30T11:53:00.000-06:00

Frugal Family Fun Blog shows how to make nifty do it yourself scratch art boards. Kids will have fun designing the hidden colors, hiding their colors and scratching off the paint to make fun designs.

Good for ages 5 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2011/11/diy-scratch-art-pages.html

Keeping track of you child's favorites

2011-12-29T11:22:00.000-06:00

All for the boys has a fantastic "interview" you can give your kids every year. This is a great idea for their scrapbooks because you can see how their answers change and don't change every year. You can also use the template as questions and record their answers in addition to the paper version.

Good for ages 2 and up.

Get the template here:
http://www.allisonwaken.com/AllForTheBoysMyInterview.pdf

Rolled Paper Beads

2011-12-28T11:15:00.000-06:00

Creative Jewish Mom has a great tutorial on how to make colorful paper beads out of magazine pages. This makes for a great, easy activity and your kids will love their finished result.

Good for ages 6 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2009/07/recycling-crafts-rolled-paper-beads-and-necklaces.html

Make Your Own Rubber Stampers

2011-12-27T11:25:00.000-06:00

Vanessa's Values has the easiest stamper idea ever. All you need is foam stickers and bottle caps. You just stick the stickers on the top of the caps and there you go. Kids love stamping and this will give the lots of options and designs.

Good for ages 2 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://vanessasvalues.blogspot.com/2011/11/create-with-kids-make-your-own-bottle.html

Colorful Finger Paint Recipe

2011-12-26T11:56:00.000-06:00

Food.com is cooking up a new recipe of finger paint and the main ingredient is dish soap so your house won't get too messy with this fantastic recipe.

Good for ages 2 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-finger-paint-176355

Super Simple Fruity Lip Gloss

2011-12-25T11:50:00.000-06:00

Jill Dubien has the easiest lip gloss recipe ever. It's literally Vaseline and kool-aid. The great thing is kool-aid comes in such cool flavors your possibilities are almost endless. Plus you can combine the flavors to make to your own. She also has a template for the stickers for pretty packaging and gift giving.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.meetthedubiens.com/2011/01/make-your-own-lip-gloss.html

Turn a Kleenex Box into a Monster

2011-12-24T14:37:00.000-06:00

Giggles Galore created these boxed to eat all of the tattles, but they can also make for a fun activity that's tattle free to store or not anything else you'd like.

Good for ages 4 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://gigglesgalorenmore.blogspot.com/2011/08/tattle-monster.html

Printable Star Wars Snowflakes

2011-12-23T14:26:00.001-06:00

A galaxy far, far away has invaded our snowflakes with these very cleaver and free printables. Templates include storm troopers and Darth Vader.

Good for ages 6 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://dancell.cwahi.net/star-wars-paper-snowflakes-instructions.html

Volcano Color Game

2011-12-22T14:03:00.000-06:00

House of Baby Piranha takes a scientific approach to learning colors. To begin, the colors are all hidden underneath the baking soda. Whether you child knows his colors or not he'll still have lots of fun creating these mini-volcanoes and seeing the colors come to life.

Good for ages 3 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.houseofbabypiranha.com/2011/09/magic-potions-colour-review.html

Wintery Gum Drop Pops

2011-12-21T13:58:00.000-06:00

Martha Stewart does it again with these adorable gumdrop pops. Kids can help by making the bodies, but an adult may need to add the faces and adornments.

Good for ages 5 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/273470/gumdrop-pops?czone=holiday/workshop-christmas/workshop-christmas-kids&center=307034&gallery=275712&slide=273470

Fishing for an after school snack

2011-12-20T11:38:00.000-06:00

Who says you can't play with your food? This is a great after school snack and activity all in one. Your child will love catching the fish.

Get the instructions here:
http://adventuringsmiths.blogspot.com/2011/08/fishin-tales.html

Vintage Wintery Paper Doll Printable

2011-12-19T11:30:00.000-06:00

Inside a black apple is offering this adorable, free paper doll printable. Even the dog has some clothing options.

Get the download here:
http://theblackapple.typepad.com/inside_a_black_apple/2011/12/wintery-paper-doll-download-dot-roscoe.html

Healthy Snowman Kabobs

2011-12-18T11:25:00.000-06:00

Dr. Sears has a very cute and delicious recipe that will make for a great, healthy after school snack that your child can even help assemble.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.drsearslean.com/2011/12/healthy-holiday-recipe-for-kids/

Form a magic crystal snowflake

2011-12-17T12:36:00.000-06:00

Your little scientist will love to make this crystal snowflake and best of all it doesn't require the purchase of any special kit. Teaches your child about chemistry, suspension, and crystallization.

Good for ages 5 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/magic-crystal-snowflake

Bring Frosty back to life with snowman pencils

2011-12-16T12:16:00.000-06:00

Martha Stewart does it again with these absolutely adorable pencils. They'll make great stocking stuffers or even can be used as gift wrap adornments.

Good for ages 4 or more. Those tiny hands need their dexterity to place on the eyes, mouth and noses.

Get full instructions here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/277255/snowman-pencils

Turn Cherrios into Miniature Donuts

2011-12-15T12:13:00.000-06:00

Six in the Suburbs has the most adorable "mini donuts." Basically, you take cherrios and dip them in chocolate, powdered sugar and cinnamon and they look like real miniaturized donuts.

Good for any age range. As long as they can eat cherrios they can have fun with this craft.

Get the instructions here:
http://sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/miniature-doughnuts-for-santas-elves.html

Puppet Show Party

2010-12-25T10:35:00.000-06:00

The Invitation

Paper bag puppets make the cutest invitations. Simply make the puppets and include the invitation details on its tummy.

The Activity

A puppet show.

The Goody Bag

Finger puppets. Ikea has really cute, affordable ones.

Ghostly Treats

2008-10-19T09:09:00.000-05:00

Using a sharpie I drew ghosts onto regular white paper cups and filled them with the delicious orange popcorn and viola instant potluck dish.

Halloween Food - Part 1

2008-09-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

These are all super easy to make and perfect for Halloween parties.

Dead Man's Meatloaf

You can find the recipe here, (the original recipe is by Lucy Monroe author of Creepy Cuisine) but I normally make my own meatloaf, mould it into the shape of a body, pour a tomato based pasta sauce over the top and bake it for about an hour on 350F. I found the ghoulish mask at a Halloween store and popped a knife in the chest.

SKELETON DIP

For the life of me I can't find the website that I initially snaffled this idea from (I truly hate it when I don't save things), but I've been carrying this idea around for a couple of years and it's always been a hit. It's a fabulous healthy alternative for a party. I do remember that whoever had come up with this had used the Land O Lakes spooky hot cheese dip, but I was a little lazier and purchased a couple of tubs of my favorite dip instead.
*UPDATE - Check out Skeleton dip, it's featured on The Crafty Crow
*UPDATE 2 - Dead Man's Meatloaf and Skeleton dip, featured on All About You - Wacky Halloween Recipes

EDIBLE FINGERS

All you need to make these creepy fingers is hot dogs, refrigerated biscuit dough and sliced almonds. You can find the recipe here. Don't forget to put out some ~~blood~~ tomato sauce or ketchup fo