May 29, 2009

Homemade Water Color Paints

Ever wondered how water color paint is made? You might be surprised to know that you can make your own water color paints at home from what is already in your kitchen cabinets! Introduce your child to painting with water colors, and beautiful water color paintings from the masters like Claude Monet! Claude Monet was a French artist that lived from 1840 until 1926. He used water colors similar to these to paint.

Supplies Needed:

  • 6-8 small paper cups OR another way to keep your paint
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 Tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon Glycerin*
  • Food Coloring
Directions:


  1. In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and the vinegar.
  2. Slowly add in the cornstarch and the glycerin.
  3. Pour about one teaspoon of the mixture into each cup.
  4. Let dry overnight.
  5. Once dry, add food coloring to each cup to achieve the desired color. Remember that the color fades as it dries, so make sure to add plenty of food coloring.
Your paint is now ready to use. Dip your paint brush into water, and then into the color of your choice. Make sure to use absorbent paper like construction paper to absorb the excess water. Allow your painting plenty of time to dry undisturbed.

* Glycerin can be found in some grocery stores, art supply stores or online. It is used to stabilize the paint, but the paint can be made without it.

May 28, 2009

Three Helpful Tips for New Scissor Users

As adults, we think of scissors as nothing more than a simple tool for cutting things. If you can think back to when you were little, you may realize that scissors are held in high regard as something cool by small children. Most children love to practice using scissors, and need no more encouragemnt than to be given a pair of scissors and something to cut!

As parents, we worry about giving our little ones something that they could get hurt with. I dare say that we should worry just as much for the safety of our books, magazines and anything else within their reach that can be cut. We have all heard of a child giving himself, the dog, or the dolls a haircut. Learning to use scissors is an important skill that needs to be mastered at some point, and it need not cause so much apprehension.

3 Tips To Make Scissor Practice Better

1. The scissors you give to your little one can be very important.

Scissors made completely from plastic may appear to be safer, but it can be hard to cut anything with them. This leads to frustration for you child, which may cause them to quickly give up.

Blunt-tipped scissors with metal blades cut so much easier, and are really very safe.

Remember that small hands need small scissors. Large handles are much harder for small hands to hold on to, and large blades are more difficult to control. Small scissors are made with these thoughts in mind, and are created just for kids. These smaller scissors are recommended for children to use until they are comfortable with larger ones.

2. What you give your child to cut can make a huge difference. Common household items like newspapers and magazines may appear to be a good choice, but the thiness of the paper is quite difficult for begginers. Other common household items such as construction paper, old greeting cards, or note cards provide a thickness that is much easier to cut through.

Finding a variety of items will be both exciting for your child, and provide a complete learnign experience for them. A quick search through your home is bound to yield a wide range of materials to be cut up. Thin cardboard boxes, such as cereal boxes, are great for scissor practice. Thicker fabric scrapes are great fun to cut through. Play dough, clay, or a simple bread dough is another great material giving an entirely different texture to cut through.

3. Be patient. Let your kids start out doing their own thing. It is bound to get messy, and straight lines will probably not be seen at the beginning. But giving them their own space to experiment can be the best teacher of all. They will figure out how to hold the scissors, and the easiest way to make them work, and you can teach them the finer points later.

As your child improves, let them move on to bigger challenges. Provide your child with thinner types of paper, thinner types of fabric, or draw straight lines for them to follow as they cut. Work up to following along simple shapes as your child finds it easier to use their scissors. Simple shape outlines drawn on fabric or paper can provide double duty as you use the freshly cut shapes in other crafts!


It is a big step for a child to learn how to cut with scossors. It helps them to develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Cutting is something we all need to know how to do. By providing the right tools and materials, and keeping a close eye on the child(ren), we can help them learn this important skill and have fun doing it.

May 27, 2009

Colorful Pasta Jewelry

Check out my hub page on how to make Colorful Pasta Jewelry. This is an easy craft that is appropriate for any age! Pasta jewelry can be as simple as stringing noodles onto yarn, or can be turned into some quite fantastic jewelry by the older children. Learn how to dye your pasta to make a colorful design. Another idea is to paint the pasta, either a solid color or with a special design. Perhaps a special message could be written out this way.

Pasta necklaces are a favorite homemade gift that your toddler can give for any occasion.Teenagers may want to try their hand at using silver or gold paint and fishing line or elastic string to make a more elegant design. Others may want to give hook earrings a try!

Any way around it, noodles are cheap enough to try, try again! So have fun and be creative!

May 26, 2009

Easy Sand Art Project

Sand art draws attention no matter where it is displayed. The more colorful it is, the more attention it attracts. Giving jars of sand art makes for a wonderful present for any holiday or occasion.You can create different themes based on the colors you use. If you use plain white and black tinted sand, you can create a zebra jar. By using pale colors, you can create a desert theme. Every sand art is completely unique, and uniquely beautiful.

If white sand is not easily available, you may want to use salt as your base medium. Either white sand or salt can easily be colored at home.

Supplies Needed:

  • white sand or salt
  • several small jars with lids
  • food coloring
  • clear display containers or jars
Directions:

  1. Pour the sand or salt into the small jars with lids.
  2. Add a few drops of food coloring to create the color you desire.
  3. Tighten the lids onto the jars, and shake well. This might be a job for the boys in the house!
  4. Open the jars, and leave the lids off to dry overnight.
  5. Once the sand or salt is dried, pour into display container to layers to create the look you want.
Don't forget to fill your display container all the way to the top if it will be covered. This will help keep the sand or salt in place. If your display container is an open one, leave an inch or two of space at the top so the sand does not spill.