Fall Glitter Leaf Mobile

10/28/201302/26/201422 Comments

[Contributor Post at Allfortheboys.com]

This week we’re exploring Fall with twigs, combs, and glue painting! Fall is my favorite time of year – beautiful foliage, apple-cider, and bold scents! I’ve been working on my twig mobile idea, well, for nine months, so after seeing the warm Fall glitter colors, it hit me – glitter leaf mobile! This quick, inexpensive, and fun art project for kids costs just $2! No time to make a mobile? The glitter leaves make a great art project too! Inexpensive, fun, and sparkly!

For the full tutorial and fun sparkly photos, see Fall glitter leaf mobile at All For The Boys blog.

Invitation to Explore and Paint with Nature

08/22/201303/31/201514 Comments

Good morning! It’s a beautiful day and the birds are chirping! Today we are exploring nature and all its beautiful elements. Yesterday we went on a family nature walk and collected lots of different nature goodies ― leaves, twigs, pine needles, green berries, and sweetgums or as C says, “spiky pine cones.” It was a beautiful invitation to explore! C, Daddy, and I discovered different textures, smells, and sounds. Continue reading →

Tree Cork & Utensil Painting

01/29/201303/31/201512 Comments

Tree Cork & Utensil Painting @ Crayon Box Chronicles

Autumn — colorful foliage, spicy aromas, warm apple cider, and sensory heaven! On this cold winter afternoon (not here, but still), let’s adventure back in time to a beautiful fall day and create a tree — cork and spatula style! Dig into your utensil drawer and pull out a spatula, slotted spoon, old corks, and let’s paint! Continue reading →

Saber-Toothed Squirrel Pine Cone

01/28/201309/18/201519 Comments

Meet Scrat Pine Cone, the acorn-obsessed saber-toothed squirrel from the Ice-Age. He also stars in our favorite movie, Ice Age, The Meltdown. He is the second character in our recycled pine cone craft series. Yesterday we created Mr. Royal Penguin Pine Cone. Pine cone crafts for kids and adults are easy, fun, and make great gifts! Continue reading →

Royal Penguin Pine Cone

01/27/201309/30/201527 Comments

Meet Mr. Royal Penguin the pine cone. Pine cones are one my favorite nature finds to recycle. There are so many neat and interesting things you can create with them. After collecting a bunch yesterday, we’re ready to get creative! He is the first in our pine cone craft for kids series. This is a fun fall craft for a parent and child. Continue reading →

Tie-Dye Butterfly

01/23/201303/31/20152 Comments

Let’s get craft today with coffee filters! As the filter dries you’ll be amazed — caterpillars aren’t the only thing that transforms. Continue reading →

Part 2: Nature Exploration Hunt

01/16/201308/02/2013Leave a comment

There’s nothing that will excite a budding biologist, botanist, or ecologist more than a nature walk. You can observe birds, hunt for worms, squirrels, collect nuts, pinecones (Cayden loves these), and rocks! Bring a bucket and the kids can collect specimens like leaves, seeds, flowers, or bugs. Bring a magnifying glass so the kids can study nature and all their collected treasures up close, or spy ladybugs, or raindrops, and see the world in a new way. Encourage identification skills by having the kids find different types of leaves or flowers native to your area. (Look for regional field guides on enature or do an internet search for the “native plants” of your state.) Have fun exploring nature trackers!

Tip: Bring your colored egg carton from the previous craft to collect things that match your colors (shhh, great sensory, plus color matching – 2 x bonus, yay!)

Things to bring:

Blanket, lunch, & water
Bucket for collecting things
Magnifying glass to inspect things
Change of socks or shoes (incase the kids get dirty.)

Fun extras: (Dollar Tree has a bug net and canister, magnifying glass, 1.00 each)

Part 1: Nature Hunt Egg Carton Painting

01/16/201303/31/2015Leave a comment

Good morning nature trackers! Feeling adventurous today? Let’s gather our supplies and create a color sorter from recycled egg cartons! You can collect different things from nature or even in your backyard like leaves, flower petals, rocks, pinecones, and sticks that match the colors in your carton. Plus, we’re recycling — bonus! This activity provides an interactive, colorful way for your preschooler to practice color recognition! Continue reading →