Here are just a few of my favorites:

• Handprint Santa Claus here at Play Library
• Handprint reindeer here at Play Library
• Handprint reindeer treat jar from Amazing Moms
• Handprint angel craft from Party Animal
• Handprint Christmas tree from The Kids Birthday Fun Review

Handprint crafts make great gifts for grandparents, and excellent keepsake gifts, especially if you put the child’s age and the date on the back.

You can also photograph the craft and have it made into a mug, t-shirt or bag for grandparents. Then it’s something useful, created by their child or grandchild.

Do you have a favorite handprint craft that your child or grandchild made for you?

Image (c) L Gerlach

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All you need is some construction paper, some paint, and some little hands and feet to trace around.You can also use glitter for the nose, but you can also just use black or dark brown paint, or cut a circle out of construction paper.

Trace around your child’s foot on some brown construction paper, then trace around both hands on a darker shade of brown construction paper. Have your child cut out the traced hands and feet, then glue them onto a large sheet of green construction paper (or whatever color you’d like the background to be). Glue them like the photo above with the hands coming out of the top of the footprint like antlers.

You can use black construction paper to cut out two eyes, or use black paint and have your child use their thumb to make thumbprint eyes by dipping them into the paint and printing them onto the reindeer where the eyes should be.

You can glue red glitter on the end of the footprint for the nose, or use black or red construction paper or paint.

You can also frame your work by cutting long strips of a different color of construction paper to put around the outside of the deer.

Have fun, and make one for grandma and grandpa while you’re at it.

Image L Gerlach

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The Project of the Month Club (POMC) lets you choose from science projects, wood working, or arts and crafts projects to do with your kids. The club sends you a kit that contains the directions and materials you’ll need to complete the project.

Here are some of the samples of the woodworking projects they send out.

It would make a fun Christmas gift that would keep on giving all year long. According to the website the prices range from around $19.00 per month, to around $33.00 per month depending on the number of months you subscribe, and the number of projects that were shipped together.

Project of the month is offering Play Library readers a 10% discount, just enter the code: 50852 and you should receive the discount.

You can find more information about the projects available and the cost at the Project of the Month website.

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You can also use the insides of the pumpkins later for pies, if you just decorate the outside, so you get a double bonus.

Pumpkin painting can be very creative, and there are many different ways you can create your pumpkin masterpiece.

Today I have some fun pumpkin painting tips from  Ms. Shell Herman of Kidz Art to share with you. Kidz Art helps kids of all ages explore their inner artistic potential,  through after school classes, camps and birthday parties.

Herman offers some clever pumpkin art projects that will excite and inspire children to decorate their pumpkins, without the carving mess:

1.Stenciled Pumpkin Designs- Go online and peruse the hundreds of pumpkin template designs available. But instead of carving, kids can use a stencil to trace a pattern on the pumpkin. Use colored permanent markers (Sharpies® work well) to color, draw patterns, etc.

2. Glitter Pumpkins- For kids who love shimmer and sparkle, cover your gourds and pumpkins with a coating of glitter. Using craft glue that dries clear, “paint” the entire pumpkin with glue. While the glue is wet, sprinkle your favorite colored glitter over the pumpkin. Let it dry for an hour and shake off the excess sprinkles.

3. Pumpkin People- Kids can create ‘pumpkin people’ by using a variety of household items. Draw eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks on the dry, clean pumpkin. Or get creative and use fruits or vegetables for ears, eyes or a mouth, glue on raffia for hair, add a hat, a bandana, glasses, ribbons or felt to give each pumpkin its own personality.

4. Black on White- For a dramatic effect, kids will get a kick out of drawing with black Sharpies on a stark white pumpkin. Try tracing and coloring in simple black silhouettes like bats, cats and spiders!

For more creative art projects or for information on fall and winter art classes, visit the website to find the nearest KidzArt location.

Image: KidzArt.com

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I thought I’d take a look and see what kinds of fun Halloween papercrafts are out there. Maybe we can use one of these, change it up, or combine a couple to make a fun spooky Halloween scene.

Here are 10 Halloween paper craft ideas you can do with your kids, or change up to fit your own tastes.

1. How to Fold Origami Bats
2. Toilet Paper Roll Jack O’ Lantern
3. Spider Candy Holder
4. Ghost Wind Socks
5. How to Fold an Origami Pumpkin
6. Paper Bag Owl Puppet
7. How to Make an Origami Paper Witches Hat
8. Halloween Candy Poppers
9. Witches Hat Table Decoration
10. Papercraft Scarecrow

There’s still time to have a Halloween crafts night, hopefully one of these ideas will spark your child’s creativity. Have fun!

Image: Kid’s Birthday Fun

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Then I discovered how much fun it is to paint pumpkins, and that’s what we’ve done every year since. You can paint faces on your pumpkins, or make a character with your pumpkin, just let your child use their imagination.

You’re not just stuck with paint either, there are several things you can use to decorate your pumpkin, including:

• Glitter, or glitter paint
• Paint markers
• Any permanent marker
• Stick on jewels
• Felt
• Clothing items and accessories
• Ribbon, seeds, and flowers
• Smaller pumpkins, or gourds
• Leaves
• Construction paper
• And of course paint

I love the gold and silver paints with jewels on pumpkins, it turns out fabulous. You can even use them for a table decoration.

The most important thing is to let your kids have fun with it and use their imagination. Painting pumpkins is much more hands on for kids than watching you carve their pumpkin.

The images I have here were from a local pumpkin show, and were all decorated by kids.

Images: (c) L Gerlach

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1. Columbus Day Printable Worksheets for Kids
2. Columbus Day Word Search
3. Columbus Day Coloring Page
4. Make your own version of the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria with these egg cup ships.
5. Play a Columbus trivia question, with facts and tips about Columbus, his ships and his voyage, there are a few fun Columbus facts to get you started.
6. Columbus Day Printable Mazes
7. Here’s a list of Columbus Day Songs
8. Make a paper mache Earth globe, by putting paper mache on a balloon, then painting in the oceans and the continents.
9. Make a Columbus day hat.
10. Here are a couple Columbus Day snack ideas.

Have fun!

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Images: Paper Cottage

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One of my favorites is the Crayola Portable Art Studio. Kids can have all the art supplies they need all in one place. The best part for us is when we’re heading out of town or to the lake. We can grab the Art Studio and my son can use it to draw, color, and create on the go.

Crayola Model Magic comes in handy when you have a school project that requires you to create a model, or figure for a book report or science project. We’ve had to make a zoo animal for school two different times, both times it worked really well to make it from modeling clay. It’s also fun to just create at the kitchen table.
Color Fillz use the Model Magic colors used to create 2 complete 4” x 6” mosaics. The mosaics come in patterns for both boys and girls. When they’re done they can hang them in their room, in a window, or you can use them as decorations on the Christmas tree.

Dry-Erase Activity Center – Zany Play Edition has fun, interchangeable templates that slide under the clear dry-erase surface. The Activity Center contains 8 game and activity sheets and creative elements like mustaches, hats to embellish photos, 1 page of re-positionable stickers, and 4 Crayola bullet tip dry erase markers. This would make another great travel idea!

All of these Crayola creative ideas will be available at Staples starting in November this holiday season.

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You can share your parenting advice, or your favorite recipes to cook with the kids, or just leave a fun comment. I love the topics because they all center around home and family, two of my favorite things.

I look forward to seeing you there!

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