Tot School Tuesday: Summer Bingo Print

July 9, 2013 2 Comments

Hello there and welcome to another Tot School Tuesday! Tuesday is the day See Vanessa Craft and Mine for the Making dedicate to KIDS! From tots to sometimes even 8 year olds, you are bound to find something you can try out with your kiddos.

Today I am sharing a Summer Bingo print I made for my kindergartner (I cant believe she is old enough to be called that!), but younger and older kiddos will love it too. Just download, print and clip to a clipboard! Don’t forget a crayon or pencil to mark off the things you find, see or do this summer! This Summer Bingo sheet can be done over the course of a couple of days or the entire summer break! If you are headed out of town for vacation, take this with you! What a fun addition to your family’s memory making.

{Download HERE}

Please remember all prints found on Mine for the Making are free to download and are for personal use only.

If you print one of these babies off, leave a comment and let me know! It’s so fulfilling for bloggers to know when our readers really like and use the things we share. It would be super awesome if you would PIN or SHARE this print with your friends!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure to visit See Vanessa Craft for more tot school ideas and to link up YOUR kid friendly activities, ideas, and crafts below! We are excited to see what you have been up to with your kids.

Happy Summer time, friends!

Filed Under: kid-friendly, print, printable, summer, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: Hand Print Flag Shirt

July 2, 2013 3 Comments

Hello there!

Welcome to another Tot School Tuesday! We are so glad you could stop by!

Today I am going to be sharing a fun and patriotic craft to do with the kiddos. The Hand Print Flag Shirt is perfect to make for the Fourth of July and really doesn’t take too much time to make at all. It’s a fun craft for tots and the older kiddos will want to join in on the fun too!

I made these shirts years ago with my preschoolers for Veteran’s Day and we’ve also painted this onto canvases during summer camp too. Are you ready to get started?

Supplies:

White shirt

Blue and red fabric paint

Paint brushes

Silver glitter puff paint

Cardboard

Instructions:

*The age of your little one will determine the amount of help and assistance they will need with this project. My 5 year old need very little help.*

1. Paint your kiddo’s left hand blue…be generous with the paint. The more the merrier.

2. Place hand straight down on the left side of the shirt, near the top.

3. Carefully lift hand straight up and wash.

4. With a paint brush, your kiddo will paint red horizontal lines coming off of the blue hand print. We made 4 stripes but depending on the length of the shirt and the size of the paint brush you are using, you may do more.

5. Once the blue hand print is dry, your kiddo will using the puff paint to make dots. I had my daughter practice on a paper plate first.

6. Allow the shirt to dry and it’s ready to wear!

Tips:

Place the cardboard inside of the shirt to prevent the paint from bleeding through.

Use an old white shirt! We used one that had a small stain on the front…covered it right up with a little paint.

Have your kiddo wear an art smock or apron to prevent paint on other clothing.

Wash shirt inside out.

You can use regular craft paint for this project as long as you add fabric medium to the paint first.

If you are worried about a mess, paint outside!

Cute right? My little artist was pretty proud of her shirt. She’s very excited to wear it for Fourth of July!

Thanks for stopping by today friends! Be sure to check out my sweet friend See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas! And you can even link up your kid-friendly ideas below! We can’t wait to feature you on our social media pages.

Filed Under: clothing, kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday, tutorial, Uncategorized

Tot School Tuesdays: Summer Pre-Writing Prints

June 25, 2013 1 Comment

Hello there!

Welcome to Tot School Tuesday… where See Vanessa Craft and I come together to bring you fun activities, crafts, and ideas to do with your tots and preschoolers!

Today I am sharing 2 freebies for your tots/preschoolers… Summer Pre-Writing Prints. These are similar to the Spring Pre-Writing Prints I shared a couple months back, except they are themed to summer! I included picture clues and dotted words for your littles to trace over. I’m also sharing a few “teaching tips” with you todyay as well.

{Download HERE}

Tips:

Be sure to explain and demonstrate what you want your little to do. Help your tot/preschooler hold their writing utensil the correct way.

Have your child tell you what they think the words are before writing them. Remind them to use the picture clue to help and for the preschoolers/kindergartners, remind them to look at the first letter of the word for a clue as well.

For beginning readers, it’s important to talk about the letter names and sounds.

It’s fun to switch up the writing utensil once in a while…or give your kiddo a choice! My 5 year old has her own mini pail of writing utensils that include pencils, a mechanical pencil, a dry erase marker, a highlighter, colored pencils, and an erasable pen.

It’s also a great idea to have plastic page protectors on hand. Slip these printables inside a page protector and give them a dry erase marker to trace over the words.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Please remember all printables are for personal use only. I would love for you to print them for your kiddos, pin the to Pinterest, and share them with your Facebook friends! Be sure to visit See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas and to link up your kid-friendly ideas below!

Filed Under: educational, kid-friendly, linky party, print, printable, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: Fire Cracker Kids Craft

June 18, 2013 3 Comments

Hi there!

So happy you stopped by for Tot School Tuesday with See Vanessa Craft and myself! Every Tuesday we share kid-friendly ideas, activities, crafts, etc. and you can link up your kid-friendly ideas at the bottom of this post!

Today I am sharing a patriotic craft to get us ready for the 4th of July! Let’s learn how to make the Fire Cracker Kids Craft!

Materials:

recycled toilet paper rolls

paints

paint brushes

cupcake wrappers

glue

pipe cleaners

scissors

*Optional: stickers, glitter

Instructions:

After setting up a “safe to paint” work station for your kiddo, allow them to paint the toilet paper rolls. We had 2 rolls and painted 1 blue and 1 red.

Once the toilet paper rolls are dry, help your kiddo glue a cupcake wrapper to the top of the rolls. We found patriotic cupcake wrappers at Dollar Tree.

Next, cut a pipe cleaner in half. Twist the halves on a pencil or finger. Twist 2-3 times. Pull off so it’s a spiral curled pipe cleaner, but about half way down, leave it straight.

Poke the straight end of your pipe cleaner in the top, center of the cupcake wrappers. Gently push through; stop at the spiral.

At this point you can let your kiddo decorate the Fire Crackers with glitter or stickers…or more paint! We painted stripes on 1 and ‘POW!’ on the other.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to head on over to See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas and link up your kid-friendly ideas below! We can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to with the kids…

Filed Under: 4th of July, crafts, kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: My Dad Rocks {frame & print}

June 11, 2013 12 Comments

Hi there and welcome to Tot School Tuesday!

Tuesday is the day that See Vanessa Craft and Mine for the Making team up to share kid-friendly activities, ideas, crafts, and more with you! There’s also a linky party at the end of the post full of more kid-friendly ideas. We would LOVE for you to add your Tot School ideas too!

I am really excited to share today’s Tot School idea with you. It’s the Father’s Day gift idea that is friendly on your budget, masculine, and the kiddos can certainly help. Let’s make a “My Dad Rocks” gift, shall we?

Materials:

5×7 frame (bought at Dollar Tree)

small bag of river rocks (bought at Dollar Tree or get them from right outside)

Hot glue gun & sticks (parent uses this tool)

My Dad Rocks print (download 5×7 HERE)

Directions:

Take the glass and back off the frame and set aside.

Be sure the frame is clean and dry.

Apply a dot of glue on the frame starting in the top corner, and have your tot/preschooler place a rock on top of the glue. Remind them the glue is hot and to be very careful.

Repeat this until the frame is covered in rocks.

Download and print the “My Dad Rocks” print and pop it in the frame.

I just LOVE how it turned out, don’t you? I think it makes the perfect addition to dad’s desk or bedside table.

Please remember all prints are free for personal use only. It would make my day if you left a comment telling me that you are using this idea…or PIN it or SHARE it with your friends!

Be sure to head over to See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas and link up your own below! We can’t wait to feature your ideas on social media!

Filed Under: father's day, gift, kid-friendly, tot school tuesday, tutorial

Tot School Tuesday: My Dad Q&A

June 4, 2013 Leave a Comment

Hi there friends!

Welcome to another Tot School Tuesday where See Vanessa Craft and Mine for the Making come together to share kid-friendly ideas and activities for your tots, preschoolers, and kindergartners. There’s also a linky party at the end of the post so you can link up and share your kid-friendly ideas!

Since Father’s Day is just around the corner, I thought I would share a fun “My Dad” Question and Answer print with you! My husband will more than likely be out of town for work on Father’s Day, so this print will be so easy to fill out and put in an envelope to mail off. It’s always fun to receive things in the mail…especially from your kids.

Download HERE

Just download, save, print, and help your kiddos fill it out for dad. Although this is not a “questionnaire” per say, you (the parent) will be asking questions and allowing your tot/preschooler to give the answers.

If you have a little one who is not yet writing, ask them the questions and scribe the answers for them. If you have a pre-writer, you can write your kiddo’s answers in highlighter and they can trace over the letters OR you can spell the words aloud for your child. This print would be super cute in an 8×10 frame tied up with some twine.

*Please remember all printables are for personal use only. And the greatest “payment” you can give a blogger for a freebie is to share, pin, or comment on the post! We really love that…probably more than you love the freebies :)

Thanks for stopping by today! I’ll have another fun Father’s Day gift idea next Tuesday that you won’t want to miss!

Head on over to See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas and link up your kid-friendly ideas below. Please link back to the party so that we can share our ideas with even more mommas! Plus, Vanessa and I would LOVE to share your ideas via social media (don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!).

Linking up to Tatertots and Jello

Filed Under: father's day, kid-friendly, preschool, print, printable, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: DIY Sensory Table

May 28, 2013 6 Comments

Hello there!

Welcome to another Tot School Tuesday with See Vanessa Craft and Mine for the Making. We dedicate our Tuesdays to sharing all things kid-friendly!

Today I am so excited to share a DIY project my husband and I worked on together…a Sensory Table! My daughter has had so much fun with her sensory bin that I wanted to build her a table for it. So my husband and I designed a tabled using wood we already had (including some pallet wood) and a few other pieces from Home Depot.

I bought a plastic tub (with a lid) from Target and we based our measurements off that. First we built a crate/box for the bin to sit in. Then we built a shelf and attached it to the crate using the “legs” of the table. DONE. Of course there was cutting, sanding, drilling and such in there but you get the gist. The project took about 4 hours max to design, cut, sand, build and run to Home Depot for a bit more wood. Because this table will be getting a lot of sun/water, I do need to seal it to protect it. I haven’t decided if I want to paint it a fun color or just seal it with clear and leave it the pretty shade of “wood.” What do you think?

And it has been played with a TON…I’m talking like 30-60 minutes of straight PLAY. Right now we are using it as a water table. But later on we can switch it out for a rice, lima beans, “snow” and so much more.

I found the blue bins at Dollar Tree and filled them with cups, measuring cups, funnels, spoons, bowls, a squirt bottle, and a scrubby brush. She’s taken her play dishes outside and washed them. She’s also used it as her Barbies’ swimming pool. I tell you what…probably one of our favorite DIY projects to date.

Okay friends…don’t forget to visit See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas. And please link up all of your kid-friendly ideas to our linky party below. We would LOVE to share your ideas on Pinterest and Facebook (don’t forget to link back to our party to help spread the word…we would appreciate it!).

Linking up to A Night Owl Blog and I Heart Nap Time

Filed Under: DIY, educational, kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: Cape Discovery Kid Fun with JoAnn

May 21, 2013 Leave a Comment

Hi there!

Welcome to another Tot School Tuesday where See Vanessa Craft and I share kid-friendly activities, crafts and ideas.

Today I am excited to share some of the fun products in Jo-Ann’s Cape Discovery Spring Craft catalog. Lots of hands-on activities for boys and girls of all ages, ranging from simple crafts to full on building and creating.

My daughter picked out two kits and a Kindergarten workbook and was absolutely thrilled. Each kit came complete with all materials needed as well as easy-to-follow instructions.

Below are photos of the Teeny Tiny Tea Set Kit that she picked out and we painted together. We had SO much fun with this. We painted the tea set, allowed it to dry for 24 hours and then baked it for 30 minutes. DONE! She has played with it a ton and loves that she designed the tea set.

Below are photos of the Kindergarten skills book my daughter picked out. I love that this book focuses on 4 different subject areas, is super colorful, and has colorful pages. Though we do LOTS of hands-on learning at home, it’s so important to practice our skills and this book is great for that.

I love that JoAnn Fabrics and Craft Stores allows you to use a coupon (or 3) to help keep my purchases inexpensive (so don’t forget your coupons!). Be sure that the next time you stop in at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store you check out the kid section for more fun products from Cape Discovery Craft catalog. Lots of things to keep those kids creatively and educationally busy over summer break.

Okay now it’s time to head on over to See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas! And we would LOVE for you to link up what kid-friendly ideas and activities you have below in our linky party! Can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to with the kiddos…

(If the linky party is not showing up or working correctly, please hang in there with me as I am still working out the “kinks” in WordPress.)

*Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store provided me with products to review. I always give my honest opinions of products and share things I feel my readers will love and enjoy as well.*

Filed Under: crafts, kid-friendly, sponsors, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: Word Bug Swat

May 14, 2013 Leave a Comment

Hi there!

Welcome to another Tot School Tuesday where See Vanessa Craft and Mine for the Making come together to share fun and educational activities to do with our kiddos.

Today I am sharing an educational “game” that can be modified to meet your child’s developmental/educational stage. I have played this game with pre-k through 3rd grade and all ages have really enjoyed it.

Word Bug Swat

You will need:

Paper bugs

Marker

Tape

Clean fly swatter

Parent Instruction:

I purchased my *new* fly swatter at Dollar Tree…the flower already attached. You can easily make one like this yourself if you can’t find one at your local dollar store.

For the paper bugs, there’s a number of ways you can do this. I cut mine using my Silhouette but you can easily trace and cut them out or purchase paper bugs from a teacher or craft store.

Write numbers or letters or words that you want your child to practice/learn/master.

Tape the bugs to a wall.

Child Instruction:

(Demonstrate first)

The child should look at a bug and say the letter or number before “swatting” the bug. I wanted my daughter to work on sight words, so I had her sound out the word, say it, then swat the bug.

Tip: If you laminate the bugs and use a dry eraser marker, you can reuse them lots of times.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Be sure to head on over to See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas!

Now it’s your turn to link up and share your kid-friendly ideas below! We can’t wait to see what you have been up to with the kiddos…

Filed Under: educational, kid-friendly, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: Spring + Senses Print

May 7, 2013 Leave a Comment

Hi there!

Welcome to another Tot School Tuesday with See Vanessa Craft and Mine for the Making!

We dedicate every Tuesday to sharing kid-friendly activities, crafts, education, etc.

Join us!

Today I am sharing a fun (and FREE) print with you and your kiddo(s). Last week I shared a fun round up of outdoor learning activities and a couple weeks before that I shared a fun “I Spy Spring” outdoor game. If you haven’t noticed, we like to be outside during the spring time!

So keeping with my love for nature and being outside, I made a fun print that combines spring and 4 of our senses!

{Download HERE}

Just download it and print it out for your tot, preschooler, or early elementary kiddos.

This would be a fun activity to do in your backyard, on a walk (bring a clipboard!), at the park, on a hike, or even at the zoo! Be sure to go over the directions with your littles…and if they are writing, I encourage you to have your kiddo label their pictures as well. When your child is finished drawing/writing, ask them to tell you about their work…this promotes processing, comprehension, and communication skills.

*Ask questions to promote higher level thinking.

Remember, this print is FREE for personal use only.

If you LOVE this print and decide to use it, leave me a comment letting me know!

That’s the best form of payment a blogger can ask for.

Oh. And we love when you “Pin it!”

*winks*

Head on over to See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School Tuesday ideas and link up your ideas below!

Filed Under: educational, home school, kid-friendly, preschool, tot school tuesday