A Large Gathering of Happy Things
Narwhals are such cool animals! They look like unicorn whales – but their tusk is not a horn, it is actually a canine tooth that comes out of the left side of the jaw through the lip! It also is more common in males – only about 15% of females grow a tusk. I did not realize that before making these – so I guess these narwhals are males! But you don’t need to tell your kids that – you can just tell them you are making unicorn whales. Except that narwhals are real, not imaginary like unicorns!
Rainbows are everywhere lately – from sidewalks to windows spreading cheer during this pandemic. They are the ultimate symbol of beauty and joy after sorrow.
For kids, creating rainbows are also a great way to practice colors, and if they are older throw in a science lesson talk about how rainbows are created! If they are younger, creating with pom poms is a great sensory material and a good way to practice their motor skills.
Pom poms are quickly becoming my favorite material for kid crafts and sensory play! There is so much that you can do with them – plus they are so colorful!
With this one, the pom poms are the sprinkles on cut out circus animal cookies. This is such a simple craft that is perfect for toddlers and young kids. I also had fun making them but my one-year old loved trying to glue each pom pom on his animal cookie giraffe.
Most of us have been staying at home for about a month now. And a lot of us are likely looking for ways to fill the time, trying to find time away from our children (who we love and adore!), or are wanting to relieve the stress of our current situation. If any of those are you right now, an easy craft that requires few supplies might be just what you need. Unless you have already been crafting to your heart’s desire and just need to veg out and admire crafters out there. Totally ok too.
1. DIY Lyric Pillow Cases – Commemorate this time by making a pillow with the lyrics of the songs you are listening to on repeat.
2. Confetti Post Card – Make these and send them to family or friends you haven’t been able to see in weeks!
3. Oversized Scrunchie – No one is washing their hair often now, throw it up with a cute handmade scrunchie.
4. Toilet Paper Roll Horses – I know we are all short on toilet paper right now but if you have any extra rolls, this is a cute craft you can do with kids!
5. Watercolor Napkins – upgrade any plain napkins or linens you already have.
6. DIY Lemon Shoes – If you get bored, grab some shoes and decorate them with lemons.
7. Desk Organizer – With so many of us working from home, make it your own space by DIYing a new organizer.
8. Rainbow wall hanging – Hang this in your window to spread cheer during this pandemic.
9. Clay Jewelry – You don’t have to an expert at working with clay to make some gorgeous new jewelry.
10. Llama Bobbins – The cutest way to organize your thread or yarn.
Before this week I almost forgot about Easter. I just was so consumed with everything going on with the global coronavirus pandemic I hadn’t thought about the holiday since I first bought Cadbury eggs in February. However, egg hunts are the best and I was really looking forward to this year since Pierce would be somewhat into running around and finding eggs.
BUT we can still have egg hunts while we are social distancing. We just have to be creative! Here are some low-lift ideas on how to still host an egg hunt while social distancing. Maybe you will even discover a new tradition that you love!
Window egg hunt – organize a window egg hunt with your neighbors or friends. Ask them all to cut out egg shapes and decorate them any way they want and hang in their windows. Drive or walk around and see how many you can find!
Indoor egg hunts – some variations on a normal indoor hunt are:
– Putting messages in the eggs
– Write actions and place inside eggs and whoever finds the egg has to do what is inside (hop on one foot, sing a song, skip, do jumping jacks, chirp like a chick, etc)
– Glow in the dark hunt: add glow sticks to eggs and host it at night
– Word search: each egg has a letter and at the end you have to figure out what words/messages they spell
– Puzzle eggs: put one puzzle piece in each egg and at the end of the hunt you all help put the puzzle together
– Color-coded eggs: divide into groups and each group can only grab eggs of their assigned color
– String: tie a string to a basket full of eggs and thread it all over the house, follow the string to the end
– Blindfold hunt: blindfold participants and give hot/cold clues when they get close to the hidden eggs.
Search and find photos – Hide eggs around your home, take photos of the room/s and send the photo to anyone participating. If they find all of the eggs in the photos give them a prize (maybe a mailed card or a gift certificate or just kudos)
Instagram egg hunt – similar to the above but post the photos on Instagram and tag them with a unique hashtag. Everyone who participates has to post at least one photo with the hashtag. Whoever finds all the eggs gets a prize (or bragging rights).
Virtual egg hunt – host an egg hunt virtually via FaceTime or some secure video app and take turns looking for eggs.
