DIY stepping stones are a wonderful craft for kids and teens, and the creative possibilities are endless. You can do handprints, add mosaics, broken tiles and all sorts of embellishments. Here’s how:

YOU’LL NEED:
1 12-14″ plastic plant saucer, the cheap kind you stick under a potted plant

Newspapers to cover your work surface plus one extra sheet

A bucket that will likely get trashed

A cheap ruler, paint stirring stick or trowel for mixing

Water

Quikrete mortar mix

Mosaic tiles, glass marbles, and other embellishments
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Washing the family car is a classic Father’s Day gift - of course the kids in the photo are scrub-a-dubbing the Little Tikes equivalent, but you get the point. And Dads are always delighted to get their wheels sudsed … as long as the washer does a passable job and remembers to wash off the soap, not just apply it. But a DIY car washing kit also makes a great, inexpensive gift for Father’s Day. Martha Stewart’s web site has suggestions for assembling one by filling a galvanized bucket with all the necessities, including natural sponges, soap, a squeegee and glass cleaner, and then attaching a coupon promising to assist in using the contents. The thing looks fabulous, as all her crafts inevitably do. But we also like the idea of using a bright red, plastic bucket and turning the kids loose with the sharpie markers to decorate the outside.

Commencement is just around the corner and soon we’ll be sitting in the stands, beaming with pride, and frantically fanning ourselves with floppy graduation programs. Is it just us or does the sun shine extra bright on graduation day? We always forget to bring water, and we invariably miss a spot during the sunscreen ablutions, but this year we’re coming armed with proper fans. We spotted these in Family Fun’s May issue, as a charming little gift for a Mother’s Day tea party - but all we could think was, those would be fantastic for graduation, maybe done in school colors, rather than these pastel florals. The Family Fun folks used a 6×12-inch piece of paper, which allowed them to use pretty scrapbooking paper and get two out of each sheet. That size is just right for little hands. But us grown-ups need to move more air on graduation day, so we swiped a sheet of 8 1/2×14-inch paper from the office copy machine and that worked splendidly. Here’s how to do it - make the fans, we mean, not snitch paper.

You’ll need:
1 sheet of legal sized paper, 8 1/2×14
2 popsicle sticks
A small rubber band
Stapler, tape, and any embellishments
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We’re not sure what makes ladybugs so lovable, but we can’t resist them. And we’ve seen two particularly adorable takes on ladybug crafts, either of which would make a great kiddie DIY gift for Mother’s Day.

First up, this ladybug paperweight from BHG.com’s list of Mother’s Day Crafts Kids Can Make.

You’ll need 2 small rocks; strong glue or a hot glue gun (if adults will be supervising this activity); red, black and white acrylic paint; glitter glue; a black pipe cleaner; and a small round of red or black felt, about the size of the larger rock. Read the rest of this entry »

Mother’s Day is just a week and a half away, so we’re starting our countdown of wonderful ways to celebrate Mom. Remember the little coupon books we used to do when we were kids? Each coupon was good for a lawn mowing, car washing or similar task - and our parents ended up with badly sheared front yards and streaky windshields. Well, it’s time to craft some 21st century coupon books with things us moms would really, really like to have. You know, like an extra hour of sleep on a Saturday morning. Or someone who’ll load our iPods with new music, teach us to play something other than drums on Rock Band, or give our Power Point presentations a little added pizzazz. So may we suggest a new wave coupon book, filled with projects that play to our kids’ techie strengths?

Younger kids can use Disney’s downloadable, printable coupon books, with coupons for “breakfast in bed” and “no whining,” as well as blank pages to add their own scrawled ideas. But older darlings will want to make their own out of heavy paper, ribbon and the computer skills they already use to embellish their Facebook pages and multimedia oral reports at school. Tell them to try these ideas on for size, then add their own: Read the rest of this entry »

We’re counting down the days till Easter. Join us for this week’s round-up of spring and Easter-themed crafts, recipes and activities. We’re starting with this adorable tree of nesting chickies - fantastic centerpiece, don’t you think? - courtesy of those clever folks at Family Fun magazine. Here’s how to do it!

ROCK-A-BYE BIRDIE MATERIALS:
Egg carton
Hole punch
1/4-inch-wide ribbon
Colored tissue paper
Colored card stock
Pinking shears or decorative-edge craft scissors
Blown eggs
Glue stick, markers
Colored feathers
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Got a little leprechaun at home? Or just trying to catch one? Our buddies over at Family Fun Magazine were kind enough to share their St. Patty expertise with us and the best way, they say, to catch a leprechaun is with this hat trap: “Leprechauns have big egos, so a giant version of their own hat is irresistible to them. Once they step on the false top, you’ll have caught a 10-gallon prize.”

We’ll tell you how to make one, them give you suggestions for other adorable St. Patrick’s Day crafts, a minty punch and some real Irish food, including Barm Brack…

You’ll need:
An empty oatmeal container
Green, black and yellow felt
Double-sticky tape
A small piece of gold foil (or other lightweight bait)

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One of Dr. Seuss’ most famous books — and one beloved by science teachers everywhere — is “Bartholomew and the Oobleck.” Published in 1949, it’s the tale of Bartholomew Cubbins, page to spoiled, stubborn King Derwin of Didd, who has decided that sun, fog, rain and snow are borrrring and he’d like something else to fall from the sky. Voila. Generations of children were introduced to Oobleck, a green goo with remarkable properties - but not exactly what you want coating your garden, your castle or your friends.

Oobleck is a bizarre substance - liquid and solid at the same time. If you want to go all scientisty here, it’s actually a non-Newtonian liquid and despite the Seussian connection, according to the Lawrence Hall of Science staff, Albert Einstein was already writing about the stuff back in 1906. But even 21st century kids adore the goo because it’s just so darn weird - and you can make it at home with ordinary household ingredients. Here’s how…
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Prepping for that classroom Valentine party? Bingo’s always popular with kids, particularly when you use something edible for the markers - red and white M&Ms, gummi bears, conversation hearts or yogurt covered raisins.

Here’s how to make your bingo boards:
1. Open a word document on your computer and type in “Valentine Bingo” in some particularly Valentine-y font (we used Snell Roundhand and wondered where the heck they come up with these font names). Now click the tab for making tables and insert a 4×4 table right under the heading. Grab a corner with your cursor and pull it down to make appropriate sized squares. Print the results on white card stock, enough for every child in the class or, if you’re using party stations and letting small groups rotate through, 4-6 boards plus 1 extra.
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Family Fun, both the magazine and the web site, is one of our favorite spots for kid-friendly craft ideas and we couldn’t resist their Star of David napkin rings, particularly after a reader suggested that you don’t even have to make your own playdough to make them. Use Fimo dough or purchased Play-Doh, she says, if the cooking-playdough-over-the-stove thing is too much bother. Whatever you end up with, roll the dough out, and cut out two equilateral triangles per napkin ring. Poke two holes for the cord - it’s best to overlap the two triangles to poke them, then take them apart to bake. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and bake the pieces for 15 minutes. Flip them and bake them another quarter hour. When cool, paint the stars a beautiful, royal blue.

Want more? Click here for more kid-friendly Hanukkah games, decorations and craft ideas. Got a great idea? Click “comments” and share!