Craft - Happy Thanksgiving!

I posted about one of my favorite crafts being Crayola Model Magic Clay.  It's a great non-greasy craft that allows kids to be creative.  While doing this craft with the family for the last year I've realized the creativity with this clay is endless.

Here is a picture to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Baskets & Turkey

Crafts - Bookmarks

Another easy craft would be making bookmarks.  It's an easy way to promote reading and using materials you will already have or extremely low in cost.

Supplies:
Foam or Paper Bookmarks - Dollar Tree
     I believe it was 10 Bookmarks for $1!
Flat (regular stickers) - Michaels
      Books of 200+ stickers for $1

I love to find activities that are gender neutral and can work for both girls and boys but this can be harder than you think.  Surprisingly, pirates is a GREAT concept to go with this idea - both boys and girls seem to love pirates.  Last summer Michaels had sticker books (600+ stickers for $1) and they were pirate themed.  These are great finds because they last for multiple jobs and most kids usually LOVE stickers!

Super Hero, Pirates, Fairy Princess

Kids can decorate their bookmarks using these stickers and it's a great activity to promote reading as well.  It could be paired with a great outing to the local library!

This activity would be less that 25 cents per child.  It's a nice low cost activity for nannies to include!

Crafts - Crayola Model Magic Clay

Another of my favorite craft activities is to use Crayola Model Magic Clay to create creations with kids.  This pack from Michaels costs about $14, but I like to use the weekly coupon for 40% off one item.  That makes this pack about $7. 

 Each of these boxes contain 14 pouches of clay in various colors.  Inside the boxes, it even lists a cheat sheet for what colors to mix when you get low on a certain color.  Often, with the kids I use this for it becomes a game of what colors I have left and what we can make. 



Packets I currently have left!

Here are some examples of what we have made!



Aliens and Outer Space!



Firetruck, Submarine, Mummy, Volcanoe!



Happy Halloween!



Dragon!



Crafts - Doorhangers

One of my favorite (and easy) crafts to do with children would be to make a doorhanger decoration. 

Supplies needed:

• Doorhangers (can be found at Michaels or Dollar Tree)
• Foam stickers (could be any theme - Halloween, Christmas, or just fun stickers)

Two containers of Halloween foam stickers, alphabet foam stickers, and doorhangers.

Kids like the idea of doorhangers to help decorate and claim their rooms.  It's a fun and easy -very light mess- activity that can easily be altered to fit any theme you are currently celebrating or teaching the children.

In order to cut costs, it's wise to check our your local 99 cent store or Dollar Tree.  I believe at the Dollar Tree close to me they sell doorhangers in packs of 4.
Also, here in Tucson we regularly get coupons in our weekly ads for Michaels Craft Store where you can get 40% any one item.  Michaels does have more expensive doorhangers, but they are thicker and have more gender neutral designs.  I found heart and princess shaped doorhangers at the Dollar Tree and those are usually liked more by the girls I watch.  =)

Pack of 4 doorhangers = $1.00 + tax
Package of foam stickers = $2.49 + tax

This activity is less that $1 per child.  This is usually my goal when spending my own money back out on children I watch.  It's a balance between finding fun activities and also not breaking the bank in the process!

Here's an example of a doorhanger!