Reindeer games

Need a last minute game to keep the kids busy!?!? Why not invite them to play a reindeer game! I used formula cans but you could use just about anything, boxes, sand pails, etc. I wrapped my cans with construction paper. Glued on a puff ball nose. Taped on a few bent pipe cleaners and we had a bucket toss game!

The kids at my son’s school loved playing it during their Christmas party.


 

Crafting gone wrong.....

I love to make things and that included our Christmas stocking. So a few years back I had picked up some stocking and put our names on them so they would all look the same. Well, then the little surprise showed up earlier this year and now he needs a stocking. No problem! I can do this again, right? WRONG.

Now that I have two kids, my patience are very thin, on everything. So when the package said “set on wool and iron for 90 seconds” I take that to mean 90 seconds. So when five minutes later the letters STILL had not transferred, well I got impatient. I bumped the iron up to cotton and, well, the smoke and smell were almost instant as the stocking melted to the iron! “MOM” my six year old yelled “you need to be patient!” Funny thing that… I tell him that all the time and yet he is the one who over the years has made me impatient.

Lucky for me I was able to scrap the stocking off of the iron and I had not spent a lot on it either. With a trip to the store the next day I set out to once again make our youngest his Christmas stocking. With the iron on wool, I took a deep breath and counted to 90. And this time, this time it worked, just like it was supposed to! I was patient. I followed directions and now my sweet baby has his very own Christmas stocking. I guess I can do it all, just kidding.

Frosty the fridge

I have seen this idea floating around the Internet on various sites and thought, ya know what, I can do that! And I did. It was super simple and you can make one too! I used plates and cups to draw the circles on black construction paper. I then cut a strip of wrapping paper for the scarf and poof, the cutest fridge ever! So what are you waiting for? Go make Frosty the fridge. I promise you will smile every time you go in your kitchen!

Oh Christmas tree

Check out these Christmas tree ornaments we made! They are simple, beautiful, and will look great on our tree. We simply painted three popsicle sticks green and glue them into a triangle. For the trunk we used craft foam. I had some left over jewel stickers we decorated them with, but you could use anything, glitter, paper, etc. For the hangers we looped over a pretty piece of ribbon and glued it to the back. I have a feeling we will be making more of these before Christmas! Why not see what creativity your child puts on their tree......

Terra cotta snowmen

Everyone likes a cute snowman, and we have a craft that will bring a smile to your face. These little snowmen are made from terra cotta pots. We used smaller pots for ours, but really you could use any size you wanted to create these whimsical little fellows.

We started by giving the pot a base coat of white. Working with terra cotta is great for children since the pot sucks in the paint and it dries very fast. Once we had the pot painted white, it was time to break out the creativity. As you can see, no two snowman will be alike, as each person puts their personal touch on painting the face and picking decorations.

I used a baby sock my youngest had out grown to make a hat and scarf for my snowman. My six year old chose puff balls and a pipe cleaner to make ear muffs! Your only limitation on this craft is your creativity. So bust out your craft supplies and make a magical family of snowman to decorate your home this holiday season. These would also make wonderful handmade gifts for friends and family. What grandparent wouldn't cherish one of these cute snowmen made by their grandchildren!

 

North Pole this way......

Here is a neat craft that requires nothing more then a paint stick (free at your local home improvement store), a tongue depressor size craft stick, and some paint! Kids will have fun making their very own sign. Be creative and have FUN!!!

Melting snowman

When it comes to making crafts, we try to use things we already have around the house. This craft, a melting snowman, uses household items you probably already have like paper, twigs, and cotton balls. Remember when it comes to art, there is no real right or wrong. Let your children use their creativity. If they want to use a different material or add something to the craft, let them try! You might be surprised!

So let's get started with our melting snowman...........

Materials

* White paper * Cotton ball * twigs * pipe cleaner * black marker

First cut out a free form snow puddle from your white paper. This can be any shape you want. No two snowmen will look the same! Next, with a black marker put the eyes and mouth on the cotton ball and buttons on the paper for your snowman.

We glued a small bit of orange pipe cleaner for a nose. We also used a piece of pipe cleaner to twist a simple scarf. After a quick trip outside for some twig pieces we were ready to build out melting snowman.

First we glued the scarf pipe cleaner to the paper. Next we put glue on the twig arms and positioned them in the scarf. Lastly we put a generous amount of glue on the cotton ball head and pressed it into place. Placing the head made the arms stand up! Hold the head for a minute and your done! One super cute melting snowman!

Craft stick snowman

There is something special about those "not so perfect" ornaments made by our children that really make a Christmas tree have personalty. Here is a cute ornament idea made out of craft sticks, a snowman face! For this project you need the following (and any other items that your creativity sparks):

Materials

10 wooden craft (Popsicle) sticks
White and black paint (other colors as desired)
Glue
Wiggle eyes
Pipe cleaner








We started by gluing 9 sticks together to make the "face" area. Once the glue was dried, it was time to get out the paint! Painting is my 6 year old's favorite part of any craft these days. We painted the bottom 2/3 of the sticks white and the top 1/3 black. We also painted the 10th craft stick black for the hat portion of the snowman.


Once the glue was dry it was time to put our snowman together. The 10th stick is glued where the colors meet to form the hat section of the snowman. With just some wiggle eyes, sparkly pipe cleaner and paint we created a friendly chap who will look amazing on our tree. For the hanger we used twine. **Hint: put tape over the glue and twine till the glue dries in order to keep the twine in place.

Your tree will be darling with your child's handmade ornament hanging on it. These rnaments would also make precious gifts for the grandparents! So what are you waiting for? Hurry and make some of these cute snowmen faces for Christmas!

Make a Cornucopia

 

The Cornucopia (also know as the horn of plenty) is symbol of abundance and nourishment and has become a Thanksgiving icon. With just a paper plate, twine and generous amounts of glue you can make your own cornucopia as part of a center piece or a few to fill with yummy goodies like popcorn as a snack.

Simply roll the paper plate into a horn and tape. Next grab the glue and be generous with it as you start at one end of the horn and wrap it with twine. This craft is not for the toddler set as it takes some patience, time and LOTS of glue. When you get to the other end, secure the twine with tape till the glue dries.

Once I had my paper plate wrapped in twine, I turned it over a pop bottle and added even more glue over the top of the twine. I left it on the bottle to dry over night. The next day my cornucopia was very firm and sturdy and ready to be filled. Since we were out of popcorn, I used beans to give you an example. I will have to pop by the store for my popcorn!

This craft is an item you can store and use for years to come. Who knows, maybe one day they will end up on the Thanksgiving tables of the grown children who helped make them!

Paint chip turkey

Here is a new twist on our toilet paper turkey we did last year. This year we raided the paint department at our local home improvement store! We cut the multi color paint chips to remove the names of the colors and then glued them on to our toilet paper tube. Next we added wiggle eyes, a paper beak and a red piece of pipe cleaner for, as my son calls it, the gobbler. I think Mr. Turkey is looking very colorful this year!

Make your own Mayflower

Thanksgiving is almost here and it is time to make your own Mayflower!! This craft is too cute and all you need is some paper, paint, and your child's hand! It is a craft and a keepsake all in one. 

Simply paint your child's hand brown and press it to the paper. Next cut out some sails to glue on. Once that is dry, let your child add clouds and the ocean. You will have a wonderful picture to hang for the holiday!

 

 

Make some haystacks

Fall is here and Thanksgiving is almost upon us! It always bugs me how we move from Halloween to Christmas, neglecting a very important holiday like Thanksgiving. Oh sure you eat and watch football but do you decorate?

Well now it is time to get crafty and decorate! Check out these super easy haystacks! They also can be used as name card holders for place settings at your thanksgiving meal! Let make a few shall we......





Materials

• Yellow construction paper
• brown pipe cleaner
• Scissors
• White construction paper (optional)
• Straw (optional)
• Tape (optional)

Cut your yellow construction paper in half the long way. Now cut the edges on both sides to "fray" it. Now simply roll it up! Secure your haystack with a section of pipe cleaner (cut pipe cleaner.) Fluff out your top and bottom and you have a haystack!

If you want to use them as place settings, simply cut a straw to the desired height. Write the name on some white construction paper and tape it to the straw. Kids will love making these and they will add a festive touch to your decorating! And imagine everyones delight when they learn your child made the name holders for the dinning table!

How much fun can you have for $2.52?

Time and time again I tell people, it doesn't take a lot of money to have fun. It really doesn't! And to prove my point, I am going to show you what we did this past Saturday and it cost us a just $2.52.!!!

Our first stop for fun was at Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic. I have mentioned this before (like a million times) but I will say it again because this is a great program. The clinics are FREE and run about every two week on Saturdays at 10am. Children get to build great things like this Monster Box the oldest Fun Tester made this week. Children get an apron and for each thing they build, a patch to put on the apron. They also receive a certificate and get to take home their project at NO COST. How can you beat it!?!?

 Our second stop of the day was at Michael's craft store for their Make It, Take It event. This event cost us 52 cents to purchase a pail (which was on sale.) The children cut out designs from duct tape with the help of stencils to create their own trick or treat bucket! How neat is that? The Fun Tester made a face on one side and a bat on the other. These events are either free or with a purchase which always seems to be a low cost item.

Our final stop of the day was at an event called Spooky Science Saturday. It was being held jointly at the Children's Garden and the Kingman Museum. They had all sorts of education (science) activities set up. The Fun Tester had a wonderful time learning about surface tension, making animal tracks, learning about the technology that led to modern films and much more! It was all hands on and he had a wonderful time. The cost of this event was free but they were asking for a $1 donation per person. $2 for all that fun and learning was a steal. Not to mention, the next day in the paper was the Fun Tester's photo!!! Now there is a memory he will have forever.

See, having fun does NOT have to cost a lot. And finding events doesn't have to be impossible either. Check out our Cruise Directing 101 to learn how to find events. Now get out there and find some fun!!

Halloween craft recap

Here is just a quick recap of the cute and wasy Halloween crafts we have shared with you, so you don't miss out on any of the fun!



• Spider pumpkin candle holder
• Paper Pumpkin
• Candy Corn
• Mummy Jar
• Paper tube owls

 

 

Camping and Halloween

We here at MAD Family Fun love, LOVE, love Halloween! For us it is not just one night of dressing up and getting candy. In fact we don’t just decorate our house, we take Halloween with us camping! Every year at a nearby state park they have a “harvest” aka Halloween weekend and we wouldn’t miss it for the world. People decorate their campsites. Some people do amazing displays. Sadly this year it rained most of the weekend. We decorated in the down pour anyway!

 We even did up our picnic table under our awning with a few of the crafts we have featured here on MAD Family Fun, like our Mummy Jars. The flowers with the skull added a touch of color to the rather gray weather. And of course we needed a steady stream of sugar from the candy cauldron to keep us running.

 

Sure we COULD have been moody and gloomy like the weather. We could have had a miserable time, but my belief is that things are only as fun as you make them. We decided to make our trip as fun as we could, so through the drizzle (and at times the downpour) we laughed and had a good time. We carved pumpkins we had brought with us, joined in the activities and when it was time for trick or treating, the rain finally stopped!!!

So why am I sharing all this with you? Well first to show you that you can have fun anywhere, you just have to have the right mindset. Secondly, checkout you local state parks for fun events, like this one! And last, to inspire you to go out and have fun! For us, rain or shine, our Halloween camping trip has become a tradition and year after year has and will provide wonderful memories for our children.

 

 

 

 

Toilet paper tube owls

Whooo wants to make a craft? Whooo has toilet paper tubes? Well then lets get started with these adorable toilet paper tube owls!

What you will need:

Toilet paper tube
2 muffin liners
White paper
Orange paper
Tape
Glue
Marker

First you need to get your muffin liners cut for later use. Start by folding the first liner in half, and then in half again so it looks like the triangle shape in the photos on the right. Now cute off the tip of the triangle and cut along the creased areas so that you end up with four pieces like in the photo


One the second liner, simply fold in half. Cut off the top portion to make a flat edge. Next cut along the creased are to form the wings.

To make the owl, start by pushing the two sides of the tube inward and tape to create the owl's ears. To make the owl's tummy area, glue and layer the four cut pieces from the first step as show in the photo on the left. Take your wings and glue them on the back of the tube. Now cut out eyes and a beak from your construction paper and attach above the tummy area. Use the marker to create the eyes and you have a beautiful toilet paper tube owl! These little guys are a wonderful nature craft or a great decoration for Halloween.

Mummy Jars

One thing I have noticed, at least at my house, is we have jars. Lots of jars! Canning jars, baby food jars, even large pickle jars we have hung onto. So what to do with them all? Make a craft of course!

And what could be cuter then these "Mummy Jars!" They are easy to make and add a splash of fun to any Halloween setting. So let's get ready to make a few (or more!)

This craft is so simple even very little children can make one. We had wide gauze, so I cut our strips in half. It also gave a more "tattered" look, I think. As with any craft, there is no wrong or right so use what you want.

First make a dot of craft glue on your jar and attach gauze. Next simply wrap your jar up! Put craft glue at the beginning and end of each strip of gauze. Use as much or as little gauze as you want. It is all personal preference.

When you have your jar "mummified" the way you want it, simply glue on two wiggle eyes and you are done. This craft couldn't be simpler or cuter! For an added touch drop a tea light candle (or one of those fake battery operated candles) in your jar to give it a warm glow!

These Mummy Jars are so simple to make, that it would be a great gift idea for a party or to take to elderly neighbors to brighten their day! So what are you waiting for? Get crafting!



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Paper pumpkin craft

Have I mentioned how much I love Halloween? Cause I do! And I love to make decorations for Halloween. This is a simple craft we did using construction paper and pipe cleaners. Not only are they easy to make but they look good hanging around the house!

All you need to make one of these paper pumpkins is a single sheet of orange construction paper cut into equal strips and two green pipe cleaners. No glue, no tape, nothing. So let's get started.....

First you need to punch holes in both ends of the paper strips. You can use a hole punch or heck, even a pencil tip if you don't have a hole punch. Next put a pipe cleaner through the holes at one end and bend it to "hold" the strips in place.



Next make a bend near the other end of the pipe cleaner and feed it through the top holes. So it looks like the photo on the right. Now this is where you have to play with your pipe cleaner, in order to get the bunched up look on your pumpkin. I found once I had the top hole set with bends I could go back and pull the pipe cleaner through the bottom holes and wind it up to get the perfect "puff" to my pumpkin. It is all about being flexible and trial and error. Just have fun with it! No two pumpkins will look the same and that is a great thing!


The second pipe cleaner is for your pumpkin vine. Simple bend the pipe cleaner around a pencil or your finger to get the coil and then bend your coil around your stem. That's it! Your ready to hang them around you house for a little Harvest or Halloween fun. So what are you waiting for....go make some!