Curvy and Cutie Paper Caterpillar Craft

I think the first big word that my daughter learnt when she was 3 year old was CATERPILLAR. Thanks to the story book "The very hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. There was something about this book that she was always so fascinated by Caterpillar and the fact that it becomes Butterfly.

 For a while she thought any big word can only be caterpillar. Spring is finally here and she has been learning about the life cycle of a Butterfly in her 4 yr preschool. I felt it was the perfect time to finally post those pictures I have planned to post from long.

 I am sharing the caterpillar craft she did when her cousin came to visit us.They ended up naming the caterpillar. I guess it was Curvy and Cutie. Here is how you can make your own Curvy and Cutie Caterpillar.  

Supplies:
-Green print paper or construction paper
-Google Eyes
-Chennile stems
-Pom poms
-Glue
-Masking tape
-Bangle or similar material to make circle. You can use circle punch also.
-Safety Scissors

 Instructions: Follow the pictures. 

 Notes:
 -  While making this caterpillar kids learn making circle using another material. This is an important craft skill. Kids need to practice to get better at this.
 - Cutting circles adds to the fine motor skill practice that is so vital at this tender age.
 - If you feel your child's attention span is not long you might want to cut the circle and give or do this craft in two sittings. Cut circles in one and make caterpillar in another one.
 - To make it more interesting and reinforce the story you might start by reading Eric Carle's story book. The very hungry caterpillar or click on the link and show them the video where Eric Carle is reading the story himself.
- It is a fun group craft. Kids enjoy it more when done in group.
- It is easier and quicker to fix the chenille stems or pipe cleaner legs using masking tape, however if you do not have it you can use glue. Tacky glue works best but you have to leave it for a while to dry.

 Variations: You can use different colors of circles or you can use different sizes of circles to make it more interesting.

DIY Play Gym for Parakeet or similar birds

We got a Parakeet in the month of Feb this year. It took a lot of convincing from my husband and my daughter to finally get one for our home. I was not sure if I will be able to take care of a bird. Both my husband and daughter are pet lovers. So after an Aquarium finally we had a Parakeet for our house. My daughter has lovingly named her Rainbow as at that time she recently discovered the beauty of Rainbow and she found this bird as beautiful and colorful as Rainbow. So, now she is Rainbow and we are not allowed to say that she is a bird. She is a part of our family and her name is Rainbow. My daughter can say her Birdie though from time to time.
We do keep Rainbow outside her cage for quite a while, she stays in her cage also for food and sleep.

We have been planning on buying a play gym kind of set up for her from long. We have added lot of toys but were not happy with the play gym kits which were available in the pet shops. More so because whatever we saw we thought we can make better than that ourselves and that too at a fraction of price. Well not so sure of the price part but, we took the plunge. The idea of making the play gym on or own was very exciting to both my daughter and crafty hubby (who hardly gets a chance to be crafty). This weekend we took the plunge and voila the colorful Play Gym is ready.

Supplies-
Wood tray
Wood dowels various sizes
Wood craft ready to paint house
Wood craft ready to paint Ladder
Acrylic Paint non-toxic
Wood glue
Wooden beads and string
Ready made Bird toys like mirror with bells etc.
Nail
Paint brushes

I am really happy with the result and so far this is the biggest wood craft project we ever did.It is a great example of a Family craft where you can involve a 3 year old too.


She did most of the painting, esp the bird house and the ladder.I have never seen so excited or involved for any craft as such.


The hard work paid off when our Rainbow also enjoyed and explored the Parakeet Play Gym.


Tips: All the wood craft ready to paint pieces were bought from Michaels and Joann.
It took a while to find non-toxic acrylic paint, but it is important to get this as it will be used by Parakeet. Other kinds might be harmful to the bird.
Be careful about using non-toxic glue too.

Fall Leaves Wall Art

Nature offers many avenues of craft. One of the best times of the year for nature craft is the Fall season. The wonderful colors of fall leaves inspire many of us in different ways. Some love to take pictures, some make beautiful painting. Yes, you guessed right. One of our favorites is making fall leaves crafts.

This simple yet elegant piece of wall art was made using fall leaves. With a little care you can also make this beautiful Fall Wall leaves Art.

The technique used here is easy. It is called Botanical Pressing. In simple terms it is collecting the samples and pressing them. The more organized collection of plant specimens are called Herbariums and they can last hundreds of years. Scientists have been using this technique since the Victorian era for botanical studies.

Well, you need not be scientist to create this Fall leaves craft. Kids love this craft. A little supervision can help them make it perfect and long lasting.

Supplies you will need:

-Fall leaves of your choice
-Plant or flower press (optional)
-Old Newsprint or blotting paper or paper towels
-Phone Books or any other heavy books - 3
-White craft glue or spray adhesive for delicate leaves.
-Canvas (preferably stretched on wood) or any base to stick leaves on.

Instructions

1. Collect bright colored leaves.
2. Wipe off the dirt if any using moist kitchen paper towel.
3. Keep the leaf carefully in old newsprint or blotting paper. Prepare other
leaves similarly.
4. Put them in layers and press in plant press or flower press. Tight with
Velcro straps. If your press does not have Velcro straps then put heavy
books over it.
5. If you do not have plant press then you can keep the leaf in blotting paper
or paper towel, place in between pages of a big size book like a phone book.
Put more heavy books over it.
6. Keep these untouched for a week or two depending on how wet the leaves are.
7. If you are using telephone book change the paper towels every few weeks.
8. Do not disturb the assembly as when the leaves are dry they tend to brake.
9. Once dry, glue the leaves on the canvas or any base you chose. For more
delicate leaves use spray adhesive and forceps.
10. Once they are dry, frame them and hang on the wall. Your beautiful fall
leaves wall craft is ready.



Above is the picture of the completed Fall leaf wall art in my house.

Tips
-The basic technique of botanical pressing is to collect samples when they are not dry. They work best when they are moist. It prevents cracking and breaking when pressed.

-Samples should not be wet with rain or dew. Fall leaves that just dropped work fine as they are not dry yet.

Fall Leaves Spray Painting Wall Art

It is almost the end of Fall here in US. Couple of days back when I was taking a walk with my little daughter she picked up some fall leaves. She kept playing with it and was so excited. It was the first time she did it on her own. This is what gave me inspiration for this craft. Spray painting is one of the easiest and interesting craft for kids. For the basic technique you can refer our older posts.

Fall leaves have vibrant colors and are very beautiful. They are perfect for using as a stencil for spray painting. It is a good way to add color to your walls even after fall.

Supplies required for the project

- Fall leaf of your choice
(A single medium size is what I picked)
- Card Stock-2
- Old toothbrush
- Acrylic Paint (Any water based color will do)
- Craft knife
- Pencil
- Color Markers

Keep the leaf on the card stock. Draw the outline. Using craft knife cut out the leaf. This will be your stencil. Refer the picture. Now dip the toothbrush in the color you want to paint your leaf. Put the stencil on the second card stock. Spray paint with the toothbrush. Once done draw the outline using a marker. Frame the art if you feel like. Parents should assist kids while handling the craft knife.

Tip : For younger kids if you want to avoid cutting out the stencil, use the leaf as a stencil and spray paint the rest of paper you will still have a beautiful painting.

Also, if the the leaf you selected is not perfectly flat, keep it inside a thick book for one day and you will have a perfect leaf to make the craft.