Fall Festivities!

Halloween and Thanksgiving are two great occasions for the kids to get crafty.  For a real challenge, consider creating home made Halloween costumes using old boxes and scraps of fabric.  If you want to keep it simple, here are a few craft ideas to try with the kids:

Gourd Turkey Centerpiece:

Supplies: round gourd, leaves or feathers, flat craft spoon, red marker or construction paper, googly eyes, glue, scissors

  Directions:  Add googly eyes to round part of craft spoon, creating turkey head.  Make wattle by drawing tear-drop shape on red construction paper, or colouring paper teardrop with red marker.  Add wattle to head at the middle of the craft spoon.  Glue head to one side of gourd.  On opposite side of gourd, start layering feathers or leaves, to make turkey feathers.  Continue adding feathers or leaves to gourd, covering back side up to center of gourd.    

Tip:  If you don’t have any flat craft spoons, you can make a head shape by drawing a figure 8 on brown construction paper, with the top of the ‘8’ slightly more round than the bottom.   

Sparkly Spider Web:

Supplies: white, black, or grey yarn, silver sparkles (optional) waxed paper, flour, water, yogurt container or paper plate, scissors.

Directions:  In yogurt container or on paper plate, mix approximately 1 part flour with 2 parts water to create paper mache paste.  Add sparkles to paste and mix.  Cut yarn into 20cm lengths.   Dip yarn into paste so that all parts are covered in paste.  Pull yarn through thumb and index finger to remove excess paste.  Place yarn on piece of waxed paper.  Continue adding yarn to waxed paper in a criss-cross spider web pattern.  Let dry.  Carefully peel your spider web from waxed paper and hang in a window or at your front door for halloween.   

Alternate:  instead of mixing sparkles into paste, create spider web and then sprinkle with sparkles while still wet. 

 

 

 

Dressing Up – The Halloween Tradition

Halloween started out as an Irish tradition, and is now celebrated in a large portion of the western world, including Canada, United States, and New Zealand.  Dressing up in masks and costumes is a tradition that started way back when Halloween celebrations first began, as a means to ward off evil spirits. 

 

Kids in the Kitchen – Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Save the seeds from your pumpkin carving this year, to make a yummy snack with the kids.  They can help by cleaning and washing the seeds, and sprinkling them with seasoning salt.

Pumpkin seeds from jack o’lantern waste
Seasoning salt
Vegetable oil

Separate pumpkin seeds from other pumpkin scraps.  Place in colander and wash.  Spread on paper towel to dry.  Spread onto baking sheet and add a few drops of vegetable oil, mixing thoroughly.  Spread seeds out on baking sheet, and sprinkle with a pinch of seasoning salt.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 20 minutes or until crisp, turning seeds once.

Kids Craft Club – Just in time for Christmas!

 

For those who like to plan ahead, now is the time to buy gift Craft Club subscriptions for Christmas.  It’s the perfect stocking stuffer or gift for pint sized friends and relatives.  Simply note ‘Christmas gift’ in the comments section of your order form, and you will be sent a gift card to place under the tree or in their stocking.  First craft delivery for Christmas subscribers will be the January Kids Craft Club project.  Subscribe today!

Christmas Card Making Kits

We’ve already had several inquiries about our Christmas Card Making kits , and they are now available on our website.  To get an early start on making cards with the kids, order yours today .

Five Minute Fun – Handprint Turkey

Trace your child’s hand on a piece of brown paper, having the thumb spread as far away from fingers as possible.  Cut out the tracing.  The thumb will be the head of the turkey, while the fingers will be the feathers.  Add eye and waddle to head, and add feathers or other decorations to feathers/fingers