April Kids Craft Club, Easter Crafts, Earth Day Crafts and Cool Stickers

July 7, 2016 admin

Baby Animals- May Kids Craft Club

Spring crafts: baby animal crafts from the Kids Craft Club! If you’re not already in the club, there’s one week left to subscribe for this craft package.

If you visit a farm at this time of year, you might be lucky enough to see mama animals with their new babies. Farms aren’t the only place that baby animals are being born – this is the time of year when all sorts of animals in the wild start having babies too!

Make your own baby animals with this month’s Kids Craft Club supplies.

Subscribe by April 23rd to receive this craft package at the beginning of May.

New – Message Stickers Sold Separately!

thank you stickers, birthday stickers, anytime stickers

If your craft cupboard is already stocked full of card making papers but you’re still looking for a fun way for the kids to decorate cards, we’ve got the solution. Now you can buy our fun Message Stickers separately. They’re great for card making, making goodie bag ‘thank you‘ tags, or even to stick a ‘Happy Birthday‘ message onto a birthday boy’s or girl’s shirt or hand! Check them out here.

Earth Day Craft Tips and Ideas

Recycled Paint Brush

recycle craft idea toothbrush paintbrush

A super-simple way to give your cast offs new life – old toothbrushes make great paint brushes! Use them for dipping and spreading paint with an interesting finish, for dabbing paint on in a sponging style, or (if you’re feeling brave) for splatter and spray art. To make spray art, dip the brush in paint and then use a finger to bend bristles back, releasing them to create a spray.

Plantable Greeting Card

Our April Kids Craft Club project included a plantable card using cool seeded paper flowers — a wonderful surprise to send in the mail for Earth Day. If you missed the club project, here’s a modified version:

Supplies: card stock or construction paper, grass seeds crayons

Make and decorate a card using supplies such as card stock, tissue papers, and coloured pencils or crayons. Our example is a ‘Happy Earth Day’ card.
Once your card is complete, carefully dab some glue and sprinkle seeds into glue area. We used grass seed in this example.
Your gift recipient can either sprinkle some dirt and water onto patches of seed, or just plant entire card in the ground to make it grow!

Easter Craft Idea for Giving

Painted Strawberry Patch Pot

Easter is a great time to get together for family celebrations. If you’re like us, you probably like taking something small with you for the kiddos in the family. This year we’ve got the kids busy making the gifts –they’re planting pots with strawberries for their cousins, so the cousins can start their own little strawberry patches

You will need: Clay pot, potting soil, strawberry plant, paints (acrylic or tempura; tempura paints will wear off faster, but this probably won’t bother the kids)

Use the paints to decorate the pot. For younger kids, sponge painting is easiest, while older kids can use paintbrushes to make Easter themed paintings such as bunnies, eggs, etc.
Let your pot dry, and then paint on a protective top coat….this is optional. If you don’t do it, the paint will wear off, but then the pot can be painted again
Once your pot is complete, add some potting soil and plant the strawberry plant
Give your gift! Tip – the person who receives the gift can place their pot somewhere on top of soil – the strawberry will trail down over the summer, and start new plants in the soil.

Card Kit Giveaway – Fun Messages Sticker Set

Congratulations to Beth, who won this month’s card making kit draw from our homepage! We’ll be contacting Beth by email to get shipping information for your Message Sticker Set. You can enter next month’s draw here.

Be sure to join our Facebook page and follow our Twitter feed as well – for quick craft ideas, interesting articles, and giveaways

Crafty Ideas April 2009

July 7, 2016 admin

Greening Our Planet

Think twice about your recycling materials before you toss them in the bin this month. April 22nd is earth day, and it’s the perfect time to integrate your cast offs and waste into kid’s craft projects. It’s also a great time to get outdoors and let the kids help with early season planting in containers or on the ground!

Recycling Stamp Art:

Turn your recycling into stamps for a unique painting. Bubble wrap (bubble side down), milk jug or jar lids, cans (no sharp edges) toilet paper rolls, and egg cups are just a few examples.

Supplies: recycling stampers – we like milk jug lids and bubble wrap (cut into manageable pieces), tempura paints, paper, cookie sheet or plate. Collage materials such as magazine clippings, sparkles, candy wrappers, etc.

Directions: Spread some paint into cookie sheet or plate. Lay bubble wrap in cookie sheet, bubble side down. Carefully pick bubble wrap up and place on your paper. Gently press down and remove. Repeat with other stamps – use the end of a can or toilet roll to make different sized circles. Add shiny candy wrappers or magazine clippings with a small dab of glue. Let dry.

Did you try this craft? Send us your comments and photos!

Eggshell Mosaics:

Supplies: Egg shells (rinsed and dried), cardboard or construction paper, food colouring, glue

Directions: If your egg shells are coloured from Easter, separate them into piles according to colour. If the shells are not vibrant enough, add food colouring and water to a bowl and submerge shells for approximately 5 minutes. Dry and crush shells. Draw a design on your paper. Working in sections, fill the design in with glue and cover with eggshells. Continue filling picture in with coloured egg shells. Let dry.

Did you try this craft? Send us your comments and photos!

In Hops the Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny tradition hopped all the way to North America from Germany. 18th century German settlers to North America brought the Easter Bunny with them. The Easter Bunny, in turn, brought gifts of chocolate, candy, and Easter eggs – a tradition that continues today. Make the Easter bunny tradition uniquely yours by surprising the kids with the same unique item each year – our bunny brings a packet of vegetable seeds to each child, for planting in the spring.

Kitchen with Kids – Cheese Omelette

Eggs (1 to 2 per person)
• Milk
• Salt and pepper
• Grated cheddar cheese

Crack eggs into a container that can be closed with an airtight lid. Tip: Hold your child’s hands and crack the eggs together. Wash hands thoroughly. Add 1 tablespoon of milk for each egg. Shake a couple of sprinkles of salt into the bowl, and grind some pepper – count the turns of the grind as you go. Seal container and shake it shake it shake it! Heat an oiled pan on medium low, and carefully pour egg mixture into pan, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. As eggs begin to solidify, sprinkle grated cheese on top. Let cheese melt, remove from heat, and serve.

Simple Science- Musical Glasses

Using several glass containers or cups, fill each with a different amount of water. Let the kids tap the edges of the containers with the end of a wooden spoon or pencil. Which container makes the lowest sound? Which is the highest? Vibrations are made when the glass is hit; this creates sound waves which travel through the water. The more water, the slower the vibration, the deeper (lower) the tone.

Tip: for young children, help them control the strength of their ‘tap’ by gently guiding their arm.

Five Minute Fun – Start some Seeds

Fill the cups of an egg carton with dirt or planting medium. Push 1 large seed or sprinkle several small seeds into soil. Moisten with a few drops of water. Cover with a clear plastic bag or casserole. Place in a bright location, but not in direct sunlight. Seeds should sprout in 7 to 10 days. Try beans, basil, or even grass seed

Planning a Party This Month? – Get Crafty and Go Green!

View our “Green Birthdays” video for tips and suggestions on how to make your child’s birthday party more environmentally responsible!

Win a Three Month Kids Craft Club subscription!

Tell us what you think about the Kids Craft Club and you’ll be entered in a draw for a three month Kids Craft Club subscription (or 3 month extension to your current subscription)! If you subscribe now or in the past, click here. If you’ve never tried the club, click here. Tell us what you think about the Kids Craft Club!

What are You Doing This Weekend?

If you’re in Vancouver this weekend and have young kids, then you’ll want to check out the Baby and Toddler Fair at the Roundhouse Community Centre! It’s this Saturday from 10am – 4pm. Be sure to stop by our table at the show!

Kids Craft Ideas for April 2008

June 29, 2016June 29, 2016 admin

Celebrate the Earth

Join the world this month by celebrating Earth Day, a worldwide environmental event that happens every year on April 22^nd. Celebrate Earth Day by creating clever re-use ideas for common recycling objects. Of course, craft time is one of the best times to reach into the recycling bin – get started with these re-use crafts

CD Case Picture Frame:

Supplies: Old CD Case, favourite photo, construction paper, decorating supplies such as Popsicle sticks, buttons, ribbons, glue

Directions: Remove all paper inserts from CD case. Cut the photo to fit into the inside the CD case (where the insert was). If the photo is smaller than the insert space, glue photo to construction paper, fitting into insert. Now decorate your photo frame – add a border of glue around the front edge of the CD case, and then place Popsicle sticks, buttons, or other decorating materials, creating a frame. Let dry. To display simply open the CD case and stand it on a shelf.

Cereal Box Art Storage BIn:

To help your little one organize their ongoing stream of finished craft projects!!

Supplies: cereal box (jumbo size), tape, scissors, decorating supplies such as favourite photos, magazine clippings, ribbons, buttons, stickers, coloured paper, or old fabric pieces, glue, sponge

Directions: Secure box flaps by closing and taping shut. Lay box on its largest surface. With an adult, make a ‘door’ on the front face of the box; cut across the box approximately 1 cm from top, and again 1 cm from bottom, then cut vertically along box fold line to join horizontal cuts. Carefully open the door to create door hinge at opposite vertical fold. Decorate – apply glue with a sponge, adding various decorations all over the box. Loop a piece of ribbon and glue to the door edge, creating a handle. Let dry, and then use to store artwork.

Tip: Add finished art or craft pieces to the box until it is full, and then go through the box with your child to choose their favourites

Pounded Into Paper

The word ‘paper’ is derived from the word ‘papyrus’. Ancient Egyptians used to pound papyrus stems into thin sheets, creating a paper like substance. The paper that we know today got it’s beginnings in 105AD in China, when imperial court official Ts’ai Lun broke mulberry bark into fibers and pounded it together with hemp and other materials

Make Paper at Home:

Make paper with the kids using old paper scraps – dig into the recycling bin for supplies and type ‘how to make paper’ into your web browser search engine for a plethora of directions!

Word Play – Reduce, ReUse, Recycle

Help the kids become earth friendly at an early age. Kids love to sort, and every household cleaning session presents great opportunities. Set up bins for compost, recycling, re-use (e.g. for crafts), give-away, and garbage. Get the kids involved in deciding which waste goes into which bin. Great for building early math skills, and great for the environment!

Five Minute Fun – Milk Jug Coin Bank

Turn a 4L milk jug into a coin bank by cutting a coin slot across from the handle, and decorating jug with stickers, markers, or glue-on decorations (pompoms, fabric scraps, felt pieces, ribbons, etc). Give your kids a few coins to get them started on saving!

How We’re Thinking Green

Being friendly to the environment is a top priority at Craft Caravan – we want to do our part to ensure that our kids inherit a beautiful planet. here are a few of the ways we’re thinking green:

We send craft projects in reusable, resealable mailers (they make great gift bags for books, collect a few to store files, bills, or craft supplies, or add a little green shine to any craft project!)
We include as much recycled content as possible in our projects (e.g. – our card kits are made with recycled-content cardstock)
We print double sided whenever possible, on 100% recycled paper
We purchase from environmentally conscientious suppliers
We re-use scraps from craft projects for other craft projects

Kids Craft Club – One Month at a Time

Interested in the Kids Craft Club? Now you can use our new monthly payment plan. Purchase your first craft for $10.99, then pay just $9.99 per month after that. The kids can keep receiving crafts every month without the hassle of subscription renewals!

Every Day is Earth Day

June 19, 2016 admin

Earth Day has come and gone but we can make every day earth day! Here are some things we can do every day to help keep our Earth Healthy. Brought to you by the Craft Caravan Kids Craft Club:

Keep our earth beautiful by making less garbage!! Reduce the number of things we buy and use, Re-Use the things we have, Recycle the things that can’t be re-used.
Keep our Air Clean – Walk, run, bike, scooter, or skate instead of riding in the car – cars use gas, which makes smelly fumes that go into our air (yuck!) So go out and get some exercise for your body!
Save Energy – Turn off the lights when you leave a room! If we use less energy, we will have to make less energy, which is good for the earth.
Save Water – Turn the water off when you’re brushing your teeth to make sure we have enough water all the time.
Plant a tree (or any plant) – plants help clean the air, and they give insects and animals food or shelter