Have a bunch of children's art that you can't bear to throw away? Recycle their art and turn them into beautiful book marks!


MATERIALS

  • art 
  • single hole punch
  • glue stick
  • yarn


1
Cut out narrow strips of the paper, folded in half, glued together with a glue stick,

2
punch hole with a single hole punch

3
 Tie a piece of yarn.


ENJOY!



  1. Is it just me, or are rainy days sometimes guilty pleasures? Being a great excuse to curl up with a great book, cup of chamomile tea, and a pair of soft cozy slippers mom just knit!  I'm hoping one day to work up to knitting some hats, and perhaps one of those sweet simple sweaters that look just too adorable on the little ones. But oh, how intimidating those patterns seem.



    Believe it or not, the bottom of this slipper is a shammy! I found it cost much less than craft store leather and was simple to work with. I used a paper punch to make holes around the edge and then used a yarn needle to attach the soles onto the slippers. Now our slippers aren't so slippy as G says and much more cozy! 















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  2. King Winter

    The sky is dull and grey, piercing the chill its blast,
    each day grows gently darker, winter's come at last. 
    Mamma knits by the fire, her little ones round her knees.
    "It's dark before we tired, tell us something if you please?"
    Mama looked at her children, with a mother's eye so keen
    I see that you are not too fond of winter's chill,  
    but if you'll listen and be still
     I'll tell you about someone you haven't seen...
     Someone very nice, a King who lives in a palace of ice. "
    "We'll not be noisy at all, but as good as ever we can." 
    "Then," said mama smiling, "I will tell you about King Winterland and Jack Frost his man."
    Some children don't like the dark, the forest bare with naught but bark
    Some miss the summer's heat, autumns glow, and the spring's bower of flowery treats
    The children shook their heads in agreement, "we could do well with out all this cold treatment"
    But the wisest children see...that each season has gifts to be received,
    One of them is a man very nice, his heart made of the purest ice.
    And although some may think him cold, he gives mighty gifts greater than gold.
    King Winter dwells in the North, far away in the frozen zone,
    in a palace of snow he holds his court, upon an icy throne. 
    He has cushions of course: his queen made them out of her wedding gown,
    stuffing them well with snowflakes fine, they are soft as a goose's down. 
    The King has a trusty servant, Jack Frost is his name, 
    his nose is raspberry red, his beard is as white and stiff as a cane. 
    Jack is a good fellow of joy, and serves their Majesties well. 
    He's here and he's there, and he's everywhere, and does more than I can tell.
    but you might have seen him, he loves to make children art
    On windows he paints flowers for you with shimmery frost.
    Each year, about this time, the King and his royal train
    set off through the world, sweeping over mountain and plain. 
    His Majesty fails not to visit every land that's not too hot,
    to give chill both high and low, from the palace down to the smallest lot.
    So that the Earth may stay warm and have water for the spring
    The king knits of blanket of snow, the finest I've ever seen  
    Fine mirrors for children to skate on; none are finer than Jack can make;
    in scratchless sheets of crystal clear, he lays them on river and lake. 
    The trees, all naked and drear, he robes in the purest white, 
    with icicles shining of rainbow hues, making their branches bright. 
    "I have, I have seen him, he vistited just last night! "
    "Quiet now", said susy to her brother, "this story is such a delight!"
    These wonders wrought in a single night may well excite surprise,
    amazed is the sun when he gets up at dawn, and stares as he rises.
    Then out come all the waking boys and girls, all of winter's gifts to view,
    and their noses and cheeks turn red with cold, some of them even turn blue. 
    Outside they pelt each other with snow, rolling it up in a mighty ball,
    and shout and laugh and scamper about, and heels over head they fall. 
    Next they make a man of snow, is grand as a soldier tall.
    A wooden broom in his hand, a carrot for his nose. 
    He is the finest of friends any child should know. 
     King Winter laughs at the fun being had in his kingdom of snow
     A happy tear streaks down his cheek as he cries, "Bravo!" 
    The children of this village delight in the fun and good of this season 
    I'll give to them more gifts for this happy reason.
    "What my king,"asks Jake "shall you bring, when you have given so many wonderful things?"
    The King smiled, showing his teeth of ice, "Oh gifts so very nice!"
    I will make the child's breath be seen in my winters air
    They can puff and huff like dragons, magic now theirs!
    a crispy crunch of shimmer dust shall drape the forest ground, 
    So that they shall never be lost, but always found. 
    My icicle tears shall drape the roofs of all their dwellings
    so that they may know, whilst icicles may melt, my heart is ever swelling.
    "Mama, mama, King Winter is so kind when will he pass our way?"
    "He will stay with us past Christmas Day but usually leaves before May."
    "Oh we love, we love this wintertime," they said
     Mama smiled and patted their heads...
     "Now dream of all the wintery gifts of glittering snow and
     all the love of Winter's time you're soon to know."
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  3. There is something magical about picking up an object that has been whittled from a tree that once grew in the forest and lovingly shaped, by a toy maker in Germany, into a figure that fits softly in hand.  Ostheimer figures warm to the touch and stare back in sweetly painted eyes and dreamy watercolor decoration. As a child, I cherished these wooden figures and it gave me great joy to pass them down to watch my children play with them happily as I once did. I'm still amazed at the quality these figures have, they only get better in time and become something between a very cherished collectible and friend.  I thought I'd share our newest forest friends from Bella Luna Toys, our favorite place to purchase them, in case you were wondering where to find them. You can also make special orders if you don't see the one you're wanting on their site, which is something we really appreciate. Here's to sweet wooden toys!






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  4. Autumn Elf Doll Miniature Waldorf Inspired by WildflowerInnocence
    Wee folk by Wildflower Toys

    Whether or not you believe in faeries, there is something magical about creating an enchanted neighborhood for 'wee one's' play.  We made an autumn house for faeries under a Chinese Maple tree. It's umbrella of branches will soon turn into cascades of brilliant red leaves; making for a magical hidden bower just perfect for play. 


    Faerie houses don't have to be any certain place but they should be somewhere special where nature's magic thrives. Autumn acres can be made with seasonal flowers such as: Autumn's Joy, Mistletoe, Goldenrod, Autumn Crocus, or Hardy Mum.  Fragrant herbs such as Rosemary and Thyme also add to seasonal joy. 

    Your creativity is what makes it special, so let your imagination guide you when constructing your magical house! Natural found objects such as twigs, rocks, or bark are best for construction. Houses can be as simple as stacking twigs together,  like a teepee, or houses can be a more permanent structure, such as our's above, made by glueing scraps of lumber together. To help attract the faeries, adorn your house with sparkling objects like glass stones, sea glass, glitter, or pretty ribbons. Tiny offerings of bread, milk, honey, or butter are also appreciated by faeries. My children enjoy the tradition of bringing small crumbs to the faeries each morning after their breakfast. They also enjoy playing with wee folk dolls, our favorite are from Wildflower toys on Etsy. 




    You can make furniture from natural objects as well. We made a special table out of a tree slice and stump. We set the table with sea shell bowls and made a center piece from tiny flowers. 


    A little verse is the final touch to bring faerie magic. We made up the faerie house dedication verse below.  Feel free to make your own and share in the comments below, we would love to hear it!


    Once you dedicate your faerie house, all you have to do is sit back and believe....

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  5. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago grew the first apple tree. It was just a baby with no branches to speak of. It grew bigger every day as it watched the clouds drift in the sky, the sun warm the fields, and the birds sing. During the quiet nights the tree took friendship in the glimmering stars. It stretched it's branches to the sky hoping that someday it might be tall enough to reach one. After many years the tree lost hope and began to cry. An orchard faerie heard the great tree crying and flew down to ask what was wrong. The great tree cried, "I wish to touch the stars but they are out of my reach."
    The faerie said," Stars live far away. You have roots and must grow where you are planted."
    The tree was terribly sad at the news.
    "Do not distress," said the faerie, "I will get a star for you but my journey will take long and you must promise to grow big and strong while I'm away."
    The tree's happiness returned and as it promised, it grew. That spring the tree had beautiful pink flowers and then in the summer apples began to grow from it's branches. With the fall, the tiny apples grew bigger and bigger and bigger each one a lovelier red than the next! The great apple tree was so fond of it's apples that it forgot all about the stars, until the day when the faerie returned.
    "I brought you a basket of stars," said the faerie.
    "Oh, thank you," exclaimed the apple tree,"but my branches are full of apples and I'm afraid I can't hold the stars without dropping them."
    The faerie thought for a moment and said,"Your apples will soon drop to nourish children.  I will hide your stars deep inside each of your apples so that you will always have stars and be able to share them with the world." And with that the faerie touched her wand to each apple and to this day, whenever you cut open an apple, you will find a star buried deep within waiting for you to discover it.


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  6. Related image



    I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of a book club reading Work and Play in Early Childhood by Freya Jaffke. I loved hearing what other parents took from the book and how it applied to their home. It amazed me just how differently each chapter spoke to each parent.  

    Many parents confessed that the most difficult topic was demonstrating joy in everyday work. Hearing their struggles, helped me to see that many parents were struggling with this topic and it made me reflect more deeply about the importance of creating tranquility and setting a good example by being present and joyful in our daily work. One parent confessed that when she did the dishes it was out of necessity, and that she couldn't see enjoying it in any way. Some suggestions were to trade the task with another family member. Another was to try to find joy in the process; the warm water, the scent of the dish soap, the fun in making suds, and the joy in having clean dishes. 

    Here are some suggestions for joyful work from my reading:

    1. Define intention and create a clear work process with a logical order. 
    2. Have the correct tools assembled before work begins. 
    3. Be present. Focus on the task and see it through.  
    4. Don't rush, enjoy the process, even in the most mundane task there can be some joy found.


    For more information about creating tranquility, Sanctuaries of Childhood, is another wonderful book to read.
                                                                                         

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  7. This easy to remove kid-friendly tree takes only pennies to make.


    What's needed:
    Washi tape
    Clear command hooks
    Scrapbook paper
    Twinkle lights

    1. 
    Cut out ornaments and a star from scrapbook paper. We traced around a hot cocoa mug on the back of our scrapbook paper to create an ornament template.  

    2.
    Attach washi tape on the wall in a triangle shape for the tree and a rectangle for the base.

    3.
    Using a zig zag pattern we placed 6 command hooks on the wall to affix the lights. 
    (Have no fear the command hooks easily remove and won't damage your walls.)

    4. 
    Allow the kids to 'decorate' the tree with your paper ornaments. Kids may also enjoy decorating individual ornaments with crayons or puffy paint. 



     Such a beautiful and eco-friendly way to celebrate the season. We just had to share!

    Fa la la la la la la la la! 

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  8. We are very excited to be back and are pleased to offer our FREE Paper Pockets Gnome Exchange Game; a fun and playful way to teach children about coinage.  For younger children it can be used as an introduction to counting or simply playing pretend.


    Here's how it works...

    The Gnome bankers need help filling the tills at Toadstool bank. Match the coins to the correct spots while learning the value of each coin.





    Learn even more by helping Mr. Gnome exchange coins.  Place a hand full of coins onto the pocket. Then help Mr. Gnome reduce the coins in his pocket by exchanging small value coins for larger value ones. The goal is to have the same amount of money with least amount of coins.  Print two and have a race with a friend to see who can lighten the pockets faster!




    Have even more fun calculating and writing with decimals on our printable tablet.

    Enjoy!







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  9. MATERIALS

    • Neuro Daily Water Bottle
    • Elmers Glitter Glue in Green
    • Fine Glitter in Blue
    • Corn Syrup
    • Water

    1
    Remove lable from Neuro water bottle. There's no glue so no mess! 

    2
    Pour 2 1/2 cups hot water, 1/4 cup corn syrup, 1/4 cup glue, 2 tablespoons of fine glitter into empty Neuro bottle.

    3
    Seal lid with glue if desired. Shake bottle.


    ENJOY!


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  10. Capture the magic of winter with our DIY calming snow globe. It's as easy to make as it is beautiful to look at! Our recipe creates magical swirls of snow and sparkle.



    MATERIALS:


    • Water
    • Fine glitter in Pale Blue
    • Sequin snowflakes
    • White pom poms for Snowballs
    • Corn syrup
    • plastic or glass bottle any shape, we used a vinegar bottle.

    1
    Empty and rinse out bottle. Remove label.

    Combine in the bottle 1 2/3 cups warm water and 4 tablespoons of corn syrup. Tighten lid and shake to mix together.

    3
    Open lid and add to bottle 2-3 tablespoons of fine glitter, 1 packet of sequin snowflakes, and 1 packet of white pom-poms. 

    4
    Tighten lid to secure or for curious and active children seal lid with hot glue or super glue. 



    ENJOY!



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