Something to Try: Painting with Corks

Kids love to paint.
Toss the brushes aside and pull out the wine corks that you saved from last month's Mom's Night Out and have your kids paint a picture only using corks to paint. The bonus is that clean up is a breeze! And you are recycling corks in another use before they are thrown away in the trash.
See what their creative minds come up with and give them the space to explore this new medium.

Plastic Cup Rockets

Kids love things that can fly! These plastic cup rockets are a lot of fun and it doesn't take a lot of time to create the rockets in order for the fun to begin.

All you need is two plastic cups, 2 rubber bands and a small amount of duct tape.

In one cup cut four, one inch cuts in the top of the cup around the rim. Each cut should be across from another cut. Then with small, one inch pieces of duct tape place them at the bottom of each cut so that it doesn't continue to slice down the side of the cup. 

Now take the rubber bands and put them through the slices creating an X and wrapping them around the rim of the cup. Place the cup with the rubber bands on top of the other cup and pull down with your fingertips around the rim. 

Then 1-2-3 take off! 

Winter Indoor Game for Kids using Mr Printables Free Paper Dolls

The winter weather can leave us inside and feeling lethargic. Let's shake up our routine and add a bit of movement and art to our day today.

The Bee Yoga Fusion YogaKids loved this activity and we came up with a ton of ways to play the game. First I printed out the paper dolls made by Mr.Printables. Each child cut out the paper doll that they wanted to use and added a piece of tape to create the cone shape. Then we snipped of the top with scissors and taped the cone shape to a plastic bendy straw. Each child chose a small craft ball to put in their cone and then standing over some plastic cups they would try and blow their craft ball into one of the cups. The YogaKids came up with a point system and continually changed the shape of the cups to add more of an challenge to the game.

This craft is great for kindergarten through 4th grade. 

Great Horned Owl Puppet

Combining a book with a craft is one of my absolute favorite things to do with the Bee Yoga Fusion YogaKids. First we read Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. You might better know Jane Yolen from the "How do Dinasaurs…" books. Owl Moon is not to be missed, it won the 1988 Caldecott Medal Book Award and is a wonderful story about a child going on a walk with her father to look for owls. Such a simple activity creates the most wondrous story. 

To make the great horned owl puppets I first prepped the craft by drawing a template of wings and the head for each child on brown construction paper that they could color and cut out. They created the eyes either by using additional construction paper or simply drawing them on with marker. Once they finished coloring and cutting the pieces out they glued them on to a brown paper bag. 
Each child chose to color the paper bag as well to make the owl authentic. Once your owls are dry, recreate the story from the owls perspective, looking down at the father and the child. What does the owl notice about them? 

This is a great activity for children aged kindergarten through second grade.
  

Real Simple Sewn Valentine's Heart

The Bee Yoga Fusion YogaKids are excited to share their Valentine's with the ones they love. I used the PDF supplied by Real Simple. Click here to print the PDF.

I printed the hearts on white card stock and I prepped the craft activity by punching the holes along the heart with the tip of sharp scissors so that the plastic needles could easily slip through.
The YogaKids loved this craft and made several Valentine's creating a different design for each one. We used various colors of acrylic yarn, each child choosing the color they wanted to use.

This craft is a wonderful tool for fine motor development. It's perfect for children just beginning to learn how to write letters, four years old to second grade.

Apple Filling Crescent Rolls

The next time that you make crescent rolls try adding a little bit of goodness to it. Slice apples into small bite sized pieces and place in a skillet over medium heat with a little bit of oil and water until the apples are soft. Leave them as is or stir in a small amount of brown sugar.
Unroll each crescent roll and place a small amount of apples in the corner of the roll and then roll up as you would normally do.
Cook as directed on the crescent roll package.
I'm sorry I didn't get an after picture. They were gone so fast that I didn't have time to grab my camera. Be warned: there will not be leftovers!
ENJOY!

Foosball Game Craft for Kids

Creating this foosball game was a great activity that had the Bee Yoga Fusion Yoga Kids working as a team. We used a cardboard shoebox and cut the top off of it. The YogaKids then took turns decorating the bottom to clearly mark the center of the field and the goalies using markers. I cut out the squares at each end to make the goals so that the ball could roll through it when the team scored.

Each child decorated two large craft sticks as people using markers and their imaginations. I adhered the sticks onto the 12 inch dowel rods using 2 rubber bands, being sure to criss cross them to help the people stay in place.

I poked holes in the side of the shoebox for the dowel rods to feed through. At first the YogaKids tried using a rolled up piece of paper as the ball but it didn't work as well as they imagined. So they then decided on using marbles.

Creating the foosball game was a lot of fun and then playing with it was even more enjoyable.
This is a great craft to teach kids about making toys out of recycled objects that you can find around your house. Suitable for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

LOVE- A New Spin on Fingerprinting Art

We have all experienced and enjoyed creating a painting with our fingerprints as children. Kids gets so excited when you give them the opportunity to get their hands dirty, completely cover them with paint and produce art. Well why not put a spin on it and instead offer them to paint with their toes?

The Bee Yoga Fusion YogaKids created absolutely stunning artwork by painting with their feet. At first they were hesitant, dipping only a big toe in or a heel and then they took the plunge and covered their entire foot in paint. It was a lot of fun!

First I printed the words LOVE on card stock, here is a PDF for you to print and cut.
https://drive.google.com/a/cocktailmom.com/file/d/0B-0MoU6EgXKidk9hcGNTcmJ0Y2s/view?usp=sharing

I prepped the activity by cutting out each of their letters first but if you have older kids try having them do it themselves. I taped the letters to look similar to the LOVE statue in Philadelphia, PA on white card stock using washi craft tape so that it wouldn't ruin the paper when I peeled the letters off later. We used tempura paint but any craft paint will also work well.

Once the entire paper is covered in foot prints, set it aside to dry. Once the painting is dry you can slowly peel off each letter to reveal the word LOVE in white.
This would make a great Valentine's gift! And is a great craft for kids in kindergarten through fourth grade.  

Anatomy for Kids

Teaching yoga poses to kids in a way that goes beyond the yoga mat is something I am very passionate about. Finding a way in which the shape of the poses can be better understood often involves having the kids create with their hands. So after teaching them Warrior Two I handed each child a black piece of construction paper and a white crayon and asked them to draw a stick figure of the pose. I then had the children trace the skeleton with glue and using cut up Q-tips to create a Warrior Two skeleton.  

Does your child take dance class or play an instrument? Ask them to create a stick figure of their posture in a dance pose or how they sit/stand while they play their instrument. Talk to them about their posture and help them understand their bodies from the inside out.

Recycled Tin Can Pencil Holder

I bet you remember making one of these when you were a kid. Did your mom or dad proudly display it on their desk? I wanted the BYF YogaKids to make a few gifts for their parents this holiday season so it only seemed natural to reinvent some old school crafts that maybe their parents remember making when they were kids. 

Using washed out soup cans I had the kids place school glue along the length of the can and then they slowly wound pretty acrylic yarn, of their choosing, around the can. And because these are yoga kids we decided to take pictures in yoga poses to then adhere to the can with a hot glue gun. The end result was fantastic! The yoga kids were so proud of their upcycled craft and were excited to put them under the Christmas tree for their parents.

Age range- Kindergarten -4th grade

Difficulty level- Easy with parent assistance

Felt Ornament Wreaths

Combining fine motor activity with a craft is thrilling for me! Seriously…I love being able to have the kids create a craft while building the muscles in their hands that will lead to better penmanship. This beautiful felt wreath will keep your kids entertained longer than you might expect. So who cares that it's after Christmas…stock up for next year!

Here is what you will need:
various colors of felt
yarn
plastic needle, found near the knitting and crochet hooks at your local craft store
jingle bells
heavy duty hole punch

I prepped everything for my Yoga Kids so that they could get right to work creating and I will warn you that depending on the number of kids that you have this might take a while. Cut each piece of felt into 1 inch squares and then using a heavy duty hole punch put holes in the center of each square. This is the brand of hole punch that I use, Crop-A-Dile and it can go through tin! Highly recommend getting one to have in your crafting closet.

String a piece of yarn onto each needle and tie off the end so that the kids can begin putting the squares on the yarn. Encourage them to create a pattern with the various colors of felt. When thy have determined that their wreath is big enough tie the two ends together and secure the jingle bell at the top. With the remaining yarn make a loop to hang on the tree. Enjoy!

Why not have your kids make their own toys today?

It's winter break and it's quite possible that your kids are driving you a wee bit crazy. Everyone is excited about the expectation of gifts and food and relatives visiting. Maybe you could use a few minutes to yourself but don't want to plop the kids in front of a screen?
I've got your covered!
Hand them some random items and see what they come up with. Try giving them the corks leftover from the wine your family drank the other night, some paper, scissors, pipe cleaners, markers and glue and simply tell them to make some dolls.
Dolls? They might ask.
Yes, dolls. Okay if you have boys in your house tell them to make superheros.
See what they come up with on their own. Tell them that the dolls/superheros need clothes and hair, maybe a hat to wear.
Then give them another challenge. Raid your recycling bin and tell them to build a house and a car for the dolls/superheros to use.
When you supply the items for the children to create, they instantly start using their imagination. It's amazing what they will come up with.
Go ahead…give it a try!

Snow Globe Kids Craft Ornament

If you have small kids then your tree is probably decorated with various handmade ornaments that they had such pride in creating and presenting to you. Well I have one more to add to your tree….snow globes!

Here is what you'll need:

clear plastic cups

colored pencils

glue

card stock

cotton balls

glitter

Using card stock make a circle slightly bigger than the clear plastic cup, cut out. Then cut a 2 inch x 3 inch piece of card stock for the center of the snow globe. Have your child draw a picture on the rectangle shape and fold down ½ inch from the bottom and glue to the center of the circle. Then let your child glue down all the cotton balls that they can get to fit on the circle. Punch a hole in the bottom of the plastic cup and thread some yarn through it. Sprinkle some glitter in the bottom of the cup and then put glue around the rim of the plastic cup and secure to the circle. 

Hang on your tree and enjoy!

Autism Accomplishments

Hey Village! It's time to celebrate again! 

Often times when you have a kid on the Autism Spectrum there are accomplishments that take place that no one really understands, except the people closest to you. They are small accomplishments that as the parent make you want to rent the party room, pull out the streamers, blow some party balloons and hire the clown. And in a way…I guess that's what I'm doing by writing this post.

Logan, my oldest son, is eleven years old and on the Autism Spectrum. I recently wrote about his accomplishment of being able to tolerate large groups which was HUGE for our family. It's opened doors to opportunities that we weren't able to experience before.
Well now I am here to celebrate jeans.
Jeans?, you might wonder.
Yes, it is that simple…jeans.

There was an entire year when Logan refused to wear anything but superhero long sleeved pajamas. As you can see in the first picture where his brother is wearing seasonally appropriate clothes for July in Washington DC, Logan stood his ground and wore his pajamas everywhere. You might wonder why I didn't "make" him wear other clothes. Yes, of course I tried. But until you've experienced a meltdown from a child on the Autism Spectrum please do not judge. It's beyond anything you've ever experienced. The look of pain in my son's eyes as I wrestled him into shorts and a t-shirt was as if I was lighting his skin on fire. The screaming would reach an all new octave, the tears would cover his entire red face while gasping for air all because of a cotton t-shirt and elastic waist shorts. This was the start of our day for several weeks. The meltdown would last over an hour. The pain in his eyes, that's what broke me.
I couldn't handle it.
I gave up.
I bought every pair of superhero pajamas I could find in his size. It was summer and finding long sleeve pajamas was nearly impossible. Short sleeved and short sets would not placate him. It had to be long sleeved, he insisted that his skin had to be covered in the 90 degree humid heat of DC. I found two Superman sets on clearance at Target and it felt like I hit the lottery. I called my mom in tears, having my own meltdown over pajamas, and because she has witnessed Logan's getting dressed meltdowns first hand she understood my immediate need for her to go to her local Target and buy clearance superhero pajama sets as well. Between the two of us we were able to secure a weeks worth of long sleeved pajamas. And it felt like my life became normal. Except for the fact that I got stares and comments from strangers everywhere we went, we were a magnet for parenting advice.
"How could you allow your son to wear long sleeves in this heat?"
You have no idea.

Logan outgrew the pajama phase, it led to t-shirts and elastic waist athletic pants which has been a staple in his wardrobe for the past several years. And then today he came downstairs ready for school wearing jeans! I'm not sure if the jeans were a gift or something his father bought that Logan has refused to wear and it has been living at the bottom of the drawer. I don't remember how they came to appear in our house but on laundry day when all the other athletic pants were dirty his choice was simple…jeans. And he didn't have a meltdown, he wore them proudly. I made such a huge deal about it, complementing him on how grown up he looks. Taking pictures of his outfit. In my mind I knew instantly that this would be scrapbooked in our family photo book.
My mom came over that night and fussed over him on handsome he was in jeans. I'm so glad she got to see him, that she too got to celebrate this accomplishment since she lived through the pajama phase with me. Like I said this was a big deal, a major accomplishment.
Jeans today….I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

   

Handprint Holiday Wreath

Adorn your front door with a wreath made out of your child's handprints this holiday season. This holiday handprint wreath is a wonderful, easy craft that you can make with your child in an afternoon. Simply have your child trace their handprint on various pieces of scrapbook paper and with care cut them out. Then take a paper plate and cut out a huge inner circle, staple each handprint to the paper plate. To cover each staple, glue various colored pom-poms to each staple using regular school glue. Hole punch the top and thread a ribbon through it to hang on your front door.