The whole family has been hard at work on our garden — here’s a little update with things we were happy to see!! We get excited when we find tiny sprouts of lettuce starting to appear! Aren’t they sooooo cute??? And look — potatoes starting to sprout!! Yay!!! There’s always work to be done, but […]
These Crafts are for the Birds!
March 3, 2011 by
We are excited to be welcoming back the birds, and what better way to celebrate than with some fun crafts?? Here are a few of our favorites! Both Clara and Emily have gotten lots of use from these Field Guides for Tots. We found you can make Bird Feeders from just about any Recyclable! We […]
Giveaway — Kids Gardening Prize Pack
February 28, 2011 by
A big thank you to CSNStores.com for sponsoring this fun giveaway! If you’re not already familiar with CSNStores, they are made up of more than 200 online stores and sell everything from kitchen appliances to swing sets for kids. They have an amazing selection, and are well-known for their good customer service! Lately our days […]
Sunday Snapshot — Snowy Story Time
January 30, 2011 by
Emily’s new favorite reading spot… Nothing like some outdoor snow furniture! Wishing you and your family a fun weekend — stay warm!!
Organic (Frugal) Goodness
September 11, 2010 by
We just returned from a super-fun (and frugal) trip to an organic apple festival at the Rodale Institute — an event that is quickly becoming my favorite birthday tradition!! Some of the apples required a bit of team-effort…… …but it was well-worth it…….. ….to end up with a half-bushel of organic apples like this one! […]
Sunday Snapshot — At the Zoo (with Daddy)
September 5, 2010 by
We are still getting lots of use from our annual passes to the zoo, plus we were blessed with gorgeous weather!! We made lots of new friends this morning….. The girls had so much FUN romping around the zoo with Daddy! Mark met a new (feathered) friend………. …..and so did Clara! Emily made friends with […]
Quick Craft — Leaf Necklace
August 30, 2010 by
We spent a good deal of time outside this afternoon, and a small pocket of that time was spent making these super-quick leaf necklaces! To make your own, you will need a small cutting board, clear contact paper, a hole punch, string/yarn, and some metal cookie cutters. Gather up some leaves! Emily thought these small […]
Nature Study Kit from Recyclables
July 26, 2010 by
This afternoon the girls and I went around the house collecting recyclables and put together a Nature Study Kit to enjoy some educational outdoor fun! There were lots of interesting containers to collect specimens — a baby food jar, a tea tin, a mint tin, and a leftover mesh bag from a sack of lemons. […]
Sunset Silhouette
May 19, 2010 by
I have been playing around with the idea of a tree silhouette at sunset painting for some time now, but I was struggling to find an easy way for Emily to do this and get good results. Then I had a “eureka” moment this afternoon while playing with some rubber bands. Let me explain… First, […]
Cheap Thrills — Inspired by Dandelions
April 30, 2010 by
For a fun time, have your kids collect dandelion seeds from the yard or park. This may sound easy in theory, but if your kids are like mine, they may get a bit distracted on their quest for seeds. No, no, we’re not blowing the seeds all over the ya— Oops! Too late!! That? That’s […]
Cheap Thrills — Mud Pie Edition
April 7, 2010 by
For a fun time, go outside and set up some sand or dirt on a table with some old baking tins. Add a pitcher of water, and some spoons. Make mud pies!! I can remember spending entire afternoons making mud pies when I was a kid. I think mine were decorated with sticks for birthday […]
Zoo Journal
April 2, 2010 by
For Emily’s birthday, we splurged on a family membership to our local zoo. Since we plan to make many trips there throughout the year, I thought it would be fun for her to keep a zoo journal filled with sketches of all the animals she sees! It was a beautiful day, so most of the […]
Flowers as Canvas
March 25, 2010 by
Our Star Magnolia tree is just starting to bloom with beautiful white blossoms. We trimmed some of the branches, and placed them in a vase. The girls LOVED coloring on the white petals with bright markers! Art and nature ….combined! Clara took this coloring job very seriously. It’s hard work, being a crafty toddler, and […]
We’re Featured for Work of Art Wednesday!
March 24, 2010 by
Today we were featured at Mommy Moment, where we shared this fun Spring craft project for “Work of Art Wednesdays”! You can see how we made it here! Thanks for featuring us, Jody!
Quick Craft — Spring Tree Sculpture
March 18, 2010 by
It happened right before my very eyes — Emily turned 6 years old!!! We had a fun time at the zoo, and went out for lunch to celebrate. When we got home, Clara crashed for a nap, so Emily and I snuck in this super-quick Spring craft project. For this Spring tree sculpture, make a […]
Welcome Birds with a Bird Nester
March 12, 2010 by
The girls had so much fun putting together these bird nesters, and Clara was thrilled to participate along with her big sister! These are similar to bird feeders, but instead of filling them with bird seed, we fill them with soft, natural materials for the birds to use for building their nests. First, Emily tore […]
Psychedelic Snowman Sculpture
February 25, 2010 by
Who says you can only build a snowman outdoors? And while we’re at it… why can’t he be a bit more colorful? After gathering some snow from outside, we made our sculptures with it…. …and we brightened up our designs using some sheets of bleeding art tissue paper! [Note: This is different from regular tissue […]
Snowman Vase from Recyclables
January 2, 2010 by
We filled this sweet little snowman vase with some evergreens from the yard to bring some green into the house. He is made from recyclables (aka FREE craft supplies)! To make your own snowman vase, you will need: an empty cereal puffs container (or other container of similar shape), Sharpie marker, construction paper, felt, and […]
