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  • Home
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    • Animal House
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  • Education
    • Money Matters - Kids
    • Back to School Guide
    • Preschools, Private Kindergarten & Child Care >
      • Preschool/Day Care Open Houses & Special Events
    • Child Enrichment Programs >
      • Art, Dance & Theatrical Schools >
        • Culinary Creations
      • Art & Painting Fun for Kids
      • Music and Writing
      • Paint Your Own Pottery & Glass Studios
    • Special Needs Children
    • LibraryPrograms >
      • Books for Kids
    • Summer Reading Fun
    • ParenthoodNJ Recommended Reading >
      • Books NJ Kids & Parents Love
      • Book Lists from NJ Libraries
    • Foreign Language Getting Started >
      • Foreign Language Classes
      • Other Foreign Language Resources
      • Foreign Language Groups
      • Foreign Language Books
    • Education Websites >
      • Learning on TV
      • Online & Computer Games
      • Other Techie Learning & Fun
  • Child Care
    • Preschool, Private Kindergarten & Child Care
  • Activities
    • Free Activities in NJ
    • Events Calendar >
      • Memorial Day Parades & Events in New Jersey 2014
      • July 4 Fireworks and Events in New Jersey
      • Halloween 2016 Events in New Jersey
      • Father's Day Fun
      • Other Halloween Fun
    • Winter Holiday Events Listings
    • Winter Holiday Fun Page
    • Annual County Events >
      • Atlantic County Annual Events
      • Bergen County Annual Events
      • Burlington County Annual Events
      • Camden County Annual Events
      • Cape May County Annual Events
      • Cumberland County Annual Events
      • Essex County Annual Events
      • Hudson County Annual Events
      • Hunterdon County Annual Events
      • Mercer County Annual Events
      • Middlesex County Annual Events
      • Monmouth County Annual Events
      • Morris County Annual Events
      • Ocean County Annual Events
      • Passaic County Annual Events
      • Salem County Annual Events
      • Somerset County Annual Events
      • Sussex County Annual Events
      • Union County Annual Events
      • Warren County Annual Events
    • St. Patrick's Day Parades & Events
    • LibraryPrograms
    • Child Enrichment Programs
    • Holiday Gift Guide 2011 >
      • Specialty Toy Stores
      • Plush Toy Review
      • Little Pim Review
    • Holiday/Seasonal Books >
      • Spring Holiday Books
      • Summer Holiday Books >
        • Summer Reading Fun
      • Fall Holiday Books
      • Winter Holiday Books >
        • Oscar the Kitten Review
    • Kid-Friendly Fun >
      • All About the Arts for Kids
      • Animal & Nature Lovers
      • Dinosaurs
      • Jr History Detectives
      • Knights & Dragons
      • Mad About Science
      • Outer Space Page
      • Pirates! Arrr!
      • Superheroes
      • Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Ships
      • Princess and Fairies Page
    • Kids Camps >
      • Camp Tour Dates & Open Houses
      • Summer Camps by theme
    • Other sites for events & activities >
      • Koddler Events New Feed
    • The Great Outdoors >
      • Amusement Parks
      • NJ Spraygrounds & Water Parks
      • NJ Ski areas
      • NJ Farms
      • County Parks in NJ
      • Rec Departments in NJ
      • Beach Towns
    • Zoos, Horseback Riding >
      • Zoos by county
    • Museums
    • For a Rainy Day
    • Sports & Recreation >
      • Indoor Rock Gyms
      • Gymnastics & Yoga
      • Skating Rinks
      • Soccer Programs
      • Swimming Classes
    • Historic Sites & Houses >
      • Revolutionary War History & NJ Sites
    • Theaters & Shows
  • Health & Safety
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Make a Frozen Landscape

5/20/2014

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Picture
This Disney Frozen landscape was a lot of fun to put together and a great addition for my daughter's Frozen Birthday Party and took about two hours to put together. 

One note, it is very difficult to find snow or winter items in the off-season (our party was in May) or very expensive. I was lucky to borrow several items from my mother's decoration stash and from my own holiday decor. However, she only had one can of fake snow spray. I had enough for these windows but ran out for the other windows in the room. There are several homemade alternatives such as using icing, which did look like snow, but I didn't want to attract ants. I chose to use toothpaste instead and no one noticed the difference in the windows. Big tip: If you use toothpaste, do it at least the night before a party because the entire room will smell like mint.

Picture
These Frozen figures really were a hit and accented the winter scene nicely. It took about an hour for me to make them. I found pictures of all the main characters and printed them out on white paper. I cut out the shape and then traced it onto cardboard (I used the box all my goody bag items came in - recycling at its best!).

Then I cut out the cardboard (in the same shape as the paper picture). And then I used a glue stick to attach the paper picture to the cardboard.

I took a small piece of cardboard and taped it to the back to stand it up. I also used stuffing to help the figures stand in the "snow."

Picture
The rest of the scene took about 1 hour for my mother and I to create. I used fake snow spray on the windows. We strung a wire across the top and hung glittery plastic snowflake decorations (using wire) .

We strung two strands of snowflake lights but you could also use icicle lights. The crystal trees were fake decorations that can be found in craft stores like Michaels. Some were placed in glass vases filled with plastic crystals.

Picture
The snow along the bottom was simply stuffing that we rolled out. Then we glammed it up with fake snow shavings, small plastic glittery snowflakes and irridescent stuffing (kind of like what you'd use in an Easter basket).

The glass tree looks ice-covered. My mother found them at a store a while ago, which was lucky for me but you can find something similar at a craft store.

The windows were "frosted" with fake snow spray. There are other homemade options including using toothpaste or white icing. 

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Crayon bunnies

5/7/2014

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Picture
Supplies Needed:
  • Crayons of assorted colors
  • White paper


I was inspired by some of the crayon crafts in The Usborne Big Book of Playtime Activities and Usborne's I Can Draw Animals. I did this with my preschooler (4-5 yrs old), basically guiding her but she drew everything in this picture herself. Depending on your child's ability and attention span, it may take a few practices to get a picture like this. That's ok.

1. I asked my daughter to draw circles to make the faces first. Then I suggested she make ovals for the ears and for the inside of the ears.
2. For the bodies, I suggested circles or ovals. As you can see the purple bunny isn't really either shape, but it still looks cute. We kept it simple by adding a circle for the tail.
3. Then she added grass by scribbling in green.
4. Then she made shrubs by drawing swirls in green and yellow. There is a great app called Squiggles (from Lazoo) for teaching young kids to draw swirls and other shapes. 

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Mother's Day Handprint Flower

5/7/2014

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Picture
Supplies Needed:
  • Paint of desired color
  • Green marker
  • White paper 
  • Paper plate and sponge (optional)


This is one of the easiest crafts we've ever done and makes a wonderful keepsake. I find using a sponge and paper plate for handprints is easiest but you don't have to do it that way.

1. Pour some paint on a paper plate and then dab the paint with a sponge (I get them at the dollar store).
2. Wipe off globs so you have an even covering on the sponge. Then blot the sponge on your child's hand. Or flip the sponge over on the plate (where there is no paint) and have your child place their hand on the sponge.
3. Have your child place their painted hand on the paper. (For younger children, you will need to guide them).
4. Then use the marker to draw a stem and, if desired, leaves.
5. Let dry. Then you have the perfect gift.

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    Sandra K. Lee is a freelance writer and stay-at-home mom with a 8-year-old princess & a 4-year-old superhero in Middlesex County, New Jersey.

    She also writes Momoirs and other blogs at NJ.com and the NJ Moms Blog.

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