With Valentine's Day approaching, this candy conversation heart tracing activity is sure to get your preschooler in the "spirit of love". Think they might eat more than they play with? Try encouraging a "one for me, one for the paper" motto.

Here's what you will need:

• Construction Paper (Cut into quarters)
• Black Marker
• Cookie Cutters (In various shapes)
• Candy Conversation Hearts
• Glue (very optional)

Using the marker, trace around each cookie cutter, making small dash marks. You can make as many as you like, but we went with three. Set out a small bowl of conversation hearts and encourage them to lay the hearts along the dotted line.

Concepts this activity promotes:

• Helps strengthen finger muscles important for using scissors and writing
• Shapes recognition
• Following directions
• Tracing
• Older preschoolers can work on patterning the hearts in an ABAB pattern.

Tip: Gluing the hearts to the paper might make a cute craft. Be careful they don't pick the hearts back up again, eating them (glue and all)!

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This is a  classic craft for Valentine’s Day. The first time I did this I was barely older than my son. I was excited to see how much my son liked making it and it’s a great craft for families with various abilities, it’s easy to add lace, sequins, glitter etc… It also makes a great valentine to someone you love, my son gave away his hug to my sister as soon as she arrived for a visit.

1. Gather your materials. You will need some cardboard or other sturdy paper, red paint, construction paper ( red and black), googly eyes, scissors and some glue.
2. Draw one large heart and 2 smaller hearts on the cardboard.
3. Have your child paint the hearts. I asked my son to draw the small ones first to work in a short and simple lesson about large and small.
4. While they paint, fan fold the red paper and cut 2 strips for the arms.
5. Cut out a black smile.
6. When the paint is dry glue on the eyes and smile.
7. Cut the hearts out.
8. Glue the small hearts on the ends of the arms.
9. Glue the arms on the heart and let dry.

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Supplies:

• brown grocery bag (or a roll of brown craft paper)
• crayons, markers, etc. for decorating – we found that construction paper crayons worked great

Open your paper bag flat and cut into strips. Accordion-fold each strip, making the folds the width you want your gingerbread people to be. Draw or trace a gingerbread shape onto the top of the folded strip (we used a cookie cutter for tracing.)

With some good scissors, cut around the shape (this is a grown-up job!). Remember not to cut any parts that are on the folded sides, in this case the ends of the arms and legs. Unfold and see the long string of gingerbread people holding hands!

Let your kids get busy decorating! We used crayons, but the paper bag would be sturdy enough for paint, or even fabric scraps, ribbon, ric-rac, etc.

Happy decorating!

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I found this cute button wreath on Better Homes & Gardens' website and it is a great dollar store craft! Everyone has a stash of buttons (don't they??). With the addition of some pretty fabric and a dollar store frame, you can make a holiday work of art suitable for decorating your home or giving as a gift.

If you used small frames to make some of these, they would be great gifts for grandparents, teachers, or aunts. If you just want to make them yourself, they would also be sweet cubicle decorations (read: great gifts for coworkers).

You could also use this idea to make cute cards – just be sure to use sturdy enough cardstock to stand up to the weight of the buttons.

Project Estimate:

• Frame, $1
• Fabric, on hand
• Buttons, on hand
• Ribbon, $1

Total Cost: $2

To make, remove cardboard insert from frame, or cut a cardboard piece of paper to fit inside your frame. Glue a piece of fabric to cardboard, then arrange buttons in wreath shape (or whatever shape you desire) and glue onto fabric. Top off with a ribbon bow. Insert into frame.

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There's not a whole lot of snow here in Texas, but I'm of the mindset that if you have lemons you should make lemonade! No snow you say? That's no reason not to have a White Christmas as long as you have some salt on hand. Our Advent Art Activity for the 9th day of December was making salty snow prints. I got the idea from an amazing "friend" and fellow crafty Momma, Val from Frugal Family Fun Blog

Why KSW Loves These: Nothing could be simpler to make and chances are, you have everything you need to make these hiding in your cabinets

To make your own Salty Snow Prints, you'll need:

• Construction Paper
• Elmer's Glue
• Baking Sheet or a Box Lid
• Crayons or Chalk
• Salt

First, have your kids draw images on construction paper using crayons or chalk. Next, help your kids trace their drawings with glue. Now, here's the REALLY important part … place the picture on a baking sheet or some surface with a lip to catch the salt. Have fun pouring or sprinkling salt over the glue with your little ones, shift the salt around to make sure all the glue is covered. Empty the excess salt off your paper and let it dry {additional salt will also need to be shaken off once the pictures dry}

Have a blast with these and please send me photos of your Salty Snow Prints or upload them below in the comments.

*~*~* Pictured: two snowmen, a snowflake and a red bird *~*~*

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1. Gather your materials. You will need a kitchen sponge, washable markers, scissors, some plain white paper, some bright thin paint, tape and black construction paper.



2. Start by drawing a light bulb shape on the sponge. Cut out, then wash the marker off.



3. We used the paint rollers for our paint, but you could use any paint or even an ink pad. Essentially you are stamping the sponge.





4. Stamp! If like me you have been house bound due to weather and are a little crazy and want to try this with a toddler here are my tips… Ask your child where they want the sponge, then place it there, then have them slap the sponge and FREEZE. My son loved this , he loved freezing and it helped get nice prints for the effect. We managed to have fun with these tricks, he also directed which color to use. After he rolled the roller on his head I took over those duties too.



5. Do another color…and repeat. I blotted my sponge between uses but I didn’t bother washing it.
6. Let the bulbs dry.



7. Here is where I gave my son the sponge and roller and let him be free! While I finished up .
8. Add squiggly circles at the neck of each bulb.



9. Connect the bulbs with a marker “wire”



10. Trim and tape to a black piece of paper. I am using tape because plain white paper is thin and glue could ruin the prints.

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Image: Your Home Based Mom

•  I love to cook and bake goodies with my boys, and one of our advent activities this year is Reindeer Corn Cookie Bark from Leigh Anne at Your Home Based Mom.
• The Crafty Crow has TONS of great projects including ornaments, advent activities, and Nature-inspired crafts.
• One of my new blog discoveries is Blue Yonder. Just in time, her Great Biggo List of Holiday Ideas has gift and yummies kids can make for Christmas, advent ideas, and favorite holiday books.

These are just a few of my favorite things…I would love to see YOUR favorite things in the comments!!

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Craft beads aren't just for stringing on a piece of thread anymore! There are several different ways you can use them to inspire, teach, and encourage learning in young children. And they will have fun too!

**The following activities are meant for use with children over the age of 3. Please always supervise their participation with small objects such as craft beads.

Sort Them By Color. During the preschool years (3-5 approximately) children are learning to sort and categorize all kinds of objects.  From the clothes in their drawers to the food on their plates, sorting is everywhere,  and sorting objects, like beads, can help with early learning concepts such as classification and color recognition.

Do you have any idea for alternate uses for crafts beads?

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While preparing for a baby shower photo shoot this summer we came up with this easy plush owl craft. And it can even be no-sew if you switch the stitch for a little fabric glue. We won't tell! {wink} Read on for a list of materials, step-by-step instructions and a template download.

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What a fun way to help a young child express thankfulness and to teach gratitude!

Here is a link to the clip art used in the video.

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