Tips: Note: The information provided
in this site is designed to be an educational aid only. It is not intended
to replace the advice and care of your child's physician, nor is it intended
to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. If you suspect that your
child has a medical condition, always consult a physician.
Costume for a Rainy Halloween
When I was little it was raining one halloween and of course we still wanted to go out trick or treating. We couldn't exactly carry and umbrella so my mom decided to put dark colored garbage bags over our winter coats. She cut out the place for the face and scrunced up some ears and taped at the base and put make up on our faces and we were very cute mice and the garbage bag costume mad for a good rain coat.
Submitted
By: Vicki(Added: 24-Oct-2003 Hits: 0 Rating:
0 Votes: 0) Rate
It
Creative Clean-up
Leave time at the end of a messy art project for a fun cleanup session.
Spray a puddle of shaving cream on the table top and let the kids "finger paint" away the paint, glue and general grime.
Remove the "masterpiece" with a damp towel when you're done. The table will look great, and the artists' hands are easier to clean, too.
Submitted
By: Lynn Bushey(Added: 21-Apr-2002 Hits: 0 Rating:
9.75 Votes: 4) Rate
It
Didn't God Do A Good Job?
On a family vacation to the mountains, our four year old daughter anxiously awaited the moment she would see her first mountain. She talked about it to our teen sitter in the back seat of the car for hours. She spoke of how she had seen mountains in books and on television and how she longed to see one. Finally, road weary, she fell asleep. As we finally approached the Ozark Mountains, the sun was setting behind the mountains ahead and it was vivid with color. Laura, our babysitter, gently woke our daughter and told her that we were approaching the mountains. Our sleepy-eyed little girl raised up, rubbed her eyes, and said with a smile: "Wow! Didn't God do a good job?"
Submitted
By: Susan Walker(Added: 4-May-2001 Hits: 0 Rating:
6.80 Votes: 5) Rate
It
Double Photo Prints
I purchased a small filing case(similar to those used for coupons or cancelled checks) and labeled each tab "Grandma, Uncle Joe, Friend Mary, etc". As soon as I receive my pictures, I divide the double prints into everyone's "file" Whenever I see the person or when I send out letters, I give everyone "their" pictures. This keeps the in-laws happy because they all get pictures if every stage of baby's development and I don't have tons of loose double prints floating around.
Submitted
By: Gigi(Added: 25-Jan-2001 Hits: 0 Rating:
9.00 Votes: 9) Rate
It
Dress up
I love to purchase Halloween costumes and accessories during the after Halloween sales. It's a cheap and fun way to add variety to my daughter's dress up chest.
Submitted
By: Jeannie(Added: 7-Nov-2004 Hits: 0 Rating:
0 Votes: 0) Rate
It
Dry Erase Saver
Save that dry erase board that a creative child used permanent marker on. Whether it's your child's or a garage sale bargain, spray it with chalkboard spray and get creative again!
Want an inexpensive magnetic chalkboard? Purchase a poster-size frame. Have your local hardware or metal supply dealer cut sheet metal to fit. (Many have scraps that will cost next-to-nothing, metal workers will be cheaper then the home-improvement stores, but they carry sheet metal, too.) Prime and paint with chalkboard spray. Use to list chores, placing magnets under chores completed. For travel size, have metal cut to 8x10 size. Great for tic-tac-toe in the car. Use caution when framing, metal can be sharp. I did a poster-size for about $10.
Submitted
By: Michele Janorschke(Added: 16-Jul-2001 Hits: 0 Rating:
2.50 Votes: 2) Rate
It
Easy Handprints
For children to young to hold their hands still long enough to be traced around and to avoid the mess of ink or paint on their tiny hands I found a solution.
Dip their hand in water then press onto dark construction paper. You have a perfect print to trace around and when the paper is dry you can cut it out or just leave it as a tracing. I do this about once a month to keep their cut out handprints in a memory book just for their growing hands. If you want to add these to a scrapbook make sure you use acid-free paper.
Submitted
By: Suzanne Painter(Added: 19-Apr-2002 Hits: 0 Rating:
10.00 Votes: 3) Rate
It
Easy pop-up valentines
Using white, red or pink construction paper, fold it in half with a good crease. On the top crease, cut out the top half of a heart shape (half-heart shape since paper is folded) and shape the rest of the top of the paper to the edge. Open the card, fold the heart to the inside and make creases in the paper to create the rest of the heart. When you open the card, the heart will pop up! Have your child decorate with crayons or markers. Can also be done with half-sheets for smaller cards.
Submitted
By: Darla Hubbard(Added: 22-Jan-2003 Hits: 0 Rating:
9.00 Votes: 2) Rate
It
Family Artist...
Do You have an artist in the family that loves to draw? I do - my daughter loves to draw. Sometimes she uses anything she can. Well, sometimes the phone company does not appreciate her artistic talents, so to save paper and recycle, I use mMy old paper grocery bags. They are great for drawing on, and let's face it, we all go grocery shopping so why not put those old bags to good use. And THEY ARE FREE!! And since they are usually pretty thick, they can even paint on them.
Submitted
By: Deborah Oakes(Added: 21-Jul-2001 Hits: 0 Rating:
4.00 Votes: 2) Rate
It
Family night by the fireside
This is especially fun on those cold winter nights with cups of hot cocoa! Choose a chapter book that all the family (except the toddlers:) ) will enjoy (such as "Little House on the Prairie series"). Every evening after the toddlers are asleep, gather the family together in the living room or by the fire and read a chapter or two aloud. No doubt, all will look forward to the next evening for a little quiet and relaxation after a busy day; as well as finding out what happens in the next chapter!
Submitted
By: Julie VanZandt(Added: 24-Mar-2002 Hits: 0 Rating:
10.00 Votes: 3) Rate
It
Fire starters for camping
I save empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls. Each time I empty the lint trap on the dryer I stuff the lint into one of the rolls. I also add the used dryer sheet. I store these in a platic drawstring bag. When we go camping I take along as many starters as needed and just toss them into the fire pit and light them. They light quickly even in the wind and burn for a long time. They are also lighter-weight than kindling.
Submitted
By: Dawnn Miller-Wiles(Added: 13-Oct-2003 Hits: 0 Rating:
0 Votes: 0) Rate
It
Formula Cans
Ever wonder what to do with all those formula cans? Well, there are many things to do with them. You can make piggy banks out of them, just cut a slit on lid and decorate. You can also organize your kids playroom. Put little toys such as barbie shoes/clothes, pencils, markers etc. On the outside of the can either write whats in there or use stickers, drawings etc. to lable the cans of the contents.
Submitted
By: Sheila(Added: 15-Jan-2006 Hits: 0 Rating:
0 Votes: 0) Rate
It
fun arts and crafts
I picked up discontinued wallpaper sample books at the wallpaper store for free! My toddler and I cut out the pictures and designs and made beautiful cards, placesettings, etc..
Submitted
By: amy(Added: 24-May-2000 Hits: 0 Rating:
8.83 Votes: 6) Rate
It
Got milk?
Make a bird feeder/house out of a milk jug!Cut a hole the size of you fist in the middle of the jug.(most milk jugs have a circular groove in the middle anyway...if so...cut along the groove).Your child could paint the outside of the jug with outdoor-friendly paints.If jug has a screw on top...poke 2 holes in the top to put fishing line/yarn.(If it is a pop top...put the holes right up under the opening of the jug on the sides)thread the yarn/line in and put seed in if you made a bird feeder OR straw/pine needles if it is a house!!
Submitted
By: Kimberly(Added: 23-Oct-2002 Hits: 0 Rating:
10.00 Votes: 2) Rate
It
Have fun being a monster!
With the added bonus of pampering yourself! Try giving yourself a facial mask, then run around pretending you're a scary monster. Your kids will be thrilled and your complexion improves at the same time :)
Submitted
By: gennieL(Added: 24-May-2001 Hits: 0 Rating:
1.00 Votes: 1) Rate
It
