HRM Parent Blog

My oldest daughter made one of these spring flowers at school a few days ago and was so excited to show it to me because she thought it would be a good craft to put on HRM Parent.  How sweet is that?

I happily obliged and earlier tonight we all sat around the kitchen table and she walked us through the steps to make them - enjoying every moment of being "the teacher" of course! 

We all had a good time and she was right, they are perfect for the blog.  Here are her exact instructions so you can make your own fun and easy flowers:

Things you'll need:

-  Construction paper

-  Scissors

-  Tissue Paper

-  Pipe cleaners

-  Pencil

-  Tape

Step 1: Pick your favourite coloured piece of paper.  Lay your hand on top of the paper with your fingers opened up.  Use the pencil to draw around it.   Do it again with your other hand. (Some adults might only need to do one hand and really little kids could do three hands)

Step 2: Use the scissors to cut out the hands but be careful not to cut your real fingers!

Step 3: Use a piece of tape to stick a pipe cleaner to the bottom of one hand. You might need to use two pieces of tape to make sure it stays.

Step 4: Pull the sides of the hand up around the pipe cleaner so it comes together (to make a cone shape at the bottom).

Step 5: Take the other paper hand and do the same thing as you just did with the other hand (to form another cone).

Step 6: Put the second one inside the first one and use a piece of tape to make them stick together.

Step 7: Cut some big squares out of the tissue paper.  It's nice to pick a colour that is different from your flower. Crumple them up and push them down inside the flower.

Step 8: Make sure the scissors are closed and use them to curl the fingers of the hand so they make petals.  But be gentle so they don't rip.

Make as many as you want in different colours for a lovely Spring bouquet!

Add some Irish cheer to your house in time for St. Patrick’s Day with this easy Shamrock craft.

You’ll need:

- small paper plates

- green paint

- paintbrush

- green construction

- glue

- tape

Using a small amount of glue, secure two plates together so they overlap slightly.  Add third plate and glue to form shamrock shape.

Cut a stem shape out of green paper.

Tape the stem to back of the shamrock.

You're done!  Tape it on a door or window and enjoy. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In the spirit of yesterday's blog about quick and simple Valentine's Day food ideas, here are some fun heart-inspired crafts that you can make this weekend, with things you likely already have at home.   Valentine's made easy....we love it!

We know a lot of Martha Stewart's crafts can take a lot of time and often require tools and items you may not have, but not these lovely hearts.  Made from melted crayon pieces and wax paper - you'll have these made in a flash!

Check out this cute little love bug from Kaboose made from a toilet paper roll.  Your little ones can have fun personalizing their own little critter.  So fun.

These pencil toppers from Family Fun are so fast and easy to make, you'll probably end up making them for the whole class!

Do you remember making heart shaped doilies when you were a kid?  Here's some instructions from the Artful Parent so you can share the tradition with your child.  These are made with tissue paper but you can follow the same instructions with regular paper.

Of course, if you happen to have any of the store-bought heart shaped doilies on hand, give them a fresh look with some paint like the folks at 4 Crazy Kings.

You can always count on our East Coast Mommy for a great craft.  Check out the little love bugs she made with her kids recently.  Adorable!

It's National Literacy Day and we're celebrating with this super easy home made bookmark that's great for even the youngest kids to make. 

What you'll need:

card stock, scissors, hole punch(s), glitter, glue stick, ribbon, packing tape

Directions:

1. Cut paper into a rectangle sized to fit a standard book

2. Use glue stick and glitter to make a design on one side of the paper

3. Wrap bookmark with strips of packing tape so that it extends over the edges.

4.  Rub over top of bookmark to smooth and secure tape, especially around glitter areas. Use scissors to trim excess tape around the edges.

5. Use scissors or a corner hole punch, to decorate each corner of the bookmark. 

6. Punch a hole in the top of the bookmark and tie a piece of ribbon through the hole to complete the bookmark.

Happy Reading!

Just in case your house is looking a little lonely now that the holiday decorations are packed away and the tree is on it’s way to the curb, here are some fun winter decorations to keep the place looking fun until Valentine’s!

You have to love the classic paper snowflake.  We bet you can’t make just one!   Have fun with different paper sizes and colours and let the imaginations run wild.  Then hang them in a window or attach them to a string for a winter garland.  If you need a refresher on how to fold the paper, check out these step-by-step instructions from Martha Stewart.

Out with the holiday centerpiece, in with these fancy woven placemats from Activity Village that will definitely bring you back to your childhood.  Use different coloured paper and have fun with different patterns to personalize them even more. 

These little footprint penguins from Busy Bee Kids Crafts are too cute and so easy to make.   Get everyone involved and make your own family of penguins.  For even more fun, try sticking them to bottles or jars and line them up in the family room where the tree used to be.