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Our Valentine’s Day – Ideas

February 16, 2009 By Laura 8 Comments

I hope everyone isn’t over the whole Valentine’s thing by now.  You know…sick of photos and Valentine talk.  After all, it was over 2 days ago!!  We’re just trying to catch up here!!  And please forgive me too, but I took a load of photos, and I have a hard time deciding which ones to share. But also, it’s for the sake pf preserving our kids’ childhood memories, here on the blog.

You’ll get a lot of good Valentine’s Day ideas for your kids in this post, for next year and on, though!

As you all know by now, we really TRY to follow the liturgical year.  However, Valentine’s Day has been removed from the Catholic Liturgical calendar I believe.  Still, as homeschoolers, we also try to study the history of every holiday or liturgical celebration. But I have to say………….we find Valentine’s Day, and St. Valentine, complicated, confusing and head-spinning.  Anyone else??  I have read 3 or more differing stories of how (St.) Valentine’s Day came about.  What’s more, there are more than one ‘Valentine’.  Indeed, this day we call Valentine’s  Day is shrouded in mystery and legend. They aren’t even sure who the REAL Valentine is, from what we have found. It seems there are 3 martyrs, all who did indeed die ‘for love’.  But for the LOVE OF CHRIST, not the romantic kind of love we tend to color Valentine’s Day with.

Now, if any of that sounds confusing, it’s because I was just as confused, typing it.  Still….we CELEBRATED LOVE in our own simple way.

valentines dy ideas for kids

The kids always wake up in the morning, to a little-something for them, on the table.

valentines dy ideas for kids

I couldn’t choose just ONE moment, that put a smile on my face, so I made them into one. : )  It’s just FUN watching them open and look at their stuff.  It takes so little to get them ALL excited.

valentines dy ideas for kids

Like a handful of straws, not for drinking, but building. More on that later.

valentines dy ideas for kids

Animal crackers, and Cherry Chapsticks.

valentines dy ideas for kids

Valentines of course, and Puppet Kits, to do later on today.

But first, we had {A’s} morning basketball game to get to!

Have I mentioned I am not properly equipped to photograph basketball games? I rarely even bother bringing my gear, getting this kind of quality of shots.  But I also have to avoid flash, because I don’t want to disrupt the focus of the girls.  Anyway, here’s the best of what I got Saturday morning.

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She’s always put in for the tip-off, to start the game, because she’s the tallest. (She’s the one with the ridiculously long braid.  #8 : )

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It took her no time to put her team on the scoreboard – it was also the first HOOP of the game!

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She managed to draw a COUPLE of fouls in the game, so this is one of the times she got a couple of free-throws.

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SCORE!

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We just love to watch her play.

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More free-throws. She’s good at drawing the foul.

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There’s only 1 more game before the play-offs. We all cry a little, when another basketball season is over until November.           We’re so sad!

Later after lunch, the kids put together their puppets. I found a kit of 4 animal puppets put out by Martha Stewart at Wal*Mart.  Each animal is so easy to make > No scissors or glue needed! Just follow the directions, peel off the paper tabs, and stick!

valentines dy ideas for kids

valentines dy ideas for kids

valentines dy ideas for kids

valentines dy ideas for kids

valentines dy ideas for kids

valentines dy ideas for kids

valentines dy ideas for kids

Yes, even {A} made one.  I know, she’s too old for puppets. But she does love crafting with the kids.

valentines dy ideas for kids

I asked all of the kids to lay down on our kitchen floor, so I could get this ‘puppet portrait’.  I knew it would be cute, and I didn’t even step on them taking the shot!

Later that evening, we had a fancy, soft-music, table-clothed, candle-lit dinner, WITH our little valentines.

valentines dy ideas for kids

Making such a  dinner took longer than we thought. They were knew recipes to us.  So by the time we sat down, we were STARVING, and I never took photos of our entrees.  But, we had:  Lemon Pepper Chicken Sandwiches (with colby-jack cheese and thick-cut bacon) on Kaiser Rolls.

We had fun saying “Pass the Grey Poupon, please!”

We also had French Onion Soup, that was better than any we have ever had in a restaurant. It takes quite awhile to make it, but boy was it good!!  The Gruyere Cheese is key!

valentines dy ideas for kids

And dessert, of course.  A heart-shaped chocolate cake, with a very light whipped strawberry frosting made from scratch.  Also delicious!

The next day the kids got to being creative with their abundance of straws:

 

valentines dy ideas for kids

valentines dy ideas for kids

valentines dy ideas for kids

And {A} baked us another treat.

valentines dy ideas for kids

It was really nice to have Valentine’s Day fall on a Saturday.

But we’re just going to carry on, celebrating love for the rest of the year.

Hope yours was wonderful too!!

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Filed Under: Celebrations, Crafts & Creations, Faith, Faith/ Catholic, Holiday Crafts, Holidays, Kids Arts and Crafts, The Big Picture Tagged With: Catholic-families, Catholic-Valentine's-Day, family-Valentine-dinner, history-of-St-Valentine, St. Valentine, Valentine-gift-ideas-for-your-kids, Valentine's-Day-ideas-for-kids, Valentines-Day-Liturgical-year-Catholic

A Little Love Around the Homestead – Valentine’s Day Decor and Activity

February 13, 2009 By Laura 7 Comments

Not much to say tonight.  But then, LOVE needs few words, right?
We just wanted to share with you  some of our Valentine’s Day decor and activity.

Valentines-day-home-decor_2

Valentines-day-home-decor_1

Can you see me?

kids-card-making
Triplets working on valentine cards for family, after their school work today.

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Using rubber stamps and stickers is a really fun, easy and mess-free way for kids to make really cute cards.
–

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Is there any love for us, greater than our King’s?

–

window-xo

xoxo-car-decor

We have some very simple family Valentine’s Day plans for tomorrow.

Now doubt I’ll have my camera out to play, along the way.

Wishing you all a Happy St. Valentine’s Day full of LOVE and lots of XOXOXO‘s !!

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Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Holiday Crafts, Home Decor, Kids Arts and Crafts, Kids Arts and Crafts, The Homestead Tagged With: February-decor, holiday-home-decor, kids-valentine-card-making, love-decor, Valentines-day-home-decor, Valentines-day-kids-activities

Mini-Masterpiece Magnets Made by Kids – Gift Ideas from Kids

February 12, 2009 By Laura 8 Comments

magnets kids can make

If you need gifts from your little kids, that they made, for loved ones, these Mini-Masterpiece Magnets are perfect!
It’s basically finger-painting fun, made into little framed pieces of colorful art, to use on refrigerators. Your recipients will love them, and your kids will be so proud they made them, themselves!
We’re teaching you how to make them!

First, just let your kids finger-paint with vibrant colors, on large quality, acid-free art paper.

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We call them “Mini-Masterpiece Magnets.”

It was abstract fine art, done our way!  And each one SIGNED by for the artists, no less!!
They all had a hand, in making each one. 😉

These are a fantastic gift idea from kids, that they can make themselves with love, for Christmas gifts and other occasions, for family and loved ones!
They are so fun for the kids to make themselves, and they will make them proud to have their masterpieces on display on anyone’s refrigerator!

Here’s how we made them:

We took those full sheet finger paintings, mounted them on magnetic material, cut them into 3″ x 3″ squares, and then ‘framed’ them with some black vinyl.
It’s that simple!

Then we made up sets of three, put them in those nifty clear bags I love, with a ribbon and a tag that said ‘Mini-Masterpiece Magnet Set’.  : )

We thought they were so colorful and fun, and honestly, it was my favorite hand-made craft gift we made to give as Christmas gifts.  We can only hope others could appreciate all of the colors and happy-emotion of these paintings, to adorn their refrigerators, perhaps to hold up a masterpiece of their own child’s, or a shopping list!

We made A LOT of them, and really…….they were truly hand picked into sets, for each recipient.  They may look all the same to some, but it was a painstaking task for us silly ones, choosing which ones we wanted to give to who, and which we just had to keep!

masterpiece-magnets-by-kids_all

Here’s a closer look at a few of these priceless paintings:

magnets kids can make

Big Mess.  Crazy Colors. Loud Laughs. Huge Fun. = ART MADE WITH LOVE

magnets kids can make

Save this idea for a rainy day craft, or as a Christmas gift idea from your own little Picasso-People.
Our kids had a blast making them, and as an update (2016), they have been loved and enjoyed for many years by all who received this gift from the kids. They’ve been on our own refrigerator for all these years, holding up other pieces of their art, and bringing us smiles from the memories we made, making them.

Thanks for coming by for some more inspiration and ideas!

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Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas, Kids Arts and Crafts, Kids Arts and Crafts Tagged With: art-magnets, Christmas-gift-ideas-from-kids, finger-painting-art, finger-painting-ideas, gifts-kids-can-make, handmade-homemade-gift-ideas-from-kids, kid-craft-gifts, kids crafts, kids-arts-and-crafts, magnets, magnets-kids-can-make

Handprint and Footprint Aprons – Homemade Gifts from Kids

February 5, 2009 By Laura 8 Comments

handprint-footprint-aprons-homemade-gifts-from-kids_00

One of the gifts the kids did for their paternal grandparents for Christmas, was this apron set.   We found the denim aprons right at our favorite place….Michael’s Arts & Crafts.   Then, we just picked up acrylic paints in the colors we wanted.  Their grandparents are both FANTASTIC cooks (they even make their own pastas), and take turns in the kitchen cooking, or cook together.  So we thought this idea of an apron set, with the kids hands and feet prints, would be cute for them. I only took photos the night we did feet, which was first.  The kids had a good time, and never stopped smiling and giggling.

how-to-make-footprint-aprons-homemade-gifts

First, we coated the bottom of a foot really well with paint.  You need to work quickly though, because it starts drying pretty fast.

how-to-make-homemade-aprons-homemade-gifts-from-kids_1

They stepped on the apron with their painted foot, putting their weight on it. Then they lifted their foot off the apron, going straight up!

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Then they went hopping off to the tub, to wash their foot.

ahop

Our kids are color coded (from the triplets birth), so their grandparents would know anyway, whose prints were whose.

how-to-make-footprint-aprons-homemade-gifts-from-kids

They all giggled from the tickles,  while their feet were having paint put on – you might notice the firm grip on this ankle, because for some…

stickle

…it was practically torture!!!

But didn’t they come out so cute??

footprint-apron-homemade-gifts-from-kids

handprint-apron-homemade-gifts-from-kids

I wanted to keep them for myself. lol

But, I knew the kids would be HAPPY to do it again sometime.

Now, on to a related topic:   I’m not sure if anyone happened to notice the yellow on our boy’s cheek in this photo we showed above? :

stickle

That’s from a couple of days before.  I was out on a job, and when I came home and walked in, they all came running in to meet me with excitement.  That’s not unusual. But they wanted to show me what their big sister spent quite awhile doing for them….

spuppy

She did face painting for them. I was impressed with her work!!   {S and O} got something on each side of their face.  {S}, above, got that puppy on one side….

sbee

…and a bumble bee on the other.

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{O} chose a unicorn, and…..

oflower

…a flower.

jdolphin

{J} just wanted a dolphin.

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And then {A} did her own arm!

She always has such creative ideas to spend time with them, and they LOVE it!

They are blessed to have her as their big sister.

Well, that’s it for this edition!  Dang….that took me a long time to get together!  lol.  We sure hope you enjoyed it, and perhaps it sparked some inspiration for you, or an idea of your own!

See you soon!!

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Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas, Kids Arts and Crafts, Kids Arts and Crafts Tagged With: denim-apron-crafts, gifts-for-grandma-grandpa, handmade-gifts-from-kids, handprint-footprint-ideas, homemade-Christmas-gift-ideas, homemade-gifts-from-kids, kids-decorating-aprons

Rare Birds at the Park – Kids Made Paper Bird Costumes

October 28, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

kids-craft-paper-bird-costumes

Each of our kids are pretty creative in their own rights.  Definitely different styles, ideas, and interests, but we would consider them all quite creative.  And equally messy in their creating. : )   Not to digress already, but our ‘school room’ serves many, many purposes.  It’s the most used room in our home. And it is there that the children create the most.  Sometimes alone.  Sometimes together. But either way, the mess is always BIG.  My family can tell you that there are daily lessons (or lectures….whatever you want to call it), about cleaning up after our creating!  But that one’s not sinking in as much as Mama would like. They are off to share their creation, and the mess they left behind is quickly forgotten.  Or more likely, it was never acknowledged at all!

I will never give up on teaching them to clean up their unbelievable messes, born in the process of their creating.  But I’d rather the mess, than they ever quit following their creative hearts.  Creating is a big part of their world.  Their days. Their childhood life.  And it’s one of those things that solidifies one of our purposes in home schooling them.  We want them to have OODLES of time, to do with as they wish.  To have enough free time they MUST fill on their own, that they hear the whispers of their heart. Their passions calling them. The voice of God. And they’re good at it already!!  I love to see what they choose to do–to see their imaginations hard at work, kicked into high gear— to see their own inner joy coming out, having found on their own, what makes them happy, as they pass their gift of time.

So with all of that being said, our boy {J} is definitely a unique, creative one. He is just different in his process, I guess. He is not spontaneous in his creating.  He’s a real, thorough planner (and thinker).  Often times, he tells me how he had this, or that, idea, while lying in bed waiting to fall asleep at night, and deciding what he was going to do in the morning. And trust us….we know when he gets up with a mission! He is in that school room, getting right to work on what he had planned. Immediately.  There is no time to waste.  No time to get dressed, wash up, or even eat breakfast.  He’s busy. And he needs to ‘just finish’ what he was making.  Which could be quite awhile!!  I love to just watch him at times.  Especially the cute things he does with his tongue when he is very focused.

And so we come to the focus of this particular post …  one of his grand and clever ideas. He had decided to make himself the wings and mask, of a blue jay.  Blue jays are around all day long in our yard bird sanctuary – and they do demand our attention. So it was no surprise he chose the blue jay.  What did surprise us, was the effort involved to make such a ‘costume’ once we saw what he had done.  He taped multiple pieces of paper together, to make each wing, and used a paper plate for the face.  I have reason to believe he even got out the bird identification book, to be sure of what their ‘mask’ looks like.

Now,…..had we known what he was doing, we could have offered larger paper, or cardboard, and maybe some paint, to create this bird costume. But, this creation was done before we knew what he was doing. Honestly…when he came out, showing me what he made, I must have had my mouth wide open. I was impressed, to think that a 6 year old boy would come up with this idea, and be so inspired to follow through with so much work, to make it a reality.  He even made handles on the inside of the wings, for his hands.

{J} – The Blue Jay

blue-jay-paper-costume

It wasn’t long  (maybe….3 seconds?), before the other little kids wanted their own bird costumes, too.  {J} was happy to help instruct, and lend a hand here and there, but he wasn’t doing it for them!!  It even took them a few days to get the coloring complete, with some requests from their big sister to help them color too.  It IS a LOT of paper to cover!  But eventually, they got them done.  Now, they may have not wanted these bird outfits quite as much as {J} did, but at least he didn’t have something they didn’t have now!  And in the end, they all were pretty proud birds.
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{O}-The Cardinal

cardinal-paper-costume-kid-craft

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{S} – The Goldfinch

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So….after having these wings and masks all over the house (and not necessarily together, as the sets they should be), I knew it was time to do something real with them.  So the other day, we took them to the park, where they could really have space, to spread their wings and fly.  And that they did.

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They never quite got off the ground.  In fact, the ground beneath their claws was squishing and squashing all over the place.  Apparently from a recent irrigation treatment. So, it wasn’t long before we flew back to our nest. But it was fun while it lasted, and at least I got my photos!

Oh, I meant to mention that we often joke with {J}, that he’ll probably have his own show someday.  Perhaps called {J}’s Craft Show.  He just smiles, as if it may just be what he is planning. One thing is for sure – He’s already got 2 booked guests;  his sisters, who have every intention of coming on his show.  And little does he know, his Mama sure does, too.

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Kids Arts and Crafts Tagged With: kids crafts, kids-creativity, paper-costumes

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