Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Toddler Craft: Easy Stained Glass Art

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With just two inexpensive supplies and a few minutes of time, you and your toddler can create this easy stained glass art.

With just two inexpensive supplies and a few minutes of time, you and your toddler can create this easy stained glass art.

My two oldest kids, ages six and four, love crafting at home. They both do a lot of art projects at school, but they’re up for more at home (hence the three batches of salt dough ornaments we made last Christmas). I’m so not a Pinterest mom, though; I tend to find an easy craft that requires a few inexpensive supplies and run with it.

Speaking of Pinterest, I remember making stained glass art with my preschool students way back in 2008, before Pinterest was even a thing. It’s been on my mind for the last few months, but it took me that long to remember to buy contact paper and then to figure out where in Walmart to find it (in the plastic storage containers/shelf organization aisle, if you’re wondering).

With just two inexpensive supplies and a few minutes of time, you and your toddler can create this easy stained glass art.

We made our rainbows the same day I brought the supplies home, on a fittingly rainy Monday. The kids loved it so much we made donuts the next day- B’s suggestion- and they’re already dreaming up the shapes they want to try next. We still have nearly the whole roll of contact paper and a ton of tissue paper left, so I’ll have no problem pulling off easy stained glass art again and again.

With just two inexpensive supplies and a few minutes of time, you and your toddler can create this easy stained glass art.

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Homemade Cinnamon Ornaments

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With just two ingredients, you can make easy homemade cinnamon ornaments: a perfect DIY for decorating or gifting. What a fun craft for kids!

With just two ingredients, you can make easy homemade cinnamon ornaments: a perfect DIY for decorating or gifting. What a fun craft for kids!

Homemade cinnamon ornaments are something from my childhood, although I can’t for the life of me remember where and when I made them. I have no idea if it was at home, at school, at church. I’ve got nothing. Regardless, when I thought about what sorts of crafts I wanted to do this year with the kids, I knew these fragrant ornaments would make the list.

B and I whipped up a batch during Thanksgiving break. The dough couldn’t possibly be any easier; there are only two ingredients. It rolled out easily, and we had fun choosing shapes. These homemade cinnamon ornaments bake low and slow, leaving the whole house smelling deliciously like Christmas.

With just two ingredients, you can make easy homemade cinnamon ornaments: a perfect DIY for decorating or gifting. What a fun craft for kids!

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how to make kool-aid playdough

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Adding a packet of Kool-Aid to homemade playdough is a simple way to give your batch a vibrant color and a fun, fruity smell.

Summa summa summatime! My Facebook and Pinterest feeds are full of creative outdoor activities to keep kids occupied this summer. Soda bottle sprinklers, lawn-size board games, any number of homemade paints and chalks; you could try a different craft every day all summer long.

Adding a packet of Kool-Aid to homemade playdough is a simple way to give your batch a vibrant color and a fun, fruity smell.

But can I tell you a secret? I don’t like outside. I live in Mississippi, where summer is really freaking hot and humid. I’m a fair-skinned (read: I burn like toast) mom of two fair-skinned ginger kids. We avoid the sun with vampiric skill. So when school’s out for the summer, we turn to creative ways to have fun indoors, including this Kool-Aid playdough.

Adding a packet of Kool-Aid to homemade playdough is a simple way to give your batch a vibrant color and a fun, fruity smell.

I love that it’s easy to make and it’s easy to double or triple the recipe. This playdough is soft and smooth, not grainy like the store-bought version. You can customize it using your child’s favorite color, and along with the rich color comes a pleasant smell.

Kool-Aid playdough is an excellent opportunity to discuss the five senses: your kids can touch the smooth dough, they can smell its fruity scent, they can see its vibrant color, they can hear it plop on the table, and they can even taste its salty flavor. [Read more…]