It’s not easy trying to find the perfect way to get smaller children involved in the holiday spirit. Boys and girls from ages four through ten are often a little too excited to shop for family and teachers. This craft idea is your solution for younger kids, who need an afternoon to settle down and make a Christmas gift from the heart, especially if you can’t afford full time golf school for the golf lover in your family or friend network! This provides moms, or dads, with an opportunity to take a break from Christmas cooking, decorating, and shopping, to sit down and do something fun and quiet with the kids, like, make a golf bug!

What You Need:

Yarn (Blue, Green, White, and Black)

Mini Golf Club

Pattern for Visor and Hands

Craft Foam

Foam Feet

Foamie Hands

Wiggle Eyes — 20mm

2-1/2″ Styrofoam Ball

Pipe Cleaner (Green or White)

5″ Square of Cardboard

Tacky Glue

Scissors

Instructions:

Start your Christmas project for your family’s golf lover, by making a pompom, –first cut down a piece of cardboard to five inches square, and wrapping your multicolored yarn around it at least one hundred times. Now, cut a length of yarn, six inches, and slide it beneath the layers of wrapped yarn; tie it tight into a double knot, so that it’s gathered and bunched in the middle of the cardboard. Flip the cardboard over to the side without the knot, and cut straight down the middle of the yarn. Now just smoothe out your bundle. Next, press your styrofoam ball onto a hard surface, like a kitchen table or counter, in order to make the bottom side flat. Or you can substitute that piece with a section of egg carton.

Now, take the ball, and cover the sides and the top of the ball with a tacky, sticky glue, –then just separate the strands of the pom-pom so that the styrofoam ball will fit easily inside the strands of your, and be completely covered. Arrange it neatly, then start printing or drawing any of the patterns you may need to finish your little golf bug, then staple them to the pieces of foam for his feet, or hands. Use your pipe cleaners for his arms, and glue his foam hands to the ends. For making arms, just poke pipe cleaners into the foam ball on either side of him.

Now, glue on his eyes, and start gluing on all his other appendages, –then you can glue on his visor, and the little paper golf club. This little golf bug cutie makes a great stocking stuffer for moms and dads, and golf fascinated youngsters, –just be sure the glue is dry before giving the little guy as a gift! Refer to the picture for a better look at what you’re making. The Golf Bug craft was inspired by our friends at MakingFriends.com, where many other fun crafts can be found.

Bingo is an addictive hobby; adults often go out to play at special clubs, or pay for bingo every night. Many people play free bingo games online all the time. Kids love bingo too! And with smaller kids, it’s also a great way to teach them to recognize numbers, and improve their basic math skills. So try to tear yourself away from your own online bingo game, and get ready to have some fun teaching your kids to play too!

What You Need:

White & Brown Heavy Construction Paper
Scissors
Pencil
Permanent Marker
Black & White Pom-poms (small)
Glue

1. Fold a piece of construction paper in half. Use a pencil to draw the basic shape of a teddy bear –see picture, on one side of the paper. Outline the bear in marker, and cut out around the shape, with the paper folded. Now you have two! Use the first pair as a stencile to make more, some brown and some white, until you have enough cards for all the players. Use the markers to add faces to your bears, and also, to draw on six random numbers, between one and ten. Space the number apart enough so that six playing pieces will fit easily on the card.

2. Use glue to secure a small circle of paper to each pom-pom. The way they’ll sit flat on the playing cards. Make six game pieces for each player. If you like, you can draw a little face on each. Number each of the playing cards from one to ten.

3. Put your pieces in a small box, or cup, and place your cards in bag. Have the players pull out one card each, while you call out the numbers. To make things a little more interesting, say “brown” or “white” before each number, alternating between the two, while calling numbers aloud.

And then have fun! If you love to play bingo too, browse online for more internet bingo information. This post was inspired by Marie E. Cecchini’s idea, “Bear Bingo”, found at HighlightsKids.com.

We all know how hard it is sometimes, coming up with consistent ideas to keep your students busy, entertained, but most importantly educationally productive. There are plenty of craft books out there with the standard, boring crafts out there that offer your students no enrichment whatsoever. Ideas from the March Group, and other homeschoolers, and teaching groups, have come together here to provide you with more educational options for crafts in your home classroom. Whether you’re teaching just your children, or have other kids in your home classroom, these ideas will provide hours of fun for everyone, –including you!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and it’s also a great way for kids to learn early colonial and Native American history while they make colored paper cut out turkeys, or horn o’ plenty’s. These make fantastic art for the fridge, or as Thanksgiving buffet decorations. There’s also photography crafts, which can be used for creating basic maps, for local geography. Taking pictures, arranging them and pasting them to create a map of your block, or local neighborhood not only teaches basic geography and directions, but it’s also a great for safety.

Polaroid PoGo is the hottest new phone accessory, because it utilizes Zink technology. What is Zink? Zink basically is short for “Zero Ink”. There are lots of different things you can do with PoGo, like making Baby Blocks, Refrigerator Magnets, and Scrapbooks. For more fun ideas, visit or join The Polaroid PoGo Club, and start making memories today, –the easy and fun way!

I am a whiteboard addict.  I love the ease of leaving a note without looking for something to write on, or something to write with.  What I don’t love, is how much it costs to buy one that is a reasonable size.

Well, here’s a quick, oh so easy, project that will make your old whiteboard green with envy. Here’s what you need: picture frame w/glass tissue paper poster board mod podge velcro whiteboard marker

It’s so easy to make your own write-on, wipe-off surface. Just tear your tissue paper into pieces, and decoupage it onto the poster board. Then, trim the poster board to fit your picture frame. Assemble and hang. If you like, attach velcro to a whiteboard marker, and your frame. That’s it!!! What could be easier?

The board in the pic is in my home, it is huge. Not sure of the frame size, about 42″ x 36″? I LOVE it!!
Plus, I made some window clings to put on it. (Happy face!)

Happy Crafting!