The Joy Parade

Create. Inspire. Love.

Easy DIY Watercolor Project for Preschoolers

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My sweet mama has a birthday coming up soon, so Jack and I set up some super inexpensive supplies we had on hand and made her a piece of art I know she’ll treasure. This project is super simple and Jack needed very little instruction other than “try to fill up all the white with your colors” and he was happily entertained at the table for longer than Im usually able to keep him in one place.

All you need for this project are:

* Thick Watercolor Paper
* Washable Watercolor Paint Palette
* Brushes
* Scrapbook “Thickers” Letter Stickers
* Cup of Water
* Paper Towels (for blotting and clean up)

Instructions:

1. Decide what you want your art piece to say. We opted for “Happy Birthday GRANDMA love JACK”


2. Place scrapbook thickers onto your water color paper. Make sure to press them down all over so they have a tight seal.

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$20 Made Me “The Best Mom EVER”

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A simple $20 investment each month has named me, and I’m quoting here, “the Best Mom EVER.”



You heard it here first folks: I am officially the best Mom EVER. I hope I get some sort of trophy or certificate or something. Now, the best mom ever title may already be claimed, but you could absolutely be named the SECOND best mom ever… and that’s still pretty good, right? How, you may ask, can this oh so coveted title be yours? Enter the amazing folks over at Kiwi Crate.

Kiwi Crate is a subsccription box company with four different offerings: Koala Crate, which is designed for the preschool crowd, Doodle Crate, which is designed for girls over the age of 8, Tinker Crate, which is science and engineering projects ideally designed for kids 8 and up, and their main box Kiwi Crate, which is designed for kids in the 4-8 range. (Aidan’s Grandma has recently and generously subscribed him to the Tinker Crate, so we’ll review that service another time.) Inside the box is a magazine for the kids, and the supplies and instructions for not one but two projects that fit whatever the theme of that months box is. Within the magazine and some of the added materials are instructions for additional projects you could complete as well, often with supplies you likely have in your home already. They even included a page of pieces to cut out and use to make the box itself into a play stove! When all is said and done you could easily get a weeks worth of activities out of this one box if you did everything they included.

Our first box was a baking theme. Because it was our first box ever, our kit came with two extra items: a chart where Aidan can proudly display sticker badges he receives for each box he completes, and a bright green pair of children’s safety scissors, so that we always have a pair handy for future projects. Normally we would spread out all the fun things in his kiwi crate over the course of a week or two, but for the purpose of this review we headed out to the front porch to enjoy some unseasonally gorgeous Oregon weather and to demonstrate just how amazing this service really is. I could talk about our crate all day, but I’ll let the pictures do the talking instead.

(If you decide to sign up for Kiwi Crate to try it yourself, you click any of the photos in this blog and use the code KC25 on check out to get 25% your very first month! Best of all, you can cancel anytime, no obligation to go past the 1st month or to be “on contract” for any length of time, so it’s no risk to give it a try. The code works on Kiwi Crates other boxes, like Tinker Crate, as well!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kiwi Crate Family Brands >>

5 Quick and Easy Valentines for Procrastinator Moms

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If you’re anything like me you’re spinning 20 different plates at any given time, and its pretty easy for things to occasionally fall through the cracks. If you’re really like me, then you may have been one of the moms who suddenly realized their child has to bring in 25 valentines the next day only to run out to target and discover the seasonal section now looks like this:

Mom fail. But have no fear fellow procrastinators! I have pulled together 5 super easy valentine ideas that are easily pulled off the night before the class party - and most of them are cuter and cheaper than the pre-made valentines too! As an added bonus ALL of these options are candy free.

1 - Star Wars Glow Stick Valentines

 

These are actually the valentines that Aidan is bringing to his class this year. As an added bonus, most Target dollar spots are selling containers of bracelet sized glow sticks, so with these adorable free printable these valentines are incredibly low on cost and time, but certainly don’t show it. Boys are girls alike will be thrilled with their glow sticks, and parents and teachers will appreciate the candy free gift.

Get Them Here

 

 

 

 

 

2 - Popcorn Bag Valentine

 

If you can find personal sized bags of kettle corn or even regular pop corn, then you have an easy and adorable option for class valentines! Just add these adorable free printables and voila! If you can’t find individual sized bags, grab a box or two of microwave popcorn and send one packet home with each child for a treat they can pop and share with the whole family.

Get Them Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 - Lego Valentines

Now here’s a valentine that the kids will go crazy for! You can either buy some of the pre-bagged mini lego sets you can often find in the checkout lane at Target, go to a lego store (if you are lucky to have one locally) and buy loose pieces from the lego wall in bulk, or you can buy a large starter set from your local big box store and simply divide up the pieces between each valentine. You’re sure to be a big hit with the kids, and you’ll win extra points with food allergy families as well.

Get Them Here

 

 

 

 

4 - Color My World Valentine

 

This idea is not only candy free, but it’s absolutely adorable too. Buy a large box of crayons in bulk, a roll of cute tape, and print out these free printables - and you have an adorable DIY Valentine that everyone will be copying next year. Super easy to put together and very low cost per child.

Get Them Here

 

 

 

 

 

5 - Apple Sauce Valentine

If you want to give the kids an edible treat but still provide something that isn’t candy? These adorable apple sauce valentines are sweet and healthy - the best of both worlds. If you aren’t a fan of squeeze pouches, you could easily attach these tags to a lunchbox tub of applesauce and a plastic spoon, or even to a fresh delicious apple instead! The link below is an editable PDF, so you can replace “Charlotte” with your own child’s name, or for older kids you can delete the name entirely and let your child practice signing the cards themself.

Get Them Here

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