Beach crafts for kids!

There is nothing worse than a kid crying, "I'm bored!" when you're on a lovely vacation trying to enjoy the beach. Or if you're running a VBS or other class outdoors.
A couple of things you can do at the beach, with adult supervision.
Get candle wax already melted. The low heat kind. And a wick.
Make a hole in the sand, place seashells, sticks, beads, stones, anything in the hole.
These will be the outside of the candle.
Next, pour the wax in the hole, wait for the wax to get firm, then put the wick in there.
It will take a little while to get hardened, then you can take it out carefully and take it home.
Instead of wax, you can use plaster of paris too, and make a handprint or any free form piece with the stones, sticks and shells too.
This also works with a pail filled with sand.

Now that my kids are grown, things have modernized...Pinterest has great tips, lots of new things to make and do.
My best tip for you is to get Family Fun magazine....great tips, ideas and crafts. And it's not expensive!
I have lots more crafts I've done with the Girl Scouts, classes etc.
And I plan to share them with you!

Spring crafts

Barnyard Fuzzies
	3 Styrofoam eggs
	glue
	Fluffy, curly, and smooth yarn
	Felt, scissors
	Black ball-head straight pins
	Extra-fine permanent marker
1. Flatten one end of each egg by pressing it on a hard surface. Hold this end and put glue on the opposite end. Press the end of the yarn into the glue at the egg's tip and spiral it around half of the egg. 2. Apply glue to the other half of the egg. 3. Cut ears, a pig nose, and faces from felt. To make ear creases, dab glue on the ear's bottom edge and pinch from the back. Pin the creases in place until the glue sets. 4. Glue the ears and pig nose to the faces and attach the faces to the eggs' flat ends. Use pins for eyes, then draw on noses and mouths with a marker.

Thanksgiving wreath

Supplies: Real fallen leaves, paper plate, glue, yarn, hole punch, raffia

How to: Cut out the center of the paper plate. Now paint or color the rest
of the plate red, orange, yellow, brown or a combination of those colors.
Punch a hole at the top of the plate and insert the yarn for hanging.
Glue the fallen leaves around the plate, overlapping if you wish. You
can also add a few small twigs acorns to the wreath.
Now add a raffia bow and attach to the wreath.
If you don't have real leaves, trace your
child(s) hand onto several sheets of fall colored construction paper.
Cut those out and use them as leaves on the wreath.

Pine Cone Turkeys

These will look so cute on your Thanksgiving table!

Supplies: feathers or felt, construction paper, glue, pine cone and marker

How to: Glue the feathers or felt cut into feather shapes onto the pine cone to make the tail. Then cut out construction paper into head and feet shapes, then glue to the pine cone. Add features with marker.

Thanksgiving dinner placemat

This one is simple but so cute!!

Supplies: small corn cobs shucked, dried or fresh, paint in fall colors, white construction paper

How to: Paint the corn with paint, then roll them on the paper to create a very cute placemat for dinner! Laminate them for safekeeping!

ds of the corn if you'd like to avoid messy hands.

Thanksgiving ideas

Here's a fun craft to make in time for Thanksgiving.
Supplies:
White paper, brown and other colors of paint, crayons, construction paper, glue or glue stick
How to:
Print this poem on the white sheet of paper:

This isn't just a turkey
As anyone can see
This very special turkey
Was by hand by ME!

Then have them sign the bottom and
THEN:
Paint the child's palm and thumb with the brown paint, then the other fingers with other colors, whatever they like. The colors are the feathers. Have them put their handprint on the paper with the poem. When it's dry, they can add the face and other features with pen or crayons. Mount it on a piece of construction paper with glue.
A very cute Thanksgiving craft!