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DIY Gifts for World Teacher Day!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Oct 1, 2018
Your child’s teacher does so much more than teach reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. They are there, every day, cheering your child’s victories, drying tears of frustration, bandaging knees, refereeing arguments, encouraging creativity, and helping your little ones find their voices. In other words, they are you when you’re not there. How can you possibly thank someone for loving your child (almost!) as much as you do?
Well, October 5th is World Teacher Day – the perfect day to try! A handmade gift is a wonderful way to show your child’s teacher just how much you appreciate everything they’re doing for your family. Plus, crafting is fun! So, take some time this weekend to make something meaningful that your teacher will cherish forever, like:
Painted Potted Plant
What You’ll Need:
Plain terra cotta pot and saucer
All surface primer
Acrylic paints
Spray sealer
Paint brush
Round sponge dotting brush
Potting soil
Plant of your choice
What You’ll Do:
Lay down newspaper, a tarp, or an old sheet to protect your outdoor work surface, then spray your pot with primer and allow to dry.
Many primers come in a color – you might find one you like. If not, when the primer is dry, let your child paint the pot in a solid color.
Squirt a few different colors of acrylic paint onto a paper plate. Show your child how to dip the round sponge dotting brush into the paint, press on a scrap paper to eliminate excess paint, then press firmly onto the pot to make a polka dot.
Continue pressing and dotting, one color at a time, rinsing and drying your dotting sponge between each color.
When the polka dots are dry, spray both pieces with sealer to protect the paint. Applying several coats will protect the pot from the elements.
When the sealer is dry, ask your child to fill the pot ¾ full of potting soil using a small shovel or large spoon.
Show your child how to dig a small hole in the center of the dirt and nestle the roots of your plant into the hole so that the base of the plant is flush with the top of the dirt, then water gently to saturate the dirt and pat the top down flat.
Stained Glass Pencil Jar
What You’ll Need:
Medium-sized Mason jar
Small colored tissue squares
Mod Podge
Sponge brush
Ribbon
What You’ll Do:
Using the sponge brush, have your child paint the entire outside of the jar with Mod Podge.
While the Mod Podge is still wet, have your child place a square of tissue, then you use the sponge brush to dab over the tissue with Mod Podge. Older kids may be able to do this themselves, but it can be tricky.
Continue taking turns placing and dabbing the tissue paper squares, overlapping to create new colors, until the jar is covered.
When the jar is dry, tie a coordinating ribbon around the middle and add a pack of pencils or a set of dry erase markers for a truly useful gift.
Homemade Bookmark
What You’ll Need:
Heavy duty card stock in multiple colors
Acrylic or Tempura paints
Thin paint brushes
Mod Podge
Ribbon
What You’ll Do:
Cut a set of three or four bookmark-sized pieces out of your card stock – 1” wide by 6” high is standard. Round the edges so they’re less likely to get bent.
Have your child use their fingers to decorate each of the book marks.
When the paint is dry, spread a thin coat of Mod Podge over the entire painted surface of each bookmark.
When the Mod Podge is dry, turn the bookmarks over and have your child sign and date each one in marker.
Stack the bookmarks and tie them in a bundle with ribbon. Consider adding a Barnes & Noble gift card as an extra special thank you!!
Happy World Teacher Day!
DIY Space Sensory Bin!
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DIY STEM Snowflakes!
We are walking in a winter wonderland with this snowy STEM craft!
Cutting paper snowflakes is a time-honored tradition and can make for some seriously beautiful holiday decorations! Glue them together to make a wreath, string them to make a garland, add a hook and you’ve got an instant ornament. Plus, all that snipping stimulates STEM learning.
So let’s get started! Follow the step-by-step instructions below to create beautiful paper art AND spend some quality time with your crafty kiddos.
First, gather your supplies. This should be easy – you really only need paper and scissors. You can make snowflakes out of any kind of paper, really, but it has to be square and thin enough to cut when folded several times. Printer paper is probably easiest for beginners.
Before you get too serious with the instructions, let your child experiment a bit on their own. Fold a sheet of paper in half and have them cut a triangle shape out of the folded edge. It’s a triangle now, but what happens when you open the paper? Diamond!
Fold a square once, then again, and cut another triangle on the fold. Open the paper to reveal not one, but two diamond shapes (or a great Halloween mask!).
Older kids might even be able to begin making some mathematical predictions. If folding the paper twice and cutting one triangle results in two diamonds, what will happen if they fold the paper three times? If your kiddo guessed four diamonds, you’ve got a total STEM smarty on your hands (hint, the number has to do with the number of panels you’re cutting).
Okay, back to the instructions. To make a basic snowflake, here’s what you’re going to do:
Cut your piece of paper into a square large enough to fold several times. (Hint – bring the bottom corner of the paper across the sheet until the sides meet perfectly. Cut the paper above the folded edge off.)
Fold the triangle in half, corner to corner, to make a smaller triangle. Younger kids may want to stop folding here and start snipping, being sure to leave some areas of the folded edges in tact to keep all of the layers from falling apart. This is also the way to create a square or diamond-shaped snowflake. To create a more complex, round snowflake, follow the remaining steps.
Fold the edges of the triangle inward, roughly in thirds, as shown below.
Cut the bottom off this tall triangle to leave a flat edge.
Start snipping! Use any shapes you like – triangles, circles, squares… Encourage your kids to experiment with shapes – they’ll be surprised at the different patterns different shapes make when the snowflake is open. Again, just remind them to leave some of the folded edges intact.
Carefully unfold the paper to reveal your one-of-a-kind snowflake pattern! Share with your kids that each real snowflake is also completely unique. Water droplets freeze onto dust particles creating ice crystals that vary depending on the temperature and humidity. No two are ever the same!
Making snowflakes is endless fun. Once your kids have the basics down, take it a step further and watercolor your paper in winter colors or make STEM snowflakes out of wrapping paper!
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DIY Mother's Day Gifts!
Lots of Love Sun Catcher
Mom will go to pieces when she sees this sweet gift!
Fun with Fingerprints Heart Frame
Leave a permanent print on Mom’s heart with this sweet fingerprint photo frame!
Beautiful Palmprint Butterfly
Mom’s heart will soar when she sees this colorful art piece made from her little one’s palmprints!
Happy Mother's Day!
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