Chalkboard Pumpkins: Halloween Crafts

Posted in activities for kids, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

This October, I decided to incorporate my daughters’ love of chalk into our Halloween activities.

The result?

Chalkboard pumpkins!

chalkboard pumpkins halloween and thanksgiving crafts for kids

These were so easy. I started with a can of my trusty chalkboard spray paint, and picked up 3 foam “carve-able” pumpkins from the Dollar Tree.

Since the pumpkins were a bit porous, I did a few more coats than I normally would. I placed them on some old cardboard, sprayed the bottoms first, then turned them over and sprayed the top.

Did 5 coats over the top half-ish. Let the paint dry between coats, of course. Then took them, and a box of chalk, outside. Did some crafting in the fresh fall air.

chalkboard pumpkins halloween and thanksgiving crafts for kids

The girls spent a lot of time decorating their pumpkins. Spent some time wiping off the designs with a damp paper towel, and then drawing all over them again.

The pumpkins are decorating our house now. And they’ll be re-decorated themselves a few times before Halloween even gets here. But, because they’re pumpkins, we’ll probably leave them out for Thanksgiving, too.

One thing important to mention, is that we did initially play with these outside, but they’re really indoor decorations because of the material the pumpkins are made from. But you could always use something different if you want to display them outdoors.

chalkboard pumpkins halloween and thanksgiving crafts for kids

And just for informational purposes, here is a photo of the half-finished pumpkins, to give you an idea of what they looked like while they were being painted:

chalkboard pumpkins halloween and thanksgiving crafts for kids

Have fun – and let me know if you try it! :)

Oh, and here are our Halloween crafts from last year!

Plus, read about the Digital Wasabi Tape I used in this post.

This project was featured at:

8Oct2013

Pretend Play: Makeup

Posted in activities for kids by Rosemary Lynn

pretend play make up compact for kids

I’m a big fan of pretend play. I mean, kids do it anyway on their own, and it’s just so much fun to watch them play with toys you helped create. For example, I made a whole set of post office/letter carrier pretend play items.

And my girls love pretending to put on makeup. I don’t wear a lot, but they always want to put on moisturizer, foundation, powder, or even Chap Stick.

But I don’t really like them to wear actual makeup. They don’t need to be clogging up their pores at 1 and 3. And I think it’s important for them to understand that they don’t need it, because they are beautiful without it, BUT they want to be like mommy. So: pretend play.

I used one of my old compacts from the Clinique City Base Foundation line, that they no longer make. I’ve been using it for years, since I’m all about convenience. They now make something called Even Better Makeup, which is similar, so you could use that, too.

They look like this:

Clinique City Base Compact Foundation (photo: Viewpoints.com)

Clinique Even Better Makeup (photo: Bloomingdales)

I transformed a compact from which all the makeup had been used, cleaning out the remains of the makeup and letting it dry. Then I cut down some sponges we had on hand (you can pick up makeup sponges at a drug store), using one brown one to represent the makeup and one white one to represent the sponge that comes in the compacts. That way it would look just like mommy’s compact.

Both girls like to play with it, and there’s no mess! I’ll be making a second one when I’ve used up my current compact.

Here’s my daughter playing with it (while the post office set is also spread across the floor):

pretend play make up compact for kids

1Oct2013

Free Kid Activity: Chalk on Construction Paper

Posted in activities for kids by Rosemary Lynn

drawing with chalk on construction paper free activity for kids

Okay, it’s not technically free because you have to buy the chalk and the construction paper, but if you’re like me, those are things you had on hand anyway. So, kinda free.

The photo shows some ice cream-shaped chalk that I bought for our Letter I Activities. We were doing something else with the construction paper, and the chalk was nearby. My 18-month-old started playing with the chalk, so I showed her she could scribble on the construction paper with it.

This works best on dark paper because of the contrast, but it also works on lighter colors, so you could let your kids play with a variety of colors to experiment with the results.

And this is a great project because chalk washes right out of clothing or off of carpet or couches or whatever else it gets on. Easy clean-up is always a benefit.

Especially great for rainy autumn or snowy winter days!

9Sep2013

Free Kid Activity: Painting Newspaper

Posted in activities for kids by Rosemary Lynn

painting on paper

Sometimes you need something simple, quick, and super easy (and free) to entertain your kids.

We came across this activity by accident, but it’s actually great for a variety of things: sensory play, cause and effect, keeping them distracted so I can wash the dishes and fold the laundry….

Things like that.

To start, lay out some newspaper on the floor – preferably tile, as this wouldn’t work so well on carpet or wood. Concrete would work, too. Or an outside wooden deck.

Then, hand the kids some brushes – we used both regular paint brushes and foam brushes – and small plastic cups of water. Not too much water, tho, unless you want a lake in the middle of your kitchen. Just enough to let them draw designs on the paper.

Challenge them to draw certain shapes or to write their name if they know how. Then stand back and watch their inner artist bloom! :)