Are You Visiting the Beach? Capture a Memory!

Summer is beach weather and the perfect place for fun in the sun, sand, and surf. Whether you live near the ocean, vacation there, or attending a home beach party, this craft is a way to hold onto memories. Your children will love to make this time capsule-type craft that will savor the memories of the beach. If you don’t have a beach nearby, fear not! These supplies can easily purchased at craft stores. It’s an easy project that can be saved and displayed in your child’s room as a great decoration and memory maker. 

Supplies Needed for this Beach Craft:

Medium sized plastic jar with lid

Photo of your child 

Tape

Sea shells

Beach sand

Netting or raffia

Heavy glue or low-temperature glue gun

Seaside favor or decor

How to Make a Beach Memory Jar:

1. Find a suitable jar for this craft. With young children it is best to use a plastic jar with a lid. I chose a mayonnaise jar. Wash and dry the jar thoroughly.
2. Look through your photos and find one of your child at the beach. If you are doing this craft at a beach party, the host/hostess can take photos when the children arrive in bathing suits and then download and make prints before craft time. 
3. Take the photo or photocopy and place it inside the jar. Tape it in place to the back curve wall of the jar with the picture showing through the front. 
4. Pour a couple inches of beach sand into the bottom of the jar. 
5. Add some sea shells and arrange them to your liking. You may want to include some sea coral or a star fish. Just make sure if you are using fresh beach finds that there are no living organisms inside your shells. These need to be returned to their natural habitat. 
6. When you are finished filling your container, screw on the lid tight. You may want to run a line of glue inside the lid before screwing it on. This will prevent spills of beach sand all over your floors.
7. Now, it’s time to decorate the lid. Glue on some extra shells; a low-temperature glue gun works best. Wrap the side of the lid with raffia or a netting-type ribbon.
8. As an extra enhancement I added a paper beach umbrella to the top or think about a plastic palm tree as another option. 
9. With a black permanent marker, mark the child’s name, date, and location to the top of the lid.

Memory jars are awesome projects for children of all ages and various events. Think about making a miniature time capsule for birthdays, visiting a theme park, or to add mementos for any vacation. 

Happy Crafting With the Kids,

Tania 

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Watch Ya' Mouth Game

They say that “laughter is the best medicine” and this game sure is hilarious. The Watch Ya’ Mouth Game is fun for family night as well as parties (3-10 players). The box comes with plastic mouthpieces (ones like you find in a dentist office) and game cards. The concept of this game is to put in a mouthpiece and read the card. The phrase could be small as two words or as long as 10 words. The mouthpiece changes your speech and the other players need to guess the phrase. Ha, it’s not as easy as you think! And the funny faces that go along trying to read the card makes for gut-busting laughter.

The company’s idea came from this:

“Have you seen the movie 'The Boss' starring Melissa McCarthy? There’s a scene where she’s getting her teeth whitened, wearing the infamous mouthpiece and struggling to speak. From this one scene, the idea for our game was born.”

I found the ‘90’s edition’ fun, but a little hard for our elementary-age players. They didn’t understand some of the phrases. But have no fear, you can write your own cards or order expansion packs (sold separately) that fit the kid’s ages and interest.

I would like to thank the company for sending me this game for my review. We truly enjoyed this opportunity and will keep this in our game arsenal for other occasions.

You can find this game at big box stores and Amazon.com.

Photos courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

3 Valentine Activities for February 14th

It's February, and love is in the air. What greater love is there than the love of a child? So whether you are expecting the birth of your child or already enjoying the many hugs and kisses of a little one, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to celebrate. Here are some fun and easy Valentine's Day ideas to help with building early memories with your child this holiday season.

For Expecting Parents:

This creative little gift is especially designed for expectant parents. Remember those silly messages found on candy hearts you used to eat in grade school? For fun, try personalizing your own messages on cut out construction paper hearts for your loved one! "Back Massage," "Belly Rub," "Midnight Run for Snacks," or "Extra Smiles" are just a few ideas for fun heart sayings. The paper hearts don't taste like candy, but guaranteed to bring grins to the recipient.

Finger Paint With Your Baby:

The use of non-toxic paints offers older babies endless possibilities for making discoveries and exploring. A red (pink) heart picture is perfect for Valentine’s Day and fun to do with your child using pudding paint. Mix one box of instant vanilla pudding according to directions on the package. Add drops of red food coloring to achieve the desired color. Hand on hand, help your baby fingerpaint on freezer paper or paper plates. When dry, cut the paper into a heart-shape. Fingerpainting is such an open-ended activity—the process of painting is more important than the finished project. Take time to tickle the senses—enjoy the feel of this paint, smell it and if your baby tries to take a taste, it’s OK-- it’s pudding!

Fun With Toddlers:

Take several large appliance boxes and open all the tops and bottoms. Using heavy tape, attach all the boxes together making sure the inside flaps are securely taped and smooth. Invite your toddler to decorate the outside of the boxes in his own way with lots of scribbled hearts and designs using crayons and markers. Valentine stickers may aid in the decorating and toddlers just love them. Write “Tunnel of Love” on the outside. Encourage your little one to crawl through the tunnel—you may just want to follow him!

Enjoy your holiday and happy parenting,

Tania :)

Photos courtesy of geralt, photoshop Tofs, Moscow Moms, CC0 Public Domain, Pixabay.com