Crafts for Toddlers - Brooklyn,MI

Go to familyfun.com or makingfriends.com. Both are excellent sites and I have used them as a room-mom and a girl scout leader.

Makingfriends.com will sell "kits" for the crafts, but you can just look at the supply list and buy what you need at Michaels or JoAnn.

Have fun!

Definantly familyfun.go.com, or type family fun magazine in your search engine. The crafts are arranged by age and by holiday and they have ons of things, page after page, after page.

Check out orientaltrading.com. They have all kinds of craft supplies and craft kits for very reasonable prices. I avoid Michaels and JoAnns unless I am looking for something specific or if I have a great coupon. I go to the Dollar Tree to stock up paints, crayons, paper and scissors. Sometimes they have things like pipe cleaners or pom poms too,

And don't underestimate letting the kids just create. There doesn't have to be a finalized finished product. Sometimes I just pull out a variety of supplies (crayons, paint, scissors, magazines, etc,.) and see what my 4 y.o. comes up with.

Here are a few of ideas...hope they help!

1. Decorate t-shirts with squeezable fabric paint
2. Make bracelets out yarn(or elastic) and beads (or cereal...cheerios or fruit loops)
3. Plant some flowers in eggshells
4. Make a treat for the birds using a pine cone with peanut butter and birdseed
5. Make edible playdough

Peanut Butter Playdough

This dough is edible, however peanuts can cause allergies in some children and eating wads of dough could be a choking hazard..

2 cups peanut butter
6 tablespoons honey
Nonfat dry milk
Cocoa or carob for chocolate flavor (optional)
Edible treats for decorations such as raisins or baking candy decors (optional)

How to make it:
1. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix, adding the dry milk until your mixture reaches the consistency of playdough.
2. Add the cocoa if you want a chocolate flavor.
3. Enjoy the feel and taste of this fun modeling material!

Here's a good website to check out too: http://www.kaboose.com/

Check out nicolescrafts.com. They have some cute ideas that you can copy.

Have them help you create a container garden. All it requires is seeds, pots and soil. You can do this with veggies/fruits or just flowers.

Painting is a great activity! You can get a variety of different paints. My daughter paints rocks she finds outside, paints on coloring pages, paints on cardboard boxes and anything I can find for her! She prefers paints that are a little thicker (I only had acrylic paints and she loves those in comparison to the paints in a set that kids take to school).

There are these things (unsure of the name) that are like wax pipe cleaners. Use those to create letters, houses, etc.

Playdo is another favorite of my daughters!

Take shaving cream and let them play on the table or island. Give them cups, spoons, etc and let them use it. Beware - it will get all over their clothes but the kitchen will smell good and the table will be clean!

Pipe cleaners - use them to practice making letters, making people, etc.

Old socks - make sock puppets. Use markers, cotton ballls, buttons, etc things that you have around the house.

I have a 2.5 year old that I'm always looking to keep entertained with different crafts so I liked this thread and will follow it!!

I'd say to buy things like: markers, paints, brushes, paper, cotton balls or pom poms, qtips, glitter, glue (must have), scissors.

There is so much you can do with a magazine, scissors and glue! Have them cut out their favorite foods, favorite colors, letters in their name, etc.

I have a 2 year old daughter and she is crazy about puppets! I got this kit at Borders and it had everything in it for $7.99! I do all the cutting but I let her glue things down and then she gets to play with them and we can have puppet shows. She really enjoys it. Check out Borders and you will find a lot of things that the kids can make. (You will have to help them out with most of it, but it makes it a family project that way.)

Check out your local Goodwill or other thrift store--sometimes you can find bags of "miscellaneous" things that can be used for crafts. I wouldn't necessarily buy a book, just google "crafts for kids" to get ideas, jot them down, and save for a rainy/boring/sick day. My girl is only 15-months and she already LOVES doing arts & crafts (at home & at daycare), so don't underestimate your 2-year old! :) Michaels is a wonderful place to find supplies, but they can be pricey. Keep an eye for sales & clearance (and sign up for their weekly ad, you get a 40% coupon almost every time). They also do craft events on the weekends, where you buy something and they supply all the rest (e.g. for Valentine's day, we bought two $1 wooden frames and they supplied the paint, brushes, etc). You could also save magazines and grocery ads, make paper bag puppets, and I like the outdoor ideas that some others responded!
My big wish now is that I had a good place I could commit to "arts & crafts" (for me & the girl)! If you could set aside an old table with some moveable shelves or drawers, that would probably be wonderful for the kids! Good luck and Happy Crafting!

Great Earth Day Projects Posted Today! www.sproutreviews.com These are super cheap and are great for the age group you are seeking. Our site has a ton of other activities you might be interested in as well. Next month we are featuring monster finger puppets and peanut butter playdough!