How to Make a Woven Danish Heart for Valentine's Day

You can make a fun heart craft with grandkids for Valentine's Day.  You may remember making these woven Danish hearts when you were in school.  I sure do.

Woven Danish Paper Hearts

Watch the Woven Danish Heart Tutorial

This is an easy paper heart you can customize based on age and capabilities. This project as demonstrated in the tutorial video will be perfect for grandchildren ages 5-10.  To make it more complex, search the Internet for more complicated templates.  There are many free ones available.

Materials Needed

You need: 

Red/pink and white construction paper 

scissors 

Heart Template: The template image is below for your to print.

white glue, like Elmer's

To make it easier for grandchildren, under five years old, you will want to cut the pattern out for them and help them with the weaving.  Choose the simplest pattern, the one where all the legs are of equal size. Use a glue stick for gluing the ends in place.  Little ones can do that.  They will also have fun gluing the heart embellishments on one the hearts are woven,

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Other Options to Try:

1.  Cut the patterns out of red and white felt.  Little ones may find it easier to weave with the felt.

2.  Cut the patterns out of cloth in fun, complementary designs.  Make two, a top and a bottom.  Sew the two hearts together with a simple running stitch.  Leave a short portion of one side open, turn it right side out and fill the heart with polyfill for a heart pillow. Older children may like trying this version.  It is a wonderful opportunity to begin teaching some basic sewing skills.

Here is the heart template to print on 8 1/2" x 11" printer paper.

Have fun building memories!

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Two Snowflake Art Projects to Make with Grandkids

When you are deep into winter and stuck inside these snowflake art projects will be fun activities for You and your grandkids.

The great thing about both of these projects is that they are easily adapted to the age and capability of your grandchildren.  It is very important before starting a project to understand the various components of the project and whether they are age-appropriate for your grandchild. You want these activities to be fun, not frustrating, so please take the tie to understand every part of the project before getting started.

To Prepare:

1. Watch the video tutorial for the project.

2. Assemble the materials required.

3. Prepare parts of the project, as necessary, depending on your grandchild's capabilities.

Making a Salt and Watercolor Snowflake

Watch: Salt and Watercolor Snowflake Video

Materials Needed

Sturdy background paper like watercolor paper or cardstock.

Kosher salt

White glue, like Elmer's

Watercolor paints

paintbrush

Directions

1. Draw the shape of a snowflake on your background paper.  

2. Run a bead of glue along the lines you drew on the paper.

3. Sprinkle salt generously over the glue.  Let it dry.  It may take several hours for the glue to dry depending on the conditions in your home.

4. Carry the paper to your sink or trash can to shake off the excess glue.

5. Choose the colors of watercolor paint you want to use.  Add water. Wet your brush.  You don't want your brush to be dripping wet.  Put watercolor paint on your brush and touch the brush lightly to your snowflake.  Watch the color spread.

6.  Let the snowflake dry completely before moving.

Making a Cotton Swab Snowflake

Watch:  Cotton Swab Snowflake Video

Materials Needed

Blue construction paper for background

Cotton swabs (6-whole swabs, 12-1/2 swab pieces, 12-tips)

White glue, like Elmer's

Scissors for cutting the swabs

Directions

1. Draw the shape of a snowflake on your background paper. (I suggest you start with six main legs of the snowflake.)

2. Cut the swabs to size.

3. Dip each swab in glue and place on your outline. Remember snowflakes have symmetry.

4. Let your snowflake dry completely before moving.

Most of all, have fun!

How to Make a Happiness Wand

A happiness wand is a fun craft for grandmothers and granddaughters to make together.  It can also be used as a tool to encourage your grandchild to express her feelings.

This idea for a happiness wand came from me wanting a prop I could use with my granddaughter to distract her when she was in a bit of a little girl funk.  You know what I mean, for those times when nothing seems to please.

How does it work? The wand becomes a special prop for her to explain what would make her feel better or feel happy instead of sad or frustrated.  It is definitely OK to feel sad or frustrated but when it is time to turn her frown upside down I take out the wand and encourage her to list all the things that make her happy. It seems to work, turning those 3-1/2-year-old frowns into smiles.

You may find other ways to use the wand or choose to just make it with, or for, your granddaughter as a fun toy.  It could also be used as a decoration.  Older granddaughters would enjoy making the wand all on their own.  

As always, I encourage you to make a wand for yourself along with her. You'll be amazed at how much fun you'll have. Distance grandmas can schedule craft time over a video call for making a wand. Remember, this is a creative idea and is not precious.  Perfection is not your goal. It will be beautiful no matter how you make it.

Below are the supplies and steps I used to make our happiness wand.  Use these as inspiration for your wand.  Creativity is the fun part of this activity.  There is no wrong way to make a happiness wand. This is a great time to peak into your craft box and see what you have in there that will work.

Supplies Needed

• a stick
• spray paint
• a star for the top
• Washi tape
• thin ribbons of various colors
• glitter glue
• embellishments of your choice
• glue, or hot glue gun

The stick I used was one I gathered from the yard.  I spray painted the stick with silver metallic paint and let that dry.  Use whatever colors you want.  Be creative.

The star I used was a mini tree topper from Walmart. I found it in the Christmas decorations aisle. Check your Dollar Tree store,  You'll likely find something there as well.

For embellishments, I found some mini star ornaments, also from the Christmas decorations aisle at Walmart. I painted them with glitter glue and let them dry before assembling.

Making the Happiness Wand

1. Paint your stick and let it dry.
2. Wrap the stick with colorful Washi tape in a pattern that you like.
3. Attach your star to the top of the wand.  I used hot glue. (Children should not use a hot glue gun.) and let it dry.
4. Cut eight lengths of ribbon, about two feet long each. Gather the ribbon together, find the middle and attach near the base of the star with glue. Again, I used hot glue. Let it dry.
5. Use the glitter glue, as desired to jazz up your wand. 
6. Attach embellishments.
7. Let it dry completely before using it. Check it for sturdiness to be sure it won't fall apart easily. You won't want any tears.

Voila! A happiness wand and a fun, creative craft to complete with granddaughters.  If you make one, please share on Grandmas Making Memories Facebook page.

 

Grandma's Bag of Tricks for Entertaining Grandkids

Grandmas need a bag of tricks. Grandmas need an arsenal of ideas for entertaining grandkids and creating memories.

In a prior post, I talked about the importance of planning for creating memories.  Sometimes the plans are just not enough and you'll need to come up with some ideas for activities on the fly.

That's when you'll be turning to your bag of tricks.

Things to Have in the Bag of Tricks

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2-3 age-appropriate games the grandkids don't play at home: Dominoes, Checkers, Scrabble

Deck of cards for age-appropriate card games: Go Fish, Crazy Eights, War, Old Maid, Slap Jack, Rummy.  Here are some suggestions for 4-8 year-olds.

Arts and crafts supplies:  This is a long list:

Craft paints: watercolors and acrylics

Papers: newsprint, sketch pads, index cards, construction paper, card stock

Pencils, pens, and markers: markers of all kinds and colors, graphite pencils and colored pencils, ink pens, glitter pens

Glues: glue sticks, Elmer's glue, ModgePodge

Tools: paintbrushes, scissors, rulers, hole punches, paper clips, tape

Miscellaneous: magazines for cutting, buttons, embellishments for gluing, yarn, string, rope, glitter, rocks, shells

Access to age-appropriate movies: Subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+

Suggestions for seasonal, age-appropriate activities.  This will take some preparation on your part.  I compare this to the experience I had when I was a substitute teacher for grades K-6.  I would get a call at 6:00 in the morning asking me to substitute at a specific school for a specific grade level. I never knew if I would enter the classroom with a fully prepared lesson plan for the day or an empty page staring at me.  Too often I found the empty page, so I prepared my own teacher bag of tricks with a full day of activities for each grade level.  It saved my day and sanity and it will save yours, too.

Pinterest and Google are great places to start for ideas.  Just type in Search phrases like "craft projects for six-year-olds" or "how to make a construction paper owl".  You can also follow this blog regularly by signing up for email notifications of new posts over on the top right side of the page and following our Facebook page. You'll get ideas like this fall scavenger hunt, fall tree, or backyard tic tac toe.

Use a box with file folders labeled for each month of the year.  That way you can have seasonally specific activities all ready to go.  

A library of books for kids is essential. Grandkids of all ages love being read to.  Start reading early and keep it up.  Older kids love chapter books.  Reading a chapter book is something you can start when you are together and continue on video chats until the book is finished.  

I love pop-up books when reading to babies and toddlers.  They become very engaged with the colorful surprises from page to page. Two of my granddaughter's favorites are The Very Busy Bee and The Very Clever Crocodile. This pop-up book series is fun, too.

There are so many wonderful chapter books for kids in grades 1-6.  Some of the classic ones to start with are:

It's time to get started gathering the stuff you'll need for your bag of tricks.  A well-stocked bag of fun and games makes for happy grandkids and happy grandmas.

Backyard Ladybug and Bumblebee Tic Tac Toe

 Do you want a fun outdoor project that your grandkids will love?

Make a fun tic tac toe game out of rocks you paint to look like ladybugs and bumblebees.

This is an easy-to-do, fun project that your grandkids can help make.

Ladybug and Bumblebee Tic Tac Toe

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First, you'll need to gather rocks.

This is where you can start to include your grandkids in the project.  They will have fun finding rocks that will be just the right size for your backyard game.  

You'll want about 12 rocks of equal size and shape.

My rocks came from the beach along the Atlantic Ocean.  They weren't ideally smooth.  Most are granite and have a somewhat bumpy texture. I made do.  

Did you know you can buy rocks? Well, yes you can. Go ahead and use my Amazon link if you need to buy some.

Now that you have the rocks you'll need supplies for painting.  You'll want acrylic craft paints, paintbrushes, a sealer, and maybe some acrylic paint pens. You'll need white, black, yellow, and red acrylic paint.

Now the fun begins.  Painting the rocks is so much fun.  You can follow the sample ladybugs and bumblebees you see in the picture or google for inspiration. 

Just have fun.

Let your rocks dry a few days and then spray with a sealer to preserve your beautiful paint.  

Decide where you want your game to live in your yard.  You can see I had a stump that was a perfect place for my tic tac toe game.  I used black electrical tape to create the tic tac toe grid, but you can also use some black paint.

Other Rock Painting Ideas

Let your ladybugs and bumblebees live outdoors in your garden beds for a little color and whimsy throughout the year. 

Have your grandkids paint other rocks that can be added to your "rock" garden and time goes by.

Toddlers may be too young to play tic tac toe but they will love searching for your bumblebees and ladybug when they come to visit. Hide them in different places throughout your backyard where toddlers can easily find them before the visit starts.  They can have a bug search during every visit.

How great is that?

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Make Fall Trees with Grandkids

It's fall. a perfect time of year to get outside with your grandkids to enjoy the changes the season brings. 

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In my neck of the woods, that means cooler temperatures, pumpkins, a colorful leaves on the trees.

This project is perfect for grandmas and grandkids who live in an area where colorful leaves mark the change from summer to fall.

Let's Make Fall Trees

                                              

Supplies Needed:

1. A sheet of white paper
2. A brown crayon
3. Yellow, orange, and red acrylic paint
4. A toilet paper tube
5. A cork

How to Make Fall Trees

Watch this video for complete instruction.

Please make a tree of your own while your grandkids are making their trees.  Show them how making art is fun for all ages.

Use the time you are working on the trees together to talk about all the things you love about fall and the changing seasons.

Be sure to sign your artwork as all great artists do. Add the date on the back for reference.

Grandmas might start to display grandkids' artwork in frames.  Find a place of honor to hang or prop the frames.  Change out the artwork whenever new projects are completed. 

 Don't you love these frame ideas?

My absolute favorite idea is putting my grandkids artwork in one of these portfolios.  

Wouldn't it be great to have one portfolio for each grandchild?

Tips for Customizing by Age

Young Grandkids

Make the trunk of the tree for the youngest grandchildren.  Color it in for them if they are very young. Toddlers can usually color in the trunk of the tree but may color outside the lines.  Coloring outside the lines is okay.  You'll have a fun, abstract tree.

Finger paint would be a fun alternative for toddlers.  Use their thumbs and fingers to make the leaves of the trees.

Older Grandkids

Older grandchildren should be given just a little direction and be encouraged to use the supplies to create one or multiple trees however they choose.  

Ask older grandchildren what other common household supplies might be used to make the leaves.

Use red, yellow, and orange construction paper to rip small pieces of paper and glue to the trees.  This will add even more color and texture to the trees.

Colorful tissue paper, ripped, and scrunched will add even more texture and fun to this art project.

The fun of this project is getting creative.  

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