This fun spring craft takes mini flower pots and and transforms them into a cute centerpiece that has a picture of your child in the center! I’m thinking about making these for Mother’s Day gifts with the children at my center, I have most of the supplies already on hand and the craft looks as if most ages can do the project almost fully on their own. Create this keepsake with a full tutorial below thanks to Beads & Quilt Blog.

Here is your supply list:

1. Sheets of Card Stock
2. Acrylic Paint Set
3. Paint Brushes
4. Tongue Depressors
5. Small Clay Pots
6. Floral Foam
7. Scissors
8. Craft Glue or Hot Glue
9. Pictures of Kids

Instructions:
Have the kids place their hands on the Card Stock and trace them with a pencil. Cut the traced hands out with scissors. Once the hands are cut out give each kid their hands plus two tongue depressors and a clay pot. Have the kids paint their traced hands, tongue depressors and clay pot with the acrylic paint however the please. The paint may need a couple hours to dry. While the paint is drying get a medium sized round glass and the pictures of the kids. Place the glass over the part of the picture you wish to cut out and trace it with a pencil. Now use scissors to cut the circle out of the picture.

When the paint is dry you can assemble the pieces. Using glue or two sided tape fasten the palms of the hands together ensuring you have a nice pocket in the middle where the photo will show. Glue the “hand flower” to one of the tongue depressors. Cut the second tongue depressor in half and glue each to the “stem” depressor so the rounded ends are pointing up and out. Shape a piece of the floral foam so it fits the clay pot and is about 3/4 from the top of the pot. When the glue is dry press the “stem and leaves” into the foam until it is stable. Use two sided tape to fasten the circle picture cutout to the center of the hand flower. You can top off the decoration by gluing polished stones or gluing some Spanish Moss inside the pot to cover the floral foam.

Photo collages and refrigerator art is outdated compared to this new form of showcasing your child’s creations, transform your child’s art into a piece of wearable art with Poloppos T-Me DIY t-shirt kit. This easy to use kit puts your kids favorite drawing on a T-shirt so he can show off his crativity in cute style!

The Kit Includes: $32.50 ( one shirt kit)

• 10 mini-markers
• square paper
• a catalog of t-shirts
• and a pre-paid return envelope so kids can send in their artwork and get it printed on a t-shirt of their choice – for themselves, friends, siblings, and even mom and dad.

Click HERE to visit Poloppos and purchase yours

Yummy homemade sugar scrub, which makes a great gift or a personal shower treat for yourself! Full directions and supplies needed to make this delight is below from Elizabeth Anne Designs. Don’t forget to print off the label template (listed as a link below) so you can uniquely display your concoction in chic style.

You will need:

- 25% Vegetable Glycerin (or coconut oil)
- 25% Grapeseed oil (optional – you can use just vegetable glycerin)
- 50% white sugar
- one or two drops of essential oil (I personally love pink grapefruit)
- Glass or plastic container (I bought mine at Walmart, but there’s a similar one HERE)
- ribbon, to decorate

*Mix up all the goodies and voila!

Amanda from Vintage Glam Weddings was also kind enough to post her label, which can be downloaded FREE {here} for 2.5″ x 1.75″ size

With the economy testing our wallets more than ever, going “green” and being more Eco-friendly can help lighten on our monthly spending and the mother nature too! Try some of these easy ways to go green from Good Housekeeping.

Also check out this book
By:Alex Wilson. This book is written for homeowners planning a new home, intended to improve the overall environmental performance of new houses being built, the book sets out to answer some questions relating to having a home designed and built-and getting what you want.

13 Easy Eco-Friendly House Tips

1. Save money in the bathroom
Buy water-efficient showerheads. With low-flow models, a family of four can cut water usage by as much as 280 gallons a month — and yet not feel much difference in water pressure

2. Bring home superhero plants
Certain greens can help remove indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. Don’t have the gardening gene? Golden pothos, English ivy, and peace lilies are all easy-to-grow toxin fighters.

3. Recycle rechargeables
Cell phones, digital cameras, and camcorders have made these batteries more popular than ever, but in certain states — Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Vermont — it’s illegal to throw them away.

4. Adjust fridge and freezer temps
Refrigerators eat up the most electricity in the household. Maximize efficiency by keeping the fridge at 37° F. and the freezer at 0° F.

5. Lighten up with energy savings
Consider using compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). They cost a bit more than regular bulbs, but you’ll lower your electric bill and pay less in the long run — CFLs last up to 10 times longer than traditional ones. (Worried that fluorescents will fill your house with a greenish glow? That’s no longer a problem.

6. Recycle smart
From furniture to electronics, one person’s trash is another’s treasure — so when you want to dispose of an old item, don’t make the dump your first stop

7. Mow-ercise!
Today’s non-gasoline-powered reel lawn mowers are easier to push than the old models. Their eco-: zero emissions (plus, you’re getting great exercise). If you prefer a power mower, consider a quiet, battery-operated model from Black & Decker.

8. Warm up to solar energy
You may not be ready for a totally sun-powered home, but you can get a taste of the technology by using solar-powered lighting in your yard or on your patio.

9. Go native
Plant flowers and shrubs that are well suited to your climate (the staff at your local nursery can help). The : You’ll use less fertilizer and pesticides.

10. Buy a laptop
It uses considerably less power than a desktop computer.

11. Get off junk mail lists
Register with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service (dmaconsumers.org) and you’ll see a significant reduction in mail after three months.

12. Double up on printing
Configure your printer so that it prints on both sides of the page. You know those extra pages you get when printing out one simple email? Turn them over and put them back in the printer for reuse.

13. Protect the earth while you picnic
At your next outdoor party, ask people to write their names on disposable cups so they’ll use only one (to make it easy, put out markers). If you use disposable dinnerware, buy the kind that won’t clog landfills or kill trees.

Cleaning Green:

Here is a list of Cleaning Products that are safe for the environment and often made from natural ingredients available to most though grocery stores or online:

Seventh Generation

Clorox Green Works

Simple.Pure.Clean

Simple Green

J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care

Oxy Boost

Kiwi Green

EcoPath

Eco Touch

Hoppy Easter from TwoHeartsTogether! Enjoy God’s blessing on this day and share his love with others around you!

Easter is a promise,
God renews to us each spring,
A promise that we’ll always have Him there,
And like the flowers that bloom so bright,
And birds that sweetly sing,
We always will receive His tender care,
A promise that He’ll hold us up,
Each time we start to fall,
And see us through each hour of care and strife.
Easter is God’s promise,
That His love rules over all,
And through Him,
We will have eternal life.

–Amanda Bradley

Below is a FREE digital greeting card from Tempus Fugit. Just insert your pictures and send it to your beloved ones!

Growing up I am sure we were all familiar with the saying “April showers bring May flowers” this project says just that with a cloud shaped mobile with dangling raindrops! I have seen a few other variations of this project on other craft blogs but the one below is our version we did today!

Supplies:

• 2 Sheets white construction paper
• Scissors
• Crayons
• Pencil
• Blue paint ( I used two different colors of blue but any will work)
• White cotton ball
• Paper plate to hold paint
• Yarn
• Glue

Directions:

1. Freehand draw a cloud

2. Cut out the cloud using scissors

3. Sqirt some paint onto paper plate

4. Dab cotton ball into paint and dab onto cloud shape. Repeat as desired

5. Let dry. Using the other pieces of white paper, color entire sheet with blue crayons

6. Cut out raindrop shapes out of the crayon drawn blue sheet

7. Cut out strips of yarn and glue raindrops to the end

8. Glue yarn to the bottom of the clouds

9. Hang to display

Take the guess work out of boiling eggs for Easter! Learn how to boil eggs to perfection that is completely fool proof. Allrecipes has a step by step video tutorial that shows how to boil eggs the right way.

You can view the video HERE

Popular Egg Dishes:

• Deviled Eggs
• Spinach Salad
• Egg Salad
• Lunch sandwiches
• Dying for Easter

Directions:

1. Place eggs in pan, fill with water (enough to cover the eggs)

2. Place on stove and bring to a rolling boil

3. Turn off heat and cover

4. Empty hot water from pan and fill with cool cold water, crack and set aside for 14-17 minutes (depending on egg size)

*Eggs can last up to 7 days refridgerated.

RootsAndWingsCo. thought up a cute Easter treat that is filled with that traditional Easter goodies ( Chocolate and Peeps) that is all combined in a decorative jar for later gifting and baking!

Supplies/Ingredients Needed for Jars:

• Bunny shaped graham Crackers (Annie’s: Bunny Honey Grahams)
• Bunny shaped marshmallow Peeps
• M&Ms plain candies (Easter Mix)
• Bunny shaped mini-marshmallows (Jet Puffed Easter Mix)
• Brown Sugar
• Mason Jar

Per Jar: 1 1/2 cups (one sleeve) crushed graham crackers or bunny grahams 1 1/2 cups marshmallows (I used bunny marshmallows or 8 Peeps)
1 1/2 cups Easter M&M’s 1/3 cup brown sugar

Supplies Needed to Decorate Jar:

• Decorative scrapbook paper
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Hole punch

Jar Assembly Directions:

1. Cut decorative paper into shape of an Easter egg. Write baking directions on the tag (SEE DIRECTIONS BELOW)

2. Hole punch the tag with written directions. Loop ribbon.

3. Layer ingredients in the jar. Small ingredients first. ( M&M’s, Bunny grahams, Marshmallows, Peeps.)

4. Add a decorative lid and secure directions

*Attach a tag with the following directions:

1. Empty the jar contents into a bowl.

2. Combine 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Pour over the cracker crumbs and mix well.

3. Pat crumb mixture into a greased 9″ square pan.

4. Layer the M&M’s and then the marshmallows on top of that.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Cool and cut into bars

Wreaths are a popular decoration to add personality and warmth to any door, especially around Christmas time with holly and spruce. Who says wreaths are only for Christmas? Now that Spring is well on it’s way add a little warmth to your door and home by making this beautiful Garden Hose Wreath! This would make a perfect homemade Mother’s Day gift for Mom or that special lady in your life (even if that means YOU)

By: Cobblestone Farms

Supplies:

Old Garden Hose
Tool
Flowers
Small Bucket
Anything nature related for an added touch (bird nest, twigs, gloves,shovel, signs)
Wire
Cutters
Styrofoam
Moss

Directions:

Simply begin by looping your old garden hose that has sprung a leak, secure with wire, nestle in any large or small garden tool, secure it as well, hang a small bucket from the top, insert Styrofoam, and arrange your flowers and special touches to your likin’.

I have been trying to do more science orientated activities and attempt them once a week. This week I introduced the kids to the concept of SINK VS FLOAT. By starting the experiment we discussed “mass” and that items that are heavier in mass are most likely to sink and items that are lighter in mass are most likely to float. After we talked about what mass was and the difference between lighter and heavier items, I had each child go around the classroom and pick one object that was ok to get wet. As soon we everyone had chosen their item, I filled a medium sized tub with water and had the children take turns putting their item in the bucket to see if it floated or sank. Below is a picture of the chart we created with our results by circling if the item sank or floated. The children enjoyed this and I wish we had more things to test, I’m sure you can find more things around the house that might be a little bit more on the trickier side for the older kids such as a pineapple, dog bone, or bottle of .

I hope this project was helpful to many of you and might encourage you to do more science orianted projects/experiments with your children!