Kid-Friendly Projects Fuel Winter Family Fun

Colder temperatures mean more indoor time, making it a challenge to find activities that will keep kids happy and engaged. The good news for parents is that even common household items can create hours of fun time. These child-friendly arts and crafts projects will allow you to spend quality, memorable time with your family this winter season with things you already have around the house.

Arts and Crafts Ideas
With the most soft cotton at the tip*, Q-tips cotton swabs are gentle and safe for baby care and pet care; great for cleaning nooks and crannies in the house and for fixing makeup mishaps. They can also be used in a variety of craft projects. Use them to:

·        Replace expensive paint brushes. Perfectly-sized for children's small hands, you can use a different cotton swab for each color and simply toss when finished.

·        Apply glue to small areas on models and crafts. Use one tip to apply the glue and the other to remove any excess glue before it dries.

·        Carve detailed designs into pottery. Moisten the tool to put the finishing touches on sculptures.

·        Touch-up hard-to-reach areas on freshly painted model airplanes and cars – or even dollhouses.

Have fun with your family making this adorable snowman that’s simple for children to create with a little help from mom or dad.

Cheery Snowman

Skill Level: Intermediate
Prep Time: 2 hours
Dry Time: 30 minutes

Materials:
1          Standard pack (500-count) of Q-tips cotton swabs
3          Styrofoam balls; 1 large, 1 medium, 1 small, (no smaller than 2 inches in diameter)
1          brown pipe cleaner
1          sheet wax paper
1          Popsicle stick or floral stake
            Child-safe scissors
            Child-safe, non-toxic black paint
            Child-safe, non-toxic orange paint

Have an adult cut the bottom off the largest Styrofoam ball, so the piece can lay flat upon a table or surface.

Using a Popsicle stick or floral stake, stack all three Styrofoam balls from largest at the bottom, to smallest at the top to form one standing figure.

Fold and twist 5 cotton swabs in half; dip 9 halves into the black paint and 1 into the orange paint. Lay flat on wax paper to dry.

Cut pipe cleaner in half; insert into sides of middle Styrofoam ball as arms.

Begin folding cotton swabs; insert into foam balls until completely covered.

Insert black cotton swabs into top ball for coal eyes and mouth. Insert orange cotton swab as the carrot nose.

Find step-by-step photos for this project, additional kid-friendly crafting ideas and household tips at www.qtips.com. Or, share your own tips or craft ideas at www.Facebook.com/qtips.

*From the end of the stick to the top of the swab.

Kids' "Handy" Christmas Gift

I was looking through my sons' school crafts the other day...sorting and stowing them away...and I realized that some of my favorites incorporated their handprints. Now that they're older, it's fun looking back over the gifts they made using their own hands...literally. I had forgotten how much their little hands had grown!


Looking at these handprint gifts got me to thinking about a fun, easy (and practical) gift idea your kids might like to make (with a little help from you) for their grandparents, aunts and uncles, or godparents, etc.--Handprint Coasters! 


Here's what you'll need:

• Self-Adhesive Foam Sheets (Get these at any craft store.)
• A pencil/pen/marker
• Scissors
• Felt or Material Scraps

Instructions:

1. Trace your child's hand on a self-adhesive foam sheet for as many coasters as you'd like to make. (Note: If your child only has the patience for one trace of the hand, trace their hand on a piece of cardboard or card stock that you'll be able to retrace on the foam sheet several times.)
   
2. Cut the handprints into rectangular pieces for now--just a little larger than the actual handprint itself.
   
3. Next, remove the backing from the rectangular shaped foam, and place it onto a piece of scrap material or felt. (Note: You may use the same colors or contrasting felts or fabrics for each handprint, as desired.)
   
4. Now, cut around the handprint...following the traced lines.
   
5. Last, group the child(ren)'s handprints into groups of four or six to make sets, and have your child(ren) write their name and age on the back of the coasters.

There are so many craft possibilities for using children's handprints. Do you have one that's your favorite? If so, please share it with us! (Pictures would be cool too!)


-Lisa Bakewell