American Girl Stocking Stuffer: Make Your Own Sleep Mask

Last Christmas Eve, my daughter threw me for a loop. As we were setting out our stockings that night, suddenly a tiny stocking from the tree appeared for Sophie, her "American Girl" doll. 

I looked confused. Santa only brings for kids, I said. 

But, she argued, the doll was good. 

Fortunately I had a small accessory I had picked up that I quietly switched to Sophie's stocking that night. And I thought that was the end of it.

This year, though, she's already informed her brother that Santa will bring toys for his stuffed animals if he finds a stocking for him!

While I'm still shaking my head about that one, I did come up with a quick stocking stuffer idea for her doll this year. For the craftily challenged, it only takes about 5 minutes and can be done with minimal supplies at home. My daughter loves the sleep mask we had purchased for her for road trips, so why not make one for her doll, too?

Here's what you need for your a sleep mask for your doll.

Felt, craft foam or fabric scrap - approximately business card size or slightly larger.

Ribbon or yarn

Fold the felt in half horizonally and round the corners. Unfold.

Cut the ribbon or yarn in half and thread each half into one end of the sleep mask. Knot it so it doesn't loosen. 

To use, place sleep mask over face and tie around the back of the head. Sweet dreams!

Linked to Motivation Mondays, Titi's Crafty Party, The Mommy Club.

Recycled Reindeer Ornaments

Some old bottle caps and branches from my dormant lilies should put a smile on faces this winter.

Our Brownie troop made Recycled Reindeer Ornaments to decorate a wreath for a local fundraiser recently.

Here's how we did the project - perfect for small gifts by little hands or a snowy day craft. It's quick but the girls enjoyed it.

Supplies:

Plastic bottle lids, cleaned (even if you avoid plastic, certainly a neighbor or coworker doesn't)

wiggle eyes

pom poms

glue

small twigs, branches or sticks

ribbon to adhere to back

marker if you'd like to add other accents, like a mouth

Glue the items together as below. Add ribbon loop on the back.

 Here is the finished wreath! Adorable.

This is linked back to Motivation Mondays and the More the Merrier Mondays.

Recycled denim pet toys

When November brings you tornado watches and warnings, you tuck into the bathroom and work on your Christmas gifts!

My oldest had wanted to make a gift for her "dog cousin" and a pair of well-worn jeans provided just the opportunity to do so. We had seen this great idea for a fleece rope toy from Parents magazine and had tucked the idea away in our "emergency" binder of ideas.

For a few short minutes, we had a great distraction from the day's storms.

Each side of the leg was cut lengthwise into three strips, which were knotted and braided.

We wound up with simple gifts for four of our closest four-legged friends!

Recycled Jesse Tree Ornaments

I'd been kicking the idea of a Jesse Tree for a few years now, but it usually was in the middle of December, when it was far too late.

Then I got the email yesterday morning: Walking the Seasons had a last-minute need for a Jesse Tree ornament swap, and would I be interested? 

Interested, yes. Time and cash-strapped, most definitely. Add in the fact that I needed to get them in the mail this weekend, and I just eliminated any hope of running to the store for last-second supplies.

The solution? A recycled Jesse Tree ornament that ended up being a whole-family affair.

Here's how we pulled off 28 ornaments in little time, all by using items in our home.

1) We took cardboard boxes we'd yet to recycle and mod-podged scrapbook paper to it for a background.

2) We traced a cup lid for the round ornament shape and cut them out. We free-hand cut tear drops, the shape we were assigned to, and adhered them to the ornament, then covered them all with a layer of Modgpodge to ensure no loose ends.

3) I had  bottle of pearlized coating for stamping that my mother had given me some time ago that I had not used, so we used a small layer on that to add additional shine to our tears.

4) We punched a hole in the top and threaded some leftover ribbon through.

Simple but effective for symbolizing tears of pain and abandonment in the Old Testament.

I'm excited to see how the others turn out and introducing this new tradition into our home!

Kansas City with Kids - Frugal Edition

Our trip to Kansas City was derailed before it began.

Instead of spending Fall Break with our family, we were waiting in the car shop. That, coupled with some unexpected expenses, meant we were going to have to tighten down on the trip to Kansas City.

I'd lived in KC for a decade, but we found great ways to enjoy the days with Grandma and Grandpa even on a budget. We weren't completely perfect - we did eat a few meals out and did stock up on some local foods to take home for the year - but these were great budget extenders, and even better activities to do!

Getting Crafty At Kaleidoscope

I'd heard of Kaleidoscope in Crown Center but had never been, as we were childless when we lived in the Kansas City area. An afternoon at Kaleidoscope was just the trick for creative types with a big case of the wiggles.

Kaleidoscope is basically a huge kids craft playground, filled with the leftovers from Hallmark's projects. Paper crafting with glow-in-the-dark paints, making cards, designing your own puzzles. It was the fastest hour spent all week. Everyone from my rambuncious 5 year old son to his preteen cousin and grandfather enjoyed experimenting and creating their own works of art. Best of all, it was free to the public - just requires a timed ticket.

(As an aside, Girl Scout leaders and educators take note: Kaleidoscope offers themed packs that you can take home - for 50 cents per child. For frugal troops, this is a great idea, and they do ship!)

Betting on Basketball in Lawrence

One bet failed, but the other was a hit.

We had hoped to attend the (free!) open scrimmage for the basketball team, but weather and a sick cousin derailed our plans. Luckily, our little jock had the chance to enjoy some KU basketball earlier in the week.

The Booth Family Hall of Athletics at Allen Fieldhouse has a stuffy name, it's far from a boring monument to basketball. Sure, there's 100 years worth of sports memorabilia to peruse, but the kids loved the interactive exhibits. Their favorites? Pretending to call some classic basketball games - from the tie-breaker game against Memphis in the Final Four to a game from Wilt Chamberlain's days. They also loved checking out their wingspan and attempting to palm as many balls as they can in 10 second's time. Mostly, they loved wandering the stands around the hallowed basketball court - site of many a memory for their mom and dad.

Other Free Things to Check Out In and Around KC

Family time is just that, so while we had a lot of ideas on our list, we also kept things simple: a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa, with ample time at the local park.

On our list to do this fall but didn't get accomplished:

• University of Kansas Natural History Museum (free, though donations encouraged)
• Louisburg Cider Mill - Washed out by a rainy day, my daughter wanted to return so bad she wrote her social studies paper on it!
• Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

Kansas City natives: What are your favorite ways to spend a week with the kids?

Bug Day: Earning the Brownie Bugs Badge

Girl Scout camp is a natural place for your Brownies to earn their Bugs badge. Last week at day camp, we celebrated mid-week with "Bug Day" in our unit.

We started our day with a Bug Hike. Each girl had a small container for a bug box and magnifying glass for collecting bugs along the way. "Bugs" wound up being loosely defined. We wound up with a vast collection of everything from mosquitoes and ants to spiders and slugs. But the girls loved exploring what's down below and slowing down for a bit. They truly didn't want to end their hike!

The girls also took time to observe and learn about the bugs they collected. I found this great bug observation worksheet on Pinterest. Even the girls who admitted at the beginning of the day that bugs freaked them out loved studying their insects and other creatures!

We also did a couple of bug-related crafts. A very quick one to do is the coffee-filter butterfly, which I think is a Girl Scout camp standard. The girls decorate their coffee filters with markers, then get the filters wet to spread the colors. When the coffee filters are dry, they use a pipe cleaner to create the body and the antennae.

We also gave each girl a small container of clay to make their own bug creations. They were allowed to use any crafts supplies or found items, including rocks, leaves and sticks, to make their insects. I was impressed with some of their creative interpretations - from bugs sitting on sticks to carving designs of snail shells to entire scenes!

Rounding out our bug badge day were a discussion about what we know and want to learn about bugs, creation of a team bugs poster that hung in our unit house all week and learning the "Wings of a Butterfly" song for our camp skit.

If I had the wings of a butterfly

If I had the wings of a butterfly (butterfly). 

Up to the hills I would fly. (I'd fly)

There I would remain as a butterfly. 
There to remain till I die.

Chorus! (pronounced ch-or-us) 

Oo la, Oo la, Oo la, Oo la. Repeat.

Oo la, Oo la, Oo la, Oo la. Once More.

Oo la, Oo la la la, Oo la. Last Time.

Oo la, Oo la la la, Oo la la.

Second verse....

(Replace butterfly with skeeter, airplane, dragon fly, fairy, chicken, etc., ending last verse with "If I had the wings of a Girl Scout.)

Follow Robbie @'s board Girl Scout Projects on Pinterest.

Looking for more Girl Scout ideas? Visit my new scout leader resource site, Use Resources Wisely. 

Not your mama's Gardening badge

I realize many kids don't realize that a carrot comes from anything but a plastic baggie, and that many others have never had the thrill of playing with those "helicopter" leaves. But I had to admit, for our soon to be second-grade girls, the Plants badge for Brownies was just too rudimentary. (Particularly since they did the gardening journey series in kindergarten.)

The great thing about our Girl Scout council is that they encourage adaptation of badge requirements to fit the girls' needs. So we took advantage of the idea, and tossed the whole Plants Try-It on its side. (I should note: This badge was being retired and nothing remotely was taking its place, a miss I think for the Girl Scouts!)

Instead of seed starting and plant rubbings, here's what our Brownies are doing this month:

Planting a vegetable garden for the sisters who live at our church's convent. The girls got a huge kick out of starting their seeds last year and planting the garden, which fed the nuns all summer. So much so that we're having another planting night later this month, after the risk of frost has passed.

Growing their own mushrooms. Thanks to a very kind donation of mushroom kits from Back to the Roots, the girls are growing their very own oyster mushrooms. The kits themselves are being divided into sections of 4 to 6 mini-mushroom kits.

Experimenting with seed paper. After getting a cute wildflower seed paper from the University of Kansas during a fundraising campaign last month, I contacted the alumni association about getting seed papers from envelopes with bad mailing addresses for the girls to try out. (If that fails, I'll make my own homemade seed paper to share with the girls. Making homemade paper during a Brownie meeting can be the epitome of mess!)

Making pressed flower and leaf cards. I found this great activity on education.com that we'll be sure to try!

What other great ways have you found to teach children about plants and gardening?

Recycled Easter baskets

Making Easter baskets out of paper. That's what my daughter had on her mind.

In my naivity, I thought this would be a great activity while her brother was sleeping. And then I went hunting for directions.

Got coupons? I have stacks of ads and good intentions, and this basket from Roots of Simplicity would be a great solution: roll, glue and go. The project takes about an hour, not including drying time.



Unfortunately, needed something a little more in tune with the inpatience of a kindergartener. Instead I found another alternative at Miss Birtie's Blog. Simple, but easy enough to do with some leftover cardstock or magazine ads.

Easy bird feeder "cookies"

Our Daisy Girl Scout troop has been working on the 5 Flowers, 4 Stories, 3 Cheers for Animals patch series this year, and the other leaders and I are always on the lookout for creative ways for the girls to express them selves, while staying frugal and not creating a lot of excess for parents to store!


The robin is one of the animals we've talked about this year. Most of our work around this has centered around the suggested activity of building a "bird nest" and papier mache bird, which the girls have loved. But finding something that translates into taking action, especially in the dead of winter, is challenging.


I found this activity on education.com. Technically it's for "Christmas Cookies" for the birds - but you could easily make it using any shape or cookie cutter - or even cut circles with the lip of a cup. We beta-tested it at home with a first-grader and preschooler, and the project took less than 15 minutes with clean-up. (Plan accordingly with the size of your group!)

Supplies needed are bread (they recommend slightly stale, and I agree - ours was too soft to hang), peanut butter or shortening, birdseed, sunflower seeds and/or raisins, cups or cookie cutters, straws (1 per three girls), knives to spread peanut butter with (1 per 2-3 girls) and yarn or twist-ties from garbage bags.

Simply put, you cut out bread into shapes, poke a hole in it with the straw, slather it with peanut butter and cover with birdseed. (We used raisins and sunflower seeds.) Setting these up on cookie sheets made for easy clean up!

To finish it, we used trash bag ties (which had been in my drawer for years) pulled through the hole. We're letting it dry before we attempt to hang it outdoors, so you may want to consider sending the projects home on scrap pieces of cardboard so projects don't break en route.

Messy, but fun!

Looking for more Girl Scout ideas? Visit my new scout leader resource site, Use Resources Wisely. 

Mother's Day Seed Cards - A Preschool-Friendly Project

Mother's Day is fast approaching, and I wanted to do something fun for the grandmothers this year. Being hours away limits my options, however.

Remembering that last year, my daughter wanted to buy her grandmothers flowers, I stumbled on an easy solution that's simple to mail and easy to make: simple watering can seed cards. This 10-minute project was a great solution for my preschooler and kindergartener to help with, as well.

I found a watering can template at Family Fun magazine and printed on some cardstock, let the children color them and then cut out the cans and slots at the top and bottom of the can. There, I inserted a small package of flower bulbs that could be planted in our region through June.

Simple to make, easy to ship, and the grandmas get flowers after all!

We also did a variation of this for the teacher appreciation week next week, which my kindergartener insisted on signing herself.

Linked to Motivation Mondays at alifeinbalance.net.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Homemade Chinese food is a luxury in our home. I learned long ago how to make the "real" thing, but the time element for making it - my favorite dish takes more than two hours to make - means that it's hardly a staple in my home.

But the new year is a reason to celebrate. On Sunday, we marked an early begining to the Chinese New Year (which is Thursday this year) with a couple of small activities in our home.

Of course, it centered around the meal, and while it wasn't three courses of fun (mom, after all, is still dealing with bronchitis), it was a success. For dinner, we splurged and made homemade Chinese dumplings, a great way to use some of the leftovers in our produce bin. This was an idealistic project, given the number of steps and potential for kitchen disasters (raw ground chicken, raw egg, shredding, frying...) but overall was met with success. I got about a dozen dumplings assembled before hearing my husband's desperate yells upstairs, which meant I had to switch gears...fast. The rest of the filling was tossed with some Ramen noodles for the kids. Hardly authentic Chinese, but the meal was surprisingly a success with the family, and the flavors were repeat-able.

We also made Chinese lanterns, an activity that I'm sure has been a staple for kindergarteners for generations, but it was an easy (and controlled) way for my 3-year-old to practice cutting with scissors. It's a simple way to get a second life out of school projects and other drawings too!

My kindergartener, of course, went for the avant garde-look with hers. Blame it on her 5-year-old creativity, "which is taking stuff and doing new things with it," she says.

The weekend was rounded out with an accidental reading of a Thomas the Train story centered around the Chinese New Year's dragon coming to town and scaring another train. This of course eliminated our other activity: crafting a Chinese New Year dragon from toilet paper rolls and paper towels, which I found on education.com. Sadly, if Percy was bothered by a dragon, my 3 year old would be too. Maybe next year.

Have a little more time - or more enthusiastic kitchen helpers - on your hands? Check out these recipes to celebrate your new year:

• Chicken in a Pot
• Chinese Chicken Soup
• Egg Rolls
• Stir-Fried Mushrooms
• Vegetable Lo Mein

Recycled Nativity for the kids

Yesterday, our church had a display of more than 50 Nativity scenes for show. It only took a few minutes before I realized that Baby Jesus could be in jeopardy if He came out in our house this season.

Rather than risk my "good" pieces to the whims of a toddler and his 5-year-old partner in crime, we opted to make our own set this year. It took time, and leftover materials around our house.

With empty toilet paper and wrapping paper rolls, a shoe box for a manger, and the backsides of work paper, we created a Nativity scene worthy of any child's imagination. And the best part, the pieces are easily replaceable!

(You can find directions and printables here.)

Trio of turkeys

This adorable trio of turkeys was made in minutes by my kindergartener and I. Simple and cute - and her secret pal loved them!

Entertaining your turkeys at Thanksgiving

Keeping my kids away from the pantry and stove at mealtime is tough under the best of circumstances, but at a holiday, the excitement just amplifies. Today at the Green Phone Booth, I'm sharing a few recycled Thanksgiving craft ideas I found.

Recycling glue sticks

Glue sticks - from a mom's perspective anyway, are a far better alternative to piles of glue poured on, well, anything. But the containers pose a problem, and frankly, our budding artist goest through the sticks quite quickly.

Did you know you can recycle them? I read on the Green Phone Booth that Elmer's glue offers a glue stick recycling program. What a great idea! You can get the details here.

Homemade Holidays: A cup of love

Painted pottery stores may have come and gone in today's economy, but a heartfelt mug of a favorite blend in a personalized cup is a personal (and inexpensive) gift that even children can make.

Solid china cups can easily be found at most stores, or, if you're really feeling green this holiday season, scavenged from a resale shop (adding a "retro" touch.)

MarthaStewart.com suggests these tips if using china:

• Use food-safe ceramic paint, such as Pebeo Porcelaine 150, and add white to make lighter shades of a color.
• Remove any painting "oopses" with a baby wipe.
• Let paint dry 2 hours, then set paint by heating china in a 300-degree oven for 30 minutes. (Put plate or cup in oven before turning on).

Those with less time on their hands can easily update a travel mug. My daughter created a personalized travel mug for her uncle last Christmas by drawing a picture on a traced copy of the insert. It's one-of-a-kind, and perfect for the uncle who's not at all proud of his favorite niece.

Of course, if you are giving personalized dishes or cups this holiday season, fill it up! Toss in some chocolates, holiday candies, coffees, tea bags or even create a "custom" coffee bean mix by mixing together several different varieties.

Homemade Holidays Bonus Project: Gingerbread house ornaments

Christmas gifts from the children are those that come most from the heart.

Granted, perhaps not as much "from the heart" as my husband's cousin's son was a few years ago. Inspired by a diamond commercial, he insisted his father let him buy his mom diamonds because mom was the woman he loved most. It's hard to argue with an eight year old's logic.

For those with a little tighter of a budget - and for those who desperately need an activity for kids this Thanksgiving weekend, consider letting them make homemade presents. Cookie tins or ornaments are two easy solutions that can keep your kids out of trouble and make them feel the holidy spirit.

I found these cute gingerbread cards online at Kaboose.com and decided it might be fun to adapt to homemade ornaments. The "recipe" for the cards state that they are for ages 3 and older, though that may depend on your child's ability. It does require parental help.

Here's what I did:

1. Downloaded the template and cut out the house part only out of cardboard that was included in a bag from a scrapbook store to keep papers from bending.
2. Let my 3 year old go wild! First step: Painted "frosting" with leftover acryclic paint from a long-ago project.
3. Glued on buttons and slide mounts, long-ago acquired and unused for scrapbooking projects.
4. I punched holes and inserted eyelets in the top of each ornament so the holes wouldn't rip.
5. Threaded each ornament.

Total out-of-pocket expenditures: $0. (Not including the eventual replacement of the tablecloth, which suffered a few holes from my Silent Setter.)

The great thing is, the project allowed me to use up scrapbook supplies that I hadn't used in years but was hesitant to just throw out.

A bonus: My 3 year old was happily occupied for an hour and a half! And she's eager to share her creations with everyone she knows.