5 Simple, Spring Flower Crafts

Perfect for Mother's Day Cards, or just a simple afternoon activity, these quick and easy crafts use just the basic supplies and will help spread spring fever!

1. Thumbprint Hyacinth

2. Muffin Liner Flower Garden

3. Hand/Foot Print Flowers

4. Tissue Paper Flowers

5. Buttons and Book Pages

 

5 Ways to Stop Yelling!

When your child is driving you crazy, it can feel as if they are always misbehaving.  Instead of losing your cool, check out Parent's 5 ways to stay calm while still making your point and setting necessary boundaries.

1. Breathe
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Sometimes all it takes is a moment to cool down.

2. Address the Behavior 
We all have good kids; sometimes their behavior just stinks. When you're teaching your children to ride their bikes, do you punish them when they don't get it the first try? Of course not. You encourage them, support them, and give them guidance.  Remember that positive behavior is learned, and yelling is not necessarily an effective teaching tool.

3. Mean Business Without Being Mean
Instead of yelling, use a firm, but soft, I-mean-business tone when giving behavior directions.

Direction that makes the most impact on a child is actually one that is stern and even somewhat gentle. When you speak in a calm but firm soft voice, children have to work to listen -- and they most always do. The calmer and softer you speak, the more impact your words will have. Not only will your child most likely grasp your instructions faster, you won't have to lose your voice trying to convey it.

4. Help Your Child Explain Feelings
Before you lose your cool because your child has misbehaved, figure out what is causing the behavior.
Our goal as parents should be to teach our children how to effectively express themselves by validating their feelings without validating their behavior.

5. Put Yourself in Their Shoes
Are you hurt when someone yells at you? Of course; so why wouldn't your child be?
Our goal as parents should be to teach our children and to build them up, not to tear them down. When we yell at our children we risk damaging their self-esteem and sense of self-worth.  Consider how you'd feel if your boss yelled at you. You'd likely be embarrassed and hurt.  Often you don't have a chance to process what your boss is saying because of how it was said. The same goes for your child. You want to be able to teach him what is acceptable and what is not without making him feel shame or embarrassment.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

For a great on-line activity that really works, we were thrilled to find this easy paper kite from the blog "Maya Made."  Using only the most basic of household supplies, and a few quick minutes, you can whip out a toy that will thrill for hours!

Supplies for one kite:
- sheet of 8 1/2"x11" paper (I used bright colored printing paper)
- markers for optional decorating
- 8"bamboo BBQ shishkabob stick (skewer)
- a plastic grocery bag
- scotch tape
- 6-10 feet of string
- scissors and a hole punch
- 1"x 3" piece of cardboard for winding string
Instructions:
1. Decorate paper and then fold in half to get 8 1/2"x 5 1/2".


2. Fold along a diagonal: 1/2 inch from fold at the top and 3 inches from the fold at the bottom.


3. Fold back one side to form the kite shape and place a piece of tape along the fold line.


4. Place skewer from one end to another and tape well.



5. Cut a inch wide spiral out of your grocery bag...6-10 feet long. Tape it to the bottom of the kite.


6.Flip kite onto it's back (flat side with skewer) and fold front flap back and forth until it stand up straight.
7. Punch hole in the front flap about a 1/3 of the way down from the top.



8.Tie one end of string to the hole and wind the other end onto the cardboard string winder.


You're all set... hold the kite up for launching and run several yards with your child to get it going. We didn't even need a breezy day to get our kite up in the air...yippee!

Rainy Day Craft

If the spring weather has you trapped inside, try this fun, easy coffee filter umbrella craft!  They are easily made with supplies already in your house and look great hanging in a window or glued down to a piece of construction paper.

Materials
Coffee Filters
Markers (washable work best)
Spray Bottle with water
Pipe cleaners or construction paper
Tape

Procedure
1. Cut coffee filters in half (1 will make 2 umbrellas)
2. Decorate with makers.  It doesn't matter if you use designs or just scribbles....anything goes!
3. Spray with water to let colors bleed across filter (you may want to have something under your filter when you do this to prevent leak through onto the table)
4. Allow to dry.
5. Use a pipe cleaner or construction in paper to make a handle.  Tape to the filter!
6. Hang in a window or on a piece of construction paper!