The Perfect Canada Day Craft / Beaver Paper Bag Puppet

I love holiday crafts, and this one is perfect for Canada Day. All you need is a paper lunch bag, crayons, cardstock, glue, and googly eyes. This beaver paper bag puppet is just TOO ADORABLE!

To make this puppet:

1) Draw all the beaver parts pictured above, or get the template I designed here.

2) Colour and cut out all the parts.

3) Use glue to attach all the parts. Make sure you attach the parts in the folds so that it looks good when you insert your hand into the puppet. Take a peek at the video here to see what the puppet looks like when it's finished.

Happy Canada Day!!!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also be interested in the fantastic Canada Day ideas here.

Preschool Workbook / A fun way to learn numbers 1-10 / Number Crafts

When my three kids were little, I always tried to make learning fun... and crafting was one of our favourite activities. Today, I'm sharing the NEW book I wrote which highlights the crafts we did when I was teaching them about numbers. It's like a 40+ page workbook with lots of photos and templates -- AND it's only $2.99 US. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, you can do it here.

Here are some examples of the ideas and crafts that are included in my book. You are going to love all the craft templates included!

This workbook is perfect for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and preschool teachers. If you are looking for an easy and fun way to teach little ones, grab your copy of my new book here.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

40 Simple Animal Crafts Kids Will Love

Crafting is a wonderful way for kids to explore their creative side and to learn meaningful skills... in a fun way. It's especially effective when the crafts are cute and enjoyable to play with after they are made. Today, I am sharing 40 simple animal crafts that kids will LOVE!

In no particular order, here are the links to 40 fabulous animal crafts. 

Make sure to click the links for more information, step-by-step instructions, and free printable templates.

1) Monkey puppet made from a paper lunch bag

2) Lion mask made from a paper plate

3) Octopus made from a toilet roll

4) Sheep mask made from a paper plate

5) Bear puppet made from a paper bag

6) Caterpillars

7) Paper Dog pupppet

8) Paper plate duck puppet

9) Dog made from the letter D

10) Alligator made from the letter A

11) Bunny made from the letter B

12) Cat made from the letter C

13) Elephant mask made from a paper plate

14) Elephant made from the letter E

15) Elephant puppet with a finger for a trunk

16) Fox made from the letter F

17) Frog with noisemake tongue

18) Handprint goldfish

19) Iguana made from the letter I

20) Jellyfish made from the letter J 

21) Jellyfish that can move and swim

22) Ladybug made from the letter L

23) Ladybug (love bug) with a picture of the child

24) Mouse made from the letter M

25) Bird in a torn paper nest

26) Owl made from the letter O

27) Owl with handprint wings

28) Pig made from the letter P

29) Pig with clothespin feet

30) Shape pig

31) Three little pigs puppets and houses

32) Rabbit crafts

33) Snakes

34) Shark

35) Turtle puppet made from a paper plate

36) Unicorn made from the letter U

37) Worm made from Cheerios

38) Walrus made from the letter W

39) Beaver made from a paper lunch bag

*** Find a step by step "how to" YouTube video here.

40) Zebras

Aren't these animal crafts adorable? They are all simple to make, and you can create them with really basic craft supplies. When it comes to kids, crafts don't need to be complicated to be educational and fun. Happy crafting!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You may also be interested in this collection of crafts for kids.