Eco-friendly Sidewalk Paint

A few weeks ago, we had some warm days, so the boys and I headed outside to paint our street with some environmentally friendly sidewalk paint.  All you need to DIY your own paints is: 1/4 cup corn starch, 1/4 cold water, and about 8 drops food coloring. 

Mix the cornstarch and the water thoroughly, and then add the food coloring.  Repeat for each color of paint you would like to have.  We made red, blue, yellow and green.

I found that foam brushes worked well, but I am sure you could use whatever you have in your craft cupboard/drawer.

We had a great time with this simple summer activity, and we can't wait to make another batch of this easy and inexpensive sidewalk paint!  Let me know if you give it a try.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

ECM Kid's Craft Club {reminder}

Just a reminder that the first mailing of the East Coast Mommy Kid's Craft Club goes out on April 20, 2012, so if you haven't already signed up, you should do it ASAP.  The 4-month membership package is only $25 (including Canadian shipping and tax).  Every month (for four months), members will receive a personalized letter and a craft kit containing the supplies they need to make that month's craft.  

Do you have/know a child that would love getting their very own mail?  Here is a sneak peek at the crafts we'll be doing together (although colors and materials may vary slightly from the pictures).

April's craft (Reading Rocks!):  Foam bookmark (choice of the monster or bird design)

May's craft (Spring has Sprung!):  Flower and frog foam magnets

June's craft (Canada Day Celebration!):  Canada Day hat and flag

July's craft (Hooray for Summer!):  Sun glasses and paper fan

Interested in being part of the fun?  Here are the details:

1)  As a member of the club, each month (for four months) your child will receive:

•  mail addressed to him/her
• a personalized letter with fun info/ideas
• all the supplies he/she will need to make the "craft of the month".

Note:  The craft will always be simple (taking less than 30 minutes to complete), the craft will be designed for ages 3-8 (with assistance required in the younger age categories), a link to an online step by step tutorial will be provided, and the kit will contain everything you need to complete the project (with the exception of scissors, glue, tape and crayons).

2)  The cost for a four month membership is $25 (including Canadian shipping).  Payment (via Cash, Cheque made payable to Gina Bell or email money transfer) must be received before a kit is sent out.  Payments can be sent to EastCoastMommy@gmail.com.

3)  The kits will be sent out on the 20th of each month, and I will post a full tutorial on the blog at that time.

If you are interested, please send payment to EastCoastMommy@gmail.com.  I will also need your child's name, age, and full mailing address (and his/her preference for the first craft).

If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thank you for being a part of the ECM Kid's Craft Club.  :-)

♥

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Magic Jelly Beans (free printable envelope)

What is better than a bowl full of jelly beans -- an envelope filled with magic jelly beans (of course!). When it comes to celebrating holidays with children, a little magic goes a long way. In our house: at Halloween we plant magic pumpkin seeds, at Christmas our Elf on the Shelf brings us magic elf seeds, and at Easter the Easter Bunny leaves magic jelly beans in my boys' Easter baskets. 

Fun, right? Here's what the envelope looks like, and it's filled with jelly beans.

I've seen a few seed packet templates on Pinterest, but I wanted our jelly beans to come from the Easter Bunny, so I came up with my own design. (To download my magic jelly bean envelope for free, click here.)

As per the Easter Bunny's instructions, you need to plant the jelly beans in sugar, and the next morning there will be a sweet surprise. 

Our jelly beans grew into chocolate flowers, but any sort of sucker would work.

What could be more fun than jelly beans that grow into chocolate flowers or another Easter treat? Magic jelly beans are a fun and easy way to add a little magic to the holidays. I hope your little one finds one of these special envelopes in his/her basket on Easter morning.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Click here for MORE easy and inexpensive ideas for Easter fun!

Toilet Roll Bunnies

At Christmas we made snowmen out of toilet paper rolls, so we decided to dig in our recycling bin again and make some adorable bunnies for Easter.  It was so much fun that we made a whole herd of toilet roll bunnies.

Aren't they cute?  Here is how easy they are to make:

1)  Paint the toilet rolls white and allow to dry completely.

2)  Cut ears and feet from cardstock (see shapes below).  You can also color the insides of the ears pink.

3)  Use white glue to add eyes and a nose.  Then, use a black marker to draw a mouth and whiskers.  (You could also draw in paws and bow tie.  Let the kids be creative.)

4)  Use white glue to secure the ears and the feet.

5)  Finish by adding a pom pom for a tail.  Cute, right?  :-)

Who doesn't love a simple holiday craft?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

ECM Kid's Craft Club -- Official Launch!

I could not be more excited about the official launch of the East Coast Mommy Kid's Craft Club.  The test I did about a month ago was a huge success, so as a result, I have put together a 4-month membership package.  Every month, members will receive a personalized letter and a craft kit containing the supplies they need to make that month's craft.  What child doesn't love getting their very own mail?  :-)

Here is a sneak peek at the crafts we'll be doing together (although colors and materials may vary slightly from the pictures).

April's craft (Reading Rocks!):  Foam bookmark (choice of the monster or bird design)

May's craft (Spring has Sprung!):  Flower and frog foam magnets

June's craft (Canada Day Celebration!):  Canada Day hat and flag

July's craft (Hooray for Summer!):  Sun glasses and paper fan

Interested in crafting along with me for the next four months?  Here are the details: 

1)  As a member of the club, each month (for four months) your child will receive:

•  mail addressed to him/her
• a personalized letter with fun info/ideas
• all the supplies he/she will need to make the "craft of the month". 

Note:  The craft will always be simple (taking less than 30 minutes to complete), the craft will be designed for ages 3-8 (with assistance required in the younger age categories), a link to an online step by step tutorial will be provided, and the kit will contain everything you need to complete the project (with the exception of scissors, glue, tape and crayons).

2)  The cost for a four month membership is $25 (including Canadian shipping).  Payment (via Cash, Cheque made payable to Gina Bell or email money transfer) must be received before a kit is sent out.  Payments can be sent to EastCoastMommy@gmail.com.

3)  The kits will be sent out on the 20th of each month, and I will post a full tutorial on the blog at that time.

If you are interested, please send payment to EastCoastMommy@gmail.com.  I will also need your child's name, age, and full mailing address (and his/her preference for the first craft).

If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thank you for being a part of the ECM Kid's Craft Club.  :-)

♥

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

{Easter} Photo Cards for Classmates

For Valentines day, the boys gave their classmates some really cute sucker Valentines, and I thought it would be fun {and easy} to do something similar for Easter.  So.... we made these adorable Easter photo cards.

Don't my boys make the cutest little bunnies???  :-)

To make the cards, I took pictures of the boys holding out their fists.  (I used a dollar store tablecloth as a backdrop.)  Then, I used an X-Acto knife to cut a slit above and below their fists.  I stuck in pencils from the dollar store, and voila!

I made 55 last night (while watching TV) after the kids went to bed.  They are thrilled with the way they turned out, and they can't wait to pass them out to their friends.

Do your little ones like to share things with their classmates?  What are some of your favorite class gifts/treats?

♥

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

** If you haven't already "liked" me on facebook, I would love to have you join me here.





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10 {Simple} Easter Crafts for Kids

Easter is the perfect time for crafting with little ones, so today I am sharing 10 Easy and Inexpensive {Easter} crafts for kids.  The first few projects are mine, but the rest are from some other great blogs.  I hope you take some time to check them out.

Click on the title of each project to read the full tutorial.

1) Tissue Box Bunny Baskets  by East Coast Mommy

2) Dollar Store Egg Garland by East Coast Mommy

3) Toilet Roll Napkin Rings by East Coast Mommy

4) Bunny Puppet by East Coast Mommy

5) Toilet Roll Bunnies by East Coast Mommy

6) Easy Paper Baskets by East Coast Mommy

7)  Bunny Mask with Template by East Coast Mommy

8) Fancy Shaker Eggs by Mama Smiles

9) Easter Chick Cards by Red Ted Art

10)Easter Wreath by Happy Hooligans (made from a cereal box)

or Easter Wreath by East Coast Mommy (made from a paper plate)

With these 10 fabulous Easter crafts, it will be easy to find a fun Easter project for you and your little one.  

Happy Easter, and happy crafting!
  
♥

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)