Alphabet Crafts - A to Z

Several months ago, my youngest son and I decided to "craft our way through the alphabet".  We had a lot of fun, and we successfully completed 26 days of alphabet crafts. Below, I share our 100+ alphabet crafts and activities. I guarantee your children or students will LOVE them all!

Fun, right?  

Below, you will find links to tutorials for the 100+ adorable alphabet crafts we completed.  You will also find free printable printing practice sheets for each of the letters.

A is for Apple and Alligator (Click the link for instructions and MORE A crafts and activities.)

B is for Bunny Ears and Bear (Click the link for instructions and MORE B crafts and activities.)

C is for Caterpillar and Cat (Click the link for instructions and MORE C crafts and activities.)

D is for Dog (Click the link for instructions and MORE D crafts and activities.)

E is for Elephant (Click the link for instructions and MORE E crafts and activities.)

F is for Face and Fox (Click the link for instructions and MORE F crafts and activities.)

G is for Guitar and Gumball (Click the link for instructions and MORE G crafts and activities.)

H is for Hat and House (Click the link for instructions and MORE H crafts and activities.)

I is for Ice Cream and Iguana (Click the link for instructions and MORE I crafts and activities.)

J is for Jet and Jellyfish (Click the link for instructions and MORE J crafts and activities.)

K is for Kite and King (Click the link for instructions and MORE K crafts and activities.)

L is for Lion and Ladybug (Click the link for instructions and MORE L crafts and activities.)

M is for Monkey and Mouse (Click the link for instructions and MORE M crafts and activities.)

N is for Necktie and Night (Click the link for instructions and MORE N crafts and activities.)

O is for Octopus and Owl (Click the link for instructions and MORE O crafts and activities.)

P is for Pirate Ship and Pig (Click the link for instructions and MORE P crafts and activities.)

Q is for Queen's Crown and Queen (Click the link for instructions and MORE Q crafts and activities.)

R is for Rabbit (Click the link for instructions and MORE R crafts and activities.)

S is for Snake (Click the link for instructions and MORE S crafts and activities.)

T is for Turtle and Tree (Click the link for instructions and MORE T crafts and activities.)

U is for Umbrella and Unicorn (Click the link for instructions and MORE U crafts and activities.)

V is for Vase and Volcano (Click the link for instructions and MORE V crafts and activities.)

W is for Windsock (Click the link for instructions and MORE W crafts and activities.)

X is for Xylophone and X-ray (Click the link for instructions and MORE X crafts and activities.)

Y is for Yarn and Yellow (Click the link for instructions and MORE Y crafts and activities.)

Z is for Zebra (Click the link for instructions and MORE Z crafts and activities.)

I hope you enjoy these alphabet crafts as much as we did.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find MORE fantastic preschool crafts and themes here.

And the crafts here are adorable too!

Simple Backyard Water Park

The boys and I are finishing up our summer checklist, and a couple of days ago we had a fantastic day with our simple backyard water park.

This is a simple idea, but it is guaranteed to please on a hot summer day.  Just use whatever you have to create some "water stations".  In the past we have used sponges, spray bottles, sprinklers, kiddie pools, water balloons, etc...

Here's what we did this year:

I filled 50 water balloons.  They played water balloon catch, they played "soldiers" with water balloon "bombs", and they played water balloon batting practice.

We made homemade bubbles (12 cups of water, 2 cups of dishwashing liquid, and 1 cup of light corn syrup).

We had a huge water fight.

And we played with a giant spiderman slip and slide that I bought on clearance at the end of summer last year.

The boys played with their water park all afternoon, and I think it was a great way to take advantage of one of the last hot summer days.  Have you ever created a simple backyard water park with your little ones?  What station did they like the best?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East CoastMommy)

First Day of School Class Treats {free printable tags}

My boys are heading back to school soon, and in keeping with tradition, they will be bringing a little treat for their classmates on the first day of school.  This year, all three of my boys are taking little bags of goldfish with an adorable tag that says, "O-FISH-ally wishing you a fantastic first day of school!" 

Isn't it cute?  You can download a 4X6 version of the tag I designed by right clicking on the picture below, saving it to your computer, and printing it like a regular photo. (There are three tags on each sheet.)

Once the tags are printed, cut each photo into three tags, and staple a tag to the top of each bag.  

Don't you just love how sweet and simple this idea is?  My boys are really excited about sharing these treats with their little friends.

Do your kids like to bring a class treat on the first day of school or do you have a different first day of school tradition?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

5 Tips for Simplifying Daily Clean Up

I recently received a new Orbit Clean Dishwasher from Frigidaire, and the company asked me to write about how I use my dishwasher to simplify the daily clean up in my home.  With three busy boys, keeping up with housework can be a challenge, but I have a few tips that help me keep things (somewhat) under control.  Here are 5 Tips (I use) for Simplifying Daily Cleanup:

1)  Don't let dishes and laundry pile up - Put dishes in the dishwasher after every meal, and make sure the kids learn to put their dirty clothes in the hamper as soon as they take them off.  It is important to stay on top of dishes and laundry so that they don't become overwhelming.

2)  Sweep after every meal - My boys have trouble eating over their plates, so I try to quickly sweep my kitchen after every meal... before my boys can track crumbs through the rest of the house.

3)  Make sure everything has a place - It can be challenging, but I try to make sure everything has a place.  If every coat has a hook, it is less likely to end up on the floor.  (e.g. You can check out my "Makeshift Mudroom" here.)

4)  Get the kids to help - Make it simple for kids to help by teaching them where things go.  In our house, we have labelled toy bins, so it is easy for my boys to find things and put them away when they have finished.  (You can check out my "Toy Storage Solution" here.)

5)  Do a little every day - There is nothing worse than a big weekend clean up, so try and do a little every day.  "Wing it" (like I do) or set up a little schedule.  (e.g. Clean the toilets on Mondays, dust half the rooms on Tuesdays, dust the rest of the house on Wednesdays, etc...)  Doing 15 minutes each day keeps things under control.

As you can imagine, a dishwasher is a valuable appliance in my house, and my new Orbit Clean Dishwasher from Frigidaire has all the features I need to keep up with the mess created by my busy boys. I need clean dishes that I don't need to rinse before washing them, and I don't need to dry after the dishwasher has stopped, and my new dishwasher meets this "must have" criteria.
I also like the fact that my new dishwasher easily fits all of my dishes because of the adjustable top rack -- and it even has a special spot for my wine glasses and coffee pot!

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to managing daily clean up?  Do you have any tips to share?  I can use all the help I can get!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: I am part of the Frigidaire Canada Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.