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

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.

Book Review: It's Going to Be OK

I don't do a lot of book reviews on my blog, but when my friend and her two boys wrote a book about their journey with Alzheimer's, I knew I had to share it. If you have ever had a loved one experience dementia, you will want to read this heartfelt book.

This story was personal for me, as I watched dementia take over the minds of my sweet grandparents. Watching a person you love slowly slip away is a difficult thing to endure. It's also challenging to explain this complicated condition to children. I wish I had been able to read this book to my boys when they first started to see this disease affect their great-grandparents.

"It's Going to Be OK" (by Ben, Alex and Marie Kennedy) is heartfelt, educational, well written and beautifully illustrated. The attention to detail is perfection! I especially love that there are forget-me-knots featured on every page.

If you have someone in your life that has been diagnosed with Dementia, you should grab a copy of this book. Dementia is hard to understand and deal with -- especially for kids -- and this book has a gentle way of explaining a heartbreaking disease. It's a great tool for dealing with grief, while inspiring hope that "everything will be OK".

To order a copy, go to www.itsgoingtobeokbook.com.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like this list of my top 10 picture books for kids.

5 Simple Ways to Prepare for a Family Road Trip

Road tripping with kids can be a lot of fun, but only if you are well prepared. Recently, my family travelled over 1400km to visit family, and we had a fantastic time. Today, I'm sharing the secrets to our success -- 5 simple ways to prepare for a family road trip.

1) Keep everyone comfortable. - Make sure everyone is dressed in comfy clothes, and bring lots of blankets and pillows.

2) Pack lots of food. - We always pack a cooler with fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, milk and drinks. It makes it easy to make healthy meals "on the go". We also pack a basket filled with bread, peanut butter, healthy snack options, and tasty treats. Individual tackle boxes filled with goodies are fun too!

The most important thing is to make sure everyone is well fed, food is always in arms reach, and there is no reason to make unnecessary stops for fast food.

3) Make sure everyone is entertained. - I love wrapping up dollar store trinkets and treats for the kids to open when boredom sets it. In the past, I have wrapped up: magazines, puzzle books, fidget toys, craft supplies, and treats. It's a fun way to add some fun to the drive.

I also like wrapping DVDs. Instead of endless discussion (and fighting) about what movie to watch, my kids just take one (blindly) from the pile, unwrap it, and stick it in the DVD player. Easy peasy!

4) Plan out your route. - Plan out your route, and plan overnight stays ahead of time if needed. For our 15 hour drive, we planned an overnight stay in a hotel halfway to our destination. Have a bed and pool to break up our drive made all the difference.

5) Make the journey part of the vacation. - The drive to a destination doesn't need to be torture, but rather, it can be part of the fun. 5 minute stops at roadside attractions will add a lot of interest to the drive. For our trip, we stopped for a couple of photos in Montreal.

Note: Having the passengers change spots in the vehicles at rest stops is a great way to get give them a change of scenery.

I also suggest packing Ziploc bags (which are perfect for wet swimsuits, car sickness, and food storage), and baby wipes come in handy too. 

What is your best way to prepare for a family road trip? We'll definitely be doing it again, so I'd love any tips or tricks you have to offer.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the helpful family travel advice here.

Top TWELVE Books for Tween and Teen Boys (and Girls!)

Many children start their love affair with reading by enjoying picture books, graphic novels, and easy chapter books. Then, after children have gained their confidence and honed their reading skills, they are ready for more advanced stories, characters, and plot lines. Today, I am sharing TWELVE books that were / are some of my boys' favourites.

*NOTE: The links to purchase these books are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase one of these books using one of these links, I will receive a small commission... at no additional charge to you.

1) Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan




2) Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling




3) I Funny series by James Patterson





4) David Walliams books: particularly Mr. Stink and The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

5) Wonder by R.J. Palicio




6) A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket 




7) Swindle series by Gordon Korman




8) Slapshot series by Gordon Korman



9) MasterMind series by Gordon Korman (My 10 year old LOVED the humour and adventure in this series.)

10) Wings of Fire series by Tui T Sutherland

11) Robert Muchamore books - My 12 year old loved the CHERUB series.

12) Treasure Hunter Series by James Patterson

Do you have books you would like to add to this list? I am always anxious to instill a love of reading in my boys, and good books are the key. If you have a suggestion, please leave it below, and I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)