Feb

29

pipecleaner.JPGMy little sister has been having a blast the past few weeks making dolls out of pipe cleaners. She has been so creative using all kinds of items to embellish them; a cotton ball for grandma’s hair, googly eyes, sequins and beads for earrings and other jewelry. Use whatever you want, there’s so much scope for the imagination in these pipe cleaner crafts. Here’s some instructions to get you started.

Or, if making people just isn’t your thing, try making these fantastic creatures!

Tiger, Squirrel, Chameleon, Monkey, and Deer

Dinosaur

Ladybug, Bee, and Wasp

Grasshopper, and Spider & Web


Feb

26

kidyay.jpg

Free Stuff 4 Kids is having a contest! There are two prizes to be won: KangarooBoo has graciously offered to sponsor our contest and one winner will choose one of these great bead toys! Choose from stringing beads by Melissa & Doug, and several cool bead kits by Haba - there is something for everyone. The other prize is a $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com!
There are four different ways to enter:

1 entry for leaving a comment on this post telling us about your favorite kids site.
2 entries for being a subscriber to the FreeStuff4Kids feed.
2 entries for adding FreeStuff4Kids.net to your blogroll.
3 entries for writing a post on your blog about Free Stuff 4 Kids and the contest.

THE RULES:
To enter, please e-mail your entries to freestuff4kids [at] gmail [dot] com. If you’re a feed subscriber, you must provide the name of the site that is advertising at the bottom of the feed (hint - the site provides product reviews). If you add us to your blogroll or write a post, just provide the link. (If you leave a comment, as long as you provide a valid e-mail address with the comment, there’s no need to send an e-mail.) You can have as many entries as you can stack up!

The deadline for entries is March 14, 2008, midnight EST. Winners will be randomly drawn. Good luck!!!

By the way, have you ever visited KangarooBoo? They are one of the best toy retailers on line- all of their items are hand selected and they’re simply the best quality toys available. If you’re concerned about the recent recalls of toys made in China, they have a whole section of toys not made in China to choose from! Some of my other favorites:

These lovely dolls made in France by Petitcollin: kbdoll.jpg
and these beautiful Haba Clown Blocks:

Feb

22

easter bunny

Easter is coming up quickly! Here are two coloring sheets to enjoy and to get you in the mood for Easter baskets and coloring eggs!

Happy Easter Bunny

Easter Eggs


Feb

16

rosa.JPGFebruary is Black History Month in the US, and this is a great time to learn about African American leaders and heritage. Here are a few resources and activities to get you started!

Resources 

Frederick Douglas - American Visionary online museum exhibit chronicles the history of Douglass, his ideas, and his influences.

American Slave Narratives:  An Online Anthology a collection of interviews with former slaves who discuss their lives before and after freedom. The site features photos and RealAudio sound clips from one of the original interviews.

Coloring Pages

Rosa Parks

Martin Luther King, Jr

George Washington Carver

Jackie Robinson
Craft

Sparkling African Collar Necklace transform an ordinary paper plate into stylish ethnic jewelry.


Feb

14

Screensavers are a great way to entertain the little ones for a while. My son would sit enthralled, looking at the family pictures while I had the screensaver set to randomly display pictures from the MyPictures folder. I recently downloaded a wonderful screensaver from Dream Aquarium. The demo is free, and the design of the aquarium is excellent. You get all the enjoyment of a fish tank, without having to clean it! I normally wouldn’t pay for a screensaver, but my son enjoyed it so much and it is so well done that I bought the full version. We love it!

There are tons of other screensavers available for download that kids would enjoy. Here are just a few:

Dinosaur Screensaver - includes pictures and dinosaur facts

Disney Characters Screensaver - Features Mulan, Peter Pan, Winnie The Pooh, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and more. Has 16 full size wallpaper pictures, rotating automatically.

Pokemon Screensaver - pictures and movie soundtrack with animation

SpongeBob Screensaver - pictures with various animation and beautiful sound.

Lego Screensavers - 3 to choose from!


Feb

11

sudoku.JPGSudoku is a great exercise in logic, especially for kids. These fun online Sudoku puzzles are made just for kids with three different levels of difficulty; Easy, Standard, and Difficult.

If you don’t want to play online, try this free printable version. Enjoy multiple puzzles on 2×2, 3×2, and 3×3 grids.


Feb

8

americanflag.JPGPresident’s Day, or Washington’s Birthday as it’s still called officially even though the date is now the third Monday in February instead of February 22 (George Washington’s actual birthday), is the perfect time to study, learn about, and honor all the Presidents of the United States. These fun crafts are a fantastic way to do just that.

Little Log Cabin Craft -  This log cabin craft made out of a cardboard box, twigs, and hot glue takes quite a bit of time and effort, but it looks really cool, and will last a long time too.

Presidential Powdered Wig - How cool is this! A great looking wig made out of a paper bag and cotton balls, this is a craft I’m definitely going to have to try myself.


Feb

4

card1.JPGHere are three great Valentine’s Day cards to use for your family and friends next Thursday the 14th.

Mutts About You - this puppy card made out of hearts is adorable if you want to give a handmade card.

Printable Cards - if you don’t have time to make your cards by hand, try these sheets of printable cards.

Lots of Smiles for You - a cute Valentine’s Day ecard.


Feb

2

football.JPGHere are a few football coloring sheets to enjoy while Dad watches the Super Bowl tomorrow night.

Coloring Sheet 1

Coloring Sheet 2

Coloring Sheet 3

Coloring Sheet 4


Feb

1

books1.jpgFebruary is generally a snowy, icy, wet, yucky time of year wherever you live, which means a lot of your time is spent indoors. Being cooped up inside can be difficult, especially with busy little kids so here’s an indoor game from PreschoolRock.com to play with your preschoolers.

How to Play

1. Build a tower of books. Put a couple of big books on the bottom for stability. Large, hardcover picture books work well. Throw a smaller one in the middle of the tower to provide a challenge.

2. Have your preschooler pull a book out of the center of the tower – but don’t let the tower fall! This is a great game to teach preschoolers all about gravity and balance.
Show your preschooler how to press lightly on the center of the top book to keep the tower stable. Then nudge the center book out just a wee bit at a time. As long as they’re moving slowly, preschoolers will be able to feel when the tower of books becomes unstable.
They’ll also begin to learn how to shift the hand pressing on the top book to keep it from toppling over. If the tower topples, just build it back up and play again.

3. If your preschooler is able to remove the center book without toppling the tower, keep going! Repeat step 2 until your preschooler has removed all of the books from the tower.

4. Stack the removed books as you go so you’ll have a new tower of books when you’re done.

5. Play again and again!


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