Materials needed

•       1 sheet of sandpaper per child.  Sandpaper is sold in a variety of grits, which is a description of how coarse the grains are on the surface of the paper.  The higher the number, the finer the grit.  Lower grit paper will work best for this project, but whatever you may have on hand will work.
•       1 cinnamon stick per child.  Since you aren’t cooking with it, you can get by with really inexpensive cinnamon which you can find in craft stores.  The cinnamon sticks you can buy in the spice aisle of your grocery store are fairly pricey, but the cheaper option is more than enough.
•       Sturdy scissors.  Cutting sandpaper isn’t easy; cheap scissors won’t do it.  Heavy duty shears, like tin snips, will go through sandpaper like butter, but can be awkward and certainly not appropriate for kids.  A quality pair of craft shears will work with a little elbow grease.  As a bonus, cutting through sandpaper will make your scissor blades sharper.
•       Pencil.  Drawing out the shapes you want to cut first will ensure you stick to your pattern.
•       Hole Punch
•       Ribbon
•       Permanent marker

Preparation

1.      Cover your work area with newspaper or a drop cloth.
2.      Pre-cut shapes for kids who can’t cut the sandpaper independently.
Process
1.      Distribute one sheet of sandpaper, a pencil and a cinnamon stick to each child.
2.      Instruct the child to draw a simple shape on the paper side of the sandpaper.  (If not using a pre-cut shape.)
3.      Instruct the children to cut out shapes carefully.
4.      Demonstrate rubbing the cinnamon stick vigorously across the rough side of the sandpaper shape
5.      Instruct the children to do the same, covering the entire surface of their sandpaper shapes with bits of cinnamon shaved from the sticks.
6.      Punch a hole in the top of each shape with the hole punch.
7.      Thread a length of ribbon through the hole and tie in a loop.
8.      Write the child’s name on the front of the shape with the permanent marker.
Variations
•       Use several sandpaper leaf shapes rubbed with cinnamon as decoration for a door wreath in September and October.
•       Use Halloween shapes to create decorations for a classroom or the front door.
•       Cinnamon shapes make wonderful Christmas tree ornaments.  Try snowman, bell, wreath or ornament shapes.
Make it a Learning Experience
•       Ask the children to describe what happens when they rub the cinnamon on the sandpaper.  Compare the bits of cinnamon on the sandpaper to the cinnamon you buy in a jar at the grocery.  How are they different?  How are they the same?
•       Take some time to learn about the origins of cinnamon.  What kind of plant produces cinnamon? Where does it grow?  Older kids can learn about the historical significance of spice and the spice trade.
•       It was mentioned cutting sandpaper will sharpen the blades of scissors – ask children why they think this is.
•       For young children who are learning classroom readiness skills, you can cut the sandpaper into shapes for children to identify and in pairs for children to match.   Make sandpaper flash cards by cutting and gluing shapes to sturdy pieces of cardstock.  This was an idea I originally tried with visually impaired students, but found most of my small charges were fascinated with the texture of sandpaper.
Clean Up
•       Minimal.  Fold up drop cloth or newspaper; check the floor for bits of stray sandpaper or cinnamon.
•       Enjoy the smell of fresh ground cinnamon, which should stick around for a few hours.
Professional designer Jessica Ackerman, writes for WallDecorandHomeAccents.com, and specializes in decorating with Fish Metal Art and Candle Sconces.

Make a Father’s Day Gift Basket - fill a basket with lots of goodies, from Dad’s favorite candy, fruit, a book, IOU Coupons for some help in the yard, movie tickets, etc, anything that Dad would like.

Make Dad a Trophy – I love this simple craft with styrofoam cups and gold paint!

Father’s Day Poems – two great ones from Classroom Jr. to read to Dad

Printable Toolbox Father’s Day Activity – from Printables4Kids

Cinnamon Roasted Nuts Recipe – this is the simplest recipe I’ve seen for making these nuts and they’d make a great gift for Dad.

Father’s Day Framed Print – this idea at Dollar Store Crafts is a very low cost gift.

Don’t forget the art supplies:

The theme for this edition of the All Things Family Blog Carnival is The Great Outdoors! With spring in full swing and summer on it’s way, we’re all ready to get outside and enjoy spending time together. Check out the posts below for fun things to do outside, outdoor party games, fun crafts and more!

Char Polanosky presents Backyard Water Games posted at Sports Girls Play | Tips and resources for raising a happy, healthy athlete, saying, “Lots of fun group water games!”

Shannon presents Outdoor Birthday Party Games posted at Partyelf, saying, “What better way to celebrate the great outdoors then some outdoor party games?”

Jen presents Painting rocks posted at Projects for Preschoolers, saying, “A fun way to combine the outdoors with art.”

Jen presents Explore the outdoors with a treasure hunt posted at Projects for Preschoolers, saying, “Make outside time extra fun play time by turning it into a treasure hunt day.”

TaraV presents Five Ways to Get Kids to Love Gardening posted at Code Name: Mama.

Linette G. presents Flip-Flop Beach Cupcakes posted at The Kid’s Birthday Fun Review, saying, “Fun cupcake idea for a beach party, or a girl’s spa-slumber party.”

Jen presents Preschool fun ? plan a picnic posted at Projects for Preschoolers, saying, “Outdoor adventures can be so much fun, and planning a picnic is a great way to get the kids even more excited and involved in outdoor playtime.”

Wendy Piersall presents Camping Coloring Pages saying, “Here’s a set of cute camping coloring pages.” and Garden Craft: Plant Markers Free Pattern Download posted at Craft Jr., saying, “Here’s a pretty way to mark your new spring garden, and it comes with a free pdf download of plenty garden vegetables to print.”

Heather Mann presents Clothespin Butterfly Craft posted at Dollar Store Crafts, saying, “Simple and cute craft for kids can make an infinite variety of pretty butterflies!” and Outdoor Activity: Nature Faces! posted at Croq Zine – The Blog, saying, “Go on a nature walk and use the natural materials you find to do this fun activity!”

Fred Lee presents Tips for Choosing a Summer Camp posted at Parenting Squad.

Karen Eisenbraun presents Choosing A Sunscreen posted at Healthy Theory.

June Tree presents Fun Day Trip With Kids, Thomas The Tank Engine Style posted at The Digerati Life.

BWL presents 10 Summer Job Ideas For Teens posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “Before dropping off your first application for a summer job, you should first first stop and define what the perfect summer job looks like. Here are a few fun summer job ideas and ways to make sure you define what you are looking for before you begin your search…”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of all things family using our carnival submission form.

It’s time for the All Things Family Blog Carnival again here at FreeStuff4Kids! For this edition, we have a great round up of Easter and Party Ideas, as well as some other excellent family posts.

Easter Ideas

Easter is right around the corner, so you’ll want to check out 13 Creative Ways to Dye and Decorate Easter Eggs . Pass on the plain old Paas, and go for one of these fun and creative ideas for your Easter Eggs.

Shannon presents Easter Party Ideas posted at Partyelf, saying, “Easter is just a few weeks away and it is time to start planning your parties now. Here are some fun games and ideas.”

Heather Mann presents Peeps Roundup: Crafts, Recipes, Info, More posted at Croq Zine – The Blog, saying, “A roundup of Peeps crafts, recipes and more, just in time for Easter fun.”

Linette G. presents Dollar Store Easter Party Centerpiece Craft posted at The Kid’s Birthday Fun Review, saying, “Low cost Easter craft for kids.”

Party Ideas

Char Polanosky presents Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper Cupcakes and Party Supplies posted at Celebrate It, saying, “This Wizard of Oz inspired Ruby Slipper cupcake idea is too cute not to share!”

Shannon presents Outdoor Birthday Party Games posted at Partyelf, saying, “Here is the perfect way to celebrate a birthday outside with some outdoor party games.”

Wendy presents Circus Party Printables and Circus Crafts at Craft Jr., and Homemade Princess Party Invitations, Party Games and Favors at Fantasy Jr.

And don’t miss these great ideas

Lynnae presents Being Frugal and Raising Healthy Kids posted at beingfrugal.net.

Sherry Ott presents On the Road: Traveling with Kids posted at Briefcase to Backpack – Travel Advice for Career Breaks or Sabbaticals.

Char Polanosky presents Success is Not Always Measured in Medals posted at Sports Girls Play | Tips and resources for raising a happy, healthy athlete, saying, “A good lesson for all athletes and their parents to learn.”

Heather Mann presents Roundup: Good Organizational Ideas (for cheap!) posted at Dollar Store Crafts, saying, “A bunch of good ideas for organizing for only pennies.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of all things family using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Word Search #1
Word Search #2
Find the Pot of Gold Maze

Here are some more crafts, coloring sheets and activities from our favorite sites:

Fun list of St. Patrick’s Day crafts at Party Elf.

Cute St. Patrick’s Day coloring page at J.Goode.com

A whole bunch of coloring and activity sheets at Printables4Kids

Some super cute coloring sheets at Animal Jr.

St. Patrick’s Day Pinwheels at Craft Jr.

Welcome to the Valentine’s Day edition All Things Family Blog Carnival. The weekly roundup of some of the best family friendly articles, tips and ideas from around the web will be hosted at a different site giving you the opportunity to find plenty of new reads! Along with all the great stuff below, don’t miss all the ideas here at FreeStuff4Kids!

Eatables

Heather Mann presents Valentine Treats! | Croq Zine – The Blog posted at Croq Zine – The Blog, saying, “A couple simple treats to make with conversation hearts. Great for v-day parties or lunchbox or classroom treats.”

Char Polanosky presents Quick Valentine Dessert ? Cupids Cloud posted at Raising A Healthy Family, saying, “Here is a simple Valentine’s Day snack or dessert that the kids can make themselves.”

For a giggle, Heather Mann invites you to check out CraftFail – Failed Valentine’s Brownies & CraftFail – Valentines Day Macadamia Nut Brittle Hearts posted at CraftFail, saying, “Giggle along with CraftFail at these Valentine’s Day treats that fell short.”

Printables

Char Polanosky presents Free Valentines Day Coloring Pages posted at Celebrate It, saying, “These free printable Valentine coloring pages are perfect additions to your Valentine celebrations.”

Wendy Piersall presents Valentine’s Day Activities, Crafts, Coloring Pages and Printables posted at Woo! Jr. Kids Activities Network, saying, “All of our Valentine’s Day fun in one place!”

Wendy Piersall presents Printable Masks for Carnival, Halloween, Mardi Gras and History Lessons posted at Classroom Jr., saying, “The international “Carnivale” season is now through spring!”

Jen presents Valentine Freebies by JGoode posted at JGoode.com, saying, “Share some love with a fun grin by JGoode”

Makeables

Wendy Piersall presents Valentine Treat Bags posted at Craft Jr., saying, “Free printable Valentine’s Day treat bags!”

Shannon presents Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids posted at Partyelf.

Heather Mann presents 3 fun ideas from Dollar Store Crafts.-  Make a Fabric Heart Yo-Yo, Buttoned Valentine’s Day Card and Make a Valentine’s Day Candy Centerpiece.

Valerie presents Will You Be My Paint Chip Valentine? posted at Frugal Family Fun Blog.

Other Valentines Day Ideas

Shannon presents Valentine’s Day Party Ideas for Kids posted at Partyelf.

June Tree presents Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas: Use Ebates, Get Cash Back posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Valentine’s Day gift ideas for your loved ones.”

Madeleine Begun Kane presents A Valiant Guy’s Guide To Valentine’s Day posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Other Family Fun

Amanda CMJ presents Day by Day Pregnancy Tip #13: Have a Children’s Book Baby Shower posted at Extra (Hour)dinary Parenting.

Joanne presents Make Stuff Your Kids Can Play With posted at Simply Saving.

Sarah Clark presents The Mother Load: Choosing battles posted at The Mother Load.

Katie Hoffman presents How to Motivate Yourself to Clean and Organize posted at KatieHoffman.org.

Selina Johnson presents CAPTURING MEMORIES: A Yearly Review For Your Family posted at Tips and Snippets.

Andy Hayes presents Have Baby, Will Travel posted at Sharing Travel Experiences, saying, “Just because you have a child doesn’t mean you can’t see the world.”

Khan Ben presents Caring for Twins posted at Women Weblog, saying, “Your feelings are perfectly understandable. After all, caring for one child is daunting enough for many new parents, and having two at the same time can be a real jolt.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of all things family using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

1. Remove the top from the glass ball and put aside.

2. Choose the colors you’d like to use.

3. Starting with the first color, slowly squeeze in paint so that it runs down the side of the inside of the ball. Turn the ornament and squeeze another line of paint in at another spot. Continue until most of the surface of the inside is covered. You don’t want too much paint- there should only be about a dime sized pool of paint at the bottom when you’ve finished with all the colors you intend to use.

4. Rest the ornament on its side for approximately five minutes. (Place it to rest in the ornament box it came in, an egg carton or a paper cup for easy handling.) Rotate and tilt the ornament a quarter turn every five to ten minutes until the paint covers the entire inside of the ornament. Pour out excess paint. Then continue to rotate it every few hours over the next day. After several days, they will be completely dry. You can speed this up by using a blow dryer.

5. Replace the top and you’re ready to hang them!

Since Christmas is fast approaching, I have a couple of gift recommendations for you today as well:

I have recently become familiar with Klutz books and they are really great gifts. There are books that match just about any interest. I bought an awesome Klutz book for my niece this year that comes with paints and tracing sheets to create stained glass window clings- fun!

They are running special for 25% off your entire order through 12/16 with the coupon code HOLIDAY25 (one use per email address).

My son received Wild Planet Hyper Dash last year for Christmas and loves it. I like toys and games that will be fun for years and this one fits that bill perfectly. Not only is it fun, it also exercises both the brain and body. Amazon has it on sale right now for $11.99! That’s $18 off the regular price.

Halloween doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Here are some ways to make Halloween free or very easy on the wallet:

Recipe to make free homemade fake blood and face paint – why go out and spend money on this stuff when you have the ingredients in your pantry?

Make Your Own Halloween Costumes – huge list of ideas and resources here, including no-sew costumes, animals, creatures, cardboard box costumes, costumes for couples and more.

Free Halloween Music – yikes, this was some creepy stuff. Would be great to play on your doorstep to scare the little trick or treaters. You can save the tracks to your computer by right-clicking on the file name and choose Save Link As or Save Target As.

Free Halloween Printables – some fun coloring pages and activity sheets