Do you recall…the most famous Reindeer of all?

Stacking Shapes … Reindeer crafts for Preschoolers

You Know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet, cupid, and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall…The most famous reindeer of all? This simple Reindeer craft uses basic shapes to make a fun and simple Reindeer Portrait. It might be our easiest reindeer crafts for preschoolers that we have made yet. Read on to find out how we made it.

I love this little Christmas collage project. It is perfect for reinforcing cutting and pasting skills, reviewing shapes and organizing them by size.

Stacking Reindeer:

Scissors
Glue
Brown paper – cut into 3 rectangles in graduating sizes
White paper – cut into 3 circles in graduating sizes
Black paper – cut into 3 small circles in graduating sizes
Blue paper for background
Darker brown paper – cut into strips for antlers, and 2 small rectangles for noses
Red paper – cut into a rectangle for Rudolph nose.

I cut all the shapes ahead of time, just to make is easier for little fingers. However, if you are working with older kids, they could cut out the shapes themselves. My preschooler had so much fun building these little stacking reindeer.

I love these little guys eyes, and quirky antlers.

A fun activity for Christmas Eve is sprinkling Magical Reindeer Food. It is so easy to create, and can make a perfect gift for families with little kids.

For more Christmas Crafts and Activities, check out our:

Paper Strip Christmas Tree

Gingerbread Play Dough

Shredded Paper Snowmen

Stained Glass Nativity

Gingerbread Ornaments

Indoor Winter Fun – Weekly Kids Co-op #4

Last week I featured 8 fun Recycle Bin Activities. This week I’m featuring Indoor Winter Fun ideas linked up from last weeks Kids Co-op. I can’t wait to try a few of these ideas out with my kids.

Check out this list of Indoor Winter Fun ideas featured from last weeks kids Co-op:

Make lunch special with these yummy Rudolph Sandwich from Sweet and Lovely Crafts. I have a huge stash of cookie cutters that I need to pull out next time I make lunches.
Adorable Christmas Cards and tags with Paper Snowflakes from At Home with Ali. The combination of watercolors and snowflakes is stunning. What a fun way to personalize a special gift.
You all know I am a sucker for recycled crafts. I can’t wait to try out these simple Recycled Snowmen from Taming the Goblin
I love this creative Small World Snow Play from Taming the Goblin. I would never have thought to use what she did for the snow. Brilliant!
I love this wonderful smelling sensory play recipe. Run, Run, as Fast as you can…to make Gingerbread Cloud Dough with your kids from In Lieu of Preschool
Add a little glitz and glam to your Play Dough Fun with Christmas Cookie Cutters from One Perfect Day.
This DIY Christmas count down couldn’t be easier. ‘No Numbers’ Advent Calendar from Two of Everything

If you were featured this week, feel free to grab a Housing A Forest button.

Come back every Thursday to see if your creative idea were featured and link up any new ideas! (I will be using one image and a link to your blog.)

If you don’t want to miss out on any of the fun we are having at Housing A Forest, make sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Google + and Twitter.

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Thanks for sharing your creativity with us. I look forward to snuggling in with a cup of coffee and browsing through all your inspiring ideas! Now on to the kids co-op party!

String Telephone

My kids loved making their own toys, and creating something out of nothing. We were reminded of this simple DIY string telephone from a thrift store experiment book. I remember making one of these when I was a little girl. Take a step back in time an make a fun string telephone with your kids and learn how sound travels!

To make your own String Telephone, you will need:

2 plastic or paper cups – a tin can works great too
String (you can experiment with different lengths)
A friend to old the other end of the string telephone:)

Simply make a small hole in the bottom of both cups. Thread your string through the cup and tie a knot to keep the string from pulling back through. That’s it! You are all ready to start playing.

You take one cup and your friend takes the other. Walk far enough apart to make the string tight. Depending on how long you cut your string will depend on how far you need to stand apart. Also, make sure that the string is not touching anything else.

One friend holds the cup to their mouth and talks, while the other friend holds it to their ear and listens. The girls were amazed at how clear each other sounded.

Why your simple string telephone works:

When you speak into the cup, it creates sound waves which vibrate the bottom of the cup. The vibrations move along the tight string into the bottom of your friends cup. When they reach the 2nd cup the vibrations are turned back into sound waves. This is how your friend is able to hear what you are saying.

Also try these fun variations:

What is the longest string that can make the string and still hear your friend?
Does it make a difference to use a tin can, paper cup or a plastic cup? What if you change the size of the cup?
Can you use two different size cups, one on each end?
Use fishing line instead of string, what happens?

Here is a link to a fun list of great experiments that my kids love.

If you don’t want to miss out on any of the fun we are having at Housing A Forest, make sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Recycle Bin Activities – Weekly Kids Co-op #3

We love creating from our recycle bin. Here is a fun round-up of creative ideas straight from the recycle bin.

Check out these fun Recycle Bin Activities from last week’s Kids Co-op

How cute are these little Glass Jar Lanterns from Buggy and Buddy. The beaded handles are so cute!
My kids would love to make these cute Homemade Christmas Rhythm Instruments from the Home Learning Journey. Make enough for your entire family and have a backyard parade.
Don’t throw your tinfoil away after supper. Instead give it a wash and try this fun Pin Poking on Foil activity from Learners in Bloom.
Make your own Recycled Paint Palette from My Little Bookcase. We love using egg cartons for paint trays at our house.
My kids have been asking for a while to try Writing with Feather Quills. Check out this simple tutorial from Simple and Joyful.
Head on over to Blog Me Mom to find out what crafting supply makes these Glitter Paper Tubes so simple to make.
Do you have a set of foam blocks lurking in the back of your toy bin? Why not try this fun Shape Stamping Activity from Mommy Musings and Mayhem!
I love these simple Button Stamps from Keeping My Toddler Entertained. How cute would your wrapping paper look covered in sweet button prints!

If you were featured this week, I would love for you to grab a Housing A Forest button. Come back every Thursday to see if your creative idea were featured and link up any new ideas! (I will be using one image and a link to your blog.)

If you don’t want to miss out on any of the fun we are having at Housing A Forest, make sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Google + and Twitter.

Thanks for sharing your creativity with us. I look forward to snuggling in with a cup of coffee and browsing through all your inspiring ideas! Now on to the kids co-op party!

Thanksgiving Round-Up

Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

I put together a quick Thanksgiving Round-Up of our favorite fall activities. It is hard to believe that fall is coming to a close and winter is quickly approaching. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Click on the picture or the link to take to to the specific post.

These little Shape Turkeys are so cute. What a fun way to work on shape recognition with you toddler. These would be a cute activity to have set out at the kids table.

I love how these little Book Page Turkeys turned out! I think they might be my new favorite fall decoration. I love that they are made using a discarded book. Fun for kids and adults to make!

These adorable Candy Wrapper Turkeys are so cute and easy to make. At the bottom of the post there is a link to over 35 experiments and activities to do with candy.

Fall Marble painting is a simple painting activity that your kids will love. This version is low mess since the paint is contained in lidded container.

I love this little Candy Corn Scarecrow. This simple scarecrow would make a great teacher gift.

These little Autumn tree is super easy to make, and perfect for creating after a nature walk. Your kids will enjoy creating art from their special leaves.

Kool-aid pumpkins are fun to create, and they smell great!

Carrot Cake Pancakes are my kids favorite fall breakfast recipe. If you like carrot cake, then you will love this recipe. The perfect pancake recipe to make for Thanksgiving morning.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I would love to hear some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions.