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During the Winter Season we are often hit with bad winter weather here on the North East Coast. That bad weather can consist of blizzards, snow storms, ice storms, sleet, freezing rain, you name it, we pretty much get it all here.

When the bad weather strikes, businesses, schools and daycare’s close down by the thousands, leaving many children stuck at home with not much to do. When our daughter was little, we decided to make “bad weather days” our family’s arts and crafts day. As I look back over the years, we made some pretty awesome things…many of which I still have today.

The first thing I recommend that you do is to make up an arts and crafts bin by purchasing a plastic bin at your local discount store. Then, you will head to the dollar store and your local craft store and pick up some supplies. You should really fill up that bin! Here is a list of general supplies that every craft bin should have.

Straight Edge Scissors, Designer Edge Scissors
All Purpose Liquid Craft Glue and Glue Sticks
Construction Paper, Watercolor Paper and 8″ x 11″ sized scrapbooking paper
Stickers, Rubber Stamps, Ink Pads, Magnet Backs, Wiggle Eyes
Scraps of Ribbon, Lace, String, Yarn, Feathers, Popsicle Sticks, Craft Sticks
Buttons, Charms, Beads, Faux Gems, Rhinestones, Small Silk Flowers, Jewelry Findings, Blanket Keychain Rings, Blank Hair Barrettes and Pony Tail Holders
Markers, Colored Pencils, Crayons, Water Paints, Finger Paints, Acrylic Paints and Paint Brushes
Modeling Clay and Optional Clay Molds
Paper Mache ~ Trinket Boxes, Ornaments, Photo Frames, Etc.
Coloring Books, Water Paint Books, Activity Pads
Foam Craft Sheets and Sheets of Craft Felt

A Few Project Ideas: Make refrigerator magnets, jewelry items, holiday ornaments, paintings, molded clay figures, homemade greeting cards, refrigerator art, picture frames, holiday decorations, decorate paper mache trinket boxes, hair items for girls, gifts for various holidays, keychains holders, shoe charms, etc.

Once you purchase the basic supplies which are suited for both boys and girls, you will want to keep your bin in a handy place. Once all of those “bad winter weather” days hit, you will be prepared for some Arts and Crafts fun with your children! You can visit various online web sites to get some great craft project ideas to use up all of those supplies. Keeping children busy during bad weather days doesn’t have to be a stressful task so view it as a great way to have some family bonding time.

This article was written by me (Shelly Hill) and is copyrighted 2011, All Rights Reserved. This article can not be reprinted without my permission or without my official author’s box attached to it. Contact me for it if you wish to reprint this article on your site.

It’s that time of year again where the holiday season is getting into full swing. Every where you go you see holiday decorations and people are generally in a very giving and festive mood. I don’t know about you…but people around here start decorating for the holidays the day after Thanksgiving…and our radio stations are playing all of the wonderful music that goes along with the holiday season.

There are many fun things you can get out there and do as a family…after all, the holiday season is all about family time! Here are some things that I enjoy doing with my family.

1. Caroling (in our neighborhood & local nursing homes/hospitals)
2. Helping the less fortunate decorate their homes & yards.
3. Volunteer to help make the season better for others.
4. Donate toys
5. Donate food to your local food bank or volunteer to help prepare holiday meals for shelters or meals on wheels.
6. Attend local holiday plays and shows.
7. Attend local tree lighting ceremonies.
8. Drive around your neighborhood with the kids to look at holiday light displays.
9. Entertain some family and friends at your home with a pre-holiday party. Spend the time decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, eating some great food, singing holiday songs, etc.
10. Rent some holiday movies and have family movie night.
11. Plan a few family game nights & award the winners of those games with some pre-holiday presents.
12. Visit Santa and get family pictures done.
13. Get a few family and friends together for a cookie exchange party.

What does your family enjoy doing together during the holiday season?

Shelly

Snazzy Ideas for Keeping Your Kindergartner Entertained at Home by O Quinn

Forget the plastic doo-dads on the store shelves, the store bought package lunches. All your child needs for a happy, productive, fun filled learning day is probably already contained within within your home. Let them help you look.

Children love to be creative. My five year old proves this to me every day. Sometimes she needs a little nudge in the right direction but then she can take off with an idea and play, while learning, to her hearts content. That’s what little children are doing while they’re playing, learning. They learn by mimicking mommy or daddy. They learn while going through their daily routine and watching the world around them.

For play some children’s days will be spent pretending to be a teacher with a class full of stuffed animals, driving a car down their the busy neighborhood of the family living room, or diaper their baby doll alongside mommy and their new sibling.

But that’s not all they can play with.

For practicing words or letters try a fishing pole fashioned from a stick found in the garage. Add some spare ribbon, and a magnet ripped from the back of a spent notepad. Cut out paper fish to catch with words, letters, or numbers your child is learning to read written on them. Paperclips or staples attached to each mouth to “aid in the catching of the fish”.

Help you child learn numbers and writing by playing “office”, “grocery store”, and “bank”. Make desks from discarded cardboard boxes. Add recycled paper cut into little squares and some (washable) pens and pencils. Give them jobs such as writing up the grocery list, counting how many cans of such and such you have in the pantry. Or counting the change found around the house as they make a deposit into their “bank”.

Children love water play too. Find something in the home that needs a bit of detailed cleaning. Something such as soap dishes or some of their plastic toys. Set them up with a little bowl of soapy water in a small bowl, a sponge and a cloth to dry. Lee them work along side you in the kitchen or at the dining table.

Children are resourceful. Most anything can become a favorite toy. Be on the lookout for learning adventures.

For more information on organizing your life and home visit Homemaking Organized. For organizing life with baby visit

Article Source: WAHM Articles

Cooking With Your Kids–Fun Ideas and Tips by Tammy Embrich

Cooking is much more enjoyable when you have your children around you. Making them a part of things in the kitchen is so very important. There’s just something very special about having your kids share in transforming favorite dishes into delightful, edible creations.

Younger children will be more eager to help you with preparing the family meals than the older ones, unless you have been involving your kids in the cooking activities from an early age…which is encouraged.

Let’s face it, what busy Mom couldn’t use a couple of extra set of hands in the kitchen? Special treats like chocolate chip cookies, rice crispy treats, and double-layer chocolate cake seems to magically turn out more delicious on the pallet when prepared by you and your children.

Below are some fun ideas to help encourage your children to want to help you in preparing daily meals and other special treasures. Get your children involved!

* If you have more than one child, give each child their very own special kitchen chore such as cleaning off the table, setting the table, or gathering ingredients.

* Younger children do better with one-step, uncomplicated chores

* Provide each child with their very own step stool high enough to reach the counter or table

* Purchase a small chef’s hat for each child (preferably with their name on it). Your children will really appreciate this and it will also help make them feel that they are a part of things and special.

* Purchase individual cooking tools such as brightly-colored, plastic utensils for measuring and mixing ingredients. Choose different colors for each child. This will help prevent fighting.

Take your children with you when you go to purchase these tools. Make it a fun outing and maybe go out for lunch afterwards.

* Prepare finger foods such as chicken nuggets. These are always a big hit with children. Make it a habit of always keeping a few batches in the freezer. Foods on a stick such as various types of skewers are also popular with kids as well as homemade pizza. Homemade pizza can be lots of fun using lots of variations of toppings and cheeses. Try and be creative and prepare fun foods that you think your children will find enjoyable.

* Assign each child clean-up tasks. A good idea for cleaning up the kitchen is using sticker charts. Make up a chart with each child’s name and chore. If your children does their special clean-up chore (without complaining or whining), award them with a special sticker. Make a sticker chart up for each day of the week.

Using the tips above will surely aid in getting your kids into the kitchen and happily helping you. Sharing cooking and baking activities will prove to be fun and rewarding for both parent and child. Plus, it’s a great learning experience for your children.

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

Tammy is an Internet marketer, article marketer, and ghostwriter. You can find more parenting and grandparenting articles, tips, and more at Grandma’s Home Blogger Place

Tammy also offers work at home articles, free job leads, work at home tips, recipes, and more at Work At Home Jobs

Article Source: WAHM Articles

The fall cooler months are a great time to get outdoors for some important bonding time with your family. The weather is cooler, school is in full swing and we settle into our fall routines. When the weekends roll around our family likes to get outdoors before the cold winter sets in.

Here are some of the fall outdoor activities we look forward to doing every year.

Local fall festivals & street fairs
Apple picking at our local orchard
Raking leaves & piling them up for some childish play with the kids
Hiking and Walking at our local parks & recs centers
Cookouts & Family BBQ’s (fall is great for outdoor family get-togethers)
Decorating our yard for Halloween (family event)
Attending Halloween & Fall Parties
Weekend Trip (we like to take a weekend trip to take in the fall foliage & activities in our state)
Community Volunteering (a lot of organizations need volunteers in the fall so seek those out & volunteer as a family)

What kind of fall activities do you enjoy doing with your family?

Shelly

Are you planning a Birthday Party for your small child? Looking for some creative places on where to hold the party that young children will love? If so, I got some great ideas to share with you! Some of these ideas are low cost places and other’s are more expensive. Most of these places are great unisex places but a few are more geared towards boys or girls.

Before you try to find a place to hold the Birthday Party, you will want to come up with the guest list first, as the places you contact will ask you how many will be attending and that will include your adult chaperons too. They will also ask you about the food, will you be providing it or will you need it catered by them?

Once you find the perfect location to hold the party, you can then work on picking out a theme and purchasing all of the food and supplies that you will need. A piece of advice, always plan for a few extra guests when making your reservations and purchasing your supplies!

My Top Places On Where To Hold A Party List

1. Your Home (always works well if you have space and a backyard)
2. Bowling Alley
3. Salon or Day Spa
4. Pottery, Arts and Crafts Studios
5. Horse and Pony Stables (for horseback riding)
6. Snack Food Factory (a lot of them have children’s parties with factory tours available)
7. Zoo, Aquarium or Local Farm
8. Circus or Hire A Clown To Attend Home Party
9. Ice Skating, Roller Skating Rink or Ski Lodge
10. Movie Theater for Private Showing
11. Sporting Event or Athletic Arena (football, baseball, hockey, basketball, etc.)
12. Music Concert (geared towards children of course)
13. Puppet Theater (for a Puppet Show)
14. Local Outdoor Park, Picnic Area or Beach
15. Cooking & Baking at local Culinary School or Bakery (kids love to cook and bake)
16. Tea Party (at a local tea house)
17. Restaurants (if you child has a favorite place that they like to eat, contact them to arrange a party)
18. Outdoor Camping (with plenty of adult supervision)
19. Miniature Golf
20. Arcade and Game Center, Amusement Parks
21. Nature Science Center or Museums
22. Airports (usually your smaller community airports allow parties)
23. Music Recording Studios
24. Ballet and Gymnastic Studios
25. Local Fishery (for boy’s fishing party)
26. Local Speedway or Racing Facility
27. Train Stations or Train Museums (boys love trains!)
28. Boating Facilities (near big lakes, rivers and oceans)
29. Rock Climbing Facility
30. Pet Shop, Pet Rescue Group Facility or Shelter

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.