Bird House Gourd Painting

We inherited a bird house gourd last spring and had great fun painting it.  A bird even attempted to nest in it... It was full of twigs by the end of summer! The boys loved watching the little wren flying to and fro.  What fun!

Of course, the gourd was full of seeds.  We just had to plant a seed or two after we carved it.  Instructions on the web said plant seeds, water, then leave alone until you can't stand to look at them any more (or the gourds have dried).  Easy enough!  The gourds grew and grew, taking over our front yard.  It gave the neighbors something to talk about besides the weather!  By Halloween, the shriveled plants were looking nice and spooky.  We stored the gourds in our garage until last week...

This spring, our job was to decorate!  My plan was to have a neighborhood paint party but the neighbors were all busy with other things, and we wanted to get them out for May Day, so we set to work.  Another great use for the joust pole!  Note, I painted all the gourds white (old house paint) to give the boys an even background for painting.  When the kids got tired of painting, I added the spirals and had them "dot" extra colors.  We used tempera kid's paint for color (WASH OFF!).  Then I added a few coats of polyurethane for weathering.

Do we have seeds now, you betcha!  I think the squirrels got most of them. Meanwhile, the boys are excited to deliver these to neighbors in the morning...

Easter Bunny Wind Spinner (A Recycled Milk Jug Craft)

This didn't turn out as neat as I thought, but it is still festive and has the appeal of being made from recycled products... perfect for an Earth Day Easter!  It has mega kid potential. Mine loved to help staple, color, and thread.  I'm thinking that the Easter Bunny might just want to hide something in those eggs... I'll have to leave him a note not to put anything that might melt though.  The forecast is for 88 degrees!  Yikes!


You'll find the bunny templates below. 


To make this spinner,
1) Copy 2 or 3 bunnies onto a white plastic milk jug. You will need 8 bunnies for the project shown.  Bend the patterns around the corners of the jug to give the bunnies 3D shape.
2) Use colored Sharpies to add facial features to the bunnies.
3) Staple four of the standing bunnies together by paws (hands AND feet).
4) Use a sharp pointed object (like the awl of a pocket knife) to put holes in 4 plastic eggs for the string to go through, or enlarge the holes already there.
5) Tie a length of string (about 20") to each point where the bunnies are "holding hands."
6) Thread an egg onto each of the strings, tying a knot at the height where you want the egg to hang.  Close each egg around the knot when threaded.
7)  Staple the next four bunnies directly onto the strings by sandwiching a string between two neighboring bunnies' feet (this was a Mom job).  I alternated the two sitting bunny types so the same types were across from each other.  I stapled the hands of the "hands down" bunnies onto the string whereas the "hands up" bunny hands were free.
8)  Gather the four loose strings together and tie in a knot.
9)  Loop a last length of string under the knot and tie securely.  Make a loop at the other end to hang your new wind spinner at the desired height.
10) Have a great Easter!

Free Bunny Rabbit Templates

Sweet Sheep for Spring!

Bring recycled packing peanuts and a wine cork  BAAAA...CK to life in this fun and simple little sheep craft.  Perfect after a field trip to a farm or just for spring fun.  This fluffy flock can't help but spread cheer wherever they stand!


Materials
foam packing peanuts
black paper, scissors
wine cork, Swiss army knife or other sharp, pointed tool
popsicle stick
sticks
q-tip
black and white paint, paint brush
tacky glue
silver marker
sharpie

How To:

1)  Find sticks for legs.  Look for those knobby knees!
2)  Use an awl (Swiss army knife) or other sharp tool to make four little holes in the cork.  Put a little glue on the end of each stick and insert.  Use scissors to trim legs so body is balanced on all fours.
3)  After glue dries, paint legs and body black.  (I only painted the bottom of the cork black, but would paint the whole thing next time).

4) Spread a little glue on the cork and add packing peanuts until the cork is covered.  It may help to let a few dry before adding more.  I did mine on a sunny day with lots of interruptions so I could only get a few on at a time anyway!

5)  While the "fleece" is drying, cut the ends off of a popsicle stick, rounding them into ovals. Paint them black!  When dry, use a q-tip to add the white eye dots.  When that dries, use a sharpie to make pupils and a silver pen to add other features.

6)  Cut out some ovals from the black paper for ears and a tail.  Bend ears as you like to give them personality.  Glue ears to head.

7)  Glue head and tail onto sheep's body.  All done!

Picture Book Recommendations For Easter

There's nothing like picture books for setting the mood for a holiday. We're sharing a few of our Easter favorites below. Feel free to add your recommendations, too!

Geraldine Elschner and Alexandra Junge use a clever story to teach young people how Easter is determined in The Easter Chick. Sometimes in March, sometimes in April... just how is this holiday scheduled?  Hilda has a precious chick that starts telling Mama it wants to be born on Easter morning, a very very special day. So Hilda sets out to find the answer.  Kids will love how the chick is already "awake" inside the shell, asking Mama questions. Parents will love how time is reviewed for kids, including moon illustrations!, not to mention the devotion of a parent for its offspring even before they are born, and all the conversations that spin off from a story like this.  (Yes, I talked to you before you were born, too, and you talked back with your kicks and wiggles and hiccups!)  And the little chick uses tally marks to keep track of days. The lovely illustrations make each page interesting.

I SPY meets Willy Wonka and the chocolate Factory in Michael Garland's, The Great Easter Egg Hunt. Steeped in Easter imagery such as eggs, chicks, bonnets, and bunnies, this is a fun way to gear up for the season.  Unlike I SPY books, there is a real story here.  Tommy follows clues from his Aunt to meet a surprise from his Aunt. Tommy's journey takes us into a wonderland that small children will relish (chocolate bunny factory, jelly bean machine, etc.).  Read the book with pencil and paper and tally up the images as you go to see if you can find all the hidden objects.  This was our first Garland search book, and hands down remains our favorite!

A very sweet tale of how the Easter Bunny came to be is what you'll find in The Story of the Easter Rabbit, by Katherine Tegen.  A "round old couple" started making eggs and chocolates as surprises for their neighbors on Easter morning. After awhile, they grew too old and tired to keep up the tradition, though they obviously loved doing it. Their pet rabbit steps in to the rescue!  At first he just helps. Eventually, he takes over and his bunny friends help him. He becomes so popular he move to a secret spot where the children won't learn of his secrets.  Cute illustrations, loving story.

You're right. This ISN'T technically an Easter story but it is a family favorite about a hen, eggs, and a loving family.  We found this treat of a story at the library when my oldest was 3 and loved it so much we had to get our own copy. My husband even likes to read it!  While on a walk, the Dad in the story dives in a pond to rescue a drowning hen. They wrap her up and take her home to warm up.  "Queenie" takes over the dog's bed and the family's heart. Soon enough, they find the farm where Queenie came from and return her.  "That might have been the end of the story, but it wasn't!"  Queenie returns to lay an egg in the dog basket every day thereafter! Things got busy as a new baby entered the family, and the eggs were forgotten until they hatched (warmed up by the dog).  The family brought the chicks back to the farm but big sister gets to keep one. BONUS!  From seeing Mom's bump sticking out in the tub, to decorations for the baby's room, cute illustrations allow for a great discussion of all that happens when a new baby arrives.   One of my favorite parts is how the illustrations depart from stereo type... the Dad in this story has long hair and does the knitting.  :)

More on this one later...We love the illustrations and sweet story.

Quacky Spring Greetings

Quacky greetings for your loved ones! You recognize those paw prints from your walls, windows, and floors, but how about relatives that live far away? They'd love to see how much the kids have grown! A cute hand/footprint duck or goose would brighten anyone's fridge. Bright, bold cardstock brings the feeling of spring indoors! Just trace, snip, glue, then use a sharpie for eyes, whala, you're done!

(if you need a pattern for the feet, beaks, let me know and I'll post it)