Written by contributor Melissa Allen of Green Owl Art

I am a little bit addicted to holiday crafts, food, celebrations, decorations and all else that goes along with each and every special holiday. Some traditions I have done since I was a child and I continue to enjoy these special traditions with my own children and some we have created as a family. Either way with each celebration that comes there is excitement in the air and wonderful new memories made filled with much laughter and love.

One struggle I have as a parent is continuing certain traditions, but also sticking to my healthy natural parenting ways. The first year (as a parent) I came head to head with a paper box filled with neon colors to turn my eggs ever so pretty with the kids, I cringed at the thought of the ingredients. I knew there must be a way to continue this fun tradition that I so fondly remember as a child, but do so in an organic way. I found all sorts of recipes from boiling onion skin to pureeing spinach…yes doable, but for a single 23 year-old who probably really doesn’t care to dye eggs at all! For me, tired stay-at-home mama of a two-year old wild child and a five-year old who must be involved in each and every step of a craft….I knew there had to be a more simpler way. So, I spent an afternoon experimenting.

After trying a few different staining type foods I discovered that coffee, beets and turmeric were the easiest way to color eggs without a lot of extra work.

Materials:

Vinegar

Brewed Coffee

Can of Beets

Turmeric

mugs

hard boiled eggs

hot water

Instructions:

Coffee- Add a cup of hot brewed coffee to a mug along with 1 tbs. of vinegar. Add a hard-boiled egg and let sit for 10 minutes or longer depending on the desired color.

Beets- Strain the juice from a can of beets into a mug. Heat the juice in the microwave for one minute. Add 1 tbs. of vinegar and drop your egg into the mug. Same as above, the longer you leave it the darker it gets.

Turmeric- Add 1 tbs. of turmeric and 1 cup of hot water to a mug. Mix well and drop an egg into the mug. Check on color with time. This one took the longest for us. I took the egg out after about 15 minutes.

I loved the colors we eventually got. They are so natural and organic. I think it’s what our expectations should become. It may not be neon pink, but I think I like them better and if this is what my children know, this is what they will love and be excited and happy to see. Lastly, I must say because Jen asked…..they did not taste like beet, coffee or turmeric flavored eggs! Thankfully!

For more Easter crafts from Melissa, head on over to Green Owl Art.

Written by contributor Melissa Allen of Green Owl Art

Using new and different materials in art gets my children excited to create! I added some fruits and veggies to the paint table to let them explore with different shapes, colors and textures. It not only amazed my children as they discovered with this new painting technique, but it amazed me to see what their little eyes discovered. Yes, we all know about the apple and the star, but did you know that the top of a zucchini also makes a star? I know, so obvious…right? But, when I cut the zucchini I imagined them to make circles with the cut side. Children’s minds are so beautiful and open to seeing beauty everywhere they look and I absolutely love it.

We used a lot of produce tops so we were not wasting much, but we did use some whole veggies and fruit and I must admit this is in no way wasting in my mind. They are getting every little bit out of this healthy goodness for their mind and soul. I encourage everyone young and old to spend an afternoon painting with produce. Appreciating the beautiful print of a painted blackberry rolled across a sheet of paper. It’s something I would not have looked twice at until my five-year old pointed it out to me.

All you need for this is any fruit and veggies you have on hand and some paint! It’s that easy and oh so fun! My children loved this activity and they seemed to eat really healthy afterwards….maybe it got in their head. What I took from this was much more. I soaked up all this color and beauty in things that I take for granted on most days. I love when a child can open my eyes to the natural earth made art all around us. It’s simple and joyful and on this day it fed my soul for quite some time.

For more nature inspired art from Melissa, head on over to Green Owl Art.

Written by contributor Melissa Allen of Green Owl Art

When I first became a mother I struggled with how to stay creative myself and not to lose my own love for creating art. Sure, I could have considered my new art of blending  peas and carrots into beautiful purees something to look forward to, but I missed my paints, ribbon, mod podge and oh Lord, how I missed my glue gun. When I started to get back into my true passion my daughter was about one year old and got into EVERYTHING, making it impossible for me to do any sort of creative project. It was about this time when it hit me, she is interested in art just as much as I am. My sweet little one year old was intrigued by my paints and glue and my love for all things crafty. She was an artist genius in the making, of course. OK, maybe that is going a little too far, but all this time I was trying to create around her and what I should be doing is create with her.

“All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso

I got to work right away creating a space for my daughter and I to create together. A space that was warm, inviting and easy for children to sit down and feel free to express themselves through art. A space that was accessible to children and filled with supplies that were easy for little hands to work with.

Tips for Creating a Blissful Art Space for You and Your Child:

• Use a work surface that is is easy for children to work at on their own. We use a picnic style table with benches that are easy for my children to hop on and off of.
• Keep kid friendly supplies accessible at all times. I love using jars, cans and caddies to hold our art supplies and I keep them out at the children’s reach all the time. I want them to feel like they can go and create whenever that creative spark hits them.
• Stay organized! I know it’s not always easy, but creating in an organized space is always more inspiring for myself, why wouldn’t it be for my children. By demonstrating this organization it also encourages children to keep there space clean and organized.

• Encourage your child to dig into the recycling box for art goods. Show them that there are no limits on what they can create and that thinking outside the box is always a good thing. Sometimes I lay a few odd materials on our art table and just wait to see what happens when the kids find it. Last week I left sheets of aluminum foil out for them and they made the most beautiful abstract sculptures.
• If the mess discourages you offer things to help ease this. We have a pile of place mats and aprons always at their reach. Baking sheets are another great tool to work on and keep things like glitter, beads and sequins more confined. Keep light weight baking sheets or lunch trays at the art table. A dust buster designated for the art room is always helpful as well.

• Have supplies on hand that your children enjoy working with, that are easy for them to use and that are good quality products that work. I have learned that spending more on good art supplies actually saves me money because I replace less often. Some of our favorites are glitter glue, colored glue sticks, pom poms, pipe cleaners, paper punches, play dough, edger scissors and liquid watercolors paints.
• Lastly, set a creative example. Sometimes I sit down and start to paint or draw without asking my children to join me and they always end up next to me creating some sort of art themselves. It is not only good for my children to see this and to be enjoying art as a family, but it also warms my creative soul.

For more art inspiring ideas from Melissa, head on over to Green Owl Art.

Written by contributor Melissa Allen of Green Owl Art

Crafting and holidays seem to go hand and hand in our house. I am always looking for something that is appealing to both my five and two-year old and more importantly that each can easily do and enjoy doing. We made glitter pine cones to welcome the holiday season and they came out so beautiful I ended up with some nice additions to my holiday decor. We also made a few for friends and family. Who wouldn’t want a beautiful piece of nature with some added extra sparkle?!

We started this craft by taking a nice nature walk through our neighborhood and collecting beautiful pieces of natural art. It’s wonderful to see what children can find beauty in.

Materials

Instructions

2. When the pine cones were nice and sticky we dumped the glitter color of their choice into the paper bag.

3. Now for the fun part–the kids dropped one pine cone at a time into the bag and gave it a good shake. We pulled out these sparkly creations and let them dry for a couple of hours.

This craft was such a fun one for both my children. I love when they can work together on something so simple. It was a wonderful afternoon of time spent together and a whole lot of silliness.

For more holiday crafts from Melissa, head on over to Green Owl Art.

Written by contributor Melissa Allen of Green Owl Art

I love decorating my home for the holidays—not only with my children, but with things that they have made. A bonus for me is when it’s something other than macaroni art (not that I don’t love every single piece of painted pasta that my children have given me!) But, it is nice when I have a little change of pace with the kids holiday decor items.

Last year we made a Thanksgiving banner with the same intentions. Making beautiful holiday decor together is my kind of way to celebrate! This year, by simply toning down some of the color on a basic letter block set we made a set of decorative blocks for our mantel that can be used all year; for each holiday, birthday and even just to leave each other “love” notes on an ordinary day.

Thanksgiving Craft: Turn toy blocks into Thanksgiving decor

Having letter blocks around your home is a great way to bring literacy into your house and around your children in an easy no stress kind of way. Allowing your young children to start forming words and becoming familiar with new letters in a fun way is a gift.

Materials

letter blocks
ink pad

Instructions

1. Stamp both sides of each block into the ink. Depending on the color, some blocks made need a couple coats of the ink.

2. The tricky part with this is that the blocks need to dry for 1-2 days. The ink is pretty wet and does not absorb into the block, so it takes awhile to dry.

3. You now have a set of message blocks! Decorate for each holiday, wish luck to a nervous new 1st grader or just say I love you. These blocks can be fun and special to the entire family.

For more holiday crafts from Melissa, head on over to Green Owl Art.

Thanksgiving Craft Ideas

Felt Native American Headband: Dress up is a daily event in our house–we have the princess dresses, the pirate swords, and the cowboy hats. I always like to throw new characters into the mix and listen as the kids improvise their new roles. This felt headband is fun to make and definitely one of my personal favorites.

Pilgrim Bonnet: This easy craft is a fun way for your little ones to feel like they’re a part of the Thanksgiving story. Our four-year-old, Jackson, helped make this hat for his three-year-old sister.  They both got a kick out of it and cracked up when they looked in the mirror!

Thanksgiving Jar: Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude. Sounds so easy, but as I am running through the aisles of the grocery store grabbing potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a turkey, it can get a little stressful and intense. I want to make sure my kids understand this is a day of gratitude as we pack around the dining room table and devour a delicious meal. This can be a tricky concept for kids. So to help my little ones, we created a Thanksgiving Jar.

Leaf-shaped crayons: We love making new crayons out of old broken pieces. We made heart-shaped crayons last Valentine’s Day and got so many compliments. So this fall we decided to buy some fall baking molds and make these leaf- and pumpkin-shaped crayons. These would be cute as part of the kids table setting for Thanksgiving day.

Toilet Paper Roll Owls: For this craft, we used toilet paper rolls and various scraps of paper to make owls. The kids had a hoot decorating the owls however they liked. At first I was a little nervous they wouldn’t be seen as owls to anyone but our family, but once we put on some googly eyes and orange beaks, each creatures’ owl-ness was unmistakable. And I’ll even go so far as saying they are really cute…(especially when you consider they are made from trash).

Play dough is a staple activity of most childhoods, including mine. I have memories of sitting at the kitchen table making Care-Bear and Rainbow Brite play dough figures with my sister. I even remember eating a pretend hamburger and being very surprised by the salty taste. Now that I have my own kids, I want them to love play dough like I did. And I want to embrace it in an eco-friendly way.

Make your own play dough

If you have some free time, have some fun and make play dough from scratch. It’s really, really easy and lasts forever. This recipe is from my mom and we took these pictures when she came out to visit last winter. Mommies are the best!

Use natural dyes in play dough

Ditch the food coloring and make your own dye from crushed strawberries, turmeric, oak tree bark, and beetroot. The colors you can create from nature are just insane. And the scent is just an added bonus. Does it get any better than this?!

Buy natural

If making play dough is just not gonna happen, there are new lines of all-natural, certified non-toxic and environmentally-friendly play dough popping up all the time ( like Clementine Art.) We have this and use it when we are out and about. The containers are the perfect size to keep in your purse for “out to dinner emergencies,” waiting in lines at amusement parks or a plane ride.

Reusable Accessories: Rather than buy plastic play dough tools, why not reuse items around your house? Garlic press, cookie cutters, butter knives, rolling pin, coffee beans, sticks, plastic toys, all make great play dough accessories. What about collecting leaves, rocks and bark and create your own dinosaur world like my son did above? The ideas are endless and will stretch your children’s imagination by thinking outside the box.

Need a gift idea for your birthday guests?  Why not make some eco-friendly party poppers with the kiddos? Best part is they are made from things you have around your house— toilet paper rolls and newspaper. I did this with my son and he had a blast packing the toilet paper rolls full of treats. We bought stickers, temporary tattoos and corn-syrup free candy as our treats of choice.

Our step by step party popper tutorial is featured at Kiwi Crate, a great website for kid-friendly crafts.

We have been working with them for the past few weeks and just gotta tell you— Kiwi Crate rocks!!! Check out their monthly crates delivered right to your door for only $19.95 (you can get 25% off your first crate by clicking here.)

Make sure to check out our Eco-Friendly Birthday Party Ideas article— we have some really cool ideas to make your party stand out (in a good way!).

Cool Recycled Kids Craft Idea: Button Tree

Here’s why processed-based art projects are important:

1. Kids need to be exposed to material more than once to fully grasp the concept.
2. It becomes a week-long conversation and adventure you get to share with your child.
3. Process over product is important to nurturing your child’s creativity and confidence.

I’m all about quality time and meaningful conversations. When we use nature and recycled treasures to make crafts, we get to inspire the creative genius in every child AND talk about taking care of the planet we live in. Kids are naturally attracted to nature and all of it’s little gems. So the next time your child wants to collect rocks, sticks, and leaves, give their collection a purpose and make a fun craft project.

Zoe and I spent a few days just collecting our sticks and twigs before she started her button tree craft. Have you started using your recyclables to start a Treasure Art Box yet?

Ready to join us and make this cool button tree craft on Kiwi Crate? Head on over to get the full step-by-step tutorial. Their Two-Ingredient Tuesdays rock!