Cast a Spell on Your Kids

Schools out, now what to do to keep your kids from falling into the frightening world of boredom? Go ahead and cast a spell on them and see what transpires.

If you need some coaching in this area, Lisa, from Little Bird School of Stitchcraft can show you how to cast a spell on your kids (fingers) this summer. She has a super trick for keeping little hands entertained while learning an age-old craft at the same time.

Finger knitting is a great way of getting children interested in wool crafts, and it is very easy to learn.  It helps to improve a child’s dexterity and ability to concentrate.  No extra implements are required,  just fingers, the best tools in the world!

The finished product is a long thin strip of stocking stitch. In this tutorial, which is suitable for children, you will learn how to finger knit.  Any weight of yarn will work for finger knitting but for this tutorial chunky yarn was used which produces a nice stocking stitch.

To cast on, begin with the palm of your hand facing you with the tail end of the yarn between your thumb and index finger.  Weave the yarn over your index finger and behind the middle finger then over the ring finger.  Wrap the yarn around your smallest finger and weave back to your index finger:

Weave the yarn around the index finger again and continue in the same manner but above the first rows of stitches returning to your index finger again:

Try to keep the stitches fairly loose otherwise, it will be difficult for you to make the following moves.

The first row begins with the little finger, lift the bottom row of wrapped yarn up and over the tip of your finger (see below).  Ensure that you keep the top row of wrapped yarn on your finger as you go.

Continue the process of lifting the bottom row of stitches over the top row of stitches along your hand until you get back to your index finger:

For all subsequent rows, weave the yarn around the fingers again ending with the index finger. It should look like the image below:

Beginning with the little finger, lift the bottom row of yarn over the tips of your fingers.  Continue weaving and lifting the yarn over the fingers.  As you continue the process you will see a long strip of stocking stitch appearing behind your hand:

To cast off, do not weave the work around your fingers instead, lift the stitch off the little finger and pass it across to your ring finger:

Then lift the bottom stitch over the top stitch on your ring finger.  Continue to pass the stitches across and over until you get to the index finger with one stitch remaining.

Cut the yarn, lift the stitch off the index finger and pass the end of your yarn through the stitch and pull to secure the end:

Finger knitting is very addictive and children love it for its simplicity and ease.

For more crafty ideas, be sure to visit Lisa’s blog  Little Bird School of Stitchcraft.

Thanks again for sharing Lisa!

Summertime​ Sleepovers

Summertime Sleepovers could be so much more fun with our Winnebago Dual Function Bunk Bed. The top twin bunk sits above a cool space featuring padded seats and a table surface, ideal for homework, play, and snacks. For fun sleepovers, the padded benches easily fold down and convert to a twin size sleeping area.

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Add these entertaining games to your girls summer sleepovers:

Nail Polish Spin Game
Place several colors of nail polish in the middle of a circle of girls.  Have the first girl spin a bottle of nail polish.  Whoever the cap is pointing to when it is done spinning must paint one of her fingernails that color.  Then that person spins the next color of nail polish …. and so on.  Paint your toes also to make the game last longer.

Foil Make Over
The object is to create the best outfit out of aluminum foil.  Crazy game and lots of fun.  This can be played individually or if you have a lot of girls separate into teams.  Give each person/team 1 or 2 rolls of aluminum foil.  You can also use rubber bands or pieces of string if you want.  Create the most fabulous outfit you can use the aluminum foil.  Tops, pants, skirts, shorts … and don’t forget the sunglasses, jewelry, hats, flip-flops, tiaras booties, belts …anything your imagination can dream up.  Be sure and take pictures of your creations.

Blind Make Over
The first person puts on a blindfold and does the makeup of the second person.  Then when they are done the second person puts on the blindfold and does the makeup of the third person.  Draw numbers to determine the order.  Really funny – take pictures so you can keep the memories.

 

Please share any of your sleepover activity ideas.

We all know that sleep should not be allowed to be used as part of the name, right?

Welcome Summer

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today is the summer solstice, which marks the longest daylight period of the year and the official start of summer.  Our summer solstice happens when the sun is shining directly overhead at midday at varying latitudes.

It is also the shortest night of the year!

 

Welcome summer with one of our favorite Recipes for Fun.

Watermelon that’s too cute to eat! Plus it’s a cool cook together for the entire family. We suggest making a double recipe so you and the kiddos can eat as you create.

All that you will need for this watermelon treat is Rice Krispies, marshmallows, raisins, and flavored Kool-Aid.

It would be perfect to bring to your next summer pool party or BBQ!

Dine and Dish has complete instructions for this simple kid-friendly recipe, hop on over to get the 411.

Chew on This Idea

 

School’s out but reading goes on.

A reluctant reader at your house? Chew on this idea!

Have your small person pop a gumball into their mouth and chew, chew, read, read away…….

Another brilliant idea discovered at 30 handmade which was guest posted there by Everyday Chaos, both great blogs that are packed full of ideas.

 

Here are other ways you can help your child develop a love of reading.

Read to them. As children are growing up, try to make reading aloud part of your daily routine. Children will make positive associations with reading and spending time with family.

Keep books in the house. Children who grow up in homes with lots of books read more. If your family has an e-reader, keep it stocked with interesting books. You can even check out ebooks from the public library.

Set aside time daily for your child to read. Prioritizing reading by making time for it, even as children get older you will find this has a huge impact.

Read! Parents who read more have children who read more. Don’t save your reading time for after your child is in bed. Read in front of them, and make going to the library a fun routine for both you and your children.

Good Morning Pops

Have a happy Father’s Day with Pancake Pops for Pops! Surprise your Pops with these clever pancake pops.  We found this to be a true win win for pancake lov’n Dads and their kids. Melissa from Number-2 Pencil blog, will show you how to make these bite size pancakes from scratch using creamy Greek yogurt, cooked on a lollipop stick. We know Pops for Pops will be a favorite at our house, and not reserved just for Father’s Day breakfast.

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Thank you so much Melissa for sharing your fun recipe for Father’s Day.

Happy Father’s Day to all the great Dads out there.

Gumball Necklaces

Learn how to make these super cute gumball necklaces for under a buck! Big chunky necklaces seem to be the “big” thing these days.  Gumball necklaces made for little girls are a fun rainy day craft. And, no one will ever believe they are gumballs!

Supplies for Gumball Necklace:

• 6 large gumballs (can be found at the dollar store or party city)
• 40 in. of ribbon (1/4 -1 in. size)
• needle and thread
• scrap fabric
• doll needle
• knitting needle

1. Pierce gumball with a needle. Then pierce another hole on the opposite side of the gumball. This is basically just making your mark.

2. You will use your knitting needle to push through the hole (only half way or it will crack). Then flip the gumball and push the needle through the other side. Make the hole large enough for the ribbon to fit through.

3. Thread your ribbon through a doll needle and push the needle through the hole in the gumball. Repeat with 5 of your gumballs.

4. Use fray check on the ends of the ribbon to stop the edges from fraying.

If you’d like to add a flower on your necklace follow these simple steps:

5. Cut (6) 2 in circles. Then you will fold the circles in half.

6. Fold your circle in half again, creating a pie shape.

7. Tie a knot on the end of your strings and thread the needle through the corner of the “pie”. Let’s call it a pumpkin pie. 😉

8. Thread all the circles on the string using step 7. You may need to turn the “pies” to create a full flower.

9. Stitch the bottom of the flower to the ribbon (or you could use hot glue… which, let’s be honest, is sometimes easier, and faster). lol

10. Tie a knot in the ribbon so your last gumball won’t be hidden under the flower.

11. Add another gumball and you’re done and ready to wear.

 

This amazing craft is one of many inspirational ones from Iheartnaptime.

A great “BIG” thank you to Jamielyn!