Happy Birthday, Eric Carle! - June 25

My very creative friend, Melanie, posted this on her blog, Espresso Yourself Creatively.  http://www.espressoyourselfcreatively.com/2011/06/very-hungry-caterpillar-inspired.html

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" inspired windsock/kite & sandwiches

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's...a caterpillar kite? Or a windsock, depending on which kid you ask. Inspired by all the great bug books, we read a few of our favorites today and had a blast with painting outside. All the boys have made caterpillars from small plates at preschool, but took it one step further and tied it to ribbon. The wind kept blowing it away, and before we knew it...a kite was taking flight!

Grab some paper plates & start painting!

Love, love, love washable outdoor paint!

Punch holes in the sides of the plates &

tie the plates together with ribbon.



We glued on googly eyes:

Our caterpillar, looking for some food:

Two of our favorite books:

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (Eric Carle)

"Caterpillar Spring Butterfly Summer" (Hood/Gevry)

Even though we'd had a big snack, to quote Eric Carle: "...but we were still hungry."

So, we headed in to make these fun caterpillar inspired sandwiches:

Easy, easy with a Pampered Chef circle sandwich maker,

and my toddler loved decorating them with fruit loops, grapes, and sprinkles:)

At our picnic we even saw a butterfly flutter by,

but who puts down a sprinkle sandwich to take a picture?

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks

to us every hour, if we will only tune in."

(George Washington Carver)

Fancy up your Flip Flops ~ National Flip Flop Day is June 17th

Here are a couple of fun crafts to do with your kids.  National Flip Flop Day is June 17th.  I had decided I would let my daughter tie different colored ribbons to her flip flops one day and was at a loss for what I could let my son put on his flip flops.  I knew that he would want to do something to as he is always eager to do an art/craft project.  We were walking around Hobby Lobby when I spotted some Silly Bandz on the clearance aisle.  That was it!  I would let him tie those crazy Silly Bandz on his flip flops.  Most of you probably have a ton of them laying around your house anyways, so why not reuse them for something new.  This is a very simple craft that if your child can tie a knot, they can do it. 

Ribbon Flip Flops (we cut the ribbons so that they were 7 inches long and then tied them on.  I did do a little trimming at the end to even them out a little.)

Silly Bandz Flip Flops 

My kids loved the finished product!  I hope yours do too!