May is National Flower Month and a great month for children’s craft projects. With May Day, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day there are lots of great holidays in May that you and your children can make crafts for. Here is one we have done and it’s also one of our favorites. They can be made simple for tiny hands or more complex for that budding Picasso.

For May Day this year we created May baskets. This is a great craft for the younger ones to practice scissor skills and the older ones to hone in on theirs. It is simple and typically you can find the items needed in your craft drawer or purchase inexpensively. To get started, you will need the following supplies. This list will make one May flower basket.

–Small shoebox without the lid. (Kids shoe boxes work the best.)
–4-6 sheets of construction paper, any colors will do, think grass and flowers here.
–Elmer’s glue or a stapler. (Help smaller children with the stapler, however, it does hold better than the glue.)
–4 green pipe cleaners cut in half.
–Age appropriate scissors.
–Crayons or markers.
–Styrofoam square cut to fit inside the shoebox. Should be at least one to two inches thick and cover the entire bottom.
–Popsicle sticks or toothpicks if needed.
–Any additional decorations that your child enjoys working with, such as; glitter, pom-poms, yarn, beads, etc.

First take one piece of construction paper and cut to fit the front of your shoebox, and allow child to decorate it. Once decorated glue or staple it to the front of your shoebox. You can also have your child repeat this step for all four sides if desired. Now glue the Styrofoam square to the inside of the shoebox.

Second, take another piece of construction paper and cut one long strip approximately one inch wide to serve as your baskets handle. Staple or glue into place, remember, stapling this into place will hold the handle in place better than the glue.

Third, use the remainder of the construction paper, less one sheet to be used later, to create flower petals. They can be made from hand outlines, which is what we used, or circles, squares, triangles, whatever is at your child’s ability to cut out with minimal to no assistance. Then allow your child to color or decorate as desired. Use the Elmer’s glue to put the flower petals together any way that your child prefers is fine. Allow the decorated and glued flower petals to dry for about a half-hour to an hour.

Fourth, once dried take your pre-cut pipe cleaners; there should be 8 short ones, to use as the flowers stems. They can either be glued to the back of the flower or stapled on. This is another time that we found stapling to be more effective. If your child created large flowers add a Popsicle stick or toothpick to the back of the flower for additional support.

Fifth, take the last piece of construction paper and have your child cut it into small strips that are no longer than an inch or wider than ½ an inch, set aside. If you stapled your flowers to the pipe cleaner, then place them inside the basket pressing them down into the Styrofoam as far as they will go. If you used glue you will need to allow that to dry before putting into the Styrofoam. Once all flowers are arranged, add the shredded paper to the basket as grass to cover the Styrofoam.

Now you should have a completed May flower basket to enjoy!

This time of year, families are planning time away, whether it’s quick weekend getaways or a much longer or father away vacations. If you have children, especially small ones, you’ll be looking for kid friendly vacations so everyone is happy! There are several locations that you can choose that both you and your children can enjoy. Read on to discover the top vacation destinations for families with children.

Cruises – Cruises can be a fun family adventure that both you and your children will enjoy. They’re also great spring break vacation ideas. Disney offers a cruise that gives the kids all the fun and excitement that they crave, while giving you a relaxing time aboard the ship. With daily activities planned just for the kids, you will find yourself soaking in the sun and enjoying peace and quiet. You may be surprised at the time that you will get to yourself. A cruise is the perfect kid friendly vacation!

Kid oriented resorts – There are many resorts available that are geared toward children. You may be sacrificing top of the line luxury for waterslides and wave pools, but you will still get the time to yourself that you are looking for. Many of these resorts offer babysitting services and have countless activities planned throughout the day for children of all ages. There are also things available for grown-ups to do while at the resorts. Spend time with your children enjoying the many resort attractions or relax by yourself near the pool. Nickelodeon Resorts are a great example of kid oriented resorts that you and your family can visit. The Spongebob Room awaits you and your kids!

Camping – Consider going on a camping trip to a Yogi Bear Jellystone Park. Located throughout the U.S., these parks offer a family friendly atmosphere for children of all ages as well. If you do not have an R.V. to pull to one of these parks, there are cabin rentals available. Other campgrounds in the U.S. that are kid friendly are KOA Campgrounds. Many are complete with arcades, mini-golf, and swimming pools. Camping is a wonderful vacation for you and your family when you can find a resort that caters to the little ones.

Disney – This is the ultimate kid friendly vacation! This will be an experience that both you and your kids will never forget. Centered entirely on children, there will never be a dull moment on this vacation. This vacation is perfect for even the youngest traveler. Disney is one of the most popular family vacations in the U.S. If you know of someone who has been, ask for information on how you can make the vacation easier on your family. People who have been often provide valuable tips to families who want to enjoy the Disney experience.

Traveling with the kids does not have to be a grueling experience. There are many vacation spot that cater to families. Do a general search of the internet, to find family friendly cruises, resorts, and campgrounds. There are companies out there who have tailored every detail to your children. Take advantage of what they have to offer and enjoy your vacation!

With Easter only a few weeks away, you are probably contemplating how the Easter Bunny will make his presence known at your house. Will you buy a premade Easter basket or your will you put the time and effort in to creating a special basket tailored to your child’s personality? Premade Easter baskets for kids can be very expensive and are often filled with things that your child does not particularly like. Consider creating one of a kind personalized Easter baskets for your children to enjoy.

The Basket
Be creative when choosing a basket for your child. There are endless baskets available at your local craft stores that are ready to be filled with goodies. Think outside of the box when choosing a basket. Consider buying a small pail and decorating it with your child’s favorite characters. Use paint to stencil his or her name on the pail. You may also have the pail painted by a local artist. Choose a basket that will be truly special to your child. Almost any container can be made into a one of a kind basket and be personalized to suit your child. Create a basket that your child will remember for a lifetime. Search the internet for ideas on how to create a one of a kind Easter basket. There are no limitations on what you can do to make your child’s basket unique.

The Fillers
Filling the basket is the fun part! Choose things that fit your child’s personality. Popular items that can be used to fill baskets are movies, small toys, popular video games, and stuffed animals. Make sure the items that you choose are age appropriate. Children will expect the Easter Bunny to bring plenty of sweet treats. What is your child’s favorite candy? Fill the basket with a combination of candy and goodies that he enjoys eating. Be sure not to forget the eggs! Having eggs in the Easter basket is a must. Use the following tips for create unique Easter eggs that your child can call his own.
· Stickers – Stickers can be a fun and easy way to spruce up a dyed egg. Let your child choose his or her favorite stickers and apply them to the eggs before you put the eggs into the basket. Try to buy the stickers without him knowing. This way he will feel that the eggs are truly from the Easter Bunny.
· Glitter – Glitter can make an ordinary egg extraordinary. Little girls will especially love to find Easter eggs that resemble jewels in their baskets on Easter morning.
· Easter Eggs Kits – There are very fun and creative kits that can change a hard-boiled egg into a master piece. Visit a craft store and choose a kit that you think will leave your child in awe. He will love knowing that the Easter Bunny created unique eggs just for him.
· Plastic Eggs – This can be a fun alternative for those who may not have the time to create eggs. There are many options available to you when it comes to buying plastic eggs. Personalizing these eggs may be a bit difficult. Choose to make the eggs unique through the content that you fill the eggs with. Little girls will love miniature nail polish as a surprise in an egg. Little boys, on the other hand, will prefer tiny trucks and cars in their Easter baskets.

Make this Easter special for your child by choosing to create an Easter basket centered on what he likes. Your joy will come when you see the look on your child’s face when he sees the creation that you have made for him. From the basket to the eggs, make sure that each item is chosen specifically for him. If you do this, this Easter is sure to be an Easter he will never forget.

So, just around the corner is spring break. Considering that the economic times are not the best we have seen, a lot of families are seeking inexpensive ways to celebrate the week with each other and not having to break the bank. How about instead of a vacation, try a staycation! Families are in luck, because whether you live in Florida, like we do, or somewhere else there are plenty of fun things to do that will not require an expensive hotel stay or a long drive.

Whether your families interests are outdoors or indoors, by seeking out some local resources you are sure to find something that fits your likes and budget. Here are some great staycation ideas!

For the families who are searching for outdoor fun, start at your county, city, and state websites. These websites typically have a slew of information about local events, parks, and trails. Perhaps have a picnic at a local state park then enjoy a walk or hike through trails allowing your children to investigate the local wildlife. If your family enjoys biking, or kayaking, or boating, find a local state park that has trails or a local lake that will allow your boat. Most of the state parks have nominal or no fees to enjoy them and have great wildlife to enjoy. For those of you that enjoy camping and have tents or an R.V., consider camping at a local campground for a couple days. They are most likely inexpensive, and some may offer a discount for local people that are staying. Camping fees are out of budget, why not set up camp right in your own backyard? Younger kids typically find this a lot of fun, and it can be relaxing for mom and dad too. Stay up late and grill out, enjoy outdoor games such as flashlight tag or naming constellations.

Perhaps you live in a city that has many tourist attractions, as we do living in Florida, if this is the case, staycations are convenient because you can scope out local attractions that fit in the budget and visit a different one each day, or visit two or three. Perhaps allow each family member to pick one place so that everyone gets to enjoy something they are interested in. If you have many to choose from and are having trouble agreeing, write them down on individual pieces of paper and place in a hat. Allow for someone to pull out of the hat, and that will be the destination. Always call ahead as some of these places might give discounts to local residents.

Your staycation could also be focused on volunteering for others in the community. This is free and a valuable experience, especially if you have teenagers that can actually participate in the activities. Check your local phonebook or do a search on the internet to find local organizations that your family is interested in helping, then call and ask if they need volunteers for the days you are available. Your family could help a different charitable organization every day, and then have a special day to discuss with your children the importance of the week, and what they enjoyed the most. I believe you might be quite surprised by the answers you will hear. Some places that are great to try are not-for-profit animal shelters, food pantries, habitat for humanity, boys and girls clubs, litter clean-up in local parks, or operation shoebox.

Some indoor activities that can also be free or inexpensive are visiting your local library. Spend an afternoon getting reacquainted with your library and the various free activities that they have to offer for patrons of all ages. Take a tour of a local university; this is especially fun for older children who are going to be off to college in a couple of years. Speak to professors, tour the library, eat lunch in the cafeteria, and talk to college students. Visit local museums, go to the local roller-skating rink, or spend a day at the bowling alley. However, if you are set on having to stay at home, that can be lots of fun too. Perhaps dig out some old craft books and let your younger children’s imaginations run. Have a movie and pizza day. Let each member of your family choose their favorite movie and watch all of them in a row. Order in everyone’s favorite pizzas and just crash in the living room. Spend the next day cleaning up as a family and discussing all the movies that you watched, why your children liked or disliked certain ones, and what did they learn or enjoy the most about the movie day.

I hope this list of ideas allows your family to spend spring break having fun and getting to know each other a little bit better. Have a happy staycation! You may find it was the best vacation ever.

This is a guest post by Janie, one of our new readers.

I’ve always battled with an unhealthy diet. I thought I could always get away with it because I was involved in various sports such as soccer, basketball and baseball but the unhealthy snack habits I developed as a kid started to catch up to me. In college I was not able to be part of an athletic team and the result was pounds starting adding up quickly.

That is why educating kids about healthy snack foods during March’s National Nutrition Month is so important. If they can develop healthy eating habits now it will make for a better life later. Snacks have a bad rap because of the high calorie high fat foods but they don’t deserve them because snacks can in fact be healthy. The trouble is directing your kids toward the right snack foods with healthy nutrients and dissuading them from eating the unhealthy ones.

One of the problems is that kids have high metabolisms and burn through the energy from food faster than adults. Now this is actually a good thing not a bad thing, the problem comes from the fact that kids may not start to see the negative effects of unhealthy snack foods till they are much older and cannot escape the unhealthy habits they developed as kids. 

The first key for starting off your kid on National Nutrition Month is to start your kid off early with healthy snack food. Give your child a taste for fresh organic fruit which will appeal to the taste buds but will not carry the high levels of fat and sodium that say chocolate. Fruit is great for snack food in that it provides various key nutritional ingredients and is easy to keep around the house. Oranges are a great example of this and provide Vitamin C. Whole grain foods will keep your child full longer and prevent them from snacking out on other unhealthy foods.

Another great snack food to get your kid into is Yogurt. Yogurt provides not only protein but also vitamins b-12 and b-6 and is a great alternative and as nutritious as skim milk. Yogurt also comes in my different flavors to keep your kid interested in, if they get bored switch to the blueberry or strawberry to fulfill their taste buds. One final key snack food is vegetable platters. Vegetables may not sound like your child’s ideal snack food but mixing them with some sort of dip and adding in some cheese will make a great tasting snack.

In the end avoiding unhealthy snack food is not impossible. Those same enticing snack foods with all the calories and fat do fulfill your taste buds and can make your kid develop a sweet tooth. The surprising thing about healthy snack food is that it can accomplish the same effect, you can make those vegetables and some dip taste just as good and sweet as a pack of Oreos. More than just guiding your kid to eat healthier today, you are helping them develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime. Pretty soon your children may even automatically associate the word “snack” with healthy food choices.