Archive for the ‘Family Fun’ Category

A quick Thanksgiving craft for the kids

Posted by Amy on November 26, 2008

On a weekly basis, our little three year old comes home from the babysitter’s house with a special drawing or seasonal craft.  I am so thankful that our sitter takes the time to sit down with the kids and work on projects with them.  Hailey just loves arts and crafts.

So, yesterday, she came home with this adorable little construction paper turkey, made from her feet and hands.  Such a sweet, memorable little craft!  This is surely a quick little activity that you should have time to do before tomorrow’s festivities - or - even make it a special Thanksgiving Day activity for the family to do.  You could surprise your kiddo’s grandparents or siblings with this special gift.

Thanksgiving craft Here is Hailey, proudly displaying her turkey.  What you will need for this project is:

-Colorful construction paper
-Elmer’s glue
-A pencil
-Scissors
-Little “eyes” found at virtually every major retailer in their craft section or your local craft store.

Choose different colors of construction paper and trace your child’s hands.  You can see about 8 tracings of Hailey’s hands in the picture.  Trace your child’s feet, rounding off around their toes.

Cut out the traced hands and feet.  Glue the two feet tracings together to make the body of the turkey (see picture) and then flip it over and glue the hands on for the feathers.

Cut out feet for the turkey, a beak and the beard thing.  I can’t remember what that thing is called.  Glue on the turkey’s feet, beard thing, beak and eyes.

Voila!  There you have an adorable little Thanksgiving Day craft that your little one can show off to all of the relatives.

If you make this craft and take a picture of it for your blog, make sure to leave us a comment with the link so we can come over and check it out!

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Category: Activities, Family Fun

Making family traditions

Posted by Amy on November 14, 2008

hailey_pumpkins Making family traditions

I love making memories and traditions, especially when it has to do with my family.

Each year, for the past three years, we have taken a picture of Hailey on Halloween sitting with a pumpkin. Each year, on the pumpkin, we paint one of the letters of her name. For example, since Hailey’s birthday is the week before Halloween, we paint the next letter of her name on a pumpkin. We’ve been doing this since she was born. She came home from the hospital on the night before Halloween in 2005. It’s a fun way to document the years and watch your children grow. I got this idea from a friend of mine, who does this with her children.

You could do this any time of year, really. Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, you name it. The most important thing is that you’re capturing an image of your child and creating a tradition.

babyhailey_pumpkin Making family traditions

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Category: Activities

One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure

Posted by Amy on November 7, 2008

oneworld_onesky One World, One Sky: Big Birds Adventure

We paid a visit to Chicago’s Adler Planetarium to check out their brand new show, “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” and were nothing short of impressed.

img_4376 One World, One Sky: Big Birds Adventure

We were invited to attend opening weekend and there was already a crowd lined up at the door to see the new show and to meet Elmo.  Elmo was a lot bigger in person.

This was our first time visiting the Planetarium together.  The line moved swiftly and soon we were in the Definiti Space Theater in our seats and waiting for the show to begin.  The theater is dome-shaped and provides a 360 degree view.

The new Sesame Street show was incredible.  The kids (and adults) in the audience were mesmerized by the huge, starry virtual sky surrounding them and the Sesame Street characters; Big Bird, Elmo, and Hu Hu Zhu (from China) were a plus, too.  This is a fun, informative production that gives kids an insight into the big sky that surrounds us.

After the show, the kids were invited to participate in some hands-on activities that our toddler fully enjoyed.

So, if you’re in town, we recommend checking out this brand new show.  It’s big fun for the whole family.

The Adler Planetarium is located on Lake Shore Drive, on the Museum Campus, just north of Soldier Field.  One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure runs daily and on weekends.  You can view the schedule HERE.

img_4382 One World, One Sky: Big Birds Adventure

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