Back to School Activity Wall

With just over a week left of summer vacation, we decided to create a Back to School Activity Wall. Intead of using the tree I created from paper, I found a large bulletin board tree at Joann Fabrics. It worked great, and I will be able to use it for different seasons as well. (I will use the different colored leaves and acorns for the activity pieces in the future.)  

For the back to school wall, I used apples for the activity pieces. I found these at Joann Fabrics as well. I wrote the crafts on the apples and added them to the tree. Each day the kids will pick a different apple and that will be the activity for the day. 

Our apples say: 

*Spaghetti Sensory play

*All about me rainbow

*Make a marshmallow bridge

*Make snack bags for school

*Back to school scavenger hunt

*Back to school photo booth

*Compass painting

*Make bouncy balls

*Camp-out in the living room for drive-in movie

Baseball Activity Wall

After a rough winter, everyone is feeling excited for the start of spring, but more importantly, for the start of Baseball!

For opening day tomorrow, we not only turned our refrigerator into Paws (the Detroit Tigers mascot) http://workingmomwonders.blogspot.com/2014/03/detroit-tigers-paws-refrigerator.html, but also made a baseball activity wall. 

I drew a field on a large sheet of white butcher paper. Then I painted the grass with green paint. I mixed brown and white paint for the diamond dust. I painted the bases with white paint. Finally, I drew an Old English D with blue glitter paint. 

I cut the field out and taped it to the wall. I then cut circles from white cardstock and drew red baseball lines with a red sharpie.

Each ball will become a "game ball" or the activity for the day. The baseballs have various baseball, spring, and summer crafts on the back of them. (Most of which I found on Pinterest.) 

Pot o' Gold Activity Wall for St. Patrick's Day

The Pot o'Gold Activity wall has made another appearance. It stored pretty well and still looks ok on the wall for a second year.

Every day the kids will select one of the numbered coins from the pot of gold. 

I like to make the kids think about things they are thankful for, or tie this activity to a life lesson of some sort.

Every day, in order to collect their "activity coin", they have to go around the house and find something that they normally take for granted to donate to our "Pot of Blessings". (This could be toothpaste, can food, shampoo, roll of paper towels, etc.) At the end of the season, we will donate these supplies to the local shelter or to the church collection. (This idea is courtesy of the kids' daycare provider--Thanks, Marcy!)

Here are the activities I chose for the coins last year. This year, I have started a St. Patrick's Day Pinterest board. When the kids collect their coin, I am going to let them choose an activity from the Pinterest board. 

1 Make St. Patrick’s Day Playdough

2 Make lucky cupcakes

3 Make jelly bean prayer eggs

4 Make a shamrock collage

5 Take a green bubble bath

6 Paint shamrock ornaments

7 Make bunny handprint cards

8 Make toilet paper roll bunnies

9 Make bunny tin decorations

10 Make sugar cookies for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter

11 Make a leprechaun handprint craft

12 Go to the library for holiday books

13 Make an Easter chick

14 Make a green carnation centerpiece.

15 Make rainbow cupcakes

16 Go on a shamrock hunt

17 Have a “green” dinner

Bonus Easter Coins

18 Go on an Easter egg hunt for privileges

19 Make Mr. Potato head eggs

20 Make a cross suncatcher

21 Make a popcorn lamb

22 Make shaving cream colored eggs and Easter handprint frames

23 Make other colored eggs

Note: The Pot o' Activities is made from white craft paper. The reason it is a little crooked is it is drawn freehand! We colored the pot and drew a shamrock.

The rainbow is made from the same white paper and is colored. The shamrocks are wall decorations we found at Joann Fabrics. The coins are yellow construction paper with the small wall decals placed on them.

Leprechaun Refrigerator Decoration

Last year, our St. Patrick's Day refrigerator decoration was made out of construction paper. (http://workingmomwonders.blogspot.com/2013/02/st-patricks-day-leprechaun-refrigerator.html) 

This year, to make it more reusable, I decided to make it out of felt. I think he turned out a lot better this year. 

I also decided to hot glue on magnet circles so it will stay on the refrigerator better. 

I just cut everything free-hand. Everything is made from felt except the eyes (they are google eyes) and the buttons are yellow stickers.