This time of year, there are times when mommy needs to be alone—whether it’s to finish off a little shopping, or just to be alone for goodness’ sake. Tis the season for calling on your momtourage to help you out, and swap babysitting duties with your friends. But make this work out for all of you. With our easy kids’ crafts below, everyone can be a winner: The kids stay entertained and make great gifts for friends and family, the babysitting mom gets an easy gig, and Free Mom gets to accomplish what she needs to. Repeat as necessary!
Watch the segment from Today:- Breakfast in a Jar
- Homemade Holiday Hot Cocoa Mix
- Quick & Simple Felt Ornaments
- Snowman Poop
- Reindeer Food
- Pinecone Bird Feeder
- Paper Hand Wreath
- Old-Fashioned Paper Chain
Next: Breakfast in a Jar
Breakfast In A Jar
Materials:
- 2 QT canning jars
- 10 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 C instant nonfat dry milk
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/4 C baking powder
- 2 tbsp salt
- Labels/Markers
- Ribbon
Instructions:
1. Blend dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Portion it off into your jars
3. Attach a cute label on the front
4. Attach instructions on the back:
- Blend 2 C homemade pancake mix with 1 C of water, 1 egg and 2 tbsp of oil
- Beat with a whisk until smooth
- Ladle spoonfuls onto a hot, greased griddle pan
- When bubbles form at the edges of the pancakes, flip them over
- Have a happy breakfast!
Homemade Holiday Hot
Materials:
- 1 C good-quality cocoa, such as Droste (the better the cocoa, the better the drink!)
- 1/2 C sugar
- Whisk
- Airtight jar or cellophane bag
- Sticky address labels
- Ribbon
- Small-point waterproof marker
- Real cinnamon or peppermint candy sticks (optional)
Instructions:
1. Whisk all the ingredients together and put into the jar
2. Tie the ribbon around the jar to decorate
3. Include instructions on a tag or sticky label:
- Put 2 tbsp hot cocoa mix into a mug
- Heat 3/4 cup milk on the stove or in the microwave
- Add a small amount of the hot milk to the cocoa and stir to make a paste
- Slowly add the rest of the hot milk, stirring until the mixture is smooth
- Add a cinnamon stick (or peppermint stick) and stir
- Think warm thoughts and enjoy!
Next: Quick & Simple Felt Ornaments
Quick & Simple Felt Ornaments
Materials:
- Felt in a variety of colors
- Ribbon
- Glue
Instructions:
1. Cut squares out of felt to use as presents
2. Cut 2 small strips of felt out to make the ribbon on the box. One goes across the middle of the package vertically, and one goes across horizontally
3. Cut a shape out make the “bow” for the top of the ribbon
4. Cut lengths of string out to make the ornament hanger
5. Let your little ones glue them all together to make little ornaments
Snowman Poop
Materials:
- Plastic bags
- Mini marshmallows
- Decorative ribbon or string
- Sticky labels
Instructions:
1. Put some marshmallows in a plastic bag
2. Tie the bag closed with a pretty ribbon
3. Attach sticky label with gift explanation/title on it: “Snowman Poop” “From our igloo to yours…”, something from our own creativity or this catchy poem:
You've been naughty,
So here's the scoop:
You're getting nothing
but snowman poop
Next: Reindeer Food
Reindeer Food
Materials:
- Uncooked oats
- Glitter
- Plastic bags
- Ribbon
- Sticky labels for name and instructions
Instructions:
1. Mix oats and glitter in plastic bag
2. Tie bags closed with ribbon
3. Include cute instructions: “Reindeer Food: On Christmas Eve, sprinkle this reindeer food on your lawn. The sparkles from the glitter and the yummy smell of oats (well, yummy to a reindeer!) will be sure to attract Rudolph and friends to your house.”
Next: Pinecone Bird Feeder
Pinecone Bird Feeder
Materials:
- Medium to large pinecones
- Peanut butter or Crisco-like product (in case of peanut allergies with kids)
- Bird seed
- Pipe cleaners
- Butter knife
Instructions:
1. Attach pipe cleaner to top of pine cone to attach it to the tree
2. Smear pine cone with peanut butter or shortening
3. Roll the pine cone in the bird seed
4. Hang up for the birdies to eat
Next: Paper Hand Wreath
Paper Hand Wreath
Materials:
- Children’s hands to trace
- Red, green, blue, white construction paper
- Glue
Instructions:
1. Cut an “o” shape out of construction paper. It should be roughly the size you want the wreath to be. You may need to cut two halves out of construction paper to make an “o” large enough.
2. Trace children’s hands out of the color of construction paper of your choosing.
3. Cut the hands out.
4. Glue them on to the wreath shape (the “o” you cut out), overlapping them slightly, as leaves might.
5. You can use two red hands to make a “bow” on the wreath if you’re doing a Christmas-y one.
Next: Old-Fashioned Paper Chain
Old-Fashioned Paper Chain
Materials:
- Strips of pretty paper (can be from old wrapping paper, origami paper, construction paper, anything and everything…)
- Glue sticks
Instructions:
1. Cut into 2” x 8” strips
2. Roll the longs ends of the strips together to make an “o” shape or ring
3. Overlap the ends of the paper by about an inch and glue the two edges together
4. Put another strip through that loop and make another link in the chain
5. Keep putting the rings together until the chain is your desired length
