What you need:

• Pom poms; assorted colors and sizes
• Green chenille sticks
• Brown construction paper
• One small (4") flower pot
• Tacky craft glue
• Clear tape

What you do:

• Glue 5 pom poms around a yellow one.
  
• Tip: white ones around a yellow center will look sort of like daisies!
  and blue ones sort of look like Forget-Me-Nots!
• Tape the end of a chenille stick to the back of the flower head.
  
• Tip: Make 3 or more of these flowers making the stems different lengths for a nice look!
  
• Decorate the ouside of the pot any way you like.
• Scrunch up the brown paper and push it into the flower pot.
• Push the flower stems into the brown paper's creases, gaps and folds
  arranging them the way you like.

What you need:

• Six green pom poms
• Tacky glue
• Eyes...can be black felt spots or glue on wiggly eyes
• the Smile...Cut from red or pink felt

What you do:

• Glue 5 pom poms to each other in a row and let dry
• Glue eyes and smile to sixth pom pom and let dry
• Glue this head to the near top of one of the ends for a raised head appearance.

These are worms are fun for kids to make
and can be used as gifts, to decorate gifts, planters, etc...

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Halloween Projects:

Halloween Art Projects For Kids
by ShowKidsTheFun

Fall is just around the corner, and with the cooler weather
comes more inside time for the little ones. Naturally, they're
going to need something fun and creative to keep them busy.
Help your kids prepare for Halloween by constructing these
adorable craft projects! They're easy and fun to make and the
kiddos will love displaying them for the holiday.

Egg Carton Spiders

What you will need:

Cardboard egg carton
Pipe cleaners
Poster paint
Elastic thread
Something to poke small holes

Instructions:

Cut the egg cups out of a cardboard egg carton. Cut pipe
cleaners into 3 inch sections. To make each spider, poke four
pipe cleaners through each cup sideways. Bend the ends to look
like eight spider legs. Paint the spiders black or in any
wildly creative way you want! After the paint has dried, attach
a length of elastic thread to the middle of each spider. Have
fun holding your thread and bouncing your scary spider up and
down as you take it for a walk!

Plastic Bag Ghost

What you'll need:

White plastic trash bags
Black marker
Balloons
Some string
Scissors
Masking tape

Instructions:

Blow up/inflate the balloons and cover each one with a trash
bag. With the string, gather and tie each bag under the balloon
to make a head. Using your markers, draw a spooky face on the
trash bag. Be as creative as you can ...make a scary face or a
funny face. Whatever you want! Attach a piece of string to the
top of your ghosts and display them all around your house and
yard.
About The Author: For more crafts and activities for your
children, visit www.ShowKidsTheFun.com - And, don't miss
Free Online Preschool Themes (link to
showmomthemoney.com/homeschooling  ) for more
fun ideas to spend time with your children.




Kids Activities - 10 Inspiring Ideas For A Rainy Day
by Lindsay Small

There is nothing worse than a rainy day in the middle of the
school holidays, when children are cooped up inside, you have
nothing planned, and the inevitable cries of "I'm bored" are
not far away! Keep this list of rainy day activities ready for
just such a day. Older children may enjoy choosing from the
list themselves.

1. Sort through the toy cupboard:

It's surprising how much fun this can be! Get everyone together
and aim to clear one shelf or drawer. You will probably find
that old treasures are rediscovered, odd pieces can be thrown
away, and some things will be ready to be passed down or sold.
If you are not sure whether to get rid of some of the toys, try
packing them away in a box and hiding them in a dark corner of
the cupboard for a few months. When they come out again they
will either cause a sensation, or not - which will make it easy
to decide on their fate!

2. Record the sounds around you:

Get out the tape recorder and make a project out of recording
everyday sounds. Try water running in the bath, someone ringing
the bell and opening the door, or flushing the toilet! It
certainly makes you think about things a little differently
than usual. Suggest that some friends or neighbors do the same
thing and then get together to see if you can identify each
other's sounds!

3. Make a story tape:

Grab that tape recorder and a blank cassette, find a story you
enjoy, and make your own story tape! Each child can read for a
while, or can take on the part of a particular character. Make
the appropriate noises too! You will probably have to practice
a few times to get the hang of it, and be prepared for lots and
lots of giggles! Tip: a homemade story tape makes a great
present for a child who has to go to hospital or is bedridden
for a time.

4. Have a jigsaw afternoon:

Get out all your jigsaws and invite some friends around with
theirs too! Clear plenty of space and have a marathon jigsaw
session. Some libraries have jigsaws you can borrow too, and
you can often find jigsaws for sale very cheaply at charity
shops (thrift stores) and car boot sales (garage sales). Tip:
if you buy your jigsaws second-hand and the box has seen better
days, cut out the picture and store it in a re-sealable bag with
all the pieces.

5. Have a mammoth junk modeling session with friends:

Invite a few families around and ask them to bring their
craft-cupboard junk with them - boxes, containers, and other
bits and pieces. You provide glue, sticky-tape, scissors, and
encouragement. You could make houses, or creatures, or boats,
or modern art - or you could all combine together to make one
giant model!

6. Make a card house:

If you don't know any good card games or haven't anyone to play
with, try building a card house! Start by balancing two cards
against each other so that they stand up in an inverted
V-shape. Take it from there!

7. Make an indoor obstacle course:

Check with an adult that this is OK first! Use easily movable
furniture (kitchen chairs, coffee tables) to mark out a course.
Create a tunnel to crawl through with a blanket draped over low
tables, or space cushions around the room to use as
stepping-stones. You will have lots more ideas!

8. Practice balancing:

Balancing is fun! Try walking the length of the room with a
book on your head. When you can do that, try balancing two or
three - then add a cuddly toy to the very top!

9. Create an indoor den:

A few blankets and tablecloths can create the most wonderful
indoor den. Drape blankets between sofas and chairs, over
stepladders and clothes-dryers, or tie the ends to cupboard
knobs and door handles. Once the den is created find some
special snacks, coloring pages and pencils, a CD player and
music, a torch or two, and camp out for a while!

10. Play with string:

Older children can create some wonderful inventions with a ball
of string and their imagination! A toilet roll and a sloping
length of string make a great message chute or rocket. Get some
action toys involved too: try making them a lift (elevator) out
of a box or a basket and hoist them up! Adults should supervise
constantly if there are younger kids around.

About The Author: Lindsay Small is the author of Boredom
Busters for Kids - an e-book with over 50 pages of fun
activities for kids like those above. Find it at
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/boredom_busters.htm