Bust Boredom with Kid Crafts  

Have you ever heard those familiar words, "I'm bored," coming from the mouth of your child?  If so, then kid crafts are the answer.  Provide the kids with craft materials and boredom will be a thing of the past.  Read on for ideas about kid crafts.

Kid crafts essential materials include paper, crayons, safe scissors, and glue.  Paper for kid crafts can include construction paper, plain typing paper, cardstock of various colors, and many other options.  Even junk mail and old magazines can make interesting art projects.  Crayons are nice for younger children, but the stores are now filled with other options, such as washable dry-erase markers, watercolor pencils, and gel pens.  Kid crafts supplies can run into money, but even on a budget there are many possibilities.

Other materials kids can craft with include recycled junk and found objects.  By recycled junk, I'm referring to empty cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes, cardboard from packaging, plastic containers, and even tin cans.  If you let kids craft with tin cans, however, you need to make sure the open edge of the can doesn't have any sharp edges.  Simply file these off or squeeze them flat with a pair of pliers.

Found objects include leaves, twigs, rocks, snakeskins, and other natural item a child might find.  Perhaps there is a sheep farm nearby.  If so, wool scraps can often be found stuck to the barbed wire fences.  Any or all of these items can be used in kid crafts.

One of the most fun and popular kid crafts is making a collage.  Kids can glue anything down when making a collage.  Use heavy paper for the background, and then let the creativity begin!  For an extra challenge, a collage can be built around a theme, like food, animals, or babies.  Old magazines can be searched for just the right pictures, which can be cut out and glued to the background.  The older child might wish to cut out details from magazine pictures and reassemble them in new and interesting ways.  They might cut out interesting words and headlines and add them as well.

Younger kid crafts can include collages made of glued down pasta, beans, popsicle sticks, leaves, and many other materials.  Don't forget about glitter, too.  If the budget allows only a few kid crafts splurges, remember that kids of all ages, particularly girls, really enjoy crafting artwork that includes glitter.  But whether your kids are boys or girls, young or older, suggest some kid crafts the next time your kids are bored!

Island Holidays: Salt Spray Getaways

Island Holidays:  Salt Spray Getaways

There is just something about the ocean breeze and salt spray that makes a holiday on an island something you won't soon forget.  Because islands can be found in every ocean and near every continent, island holidays can vary widely.  You can lay on a beach or watch whales, study botany or shop native craft stalls.  It's all up to you when you plan your island holidays.

North American islands include the Canadian east coast islands of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.  Island holidays to these areas will be filled with unspoiled natural beauty, cool, comfortable temperatures, and whale watching expeditions.

South of these regions is the little island of Bermuda off the eastern U.S. coast.  Bermuda is surrounded with hundreds of square miles of reef formations, making snorkeling an interesting activity there.  For the less adventurous, you can ride around in a glass bottom boat and view the beautiful undersea world.

Heading on south, we find the Carribean islands.  These have long been popular spots for tourists.  Here the beaches are white and sandy and the weather is very warm.  Up in the interior of these islands, you can find a wide variety of birds and other wildlife.  Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Barbados, the Virgin Islands, and many other spots make lovely island holidays.  Each island has it's own unique flavor and feel.

Europe has islands of all types nearby which make great spots for island holidays.  Visit the isles of Greece and you will see clear seas, quiet beaches, olive groves, and the simple life.  Corfu is the choice of those who like up-to-date restaurants and shopping, while Lefkas is popular with wind-surfers and sailors.  The Portuguese island of Madeira boasts beautiful weather and one of the lowest crime rates in the world.  The Canary Islands, off the coast of Spain, are a popular tourist spot for Europeans.

A new trend in island holidays is eco-tourism.  This is traveling in such a way that neither the earth nor the local people you are visiting is harmed in any way.  People who are drawn to eco-tourism may enjoy bird-watching, hiking, and other island activities that do not leave an impact on the area.

Everybody dreams of taking island holidays.  There are islands all over the world, each offering it's own cultural experience and natural wonders.  Many spots for island holidays are still unspoiled and secluded, while others are lively and exciting.  Island holidays offer a real diversion from your everyday life.

Returning to the Simple Joys of Home and Hobby

Returning to the Simple Joys of Home and Hobby

In the past decades, many mothers have made the decision to pursue careers, but that trend seems to be changing.  Home and hobby are calling to these women, who are willing to make financial and personal sacrifices in order to be the primary caregivers for their small children.  Many women have returned to being keepers at home, and hobby skills can help them meet the financial challenges of being a one income family.

One hobby that helps the mother at home is cooking.  Though it could be considered work, cooking and baking are fascinating hobbies.  One can explore the cuisine of different countries or learn to create gourmet treats.  Baking can yield wholesome whole grain products that nourish the family for a fraction of the cost of loaves bought at the store. 

Another home and hobby skill that comes in handy is sewing on a sewing machine.  Many homemakers are producing quilts that are works of art.  These beautiful offerings can be made inexpensively by recycling unwanted fabrics into squares and other shapes and artistically arranging the pieces.  Other sewing skills that are useful for the stay-at-home-mom are mending, altering, and creating clothing.  When polled about favorite pastimes, women often rank sewing at the top.

Some moms and their husbands actively work on remodeling their home, and hobby carpentry skills come in handy.  One income families hold down the cost of living by learning to "do it yourself," a term that is used so much it has been shortened into "diy."  The Internet has made it possible to find information on making all sorts of repairs and renovations to homes, furnishings and other belongings.

Gardening is a hobby that not only gets the participant close to nature, but also can put high quality produce on the family table.  Some families are even investing in hobby greenhouses or growing enough extra to sell a bit each week at farmers' markets.  A good practical hobby like growing a garden gives a person a sense of accomplishment when they realize their efforts have created something useful and profitable.

The homemaking parent that has a sense of art can inexpensively create harmony and beauty around the house, raising everyone's standard of living. It doesn't have to involve spending any money.  Perhaps she can arrange dried wild flowers beautifully or create simple hand-lettered wall mottoes that lift everyone's spirits.

Yes, home and hobby call to the women of today, suggesting a simpler way of life closer to those people and things that matter most.  While the career women are truly making an important impact on today's world, the quiet return of many to home and hobby may result in more impact than any of us realizes.

Holiday Crafts: Thanksgiving Decorations Kids Can Make

Holiday Crafts:  Thanksgiving Decorations Kids Can Make

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday!  What a spiritual renewal to take a day to reflect over the past year about just how good God has been to you and your family, to give you harvest and shelter, health and hope.  To get the most out of this joyous occasion, make some holiday crafts with your children.  These days, Thanksgiving often gets squeezed out by Hallowe'en's spooky decorations and the lights and gala of Christmas.  With the following holiday crafts, your home can be decorated for this quieter but important celebration.

Turkeys are a natural choice for decorations.  A familiar project at this time of year is for a child to trace around her hand and make the resulting drawing into a turkey.  The thumb is the head and the fingers are the tail feathers all displayed.  While many of the turkeys that are raised for food are now the domestic white variety, the turkeys eaten by the Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving were the wild brown ones.  The tail feathers on a wild turkey are brown, but they are iridescent. catching light and appearing to be multi-colored.  This is why children color the tail feathers in bright colors. 

The turkey's head has a wattle under the beak.  This is a vertical flap of loose skin that is red colored.  Be sure to draw this in order to make the hand turkey look like a turkey.  Add skinny legs and bird feet.  When done, the children can cut out the turkeys and hang them on the wall.  It's really cute to make a whole flock of these turkeys in the sizes of all the hands in the family.  The little hand shapes are particularly sweet.

Another nice turkey decoration to make when making Thanksgiving holiday crafts is a turkey door decoration.  Make a brown construction paper body and head of a turkey.  Now make a large number of colored feather shapes.  Each family member writes on a feather something he or she is thankful for before attaching as part of the turkey's tail.  Repeat until all the feathers are used, and hang the turkey on the front door to greet visitors with a message of gratitude.  Make a sign to accompany the turkey that says "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!" or simply "Be thankful!"  or "We're thankful for you!" or whatever you like.

Children love making construction paper chains.  To further decorate the house for Thanksgiving, let them make a paper chain in fall colors as one of their holiday crafts.  Using 9 by 12 inch construction paper, cut the paper in half across the long side and cut the halves into one inch thick six inch long strips.  Use a stapler to attach the ends of the strip into a circle.  Loop the next strip into the circle and staple it.  Continue the process alternating colors of brown, red, yellow, and orange.  When the chains are long, you can drap them along the ceiling or stair rail.  If you don't make the door turkey, the children can write something they're thankful for on each strip of paper before adding it to the chain.

Thanksgiving is too nice a holiday to let the other more commercial holidays crowd it out.  By making holiday crafts to decorate the home for Thanksgiving, you can keep this day special, too.  The extended family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc., will be pleased to see the holiday crafts the young ones have made to decorate the house and make it cheerful for their visit.

Get a Hobby Kit and Learn Something New

Get a Hobby Kit and Learn Something New

If you are tired of the ho-hum of life and would like to branch out a little, maybe you should get a hobby kit.  Many different hobbies have kits that can help a beginner learn about the hobby quickly and easily.  It is not easy to teach yourself some hobbies, but with a hobby kit, you can learn from the kit.

For instance, if you have been wanting to learn how to do a needlecraft, such as cross stitch or crewel embroidery, there is no better way to start than with a kit.  In a hobby kit, you will receive a piece of cloth with the design already stamped on, yarn or floss in the proper colors and possibly already cut to the proper lengths, and a needle.  You may even get an embroidery hoop in the kit.  When you buy a hobby kit, be sure to read on the package to see if any other materials or tools will be needed to do the hobby.

A hobby kit is also the best way to learn a hobby like building model cars.  In a model car kit, you will get all the pieces you need and detailed instructions.  In some kits, you might also receive paint, a brush, and glue, but read the label.  You might have to provide these things separately.

When choosing Christmas or birthday gifts for a young person, consider a hobby kit, such as a candle-making kit or a rock tumbling kit.  In the fall, the stores are full of kits that could start a kid on a hobby that would last throughout his life.  You can find small weaving loom kits, glycerine soap making kits, bead craft kits, wood-burning kits, and art kits.  There is a line of colorful books put out by the Klutz company that each gives instruction in a hobby and has a packet of materials for learning the hobby.  Some of the topics Klutz books cover are polymer clay modeling, hair styling, and pompon creations.  They are all cleverly written and lots of fun.

Another hobby that can be learned from a kit is starting garden seedlings, especially herbs.  A seed starting kit typically contains a pot, a small trowel, seeds,  fertilizer, and a greenhouse dome or cover.  Potting soil may need to be purchased separately.

When choosing a hobby kit, be careful to get one that is appropriate for the recipient.  Sometimes a hobby kit is quite challenging.  An example of a difficult project is an electronics kit for wiring one's own radio.  If a kit is a gift for a child and it is too hard, it will wind up gathering dust on some shelf.  In fact, it might gather dust even if you buy it for yourself!  Consider getting a smaller project that you can finish in a short time so you can get a feel for the hobby.  The next hobby kit you buy can be harder if you find that you enjoy the hobby and have a real desire to learn more about it.

Bored? Look at These Hobby Ideas!

Bored?  Look at These Hobby Ideas!

Have you ever played one too many computer game or watched one too many old rerun?  You just can't get into another mystery and you just feel flat?  Maybe you are suffering from boredom, that familiar accomaniment to our automated, precooked lifestyles.  If so, you need to check out these hobby ideas.  Hobbies have been found to be therapeutic as they relieve stress and get the mind active.  In this article, you'll find hobby ideas for every sort of person, from the intellectual to the athlete, from the homemaker to the attorney.

Many times we are bored because we have become too inactive.  If this is your problem, you might like a sports hobby.  Have you ever tried tennis?  How about golf?  Many people simply love bowling until it becomes an important part of their lives.  Sports hobbies get you out of the house and often are a way to make friends with others.  Then again, some active hobbies can be enjoyed in our own homes, such as weight lifting and doing aerobic dance to a video.

Speaking of aerobic dance, dancing is another great pastime.  When you think of hobby ideas, don't forget the many forms of dance.  Square dancing is fun for people who like getting together with groups, while ballet and modern dance appeal to the more contemplative souls.  And while we're on contemplation, you might enjoy doing yoga stretches as a hobby.

Maybe we're feeling bored and listless because we've been cooped up in the house too long.  If that's the problem, here are a few hobby ideas to get you out in the fresh air.  Have you ever thought of taking up canoeing, hiking, or trapping?  How about getting involved with an environmental group?  In many states, you can form groups to clean riverbanks and monitor water quality, and the state will provide perks such as t-shirts, work gloves, and first-aid kits.  Or maybe you'd like studying the flora and fauna of your region.  It can be great fun to stroll through the woods and fields with a field guide, learning to identify each wildflower, insect, tree, and bird.

There are almost as many hobby ideas as there are bored people in the world, because everyone puts their own spin on their favorite hobbies.  Maybe you'd enjoy decorating your house with antiques, or learning to bake specialty breads from around the World.  Maybe you'd like to take part in a little theatre production, or learn to play guitar.  What about the fine arts of weaving tapestries or painting with oils?  Candle making, soap making, and many other old-time crafts are being enjoyed again.  Truly, with all these hobby ideas, there is no reason to stay bored for long!

A Hobby Greenhouse Will Get You Growing!

A Hobby Greenhouse Will Get You Growing!

For people who would like to do more gardening but live in a short growing season area, a hobby greenhouse is the answer.  A hobby greenhouse is not large enough to produce vegetables or flowers on a commercial basis.  It will, however, give you a place for a tomato plant or two and some fresh greens even if you live in the northern regions.  Greenhouse enthusiasts even have their own association, called the Hobby Greenhouse Association, which publishes a quarterly magazine.  The organization also sponsers events and helps individuals connect to get help with the aspect of gardening that they are interested in, whether it's growing cacti or saving seeds.

If you are in the market for a hobby greenhouse, there are several types on the market.  The smallest type is not large enough to walk into and must be accessed from the outside.  It resembles an old-fashioned phone booth made all of glass and outfitted with shelves.  This type is designed to fit as many plants as possible in as small a place as possible.  The shelves are made of glass to allow as much light as possible to reach plants on the lower shelves.  Another inexpensive version of this sort of hobby greenhouse is shelving covered with a zippered tent of clear plastic.  This sort of arrangement is great for the small-scale hobby gardener wanting a place to keep her flowers or houseplant starts.

There are a variety of designs of hobby greenhouse that are large enough to walk into but made entirely of clear glass or plastic.  They are often about the same size as a small storage building.  Some independent builders have started making these to sell locally.  Among national brands, one of the nicest is called the "Solar Prism."  It is called this because of it's unique construction.  This hobby greenhouse is made of a single piece of durable clear plastic which is designed to work like tiny prisms side by side.  They trap the rays of the sun and shoot them back into the greenhouse at all angles.  For this reason, these little  greenhouses are said to glow when the weather is cloudy.

Better hobby greenhouses are equipped with automatic sensors that open vents which allow ventilation and keep the interior temperatures from getting too high.  These are a great labor saver, but can get expensive.  Another benefit sometimes found in nicer greenhouses is a built in irrigation or misting system.  Members of the Hobby Greenhouse Association, or HGA, have invented many interesting designs of greenhouses.

If gardening is your hobby, greenhouse growing will interest you.  With a greenhouse, you can have the earliest tomatoes and salad greens all year.  You can also start seedlings for the main garden early in the spring when outdoor temperatures would kill them.  A hobby greenhouse can be a good investment.