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I love all the creative ideas in the FamilyFun magazine.  It is always full of great crafts and fun projects you can complete with your kids.  Some of our best time together with Graham has been creating fun crafts and recipes!  I am so glad that FamilyFun decided to bring the crafts to consumers in an easy kit that is very inexpensive!



There are 7 different kits available and they are each only $7!  Each kit includes everything you will need in order to complete the craft.  Not only would this be great for homeschooling parents, but what a wonderful birthday gift idea that is out of the norm and under $10!  You can find the FamilyFun Magazine Craft Kits at select Walmarts.






We were sent the Race Cars kit for review since Graham is such a fan of race cars, tractors, trucks, and monster trucks!  He had a ton of fun painting the cars and then picking out the appliques to put on the sides and tops.  I had to help him put on the wheels and form the signs and trees.  He still plays with the cars and uses the signs and trees every day to incorporate into his other vehicles.  I would say that the $7 is well worth it for a fun family activity!






This product was provided free of charge by FamilyFun. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.


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Having trouble coming up with a gift idea for that special child in your life? Looking for something different and unique? Look no further!Craft-A-Grams are craft packages for kids ages 5 and up. Each package comes in an "eco-friendly craft sack" and includes 3 different crafts for kids. Each craft package is different, and geared toward a specific age group. For instance, a child age 5 may have a craft to paint, where the craft for a child age 9 may require some sewing or construction. You pick the craft set you'd like to send and it is delivered right to the their door!

We were sent the Dino Dude Package to review. The Dino Dude package is geared toward boys age 5-7. I initially thought I'd use this solely for my 6 year old son, but quickly realized my other 2 children would want to be involved as well.

My kids were excited the minute they saw the packaging... A backpack! They had no idea what was in the backpack, but the backpack alone was enough to get them excited! I actually love the backpack too. It's wonderful that the gift was sent in something that can be reused.
When we opened the backpack and saw what was inside, my kids were really thrilled! I couldn't get the crafts out of the packaging fast enough for them. Inside our bag we got 3 crafts; A T-Rex sticky mosaic kit, a dinosaur pencil holder kit, and a mould and paint dinosaur kit.My 6 year old grabbed for the sticky mosaic kit immediately. It was the perfect craft for a boy his age, and I was glad he chose it before my other 2 kids (who are 4 and 2 years old). Initially he was frustrated with how small the mosaic squares were, but it took him all of 2 minutes to get it figured out and really start to enjoy the craft. The picture began to come together with each color square he placed and he got more and more excited. On more than one occasion he said, "Mom, this is SO cool!", and also asked if there were more sticky pictures he could do.While I mixed the plaster for the mould kit and waited for them to set up, I got my 2 and 4 year old started on painting the dinosaur pencil holder kit. They cooperated beautifully, and in no time the pencil holder was complete.After the other crafts were completed I got them started on choosing and painting the plaster dinosaurs. I loved that there were enough for each of them to do 2 dinosaurs, however, the dinosaurs were pretty small and the details were difficult to see. Even my 6 year old wasn't able to paint them as detailed as he would have liked because they were just so small. However, they still loved painting them and they turned out adorable!
Overall I found these crafts perfectly suited for my kids, especially my 6 year old. They loved all of these crafts and were ready for more! I know they would love to receive these as a birthday gift, Christmas gift, or just a fun, special activity to do anytime. And with packages starting at $24.99 with free shipping to anywhere in the Continental US, it makes it an affordable gift idea as well!

Head over and check out all of the craft packages available at Craft-A-Gram. Find that perfect gift for the special child in your life! And if you'll be planning a party soon, be sure and check out the Party Packages available too!

This product was provided free of charge by Craft-A-Gram. These are Alesha's honest opinions on the product. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

Alesha was born and raised in Arizona, where she currently resides. She was married in 2003 to her wonderful husband, and God has blessed them with 3 beautiful children with one on the way. She is blessed to be able to stay at home with them, and has recently begun homeschooling.

Alesha has devoted her life to the Lord, and lives daily for Him. She is very involved with her church, including volunteering as a Jr. Youth Group leader and as a Bible School craft teacher. She also sings in the choir and writes the news for the church newsletter. You can find her at The Jacobsen Family or on twitter @JacobsenFamily.

This product was provided free of charge by Craft-A-Gram. These are Alesha's honest opinions on the product. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner I decided to make some cupcake toppers!  I also put them on a sheet for you to print out.  All you have to do is click on the link to the ones you like.  Enjoy!







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If you have a child who loves music and art this is the coolest thing I have seen in a while!  Musicolor is a new product from Delta Creative that turns your child's art work into music.







We were sent a Musicolor to try out and even Graham got a kick out of it.  He isn't quite old enough yet to appreciate what all this fancy little device can do, but he loves to watch it work and change the sounds from piano, to trumpet, to violin.  Musicolor is recommended for ages 4 and up.


Here's how it works:

1. Color the included discs with the music note markers
2. Insert the disc into the player
3. Turn it on and listen to your tunes!
4. Change it up with piano, trumpet, or violin

I'm not exactly sure how the technology works, but the arm of the player basically works like a DVD player and scans the colors in order to interpret the music.  Even though it looks like an old school record player, it is extremely high tech!  The arm moves over to the disc on its own once the disc reaches the perfect point.  This ensures that your song will be played from the beginning.  There are 14 pre-printed song discs, 8 music note markers, 5 create your own song discs, and 1 pre-colored song disc.






Musicolor is undoubtedly a ton of fun, but it can also serve as a valuable learning tool.  Your children will need to be able to match up the letters that correspond on the song discs as well as the markers in order to create a song (sort of like paint by numbers).  Kids will reinforce colors and letters as well as practice their fine motor skills.

Retailing for about $39.99, Musicolor can be purchased at Amazon, Target, and Deltacreative.com.  You can also pick up additional song discs and note markers.

This product was provided free of charge by Delta Creative. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.



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Christmas is over, but there may still be a few people on your list that you haven't seen yet.  Maybe you are like me and you like to have a few back up gifts on hand just in case someone shows up unexpectedly.  If you are an avid Go Graham Go reader you already know that I like to find great deals or make my own things (I love crafts)!  When C&H Sugar contacted me about their great gift idea website and asked me to try it out I was thrilled!  They have some cute ideas and who doesn't love sugar?  Besides, with the winter weather around here, we all have our fair share of dry skin.





I thought the Sugar Scrub was a great idea for a cheap, yet cute gift.  Most of the materials you will probably already have on hand for this project which is a huge bonus!  I adjusted this recipe a little in order to make it a bit more cost effective.


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of ground oatmeal (use a blender)
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 cup of olive oil (calls for 1/4 cup of almond oil, but olive oil is more readily available and cheaper.  It is also great for your skin)
• 1 tsp of Vanilla extract
• Small containers with lids and ribbons for decoration

Directions:

Combine all ingredients using a spatula in a large bowl until well blended. Mix should have a paste like texture. If it is too dry add more oil a few drops at a time. Conversely, if it is too oily add more dry ingredients until you reach the desired consistency. Keep stored in tightly sealed jars. May need to mix before use if ingredients settle.

When you are finished you can use these printable gift tags from C&H Sugar made especially for the Sugar Scrubs or print your own like I did.

A $20 gift card was provided by C&H Sugar to cover my expenses on this project. These are my honest opinions. I do not post reviews on anything I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.



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Graham is only 2 so he will not be staying up until midnight to ring in the New Year, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get to celebrate!  Every new celebration means a new craft idea for me!  This year we made our own version of a noise maker that Graham can have fun with to celebrate 2010!  The beauty of this craft is that you probably have most of the materials laying around the house.

Materials:

• 2 paper plates (the sturdier the better)
• A handful of dry beans
• 1 streamer (you could use yarn or ribbon as well)
• 1 dowel rod (you could use a tongue depressor or even a stick from the back yard)
• Markers, crayons, or paint

Instructions:

Decorate the bottoms of your plates however you would like.  We used marker and some stickers that Graham had left over from a birthday party.

Add the beans to the inside of one of the plates and attach the dowel rod from top to bottom using tape.  Make sure a little sticks out because this is your handle.




Cut the streamer or ribbon and attach to the bottom near the dowel with tape.




Layer a thick line of glue around the rim of the plate and attach the 2nd plate on top.  Use tape to secure it around the edges.  I would give the glue at least an hour, maybe two, to completely dry before using.











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I feel like a school girl lately!  We finally got a really good snow and it has been years!  On Friday we saw about 9 inches and more is expected for Thursday and Friday.  With the fun of the snow comes the "cooped up crazies" as I like to call them!  It is important to have some fun craft activities on hand to keep yourself and your kids entertained in case you are in the house for the duration.

We made this cute little Santa out of a leftover oatmeal can (we eat a lot of that around here).  I actually had all of the materials on hand (which is good because I wasn't about to venture out into the ice and snow to get them).





Materials:

• 8 Cotton Balls
• 3 pieces of Construction paper or Printer Paper and Red Crayon/Marker
  
• Orange Marker
• 2 Google Eyes
• Craft Glue
• Oatmeal or Pringles Can

Instructions:

1. If you have red construction paper you can go ahead and glue it around the can to cover the outside.  If not, use printer paper and color it with a red crayon or marker.  Glue the paper around to cover the outside of the can completely.
2. Roll the third piece of paper to make a cone shape and glue it together.  Bend the tip over like a hat.  Fold the paper up and out around the outer brim and glue it to the top of the can for the hat.
3. Fluff out one cotton ball and glue it to the tip of the hat.
4. Fluff out three cotton balls and glue them around the outer rim of the can lid.
5. Glue the two Google Eyes where you would like them on the can.
6. Cut one cotton ball in half and then into quarters.  Fluff out two of the quarters and use them as eyebrows. 
7. Push the left over 2 quarters and push them together to form a ball.  Color the outside of the ball with the orange marker and glue on as the nose.
8. Take one cotton ball and pull it long ways.  Twist it in the middle about 5 times and fluff the ends to make a mustache.  Glue it under the nose.
9. Take your last two cotton balls and fluff them out to make the beard.  Glue them down.

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I am so glad that Crayola is still capturing the hearts of children. I grew up with Crayola products and now am glad to introduce Graham to them. I am also super impressed with the fact that this company just keeps evolving! They have so many sanity saving and just plain cool new items available now!

We were sent the Crayola Color Explosion Glow Dome which is new this season from Crayola. This is such a fantastic idea for so many reasons! First of all, your child can be creative and draw on the dome with any idea they have with special glow markers. Secondly, depending on the placement, your child can create their own moving show! To top it all off, it glows, spins and changes depending on different settings.

Included with the Color Explosion Glow Dome are a few traceable sheets so that you can start with an idea. The outside of the dome is what spins and creates the movement. There is also a separate panel on the inside that allows you to draw a still form. For example, we drew a scuba diver on the middle section and fish on the outside of the Glow Dome. When we turn it on it looks like the fish are swimming around the scuba diver. With all of the different settings you can come up with some really creative effects! My favorite is the one that looks like a flickering fire!




The Crayola Color Explosion Glow Dome is great for ages 6 and up and even won the coveted "Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award" for 2009. The Glow Dome comes with 6 glow markers, 2 drawing surfaces, and 2 starter scenes. You can purchase the Crayola Glow Dome for about $32.99 from local retailers.

This product was provided free of charge by Crayola. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.



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Our family is full of creative children. Probably because we have taken the time to introduce them to different activities as well as make sure to encourage them to use their minds. If you are looking for a gift idea that will help stimulate your child's mind and get them using their creative skills, Eye Can Art is a great place to turn! What's even better is that the company was designed by moms.

Eye Can Art is what came about when 3 professional moms who have years of experience in teaching and art put their minds together. You can buy complete art kits that explore all kinds of exceptional art techniques. We have tried the Sumi-e Kit and just received the Book in a Box Kit.

The Book in a Box would've been exactly what I would of been looking for when I was a little girl. I was constantly writing my own stories and drawing pictures to go along with it. This kit gives you enough materials to create 3 books plus one house shaped book. You're child creates their own story on an accordion style paper and then mounts it in a box. They can even design the cover! This kit comes with absolutely everything you need to create the books. It even comes with an idea sheet to get you going!




Along with the Book In A Box Kit and Sumi-E, you can choose from: Printmaking kit, Wax Drawing Kit, or even Group Kits! The Group Kits would be a wonderful idea for birthday parties or holiday gatherings! You will be sure to keep everyone entertained and thinking creatively!

The single kits retail for $24 a piece and Group Kits start at $55. You can purchase Eye Can Art from their website.

This product was provided free of charge by Eye Can Art. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.



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Christmas this year is going to be more fun than any other year so far I think. We now have a little boy who is starting to get the idea of Santa Claus and everything that goes along with it. We have also been very careful to try and express the true meaning of Christmas to him as this season goes along. So, the other day when he started asking about when Santa was coming, I was reminded of a little countdown calendar I made when I was about his age that really helped me out. It was to countdown the days until Santa arrived and I remember taking a link off every night thinking that the day would never come!

I decided to do this for Graham, but take another spin on it. I wanted his countdown calendar to not only give him a perspective on Santa, but to give him a perspective on what Christmas is all about. So, I made a Nativity topper for the calendar that features Luke 2:11-14 from the Bible which announces Jesus's birth!



This Christmas Countdown calendar can be a great craft activity for the entire family! As you create your calendar, have someone read about Jesus's birth from the Bible. If you have younger children like me, I really love the book Who is Coming to Our House by Joseph Slate. We read this one to Graham to talk about the birth of Jesus. It is sweet because it is the perspective from the animals in the stable. At the end we always sing "Away in a Manger."



You can also use this craft as a learning tool. Have your child write the numbers into the stars to practice numbers as well as have them measure and count the strips that will become the links. For younger children, you can have them practice their fine motor skills by having them color the stars and help with the glue. Practice counting as you attach each link.

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Materials:

• Countdown Calendar Templates. Click HERE for the Nativity and HERE for Santa and HERE for the stars
  
• A yellow crayon or marker
• Sharpie or black marker
  
• Colored construction paper, card stock, or scrapbook paper cut into 24 inch wide strips
  
• Small piece of cardboard or back of cereal box cut to fit the calendar topper
  
• Ribbon or yarn
• Hole punch
• Scissors
• Glue Stick

Instructions:

1. Print off the Countdown Calendar Template of your choice (Nativity or Santa and the Stars)
2. Cut out the calendar topper and glue onto cardboard piece
3. Write numbers 1-24 with Sharpie on the stars and color with yellow crayon or marker
4. Cut out the stars
5. Punch a hole at the top and bottom of the Calendar Topper in the middle
6. Insert a ribbon into each hole and create a loop by tying a knot
7. Attach the links by gluing each end of the construction paper together. Start by attaching to your bottom ribbon loop
8. Add links until you have all 24 attached.
9. Glue the numbered stars onto the links with 1 at the top and 24 at the end of the links
10. Hang on your Christmas tree, wall, or door and take one link off each day starting 12/1 to countdown the days until Christmas!



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Crayola is always a favorite of mine when it comes to gifts and I love how they are constantly coming out with new ways for kids to have fun and for moms and dads to have less mess!

We were sent the new Magic Light Brush that uses Color Wonder magic to review and Graham has almost used up all of the paint he loves it so much! You're probably familiar with Color Wonder products if you have a toddler or young child in your house (if not, you are missing out). Basically, the color only shows up on special Color Wonder paper so there is no mess on your furniture, floors, or walls! The Color Wonder paint is actually clear gel!



The Magic Light Brush is special because it is fiber optic and tells you the color of the paint when you dip it into the gel containers! I honestly had to call my husband into the room when I first got it out because I thought it was so fun. Of course, the real test was Graham who enjoys knowing what color he is putting on the page and the fun of watching the brush magically change colors! It comes with 6 different colors, the Magic Light Brush and holder, as well as a 30 page Color Wonder Page Tablet. The Crayola Color Wonder Magic Light Brush retails for about $24.99 and would make an excellent sanity saving gift for parents, and a magical gift for a child!


Join us at the #gno Twitter party this Tuesday from 9-11 p.m. ET as we discuss creative holiday gift giving with our friends from Crayola. They, along with myself, Carissa Rogers, Cerise Cheri, Jolly Mom, Make and Takes, No Flash Cards, Sky Blue Stacy will be sharing shopping tips and highlighting the latest and greatest from Crayola—just in time for the holidays.

Also, join the #gno Whrrl story to share your holiday shopping tips! Click here to join, contribute to, or view.

This product was provided free of charge by Crayola. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.



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My philosophy is use what you've got! We came up with this fun craft idea for Halloween using items that we already had! You can make a cute little skeleton out of macaroni and other pasta you probably already have in your cabinet! I found a free Halloween coloring page that we used for the back drop of our skeleton.

What you will need:

• Elbow Macaroni (about 6 pieces)

• Penne Pasta or any other straight pasta (about 5 pieces)

• Spaghetti Pasta (only one piece)

• Halloween coloring page or blank construction paper

• Markers or crayons

• Craft glue

We printed out the Halloween coloring page and let Graham color in what he wanted to. You could use just plain paper or color construction paper and let them draw in a Halloween scene.



Once you are finished with your scene, you are ready to start assembling your skeleton. Glue down the Penne pasta for arms, legs, and spine. Glue about 3 elbow macaroni pieces on each side of the spine to form ribs. Break your piece of spaghetti into 20 small pieces to use as fingers and toes and glue them into place.

The final step is to add a head to your skeleton. You can easily draw a skeleton head by thinking about drawing the shape of a light bulb. Create the expression you want your skeleton to have (happy, silly, scary, etc) and you are done! If you feel like you are not very talented at drawing, you can print out a free skeleton graphic and cut out the head to use.



This craft idea can teach several different things. First of all, it helps with fine motor skills. Gluing down all of that macaroni can be quite a lesson in patience as well! When you start to draw your skeleton face, you can talk about different emotions and "how would you draw a happy skeleton face, or mad, frightened, etc".





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