Trash to Toys: 10 Recycled Educational Toys

Thanks to today's contributor, Kiddie Academy (www.KiddieAcademy.com) for the following ideas for creating recycled educational toys.

Want to feed your child’s imagination, while helping the environment? 

Earth Day is a yearly reminder to consider our role in protecting the environment. Parents can make a positive impact by creating fun, educational toys from everyday items that may initially seem like trash, but can be repurposed into teaching tools.

Computer Keyboard: 
An outdated keyboard is a perfect teaching toy, as it includes the entire alphabet to assist in early literacy exercises. Challenge your child to sing the ABC song while locating each letter on the keyboard.

Shoebox to Mailbox: 
Children love getting mail. Reinforce both reading and writing skills by creating a family mailbox from an old shoebox. Encourage your child to write notes to family members, and leave notes for them as well.

Water Bottle Instrument: 
Fill a clean, dry plastic water or soda bottle with rice, bells, beans or coins and shake them to hear a variety of new sounds. Glue the top on to secure the contents.

Junk Mail: 
Instead of immediately sending your unwanted mail to the landfill, allow your child to play with the envelopes and letters. She can pretend to be a postal carrier while getting additional exposure to printed words.

Magazines: 
Glossy photos in magazines are perfect for creating collage art that provides fine motor skill practice with scissors and glue.

TV Remote: 
Children love pushing buttons. An unused television remote control can be used for number and math play. Simply remove the batteries and ask him to find the numbers as you call them out.

Clothing: 
Dramatic play is an essential teaching tool that allows children to explore social roles, practice problem solving and language skills. Add no longer needed pieces of your own wardrobe to the toy chest to encourage your child’s imagination. She can literally “try on” a different role by wearing your skirt, hat or shoes.

Linens:
Your child can use a worn out sheet or towel as a cape, picnic blanket or as the roof to a play fort.

Toilet Paper Tube: 
Empty TP tubes are a favorite art tool in classrooms. Save a box of them, and give them to your child along with a few craft supplies to see what he can create. Binoculars, stamps and creatures are popular choices.

Boxes: 
While it’s tempting to immediately recycle a box, your child can have hours of fun using an empty box for creative play. What seems like trash to you could become a school bus, secret hideout or magic castle.

For more eco-friendly education tips, parents can visit Kiddie Academy's Family Essentials blog: http://www.kafamilyessentials.com.

Easy Easter Crafts Using Handprints from a Not-So-Crafty Mama {As Seen on TV}

I'm not a crafty mama. 

So when my latest assignment on Good Morning Texas was to demonstrate some Easter crafts...I kinda wanted to turn into a turtle and duck into my shell. 

No such luck when you're on TV. 

So I decided that the best crafts are the kind that anyone can do - even me. 

While I don't enjoy crafting, I do like to have a little piece of memorabilia from my kiddos to keep or give to the grandparents who don't always get to see the kids, but love getting to stay involved in the kids' lives. 

After getting a cute craft from my child's school using my daughter's feet for leaves and her hands for petals, I sprung an idea. We'd do all things fun with handprints. 

Honestly, these crafts are so easy, they don't even need instructions. Just take a look at my tutorial I did on GMT on April 10. And you still have time to do these since they are so quick and still get them in the mail just in time for Easter. Or you could use many of these for Mother's Day, too!  Need more ideas? 

Check out my Pinterest Easter Board! 

  Follow Autumn Reo {mamachallenge.com}'s board HOLIDAY: Easter on Pinterest.

Do you have any handprint crafts you'd like to share? 

Easy Easter Food Fun for Everyone {As Seen on TV}

"Multitasking Mama" is my middle name. Unfortunately, "Make-and-Do-Mama" isn't.

So if creativity isn't one of your skill sets, you are in good company. This Easter I've put together a few of my favorite craft ideas that are as much fun to make as they are to eat! These activities that I either found on Pinterest or have been making for years will give you and your kids something fun to do while you spend time together and best of all, when you are done, you can gobble them up for snack time.

And did I mention they are super easy? So easy in fact my son made his own YouTube video on how to make one of them? (Kids these days...)

All of these crafts were featured on Good Day Dallas on April 5, 2014. Hope you caught the segment, but if you didn't, here's the highlight reel and the recipes for you to make at home!

Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com

Jackson's Easter Day Bark
From MamaChallenge.com

Package of White Almond Bark
Package of Easter M&Ms
Sprinkles
Easter Egg Malted Eggs

Place the almond bark in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 90 seconds to melt (adding more every 10 seconds until it's melted.) 

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and spread the almond bark. Drop the M&Ms and other candy over the melted bark. Allow to cool by placing in the freezer. When it solidifies, break into pieces. Makes for a cheap, easy and cute gift to friends, neighbors and teachers!

Easter Basket Cupcakes
(I've been doing these since I was a kid!) 

Cupcake with vanilla icing 
Favorite Easter candy
Licorice rope
Jelly Beans 
Peeps or Chocolate Easter Bunny candy
Shredded Coconut
Green food coloring

Place coconut in a plastic baggie or a plastic bowl with a lid. Drop 3-5 drops of food color and then cover. Shake container until completely saturated green. There's your Easter grass!

Now just line up all your candies in a few bowls so the kids can easily get to them to make their Easter baskets. 

Taking the cupcake, sprinkle or swirl cupcake until the top is covered in coconut. Now place your Peep or Chocolate bunny in cupcake. Place jelly beans around it to look like eggs. Last place both ends of your licorice stick into the cupcake to resemble a basket. Now eat it!

Carrot Snacks
This is a great for small kids that doesn't involve sugar! 

1 quart size plastic baggies or clear pastry bags
Favorite orange snacks (I prefer Amy's Organic Bunnies, buy you can use Cheetos or Goldfish) 
Green ribbon

After removing the zip closure on the bags with a diagonal cut, please snacks in one corner of the bag and twist up to resemble a carrot. To close, tie a green ribbon around the top to look like a stem and you are done!

Strawberry Carrots

White Chocolate Chips or Orange Melts
1-2 Tablespooons of shortening
Orange powdered icing coloring 
Strawberries
Crushed Oreos

Melt chocolate with shortening until smooth in the microwave or over a double boiler. Now turn chocolate orange if needed with the icing coloring. Next after drying your strawberries (if you don't the water will cause chocolate to seize and turn gritty), dip the strawberry into chocolate until covered. Place on wax paper to dry for 15-20 minutes. Serve "carrots" over a bed of crushed Oreo to resemble a garden.

Carrot Patch Cups 
As seen on Kidzui.com

Ingredients:
2 Packets of instant chocolate pudding
2 Cups of milk
1 Thawed package of Cool Whip
2 Cups Oreo cookies
Orange Icing (or white with orange food coloring)
Edible candy grass (or Coconut dyed with green food coloring)

Directions:
Mix the pudding and milk together.
Gently stir in the Cool Whip.
Crush your Oreos and add half of them to the pudding.
Divide the pudding mixture into cups or dishes and top with the remaining Oreos.
Pipe the orange frosting onto the top to look like a carrot growing out of the ground.
Top with a few blades of fake grass.

I'll add photos after today's segment! In the meantime, take a look at all the fun Easter crafts I've found on my Pinterest page! 

Follow Autumn Reo {mamachallenge.com}'s board HOLIDAY: Easter on Pinterest.

Go Go squeeZ Applesauce Valentines - 'Thanks for Being Awesomesauce' {Free Printable}

* I am a proud ambassador for Go Go squeeZ * 

I admit one of my favorite things about my kids going to school are the holiday parties. I just love those cute little foodie treats for the class parties, but unfortunately, all that sugar is no good for them or for me later on when I pick them up! 

That's why I came up with this cute printable to be used with pouches of healthy Go Go squeeZ that is quick, easy and that your children will LOVE!

"Thanks for being awesomesauce!" FREE PRINTABLE (click here to download the PDF)

We love Go Go squeeZ around here, so I'm constantly coming up with new and fun ways to use it! From pancakes, muffins and Valentine's treats, they make the perfect compliment to healthy snacking that's convenient, delicious and full of nutrition! 

This downloadable prints six per page and could be printed on sticker paper or card stock with a hole punch and affixed with ribbon. There's also a line for your child's name. 

I hope you think these are awesomesauce as well! 

Make it the BEST SATURDAY Ever with Superhero Saturday Cartoons {Printables} {Recipe}

When I was growing up, waking up on Saturday morning was like practice for Christmas. 

Going to sleep the night before you knew once you saw the crack of dawn the next morning, your favorite cartoons were all waiting for you to tune in to your heart's delight - or at least until noon when they all called it quits until next weekend. 

Unfortunately, on-demand cartoons have changed that. Now kids are used to having cartoons whenever and wherever they like. While as a parent it makes things convenient, I do feel like something special about my childhood has been robbed from my children.

However, this last Saturday, we created our own Saturday morning tradition with a "Super-Hero Saturday" watching Vortexx on The CW. 

Super heroes like Flash, Superman, Spiderman, and The Green Lantern reign supreme when you have a five-year-old, so the Saban Brand's Vortexx lineup with Justice League Unlimited and The Spectacular Spider-Man made for a perfect backdrop for our fun. But we decided to go to the next level!

We made an occasion for the whole family! With a Super-hero breakfast party complete with crafts, costumes and a special super-hero themed menu! 

Download this template and many more!

As Justice League came on, my son sported his Batman pajamas while he created a matching mask (template attached) and arm shields (made with toilet paper rolls)! Meanwhile, I made breakfast - a "Green Lantern" cinnamon roll made with green sprinkles and a Flash Juice (see the recipe below.) 

Flash Juice

Ingredients

8 oz. Pomegranate or Cranberry Juice

1 oz. Ginger Ale

Whole Lemon

Instructions

Pour the juice and ginger ale over crushed ice. 

Then slowly remove the lemon peel until a large patch of peel is free from the fruit (at least a 1x1 inch swatch. Using a knife, cut the lemon peel like a lighting bolt and lay flat on top of the drink. 

Just hanging out with him for an hour, watching cartoons and making it an interactive experience was almost as much fun for me as it was for him. And he even thinks I'm a pretty super mama, too. 

Vortexx on The CW airs every Saturday morning from 7:00 a.m. to Noon Current programs on Vortexx include The Adventures of Chuck and Friends, Rescue Heroes, Sonic X, Bolts & Blip, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Justice League Unlimited, Dragon Ball Z Kai, B-Daman Crossfire, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal. Fans of Vortexx on The CW don’t have to wait for Saturday mornings to unleash the fun of Vortexx. MyVortexx.com keeps kids entertained 24/7/365 with fun activities, games and full episodes. Vortexx also has a branded Video on Demand Channel by Kabillion. 

Follow the fun on social media with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Make Your Next Saturday Super!

Make Your Own Fireworks Fun with Monthly Kids Craft Program Kiwi Crate

Wow Mom Wednesday: 

I received a free product for the purposes of the review. No compensation was provided. All the comments are my own. 

Are you one of those moms that is totally crafty and makes all kinds of cute things for the holidays and then posts a how-to video on YouTube? 

Well I'm so excited you are,  because I'm not. I wish I was, but at this juncture in life all I can say is Thank goodness for Pinterest! 

And thank goodness for Kiwi Crate! Launched in 2011 by executives from eBay, PayPal, YouTube and BabyCenter, Kiwi Crate sends you fun, hands-on projects for kids ages 3-7 monthly.  Kiwi Crate’s arts, crafts and science projects are developed by parents, reviewed by child development experts and tested by kids.  Projects are created around themes like gardens, space or colors, and designed to encourage creativity, exploration and discovery and conveniently in this cute little box. 

I was so happy to share craft time with son when all the thinking was out of it with my Rocket Party Pack from Kiwi Crate. Celebrating Independence Day, the simple packet gave us everything we needed to make 10 rockets that my kiddo could blast off in the air by just blowing on the straw. Best of all, I didn't have to research a craft idea, get all the materials together and figure out how to do it. It was all in the box and we just opened it and went straight to having fun! 

Kiwi Crate has received multiple awards honoring quality and creativity, including a Gold Seal Best Toy Award from Stephanie Oppenheim's prestigious Toy Portfolio, the Parents’ Choice Gold Award, and Academic’s Choice award. Kiwi Crate was also named by Dr. Toy as a “Ten Best Creative Product” and “100 Best Children’s Products” of 2012.

Kiwi Crate’s monthly subscription service available at www.kiwicrate.com, starts at $16.95 per month with free shipping.  Kiwi Crate also offers single crates available without a subscription for $19.95 each; as well as party favors and activities, starting at $5 each at www.kiwicrate.com/shop.  Additionally, Kiwi Crate offers a collection of over 1,500 free hands-on project ideas at www.kiwicrate.com/diy.

Show Your Kids that Storytelling is Fun and Important

Sharing Saturdays & Sundays:
While most parents intend to spend time teaching and enjoying quality time with their children learning through arts and crafts, unfortunately, it don't always happen. Too often life gets in front of us and too often we're too quick to hand them an Ipad (which is hard when you love yours), turn on the TV or tell them to go play. I know I am guilty...not because I don't love my kids, but that "spending time" seems like it has to be a big ordeal, project or outing and after all the "stuff" that has to be done, you just don't have anything left.

Author Emily K. Neuburger of Thanks to Show Me a Story: 40 Craft Projects and Activities to Spark Children's Storytelling makes sharing, learning moments easy for both parents and kids to enjoy with her award-wining book. This guide provides a plethora of easy ways to create a project or game with things you can find around your home in an easy-to-follow format. While many of the suggested ideas may seem as simple as building a list based on word association, it makes it possible for families to have a "moment" without putting much into the prep time and all your time into making a memory together.

Amazon.com describes the book as:

Children love to make up stories, and these 40 creative projects and activities encourage them to free their storytelling instincts. Younger children will love making story stones and a storytelling jar and then using them to create stories of their own, while older kids will enjoy word grab bags, story walks, and journaling exercises. For everyone ages 5 to 12, whatever their reading level, this book has everything needed to spark an infinite number of child-created stories.

While I have children ages 4 and 1, this book is something we can begin to use sparingly at this age and grow into as we head past our toddler years and even into young adults.

I loved the artwork and the format as it reads like a recipe book - which is may favorite guide to read.

Spend this weekend and even those 20 minutes breaks between one appointment to another with this great reference book for your family library.

DISCLAIMER:
I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC's 16 CFR Part 255, "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.")m

Pin It To Get The Perfect Mom's Day Gift

Every Mother’s Day everyone scrambles to get the right Mother’s Day gift. Although I have received a good one or two myself (my husband surprised me the year right before my was born with a pair of diamond earrings in my Sunday paper), for the most part it’s like Forrest Gump said, “you never know what you’re gonna get: (and in some cases, not get.) 

So rather than scour the planet to try to figure out what you think mom wants for Mother’s Day, I’m going to tell you exactly what to do to get it right this Mother’s Day... 

Go to Pinterest. You’ll find the motherload (yes, that was the perfect pun!) 

Yep, this social media site (whose users are 70 percent women in the U.S. according to Mashable) is going to give you a full listing of everything you can think of to get for mom and probably at every price point. Don’t know if your mom is on Pinterest or know she doesn’t have an account? Don’t worry: just get one for yourself and type in “Mother’s Day” to get tons of ideas that you can make or buy just to make your mom feel special this Mother’s Day. 

First thing you should know is Mother’s Day isn’t really about what you get her. Yep, while jewelry, purses and all that is nice, you can get away with a lot cheaper items and get big brownie points. A meal, a craft or a keepsake may make take you a little time, but remember, the gift is about letting her know how much you appreciate her. However, if your mama has been screaming for a new Louis Vuitton (like I have) and you’ve got the cash to splurge, don’t worry, you’ll still get your bonus points and a lot more too if you get if for her (honey, this special note was just for you.) 

Here’s just a few pins I’ve come across that might make good Mother’s Day gifts for mom, grandma, etc. And if you’re like me and you get to purchase your own gift and then let everyone know what they got you, there’s even a few ideas just for Mother’s Day for you to give to your kiddos one day to show them how this whole Mother’s Day thing is supposed to work. 

        

      

    

So to all your mamas out there, I hope this post helps to create your perfect Mother’s Day!