Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Daddy Rocks

Well, I haven't posted to this blog since October. Geez. I had actually given up on it. After my third son became mobile, I just couldn't take the time to keep it going. We are continually inspired to do arts and crafts after reading books, and we do projects several times a week. I just couldn't sit down and post about it. So why now? It's summer. We're schedule-free. And we're crafting like gangbusters. My kids are so inspired by the idea of impressing their dad with homemade Father's Day gifts that I just felt compelled to capture their sincere efforts here...

The Bunny Book (Little Golden Book)BOOKS: My favorite Golden Book is Richard Scarry's The Bunny Book. It's just a sweet story that I love so much. Everyone in his family tells little baby boy bunny what they think he should be when he grows up: police officer, mail carrier, teacher, clown, etc. But baby bunny says he is going to be a great daddy bunny like his father. I find this story to be so refreshing because I rarely hear little boys verbalizing their aspirations to be a father in the same way that girls talk about growing up to be a mommy. It's just a nice Father's Day read.

Daddy Adventure DayThe other book that I discovered recently is Daddy Adventure Day by Dave Keane. It's a cute book about a little boy who gets a full day of Daddy's attention and one-on-one time. I enjoy that it's not overly-sweet. Not everything is perfect with their day from the father's perspective (he can't read his newspaper, a drink spills on the his pants), and it seems much more true to life as a parent. But from the boy's perspective, it's a wonderfully special day with his dad.

ACTIVITIES: I need to admit from the start that none of these are my own original ideas. I found these all on other blogs, and credit and a link is given to each blogger below. They were each so cute and easy and fun for my boys (ages 5, 3, and 20 months) to create.

1. Dad Rocks Paperweight
Crafts By Amanda shares a step-by-step guide to making this paperweight from salt dough and pebbles. My kids loved this. I mean, messy dough and rocks to play with? Win-win. (Also, I think this would make a nice little plaque in a frame for dad's desk or you could drill a hole in the top and string it up as a wall-hanging.)

2. Daddy Popsicle Puzzle
Impress Your Kids gave us our new favorite idea. Gluing a photo to popsicle sticks to make a puzzle is genius. So easy, and my kids LOVE it. They were fighting to take turns to do the puzzle. (I think we'll be making many of these puzzles in the future.)


3. Handprint Wall-Hanging
Roots and Wings Co. showcases an amazingly beautiful and elaborate take on this idea. But the original idea came from her four-year-old's summer camp craft, and that is what we had the energy to recreate. The boys all got to participate with the painting, and my two older boys loved stringing the beads. 

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