Mother's Day Coupon Book

Mom can relax this Mother's Day once you hand her this book of coupons redeemable for chores and special favors!

Your mom will appreciate this gift and remember it forever, and she'll love when you help her out with the dishes, or take out the garbage. Use our coupon designs or make your own by simply filling in the blank!

Don't forget to visit our main Mother's Day page and to make mom a handmade card to go along with this wonderful coupon book.


What you'll need:
½ sheet cardstock
2 paper fasteners or stapler
Hole punch or sharpened pencil
Paper cutter
Stickers, foam stickers, markers, or anything else you would like to decorate with
Patterns (optional)*

How to make it:

Print out our coupon patterns, as many as you like.
Fill in the blanks on any of the coupons that are not filled out.
Use a paper cutter or scissors to cut out the coupons.
Use a pencil to sketch around a coupon onto the cardstock, about 1/2" larger than the coupon.
Cut the cardstock using the sketched line as a guide, cut two pieces for the cover and the back.
Use a hole punch or a sharpened pencil to poke holes in the coupons and the cardstock and assemble with the paper fasteners. Or you can simply staple the booklet together.
Decorate the front cover with markers, stickers, foam stickers, or whatever else you like.

Tips:
This craft is a favorite that Mom might want to save. Make two sets so she can keep one and use the other!
Instead of cardstock, you can use construction paper.
If using glitter glue to decorate the cover, be sure to allow for ample drying time.
Foam stickers are available at your local craft supply store.

*Go to kaboose.com for the patterns.

Twig Frame

Supplies needed:
Twigs
Twine or string
Glue (hot glue works well)
A photo for framing

Collect 2 bunches of twigs. One bunch (about 6 to 8) should be about 2 inches longer than your photo. The other bunch of twigs should be about 2 inches wider than your photo.
Arrange the twigs so that they surround the photo and extend outward about an inch in each direction. Tie the twigs at each corner using twine or string, making an "X" pattern.
Glue the photo onto the back of your twig frame. Hot glue works the best.
Glue a small loop of string to the top batch of twigs for hanging the photo.

Family Tree

Supplies needed:
Sky blue and green construction paper
Crayons or markers
Scissors
Some yarn
A hole punch
Styrofoam or paper cup
A lump of play dough or other clay
Glue stick

Find a twig with many branches.
Put a lump of clay in the bottom of a paper or styrofoam cup. Insert the twig securely so that it remains upright.
Cut out big leaves from the green construction paper. Each leaf will represent a person in the child's family and should be big enough to write that person's name on the leaf. Cut enough leaves for each of the child's siblings, parents, and grandparents (or more!).
Write the name of each person on their leaf. You might want to include the relative's relationship to the child, like "Grandma Joan Smith." Punch a hole on the end of each leaf.
Tie the leaves to the tree. The child's generation goes at the top of the tree, the parents at the second level, and the grandparents at the bottom.
For an alternative project, use photos, and paste them on the leaves. Or use cut-outs of leaves, fruit (like apples), and/or flowers to represent the people.

Miniature Japanese Garden

Supplies needed:
A small piece of very thick green paper (for the base of the garden) roughly 10 inches square or bigger
Blue, brown, orange, and green construction paper
Paper egg carton
Glue
Scissors
Markers or crayons
Some tiny pebbles

Start with a small square of very thick green paper to make the base of the garden. A piece about 10 inches square (about 25 cm) works well.
Cut some blue paper to make a stream through your garden and glue it to the green base. Glue on a small paper goldfish. A strip of brown paper makes a nice bridge across the water.
To make a tiny pagoda, use 3 paper egg carton sections. Cut each section's wide part so that it has four legs. Glue the three sections together as shown in the picture to the right.
Glue the pagoda to the garden's base.
To make a tree's trunk, roll up a small rectangle of brown construction paper and glue it to form a tube. Cut a few short slits on one end (you'll use these to glue the tree to the garden).
Open up the slits and glue to the garden's base.

Cut some leaf-like shapes from green construction paper and glue them to the tree trunk.
Glue some small pebbles on the garden base to make a little rock garden.

Pine Cone Bird Feeder

For each Pine Cone Bird Feeder you will need:
A large, open pine cone
Vegetable shortening, lard or suet
Oats or corn meal
Bird seed
A few feet of string

Tie a few feet of string to a pine cone. Cover the pine cone with the mixture below. Roll the pinecone in birdseed and then suspend it from a tree branch outside.
Food mixture: Mix 1/2 cup Vegetable shortening, lard or suet with 2 1/2 cups cornmeal or uncooked oats until well blended. Optional: add dried fruit (chopped up), chopped nuts, seeds (especially sunflower and millet), and/or suet, which are high-energy bird foods.

Tin Can Herb Pots

What you'll need:
Empty aluminum can
Screwdriver and hammer
Liquitex Basics Gesso
Acrylic craft paints in colors of your choice
Flower stickers (optional)
Acrylic sealer spray, matte finish
Craft or popsicle stick
Thin cardboard
Pinking shears
Black Sharpie marker
5-10 small rocks, stones or pebbles
1.5 cups Potting soil
4-inch potted herb plant
White craft glue
Water
How to make it:

Completely wash and dry aluminum can. If necessary, sand off any rough edges from opening of can.
Turn can upside down. Parent should use screwdriver or other pointed object to poke holes in the bottom of the can. Use a hammer to tap the end of the screwdriver to make the holes.
Paint outside of can with one coat of Gesso. Let dry completely.
Paint can desired color, repeat coats if needed.
Decorate however you like. Use a thin paint brush for long lines, dip the end of the paint brush into paint for polka dots.
Decorate with stickers if desired.
Spray the outside of the completed can with acrylic sealer spray. Let dry.
Place enough rocks or pebbles in the bottom of the can to form a single layer.
Add enough potting soil to fill the can two-thirds full.
Remove potted herb from its container and transplant into the can.
Fill edges with remaining potting soil, gently pat down so that plant is firmly in the can but not compacted so much that it’s too tight.
Place can on a plate (to catch any water drainage) and add some water to the newly planted herbs.
Paint craft stick whatever color you like. Allow to dry.
Cut a piece of thin cardboard into a small rectangle (about 1.5 x 3 inches) using pinking shears.
Paint both side of the cardboard with Gesso, let dry.
Glue the rectangle to the top of the craft stick.
Use a black Sharpie marker to write the herb name onto the rectangle.
Insert your plant marker into the soil, being careful not to crush any roots along the way.
Place your new garden in a sunny window and remember to water them!

Tips:
A 4-inch potted plant will be enough to make 2-3 vegetable sized cans (15 oz) or one larger tomato sauce type can (28 oz).
This is a great project to teach kids about growing plants, especially edible ones. Take this opportunity to visit your local library and check out a book on simple container gardening or gardening with kids.
Keep the kids involved, be sure they take care of “their” plant. Have them water their plant and show them how to check to see if the soil is too dry or just right by gently touching the soil surface with their finger.
Eat these herbs! Your kids will light up when they get to pinch off a basil leaf to add to your spaghetti sauce.

CD Case Wipeboard!

CD Case Wipeboard!
Here's a chance for your toddler to make his/her own mini wipeboard. You'll need an old plastic cd case for this activity. Remove the plastic cd holder part of the back cover on the case and put it aside. Then print out the "my first wipeboard" sheet and cut on the black line. Then place the cutout in the back of the cd case so that it showing on the backside of the case. Next, put the plastic cd holder part back in the case and close the case. You might want to tape the case shut depending on how curious your toddler is. Then let your toddler have fun writing on the back of the case over the "my first wipeboard" cutout with the shapes, letters and such! Ask your toddler to draw on the green circle, or inside the red star! Erase and draw again!

Supplies needed:
- printer and paper to print cutout shown in photo
- plastic cd case
- dry erase marker, non-toxic. ( washable markers and crayons will also work)
- scissors

Tips/Suggestions:
- If you don't have a printer you can always just cut out some paper and put it in the cd case. Cut the paper to a size of 4 5/8 " x 5 3/8 ".
- Talk about the shapes and letters and numbers that you see on the wipeboard while your toddler is drawing on it.

Laundry Bottle Pet Food Scoop

What you'll need:
Plastic laundry bottle
Felt in your favorite shades
White craft glue
Scissors or a sharp knife
Felt alphabet stickers (optional)

How to make it:
Have a grown up cut the top of the laundry bottle off, leaving the handle in tact.
Remove packaging labels and wash the outside to remove any residue.
Wash the inside thoroughly, making sure that all soap residue has been removed. A good rinse with very hot water will ensure all soap is gone.
If using felt alphabet stickers, stick them to the front of the bottle, spelling out your pet’s name. If you don’t have the felt stickers, simply cut your pet’s name out of felt and glue them to the bottle.
Cut out fun shapes such as bones, biscuits, and paw prints, and glue them all over the bottle.
Let dry completely before using.

Egghead Eggshell Planter

What you'll need:
Clean eggshell with just the top broken off
Half a cup of potting soil
Teaspoon of grass, wheat or rye seed
Five to six inch strip of card stock
Scissors
Glue or tape
Black marker (optional)

How to make it:
If you wish, decorate your strip of cardstock. We flecked some yellow and blue paint onto ours with an old toothbrush.
Tape or glue the cardstock into a ring to hold the egg.
Use a small spoon to fill the egg almost to the top with potting soil.
Sprinkle the soil with seed.
Add a thin layer of potting soil on the top.
Carefully water so as not to overflow or soak it.
Keep in a sunny location.
Your seeds will begin to sprout in a day or two and your egghead will grow "hair" in about a week! (See photo.)
If you like, you can decorate the outside of the egg with a black marker by drawing a face on your egghead.

Felted Recipe Box

What you'll need:
2 sheets purple felt
1 sheet dark purple felt
Scissors
White craft glue
Glue stick
Empty envelope box or other cardboard box
Greeting card or clip art printed on card stock

How to make it:
Trim top flaps off of cardboard box.
Cover box, inside and out, with purple felt. Use the glue stick for most of the application, secure seams and ends with white craft glue.
From the dark purple felt, cut 4 long strips about 1” wide.
Trim sides of each dark purple strip to add curves, or you can cut with decorative scissors to give them a scalloped look.
Glue strips onto each corner to cover any seams.
Cut out a pretty picture from an old greeting card or choose a piece of clip art and print it on card stock. Glue the picture to the front of the box.
Cut out small hearts from the greeting card and glue them onto the front of the box for further decoration.

Bouquet of Photo Flowers

What you'll need:
Construction paper, various colors
Glue stick
Photos
Scissors
Tape
Green chenille stems, one for each flower
Optional: patterned paper

How to make it:
Cut photos into circles to be used as the center of the flower.
Cut simple flower shapes out of construction paper.
Glue photo circle to the center of the flower.
This step is optional: Glue construction paper flower to a piece of patterned paper. Cut around the flower giving your construction paper about a half-inch border of patterned paper.
Tape chenille stem to the back of your flower. Make sure the tape is secure by pressing onto the tape with your fingernail.
Trim ends of chenille to the length you desire, depending on what you are using as a vase. If making a handheld bouquet, don’t trim the chenille; simply tie a ribbon bow around them all.

Bunny Ears for Kids

What you'll need:
White poster board
Pink construction paper
Scissors
Pencil
Tacky glue or school glue
Tape or stapler
Easter stickers, optional
Markes, crayons, or colored pencils; optional

How to make it:
Cut a strip of poster board about 2" wide by about 24" long.
Cut out 2 ears out of poster board each about 8 1/2" long x 3 1/2" wide.
Cut out 2 smaller ears out of pink construction paper.
Glue the pink ears inside the white ears.
Glue the ears inside the band, positioning to fit behind the child's head.
Let the child decorate the head band with stickers, markers, crayons, or colored pencils if they wish.
Tape or staple the band to fit the child. Cut off any excess.

Baby Megg Egg

With her paper tube body and glued-on features, this egghead family member will crack your kids up.
Want to make the entire egghead family? Find instructions for the rest of the clan at our Easter egg decorating party.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
brown and white hard-boiled eggs
toilet paper tubes
construction paper
glue sticks
scissors
yarn
paper
markers

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Craft Cardboard Body: Collect toilet paper tubes, construction paper, glue sticks, and kids' scissors, and arrange them on one end of the table. Invite your kids to make the bodies. First, help them cut the tubes to a desired height, then wrap a construction paper rectangle around the tube and glue it in place. Next, cut and glue on paper arms, ears, and accessories.

2. Glue on Face: Have kids pick and choose facial features from various craft supplies, such as colored paper cutouts, cotton balls, yarn, ribbon, pom-poms, googly eyes, and stickers (for easy access and simple sorting, we packed all the supplies in a large muffin tin). They can then use glue or double-sided tape to attach the features to the eggs. To make an egg-spressive baby, add a paper bib to her pink outfit and glue a paper bonnet and a few strands or tufts of yarn hair to her head.

3. Finishing Touches: To complete the egghead, place the egg on top of the tube body. Add any finishing touches with permanent marker, such as eyes, noses, rosy cheeks, and freckles.

The Bunny Basket

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Deep straw basket with handles
Paper
Scissors
Double-sided tape
Pink pom-pom
Cotton balls
Pipe cleaner
White felt
Pink, wire-edged ribbon
Glue
Paper crimp filling
Chocolate rabbits
Bunny storybook
Stuffed rabbit
Dyed eggs
Candies
Construction paper

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Draw and cut out paper eyes for the bunny's face, and using double-sided tape, attach them to the basket.

2. Tape on a pom-pom nose, two cotton-ball cheeks, and a pipe-cleaner mouth.

3. For the ears, cut two white felt ear shapes and two slightly smaller ones from pink, wire-edged ribbon.

4. Glue the ribbon onto the felt and tape the ears to the basket handle.

5. Fill the basket with paper crimp filling, chocolate rabbits, a bunny storybook, a stuffed rabbit, dyed eggs, and candies.

6. For the tag, cut out a construction paper carrot.

Variations:
Other good ideas for basket filling: bunny stickers, figurines, or notepaper.

Easy Easter Egg Crafts

Having an Easter egg hunt? Giving a springy basket to your BFF? No matter how you're celebrating this holiday, awesome, decorated eggs are a must. How to get 'em? That simple dip 'n' dye is so last year! This Easter, add a li'l somethin' extra to your basket with these easy and fun egg crafts.

What You'll Need:
About 1 dozen hard boiled eggs - ask the 'rents for some help with this
since you can burn yourself if you aren't super careful.
1 box of bright crayons - neon hues work best
1 white wax crayon
1 Easter Egg Dying Kit like Pas or anything drug store brand.
2 or 3 household rubber bands
1 roll of lace or mesh ribbon
Any color glitter spread out in a bowl or plate.
White or clear glue
1 thin bristled paintbrush

Five Easy Egg Looks:

Pastel Picasso
When your eggs are still warm and fresh out of the pot, gently towel dry 'em. Then, use your wax crayon to draw original works of art. Because the egg heats up the crayon, you get a smooth color that looks like painting!

Shh...it's a Secret!
Use a white wax crayon to write anything you want across your Easter Egg. When you're finished, dip the egg into the dye of your choice. When the egg takes color, pull it out and towel it off gently with paper towels, making sure not to rub. Your secret message will appear in white against the rest of the egg's bright color.

Springtime Stripes
Secure a rubber band around your egg (careful - don't snap it or tie it around too many times or you might break the egg!). Place it in the dye. After you pull it out, gently towel dry it off and pull off the rubber bands. Voila! You've created clear stripes where the bands once were. Get different colored stripes by dipping your egg into another dye after the bands are off.

Fresh 'n' Fancy
Tie a piece of lace ribbon around your egg and secure the end with a rubber band. Dip your egg in your dye and wait a few minutes. Towel dry when you pull your egg out and carefully remove the lace. The imprint of the lace will create

Springy Sparklers
After your egg has been dyed the the color of your choice and dried, it's time to get sparklin'. Line up a stencil on your egg's shell, and using your paintbrush, paint over the designs with your white glue. Then roll the egg in a small plate of glitter, making sure to get all the the glue covered. Let your shiny shell dry.

Flower Crown

Make a pretty flowery crown from a paper plate and paper flowers. These are fun to make for Spring or Easter.

Supplies:

A paper plate
Colored construction paper or tissue paper
Paint, markers, or crayons
Scissors
Glue
Optional - glitter, crepe paper or other ribbons

Cut a slit through the center of the paper plate, leaving about an inch at the edges of the plate. Cut three more slits.
Bend the triangles formed by the cuts upwards, forming leaf-like shapes.
Paint the crown light green (or use markers or crayons to color it). Let the paint dry.

Cut out some construction paper or tissue paper flowers for your hat. Any shapes will do - let your imagination run wild and invent your own flowers. Glue flowers to the crown.

Optional: Decorate it with glitter and/or staple two long ribbons of crepe paper to your beautiful hat.

Variation: Instead of flowers, make paper eggs, decorate them, and put them on your hat.

Bunny and Chick Easter Craft for Kids

Your children will enjoy making these paper cup Easter treat holders
so much that they may want to make one for each guest at your table!

You'll Need:
yellow or white paper cups
construction paper, craft foam or felt; pink, white or orange
2 wiggle eyes per cup
white or pink pom-pom - for bunny
white or pink chenille stems - optional for bunny whiskers
craft feathers for chick
scissors, glue, stapler
Tip: glue dots are great for this craft

How to Make the Easter Chick
From the construction paper, cut an orange triangle for the beak
and a heart for the feet. Staple few feathers to the back, edge of the cup.
You'll want them sticking out from the top of the cup. Now glue the beak and the eyes to the front of the cup. Glue the base of the cup to the heart so that the edges stick out in front to create feet.

How to Make the Bunny Craft:
From paper, craft foam or felt, cut two white ovals, two smaller pink ovals and a heart from either color. Glue the pink onto the white and set them aside to dry.
Cut strips of paper for the whiskers or use a chenille stem.
Glue the whiskers on the cup and then the nose on top of the whiskers and then add the eyes.
Glue or staple the ears to the back edge of the cup - glue dots are great for this part!
Glue the base of the cup to the heart so that the edges stick
out in front to create feet.
Fill your new Easter friends with grass and fill with treats!

Peppermint Candy Spoons

34 Average sized peppermint candies
2 tbs of Corn syrup
25-30 Heavy plastic spoons

Unwrap and crush your chosen peppermint candies until they are broken up into small pieces. You can do this easily with a rolling pin.
Place the candy pieces and the corn syrup into a pan and over a low heat allow the candy to melt down and mix with the corn syrup.
Once the candy is melted take it off the heat and using a metal spoon, place a scoop of the new candy mix into the well of each spoon.
You can use a cookie tray that has been lined and place the spoon handles on the edge of the tray making them higher than the well end of the spoon so that the toffee won't spill out.
Place the spoon in a fridge and allow to set. Once the candy spoons have set wrap them up in cellophane.

Goof Balls

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (17.5 ounce) package crispy rice cereal
1 cup margarine
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
2 (10.5 ounce) packages large marshmallows

DIRECTIONS
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Pour the crispy rice cereal into a large bowl.
Combine the margarine, sweetened condensed milk, and caramels in the top of a double boiler. Stirring constantly, cook over lightly simmering water until melted and combined, about 5 minutes.
Use a wooden skewer to dip each marshmallow in the hot caramel mixture. Immediately roll caramel coated marshmallow in the crispy rice cereal. Remove from skewer and place on the waxed paper to harden.