Creative Family Fun

Your one-stop shop for kids activities and family fun

Terri Thompson

Egg Carton Fairy House Craft

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My girls are slightly obsessed with fairies.

They love Tinkerbell and have several fairy dolls.

We’ve read more of Rainbow Magic Fairies books than I can even count.

So, you can image they came running when I suggested this simple egg carton fairy house craft.

Fairy houses are tiny little things and rather magical and colorful, at least that’s how we imagined them. Of course, the very best thing about Egg Carton Fairy Houses is that they are very fun to make.

Use egg cartons to make a whole village of fairy houses. This fairy house craft is fun to create and fun for pretend play.

The best part about this egg carton craft is that we used what we had. We didn’t have to go out and buy any special craft supplies.

We shuffled through our craft supplies and found everything we could possibly need for a fun afternoon of crafting.

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Use egg cartons to make a whole village of fairy houses. This fairy house craft is fun to create and fun for pretend play.

Supplies Needed

Egg carton
Craft paint
Toothpicks
Washi tape
Scissors

Use egg cartons to make a whole village of fairy houses. This fairy house craft is fun to create and fun for pretend play.

How to make your egg carton fairy house craft

To begin, we took an egg carton apart into individual cups.

Egg cartons tear easily and there was no need to get the scissors out for this step.

The girls and I sat and tore our egg cartons apart until we got to the perfect fairy house shape. We did use the scissors to trip off any rough edges.

The next step was the fun step… painting!

Use egg cartons to make a whole village of fairy houses. This fairy house craft is fun to create and fun for pretend play.

We painted our fairy houses with acrylic paint for better coverage.

My girls are older, so I don’t worry as much about mess, but if that is a concern, you can use washable craft paint instead.

Paint the fairy houses however you imagine them. We had stripes, polka dots, color blocks, and plenty of pastel colors.

Each and every house had a tiny door so the fairies could come and go.

While we were painting, we talked about all our little fairy friends that were going to move into our village.

Use egg cartons to make a whole village of fairy houses. This fairy house craft is fun to create and fun for pretend play.
 

To finish up our houses, we made tiny little flags out of washi tape and toothpicks.

The flags are simple. Fold a piece of tape around one end of a toothpick and then use your scissors to cut the ends to make a pretty design.

Use egg cartons to make a whole village of fairy houses. This fairy house craft is fun to create and fun for pretend play.

Do you have fairy lovers at your house?

You should spend some time together creating this egg carton fairy house craft.

Not only is it a fun craft to make together, but they’re also perfect for hours of imaginative play!

You can find more easy kid’s crafts here:

Crayon Transfer Library Totes

My Book of the Four Seasons: A Paper Bag Book

Classic Crafts: God’s Eye

Cardboard Cookies

Simple Clothespin Fairy Dolls at Toddler Approved

Cereal Box Stencils

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If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a recycle bin that is constantly overflowing. But did you know that some of the stuff in your recycle bin are perfect for crafting? We use recycled materials in crafts all the time. We even keep some of our craft supplies in cleaned out cans and plastic bins. Today, we’re going to make a fun crafting tool out of recycled cereal boxes: stencils.

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I kept the stencils simple and made only geometric shapes. We had a square, circle, triangle, and rectangle. But, don’t stop there! Make hearts, stars, octagons, ovals, and more. This is a fun tool for kids who are just learning their shapes. Or, in the case of my girls, just a fun art tool. I set the stencils out with a pile of blank paper, markers, colored pencils, and crayons. Both girls created pictures of all kinds with the stencils.

How to make the stencils: Flatten the cereal box and divide into sections. I used the larger flat sides and cut each side in half. I drew a simple shape on each piece of cardboard. I used a little help to make my shapes. I traced one of our drinking glasses for the circle and used a ruler for the other shapes. I used a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the insides because I wanted to preserve the inner shape. We used those to trace around for a different type of stencil. The process of making the stencils couldn’t be easier.

For just a little work, you can have a fun set of free stencils. Learn your shapes, make pictures, and have fun. Miss 1st Grader loves to combine the circle with the triangle to make a whole pile of girls in pretty dresses. Miss Preschool was creating simple houses. Keep these on hand for a fun twist to art time and let your kids’ imaginations run wild.

Are you wondering what else you can use from your recycle bin? Check out this post: Favorite Craft Supplies From the Recycle Bin.

Making Connections: Family Game Night

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Raise your hand if you love family game nights!

Family game nights are a fun and easy way to connect. Most of the time you don’t need to plan much or spend any money. Just grab your family, a few games, and set aside some time. It really is that simple.

Despite the ease of setting up a fun game night, there are a few things you can do to make the the time more successful.

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Let each member of the family choose a game. This way, each person gets to play their favorite and you’re sure to have age-appropriate choices. Plus, mom & dad don’t have to sit through 15 games of Candyland!

Have adult-child teams. Are you playing a game that is too hard for one or more of your kids? Let the younger members of the family pair up with a parent. This way they’ll still feel like they’re part of the fun.

Put away all distractions. Turn off the phone, tv, and computer. Seems obvious, doesn’t it?

Now that we’ve got the basics covered, it’s time to add a little extra fun.

Have a variety of fun snacks. Instead of a typical dinner, have a snack night while you’re playing games. Serve finger food that’s easy to eat while you’re playing, such as sliders, veggies & dip, nachos, fruit, popcorn, or cheese & crackers.

Take it outside! Game night doesn’t have to happen indoors with a variety of board games. Take a deck of cards and a picnic blanket outside. There are so many games you can play with a simple deck of cards. Or, play basketball, softball, croquet, bocce, or any variety of outdoor game.

Make it a theme night. The Chaos and the Clutter has a couple of fun ideas for themed game nights. Check out their Minute To Win It Night and their Just For Laughs Night.

What are your best tips for a successful family game night?

Here are some of our favorite family games:

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game

Richard Scarry Busy Town

Sequence for Kids

Candy Land

And some more games that are favorite of mine that I plan to introduce to the girls once they are older:

Sorry!

Rummikub

Phase 10 Card Game

SKIP BO Card Game

For more Family Game Night Ideas:

Let’s Lasso The Moon has a great list of 10 Tested & Approved Family Games.

Modern Parents Messy Kids has tips for putting together a family game basket and has a huge list of recommended games.

Planet Smarty Pants has a great list of games for elementary-aged kids and older.

And, Tutus and Tea Parties has a list of games perfect for preschoolers.

Connecting After School: The Questions You Should Be Asking

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“How was your day?” 

“Good.”

“Did you do anything fun?”

“Ummmm… I don’t remember.”

Sound familiar? Talking to kids after school can often get you nowhere.

Every question I asked would get me silence.

It was driving me crazy.

Was school so bad that she didn’t want to talk about it?

No, that wasn’t the case.

Was she bored and just wasting her time there all day? No, that wasn’t it either.

You know what the problem was? I was asking the wrong questions.

How do you get your kids to talk about their school day?

Connecting After School: 20 questions to ask your kids about their school day.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

How could I get my child to talk?

I asked everyone. I posted the question on-line.

I looked for blog posts that had suggestions.

Everyone had different opinions, but there was one key thing they all mentioned and it was the one thing I was doing wrong.

Ask about the details.

My questions were too vague.

Of course my 6-year-old wasn’t going to give me the answers I was looking for if I didn’t help her out a little bit.

I know a bit about her day. I know when she has art and when she has music. I know the subjects that are covered each and every day. I know that her teacher reads chapter books to the class and that each student keeps a science journal and a reading journal.

I’m sure you know basic ideas about your child’s day too.

The key is asking detailed questions to get them talking about their day.

So what can you ask? Here are 20 questions to ask your kids about their school day.

Who did you sit by at lunch?

Who did you play with at recess?

What did you do in P.E. (art, music, etc.) today?

Did anything surprise you today?

Tell me something nice that you did for someone today. Did someone do something nice for you today?

What book did your teacher read to you today? What do you like about that book?

What book did YOU read (or listen to) today?

Did anything make you sad today? Why did that make you sad?

What made you laugh today?

Tell me one new thing you learned today.

What was the most fun part of your day?

What made you bored today? Is there anything that could make that more interesting?

Who do you wish you could sit by in class? Why?

Did something out-of-the-ordinary happen at school today? What was it?

What was the hardest thing you did today?

Did something (or someone) make you angry today? What did you do (or say)?

Was there something that you didn’t understand? Can I help you understand it more?

Did you do something that you are proud of today? What was it?

Is there anything coming up that you are excited about?

What was your favorite thing to learn about today?

If you know something special is going on at school, make sure and ask questions about it.

Recently my daughter participated in Jump Rope for the Heart during school. She loved that I asked about it and very eagerly answered all my questions.

We were able to make that connection after school.

20 Questions to Ask Your Kids About School

Connecting with your child after school does take some effort. I’ve learned that if I make the effort, my daughter will meet me halfway. I couldn’t expect her to automatically tell me everything I needed to know. I learned that detailed questions get better answers. And now, we are making that connection and I love every minute of it.

Do you have any more questions to add to the list? How do you get your kids to talk to you after school?

10 Ways to Play and Learn About Russia

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I think I learn just as much, if not more than the kids do when we study another country. Russia was no exception. I hope you’ve enjoyed our virtual journey.

If you’re looking for more resources to teach your kids a little about Russia, here is a list of 10 fun ways to learn about Russia

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Eat a little Russian food. Make piroshkis with Juggling With Kids.

Read a picture book about modern Russia with Afterschool for Smarty Pants.

Combine science and art to create a drawing of St. Basil’s cathedral with The Educators’ Spin On It.

Make an adorable fold-out Russian nesting doll card with Zakka Life.

Make and play a Russian nesting doll memory game with No Time for Flashcards.

Make Russian folk clothing artwork with Painted Paper.

Make a Russian icon with Domestic Goddesque.

Create simple Russian dolls with Kitchen Counter Chronicles.

Learn about Russia through books with one of the many books listed at The Educators’ Spin On It.

Learn about lines and patterns while creating Martyoshka dolls with this art project from Deep Space Sparkle.

If you’re looking for even more activities, you can see all of our Russia posts here.