Butterfly Magnet

Here's a great craft for preschoolers. Stick a strip magnet to the back of a clothespin and wrap a piece of chenille stem around the top for antennae. Paint a coffee filter with watercolors and let dry. Then scrunch the paper in half and insert it into the clothespin for a cute toy that little ones can display on the fridge.

Recycled Watercolor Bunting

My daughter loves to paint. Oh, boy, does she love to paint. She's such a fan, I have to keep paints and a jar of water out at all times for her to paint throughout the day. Since I can't keep every single painting she has ever made, I have to come up with some other ideas for what to do with them. Here's an idea for a pretty bunting made from recycled watercolor paintings. I hung ours over my daughter's play area.

Recycled Inch Worm Catarpillar

Here's a simple, cute, recycled craft I made with my three year old using one old paper towel tube. You could also use a couple of toilet paper tubes. Cut the sections out and secure them together at the bottom using staples. I let my daughter paint the whole thing green (she loves getting to do the painting part of crafts) and then we glued on a face and stuck chenille stem antennae through his head once he was all dry. It's surprisingly sturdy and my daughter loves carrying it around the house and playing with it.

Jellyfish in a Bottle

If this little homemade jellyfish in a bottle isn't just THE coolest thing ever, I don't know what is. Thanks so much to Bhoomplay's Blog for sharing this fantastic idea!

Homemade Marbles

Last Friday, our homeschool group made these fun homemade marbles using Sculpey clay. You can use Fimo or any other brand, just be sure to use the heavier clay, not the lightweight foam type. The clay is soft enough to be worked by little hands and it takes only a couple of minutes to make each marble. We tried different designs and mixed colors as you can see. Once finished, just smooth them as best you can with your fingers and bake them in the oven for fifteen minutes until hard. Our marbles are a modern version of old Civil War era marbles kids used to make from clay.

Sparkly Dragonflies from Nature

These sparkling dragonflies from Twig and Toadstool are the perfect nature activity. You don't need much to make these beautiful toys. I love the idea of making a mobile with them. I also love the idea one reader had about using mussel shells from the beach instead of maple seeds. Here in Hawaii, we have the shells, but not the seed pods.

Treasure Stones

These treasure stones found over at Sew Can Do are just TOO COOL! What a great gift activity. They would make excellent party favors for a dinosaur-themed party and the kids can help make them.

Painted Doily Garland

This is such a pretty craft and great for kids of all ages! Check out Whatever to find out how you can make them with your kids.

How to Make Your Own Hourglass

I love this activity from Paris Bourke. All you need are a couple of bottles or jars, some twine, glue, sand or salt and you're set. What a great way to teach kids about passing time. You could also use it if you do time outs and need a timer or if you time things like hand washing. They are also pretty enough to set out as decorations, maybe in a nautical themed bathroom.

Easy Paper Pinata

If you're looking for an easy pinata craft for parties, try this simple one with the kids by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom. All you need are treats, a paper bag, some ribbon, staples, hole punch, glue and some crepe paper.

Stone Dolls

I just adore these stone matryoshka dolls by maya*made! How pretty! I'd love to have a few around the house, just for decoration. I think my daughter would also enjoy playing with them, maybe even tucking them into little beds. So simple: all you need is a rock and a white paint pen.

Faux Butterfly Collection

I am floored by this faux butterfly collection by Paper View. I like the idea of changing her craft up a bit and using it as an educational tool. Just go online and download some butterfly clipart. Then print it out on a color printer and cut out the butterflies. (The most precise way is to use an Xacto knife, so parents may need to do this part.)

Print out the butterfly names separately and have the kids look the butterflies up in a field identification guide. After matching the butterflies with their name, they can glue them to a board or frame with the appropriate name underneath. These would make a great educational project that is also decorative.

What Kind of Glue Do You Need?

Do yo want to stick something to something else but aren't sure what kind of glue you need? Plug your items into This to That and it will tell you! This is a super easy way to find the right glue for all of your crafts and projects. Today my daughter's metal clip fell off of her felt mushroom hair accessory. Fixed!

Easy Printable "Give Thanks" Banner

Older kids can print out this beautiful Thanksgiving Day banner from At Second Street, cut it out and assemble it for Thanksgiving. If you use cardstock, the banner can be used again year after year. This is a great craft for older kids who may want to make something a bit more sophisticated than feather headbands and paper turkey napkin rings.

Recycled Earth Day Binoculars and Nature Journal

I just love this cute binocular and nature journal set from Our Big Earth made from recycled materials. It reminds me of being a kid and running around with a toilet paper tube, pretending it was a spyglass. This would make a great project for Earth Day or every day!

Recycled Carton Wallet

How awesome is this wallet made from a used juice carton? It's definitely unique and a fun craft for older kids. What better way to teach about recycling and reusing old things? Head on over to the Disney Family Fun site to see the tutorial on how to make one of your own.

3D Paper Ornaments

These three-dimensional paper Christmas tree ornaments from How About Orange would be a great project for a beginner sewer. The ornaments can be made from colored paper as well as recycled magazines and junk mail. Try using wallpaper samples or wrapping paper. You could even reuse something sturdier such as old gift bags. I'm excited to try my hand at them using felt for something a bit more permanent and heirloom-quality.

Recycled Bottle Cap Magnets

I love these fun and adorable magnets featured by the Disney Family Fun website and made from recycled bottle caps. In some areas, bottle caps are not recyclable. What a fun way to reuse them! Best of all, you can make them from things that you probably already have laying around your house. Now I know exactly what to do with all of those Virgil's Rootbeer caps my husband has been collecting.