Easy to make feltboards, spiders and more!
Because the Halloween season is upon us, I'll kick it off with the spider crafts!!!!:)
Paper towel or toilet paper tube Spider Prints
To make these quick and cute spider prints, all you need to do is take a tube and cut it into eight segments, and then fold the "spider legs" out, so that the tube becomes a stamp when dipped into paint! Emmett and I did black paint on white paper and added a glitter web, although white paint looks great on black as well! He enjoyed helping to stamp the tube in the paint and on the paper, but ofcourse this is a "parent pleaser" and is fun for both parent and child. Older kids can go crazy on their own! After stamping a few spiders with me, I gave my son a sheet of paper and allowed him to fingerpaint all over, which was what he really wanted to do. Haha!:)
OTHER SPIDER PROJECTS:
Marble Web Painting--place a black piece of paper in a tray with a marble dipped in white paint, and roll back and forth to achieve a spider web! Infants and toddlers can do this project a little more safely if you cut a circular peice of paper and put it into a tin with a lid. That way they can shake it and let the marble go crazy without fear of the choking hazard popping out! Older kids will enjoy controlling the web, and it is a great exercise for large motor and hand/eye coordination.
Double handprint spiders--place handprint facing left, then another handprint directly next to it facing right. The two thumbrints become the spider eyes, and then you have eight legs! Especially cute when you glue googly eyes on the thumbprints.
FELTBOARD AT HOME! 
This is one make at home project that I highly recommend having! The felt, or flannel board, is so much fun and a wonderful teaching tool!
I made this one by taking some blue burlap and covering a large square of cardboard. (You can also use felt or flannel material.) I then stapled and taped over the back of it, and taped it to the wall at eye level for my son. He likes to stand at it and take the shapes on and off.:)
You can cut out lots of felt shapes or make seasonal themes (like pumpkins, Christmas trees, etc.) I will add felt board activities here from time to time now that I have posted how to make one! They are a great way to illustrate stories, sing songs, or just have fun naming shapes and colors. Easy for little hands to do, although older kids enjoy them very much as well!
CHEAP FELTBOARD TIP #1--the shapes you see on my feltboard are actually cut from pot scrubbers! I get them in a multicolor pack, five for a buck, at the dollar store! They are made from an industrial material that sticks to felt. It feels quite similiar to felt/burlap. I think you will find what I am talking about if you take a look in the stores!
CHEAP FELTBOARD TIP #2--You can also laminate paper shapes and glue or staple a piece of felt, or the scratchy side of a velcro strip, to the back to make it stick to your feltboard! This is great for acting out characters from a story because you can simply photocopy pages from a book!
FOLLOW ME--A fun large motor footprint game!
Cut out and tape colorful footprints to the floor! Early walkers or crawlers will enjoy a straight line, while older kids might enjoy an elaborate pattern that takes them on an adventure where they may need to turn, walk backwards, etc. As you can see, this was a hit with my toddler!
And finally....
Quick and Easy Play Tip--Cardboard Shoe Box Garage!
Trust me, to the child it is just as cool as an expensive one from the store! Kids will love to drive a car in and out of a shoebox with a simple hole cut out of it.:)
