Blog - Laura Kelly's Inklings

April 26, 2020 by: admin

Free Planner Printables

Planning can be so helpful in getting organized and getting things accomplished. When I write things down, I am so much more likely to get them done. The free planner printables can be used by kids, families and grown ups too! I LOVE the feeling of checking things OFF the list.

Different FREE Planner Printables

Here are three different ones for you to use. The first one is great for free range planning, or at least that is what I call it. I write my things to do in the boxes with notes and deadlines. As I complete, I color in the box with a colored pencil. It feels SO good.

This one is great for grocery shopping planning.

And this one is great for planning the week, whether it’s a menu, a cleaning plan or a homework marker.

Other Planning Resources

If you want your kids to help plan the menu, this is a great free downloadable resource too.

Sometimes it is best to plan time for ourselves too. This resource will support you in taking care of you!

There are LOADS Of FREE Printables in the Printable Library. Go and grab whatever you want HERE.

April 21, 2020 by: admin

Ultimate DIY Harry Potter Wands

Today I was walking in the woods around the lake and thinking about all things magical because I am in the midst of a Harry Potter movie-a-thon. I came across these sticks and they just looked like they needed to be turned into the Ultimate DIY Harry Potter Wands so I brought them home and transformed them. They came out so perfecto that I have to share them with you here.

Materials Needed for Ultimate DIY Harry Potter Wands

Sticks
Hot Glue
DecoArt Patio Paint Assorted Colors
Paint Brush

Directions to Make Ultimate DIY Harry Potter Wands

Brush all of the dirt off of the sticks. Plug in your hot glue gun and let it heat up.

Drizzle hot glue on the sticks either randomly or in patterns. I did each one of the four a little different. It was actually super fun!

After the glue cooled completely, I did go back and add some more details on some of them.

Create a pallet for your paints. I like to use a white plate.

With a paintbrush, mix the paints as desired and paint the sticks. Because this is messy, you might want to have a covering on your counter first.

I created an extra little stick into a wand for Hagrid too!

Look at his perfect little magical wand.

They dried and came out perfect!

OTHER Harry Potter Craft and DIY Ideas

A few years ago I made licorice wands for a party. Check them out HERE. There is a fun word search puzzle over there too.

I am pretty CRAZY about all things magical. There are LOADS of projects on this blog and one post that shares a lot of them in one place right HERE for you. There are lots of ideas but I LOVE the painted rocks using DecoArt paints best.

For this fun project, I did create a NEW printable puzzle. It has some of my favorite things that characters say in the sixth book/movie–The Half Blood Prince.

Grab LOTS of free printables in the Printable Library here!

So yay. Flick and Swish.

XO,

Laura

April 20, 2020 by: admin

Best Earth Day Kid Crafts

These Best Earth Day kid crafts are a fabulous way to celebrate the magnificence of our planet while making a difference. Whether planting, crafting or talking about ways to make Earth healthy, I hope you find a way to celebrate. April is the month that we celebrate Earth Day and all of the many ways we can take care of our planet.

FREE PRINTABLE Activities for Earth Day

EARTH Day and Planting Things

It’s always a good idea to teach kids how things grow! This fun project uses recycled items to make the planters! You can grab the details for it here on the blog!

Recycled Ideas for Earth Day Kid Crafts

When creating craft projects for kids and families, it is fun to make things using recycled items from around the house. I am excited to share three fun ones that can be done with materials that I am guessing, all houses have. Gather up your cans, jars and old keys and get ready.Here are a few of my favorite recycled crafts projects.

Fairy Lanterns

Food jars are a great start to making fairy lanterns for the outdoors. You will need a few things to get started.

Supplies:

Food Jars with Labels Removed
DecoArt Multi-Purpose Acrylic Paint
Deco-Pauge
Wire and Ribbons

Directions:

Paint designs with DecoArt paint on the jars and let it dry. I like this paint because it is thick and doesn’t run. Once it is dry, put a thick coat of Deco-Pauge over it to seal the paint for the outdoors. Wrap wire around the lip of the jar and tie ribbons to decorate. The jars are fun to place in the garden and hang from trees. Burning candles in them at night provides light for the fairies.

Glass jars are great for so many things. Another great way to recycle them is to wrap them in yarn and make flower jars. If you use Eco-Fi basic felt by Kunin Group (which is made from recycled bottles) for flowers you can create masterpieces! These would make fantastic gifts.

Tin Can Stilts

Tin cans (coffee cans are best) are fantastic for making stilts. You will need to clean the cans and remove all the labels before getting started. Be sure to have the following supplies ready too.

Supplies:

Tin Cans
DecoArt Multi-Purpose Acrylic Paints
Hole Puncher that Cuts Through Metal
Yarn

Directions:

Paint your cans to decorate them. Punch holes in the can on either side. Use yarn to make the handles. I braided colors together to make it a thicker handle. Your final yard handle should measure the height from your child’s armpit to their ankle then doubled. Tie the yarn handle through the holes of the can to complete the stilt. You will need to do this for both cans. When the child stands on the can and hold the handles to balance, they become taller. This is a great activity for coordination and balance.

Wind Chimes From Old Keys

Old keys make great wind chimes. To make these you will need the following items.

Supplies:

7 Keys
Yarn
Plastic Lid from a Tin Can
Sculpey Bake Shop Clay
Hole Punch

Directions:

Punch seven holes around the outside of the plastic lid.
Cut 7 pieces of yard measuring 18 inches in length and thread one through each hole.
Tie the 7 pieces of yarn together on the top of the lid forming a knot.
Make 7 flowers or beads with Sculpey Bake Shop clay that have holes in the middles. These will keep your keys from getting twisted together when the wind blows.
Tie your flowers to the yarn halfway between the end and the lid.
Add your keys to the bottom of each piece of yard in knots.
Hang your wind chime and enjoy the music.

Best Earth Day Book

The Lorax is the BEST Earth Day book I know of! I LOVE it so much that I create a whole Lorax party.

Give the Gift of Earth

Download this FREE printable page of tags. Cut them out. Attach them to seeds or little plants and give them to friends. This is a great way for kids to give to other kids.

Got more ideas? Comment and share them with me!

XO,

Laura

Enter to WIN a $50 gift card to Home Depot so you can get some Earth Day stuff.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

April 18, 2020 by: admin

9 Best Science Activities at Home With Kids

Science experiments are so fun to do with friends and family. Here are the 9 best science activities at home with kids that can be done with ingredients you probably already have! There are some free printables too so that is a bonus, right?

Okay, let’s jump in to some experimenting!

Dinosaur Toothpaste (also known as Elephant Toothpaste)

Materials

Empty 20-ounce container
3% hydrogen peroxide solution
Packet of active yeast
Liquid dishwashing detergent (Dawn works great)
Warm water
Food coloring (optional, but makes it lots more fun)

Make Dinosaur Toothpaste

Pour 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide solution, 1/4 cup soap, and a few drops of food coloring into the bottle. Swirl the bottle around to mix the ingredients all up together. Set the bottle in a sink or outdoors or some other place where you won’t mind a mess being made!
In a separate container, mix a packet of active yeast with a little warm water. Give the yeast about five minutes to activate before proceeding to the next step.
When you are ready to do the demo, pour the yeast mixture into the bottle. The reaction occurs immediately upon the addition of the yeast.

Here is a link to a post that is filled with more dinosaur fun!

Color Changing Explosion in Milk

Materials

Dinner Plate or Wide Cup
Milk
Liquid Dish Detergent
Cotton Swab
Liquid Food Coloring (4 Colors)

Do the Color Changing Milk Experiment

Pour enough milk on to the dinner plate to completely cover the bottom to the depth of about ¹/₄ inch. Give it a few minutes to settle.
Add one drop of each of the four colors of food coloring (red, yellow, green, and blue to the milk. Try to put the drops towards the center but not touching.
Pace a drop of liquid dish soap on the other end of a cotton swab. Place the soapy end of the cotton swab in the middle of the milk and hold it there for a few seconds There will be a burst of color!

Baggie and Pencil Magic – The Leak Proof Bag

Materials

plastic baggie
sharp pencil
water

Make the Magic Happen

Fill a zipper baggie about 3/4 of the way full with water and seal it completely closed.
Make sure your pencil is totally SHARP!
Hold the baggie firmly with one hand and use the other hand to push the pointy end of the pencil through the side of the bag. Continue pushing it until the point is also coming out the other side of the bag.
It is like magic, right!?

Make Your Own Fossils

Materials

1 1/4 C Salt
5 C Flour
2 C Water
Drop or Two of Food Coloring If Desired

Directions to Make Fossils

Mix dough by hand and separate into 10 balls.
Flatten balls.
Press plastic dinosaur (or any toys) into dough and remove.
Let dough dry.

If you like this project, you might also like make leaf resists. The details for this project are in this blog post!

Homemade Lava Lamps

Materials

Baby Oil
Jar or Bottle with Tight Lid
Water
Food Coloring
Glitter

Directions to Make a Lava Lamp

Fill the jar up 7/8 of the way with water. Add a few drops of food coloring, 2 TBSP of baby oil and a dash of glitter. Put the lid on tightly (maybe even glue it closed) and turn the jar up and down to watch the magic.

Here is a link to a post that shares more ways to use baby oil to experiment in making sensory sand and slime.

There are LOTS of science projects mixed in my educational themed activities and they are all FREE! Get them in the Printable Library.

There are more of the Best Science Activities at Home With Kids scattered around my blog. One of my favorite experiments is making a hurricane in a jar. You can get all of the directions for that experiment RIGHT here along with great information about how to prepare for the natural disaster of a hurricane.

Happy Experimenting,

Laura

April 16, 2020 by: admin

Coronavirus Time Capsule

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans. Creating a Coronavirus Time Capsule with your kids is a great way to document this unprecedented time in history. Did you know that Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). While some of the thing that one might put in a time capsule are not crafty and creative, here are a few things that you can do with your kids to include. This post is sponsored by Xyron but the ideas and opinions are my own. I used the Creative Station for adhesive and laminating!

Print the free activity packet of the Covid-19 Time Capsule.

Take time to do the activities together and talk about what they mean.

How to Make a Book to Put in Your Coronavirus Time Capsule

For the Facts About Me Page, cut out each box after it is filled in. Use the Creative Station adhesive cartridge to mount the squares to pre-cut 5×5 squares by running the boxes through the machine and then sticking them to the squares. This is a great time to maybe add a few thoughts on social distancing, quarantine and bonding with family.

Add any other details or thoughts to the squares, maybe even a photo or a note from a parent. Screenshots from video calls are fun here too. Laminate the pages using the Creative Station Double Sided Laminating Cartridge.

Punch holes in the side of each square and tie the pages together to make a book. The cover can either be self drawn or made using an image from the printable collection.

Put the book in a plastic box to save along with other items that are things that capture the memories of these times. It might be fun to make a few little GERM stickers too. After all the Creative Station makes the best DIY stickers ever.

Look how fun this one is on the back of the book.

Ideas of Other Things for a Coronavirus Time Capsule

Photographs
Letters from Family and Friends
Artwork
New Recipes Tried
Face Mask
Empty TP Tube
Empty Hand Sanitizer Container

OTHER Printables

There are LOTS of free printables that you can use during these days therefore I want to share some. This one in particular would be fun to add in the time capsule. You can grab it in the FREE Printable Library HERE.

Making Memories Matters!

Love,

Laura

April 14, 2020 by: admin

Best Dinosaur Craft Ideas for Kids

Springtime hopefully means more time outside than inside for kids (of all ages) and a chance to do dinosaur crafts and garden, even at the same time. There are so many things out there but I think these are the best dinosaur craft ideas for kids. I am so super excited to share this awesome dinosaur garden set from MindWare AND also share some fun printables too. This post is sponsored by MindWare but the ideas and opinions are my own.

Stone Dinosaur Garden

The Stone Dinosaur Garden kit from MindWare Toys is amazing.

It comes with everything you need to paint four stone pieces including the paint pods, the brush and awesome directions on how to work with the paint.

The paints are super easy to open and close and have awesome coverage on the stone.

I love that you can mix the paints and layer them too.

Once your stone pieces are dry, they are so fun to play with outdoors. They certainly make DINORIFFIC garden decorations. I made my dinosaur with purple-ish scales. Isn’t he scary and cute at the same time?

All four pieces work well together to create a scene.

I really love the piece that acts like a bridge or a large ground covering.

FREE Dinosaur Printables

Here is a collection of some fun printables with a dinosaur theme. You can download them FREE!

If you JUST want the hard word search puzzle, you can grab it in the FREE Printable Library!

Other Dinosaur Craft Kits

MindWare make MORE dinosaur kits. Stay tuned because I will be sharing and adding them soon.

YAY for Fossils, Learning and Dinosaur Lovers!

Cheers,

Laura

April 13, 2020 by: admin

Ideas for Sleepover Party

4 of my blogger friends and I have teamed up with Fairfield World to share ideas for sleepover party fun. Whether you are creating a sleepover party with your family in the living room (or even back yard), these ideas are all fun ways to make it even better. A big thank you to Fairfield World for sponsoring this collaboration and providing the giveaways.

I whipped up a popcorn toss bean bag game. I have never been good at tossing popcorn in the air and getting it to land in my mouth so think this is a much better alternative. I shared the whole think in my Instagram stories.

Four More Handmade Ideas for Sleepover Party

Let’s make decorations! Meg from Makeable Crafts shares this adorable way to use Oly*Fun from Fairfield World to make awesome sleepover decorations.
Next, Morena from Morena’s Corner shares how to make a cloud lantern to set the mood.
Lindsay from Artsy Fartsy Mama has an awesome tutorial on making a pocket pillow. This would be fun do to as a craft at the party!
Beth from Creatively Beth shared an awesome little tutorial making a sleep mask.

What Products Were Used in These Projects?

I could have stuffed with Poly-Fil, however, I used Poly-Pellets to make my popcorn kernel bean bags perfect. I LOVE the pourable containers.

Meg used Oly*Fun to make the sleepover party top decorations.

Additionally, Lindsay used a pillow insert (Poly-Fil Premier) on her pocket pillow.

Also, Beth used Project Fleece in her sleep masks! She also had an awesome little pattern in her blog post.

Morena used Poly-Fil to make the cloud lantern. We are excited to be able to give a TWENTY pound box of Poly-Fil to one lucky winner. You can enter right here on the blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YAY! Yay for sleepovers and parties and time together with family and friends.

Super YAY for handmade!!!

Laura

April 11, 2020 by: admin

Easter Bunny Tickets and Coupons

I know that traditionally the Easter bunny brings all new things in the basket BUY wait a minute–what if the bunny ticketed things kid already have with a reminder to play with them. I LOVE this idea because it can make what is old seem new again and re-purpose things from around the house. These Easter bunny tickets and coupons are great for ALL ages.

What To Do with the Easter Bunny Tickets

Start by downloading the free printable, printing the tickets and cutting them out.

NEXT, make them even more adorable by using a Therm-o-Web adhesive (I used the Tape Runner XL) to attach them to colored card stock. Punch holes in them and tie them to gifties for the Easter basket.

Examples of Ways to Use Easter Bunny Tickets

The bunny tickets can be tied to things that you already have around the house as a way to create activities to do together with your kiddos. Here are a few of my favorite ones tied up to things that I love!

Let’s start with baking cakes! Yes, I love to bake. This is a GREAT Easter Basket Idea for Teenagers. This tag is tied to a package of flour from Hungry Harry’s All Purpose Flour Blend. You can get it on Amazon!

This ticket is tied to an AMAZING trivia game from Gray Matters Games. I love it because it is super fun for older kids and adults. This is a GREAT Easter Basket Idea for Teenagers too. You can get it at my favorite educational toy store, Beyond the Blackboard.

Of course I tied the Easter Bunny Ticket for Make a Craft to my ooly watercolor paint pods! Because guys, they are the BEST!

There is a complete set of BLANK tags too so you can make them say whatever you want!

This blog is packed with fun, creative and inspiring ideas! If you are looking for more printables–definitely go check out the FREE printable library where you can find hundreds of games, activities, coloring pages, etc.

Another Fun Paper Crafting Idea

Paper Flower Notes are really easy to make and once finished, create a darling way to send a happy hello in an envelope.

Cheers to Celebrating, Making and Connecting!
XO,

Laura

April 9, 2020 by: admin

DIY Neighborhood Heart Hunt

Here is a yard game that can be played with then entire neighborhood. Create a DIY neighborhood heart hunt in a few simple steps. This is a great way to spread some happy, cheerful joy for everyone who walks around the neighborhood getting fresh air and exercise. This post is being written during social distancing and quarantine times of Covid-19 but could certainly be done at any time. This time is unique in that we are all trying to figure out how we can support our neighbors, be outside and social distance at the same time.

This is a great idea for a walking trail!

What Do You Need to Create a DIY Neighborhood Heart Hunt

Kunin Basic Felt is Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink and White
Cricut Maker
Sewing Machine
Scissors
Twine (Hampton Art)
Poly-Fil (Fairfield World)
Free Neighborhood Heart Hunt Printable Chart (Download Below)

How to Create a DIY Neighborhood Heart Hunt

Start by making hearts in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink. Make a white cloud too. You can make as many of each color as your heart desires. To make mine, I used Kunin Basic Felt because it can weather the outdoors. It is made from recycled bottles so is super awesome for an April Earth Day project like this too.

I cut the hearts out on My Cricut Maker. There is a PERFECT heart in the basic shapes in Design Space. I made it the perfect size to fit the 9×12 pieces of felt.

Additionally, there is also a large selection of clouds. I also made it as big as possible using the 9×12 inch pieces of felt.

Each heart needs two pieces of felt, a front and a back. This is the same for the clouds.

Next, sew them together, stitching the twine in between the two pieces, leaving an opening for stuffing. Stuff with PolyFil and stitch closed.

Setting Up The DIY Neighborhood Heart Hunt

By looping the hearts around a tree branch and through the loop, you can secure them. If you want to make them heavier, add some Poly-Pellets inside or pin a fishing weight to the outside. Here they are hidden around my community.

Here is a free printable you can use to give to neighbors to color as they find the hearts.

Happy Heart Hunting!

Love,

Laura

April 8, 2020 by: admin

Make a Cricut Face Mask in Less Than 10 Minutes

It’s so true guys, you can make a Make a Cricut Face Mask in Less Than 10 Minutes and I am super excited to show you how! This is a GREAT way to get kids involved in the making process because they are certainly capable of cutting ribbon, placing material on the cutting mats and trimming strings. I used my Cricut Maker for this project because it is AWESOME for cutting Oly-Fun using the Rotary Blade. This is the Cricut Maker bundle that I recommend!

What Will You Need to Make a Cricut Face Mask in Less Than 10 Minutes

Oly-Fun (2 12/12 sheets per mask)
Cricut Maker
Cricut Machine Mat
Straight Pins
Ribbon ( 4 18″ pieces)
Sewing Machine (Could also hand stitch or use fabric glue)

Cricut has FREE mask patterns in Design Space right now. There are sizes for different heads including kiddos. The size that I recommend for MOST people if you are using Oly-Fun would be the Adult S/M Face Mask, using ONLY the first cut page.

Using the first file, cut FOUR pieces of the same size (two time through the Cricut Maker) using the setting for Acrylic Felt. Pin the four pieces together and pin. Sew ONLY along the curved edge leaving 1/8 inch seam and a 1/8 inch at either end not sewn.

Remove the pin and flip the mask.

Fold the top center of the mask down about 1/4 inch and pin.

Pin an 18 inch piece of ribbon IN BETWEEN layers in each of the four corners of the mask.

Sew around the outside edge and BAM, you are done. If you want the mask to have more layers, a regular machine can easily sew through 4 layers of Oly*Fun at a time.

I am not going to say that I LOVE wearing a mask but I will admit that I love making them!

Oly*Fun works GREAT as a filer for masks with pockets too. You can sew layers together to get the desired filter.

Here is a link to another easy sew mask idea. It is a little more difficult but works for a beginning sewer.

If you are home with kiddos and need some fun activities, my printable library is FREE right now! This Covid-19 Time Capsule is my newest resource and it is super relevant to what we are all experiencing right now.

Sending love to all of you,

Laura

Free Planner Printables

Different FREE Planner Printables

Other Planning Resources

Ultimate DIY Harry Potter Wands

Materials Needed for Ultimate DIY Harry Potter Wands

Directions to Make Ultimate DIY Harry Potter Wands

OTHER Harry Potter Craft and DIY Ideas

Best Earth Day Kid Crafts

FREE PRINTABLE Activities for Earth Day

EARTH Day and Planting Things

Recycled Ideas for Earth Day Kid Crafts

Fairy Lanterns

Tin Can Stilts

Wind Chimes From Old Keys

Best Earth Day Book

Give the Gift of Earth

9 Best Science Activities at Home With Kids

Dinosaur Toothpaste (also known as Elephant Toothpaste)

Materials

Make Dinosaur Toothpaste

Color Changing Explosion in Milk

Materials

Do the Color Changing Milk Experiment

Baggie and Pencil Magic – The Leak Proof Bag

Materials

Make the Magic Happen

Make Your Own Fossils

Materials

Directions to Make Fossils

Homemade Lava Lamps

Materials

Directions to Make a Lava Lamp

Coronavirus Time Capsule

How to Make a Book to Put in Your Coronavirus Time Capsule

Ideas of Other Things for a Coronavirus Time Capsule

OTHER Printables

Best Dinosaur Craft Ideas for Kids

Stone Dinosaur Garden

FREE Dinosaur Printables

Other Dinosaur Craft Kits

Ideas for Sleepover Party

Four More Handmade Ideas for Sleepover Party

What Products Were Used in These Projects?

Easter Bunny Tickets and Coupons

What To Do with the Easter Bunny Tickets

Examples of Ways to Use Easter Bunny Tickets

Another Fun Paper Crafting Idea

DIY Neighborhood Heart Hunt

How to Create a DIY Neighborhood Heart Hunt

Setting Up The DIY Neighborhood Heart Hunt

Make a Cricut Face Mask in Less Than 10 Minutes

What Will You Need to Make a Cricut Face Mask in Less Than 10 Minutes

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