Flower Power

Our first project!

I tried to get some pictures, but my husband apparently has the camera at work :(. So I'll have to load those later. I will add them in to the directions hopefully tonight, so if you are confused about one of the steps, keep checking back!

This is a super EASY project for your preschooler and you. It only takes about ten minutes to do (although you can certainly drag it out for longer). You will need the following items:

(this is PER FLOWER)

2 Pipe cleaners (Monster Boy likes the glittery ones)
Construction Paper (You may want a few sheets for "do-overs")
Markers (Again, multiple colors are good, but you really only need one)
Scissors (Safety Scissors for your preschoolers - Adult sized Scissors if you prefer to do the cutting)
Any miscellaneous decorations you or your child would like to add - stickers, colors, glitter, etc.


First, help your child draw a circle (any size) on the construction paper. This will be the center of your flower. Then, let your child draw on their petals - this gives it character! If your child wants to "decorate" their flower, let them at this point. If you have an older child who has experience with scissors (like my son) you can let them cut out their own flower once they are done drawing it. For a younger child, cut out the flower yourself. Then cut a SMALL X in the center of the circle you have drawn. Take ONE pipe cleaner. About an inch or so down on the pipe cleaner, fold it over and around to create a "knot". This will hold the flower in place on the pipe cleaner. Straighten the rest of the pipe cleaner back out, leaving the "knot" in place. Slip the pipe cleaner end CLOSEST to the "knot" through the X you cut in the flower, and fold over the top of the pipe cleaner to create another "knot". Now, take your second pipe cleaner and cut two 3-4 inch pieces from it. These will be your leaves. Fold them over to create a "fish" shape - you want a V at one end and a loop at the other. You will take the V and place the pipe cleaner stem in the center. Twist the ends of the V together on the other side of your stem, and then fold over to conceal the ends. Repeat with your other "leaf". And Voila! A Flower!

About Me.

Let me introduce myself.

This is actually my SECOND blog, so you probably won't be seeing a whole lot of activity on here. For daily chronicles, you should hop over to my original blog, www.thecleftofthematter.blogspot.com.

I recently became a stay at home mom, and my intent is to use this blog to post ideas for other stay at home mom's to use as entertainment for their kiddos - snack ideas, learning games, arts & crafts, and so on. We'll see how this goes.

So for the last seven years I worked in the rental industry. When my company effected layoffs at the end of July, my job was cut. My husband (Daddy Mac) and I (Mommy Mac) decided that I would at least temporarily stay home with our kids - Monster Boy who is 4, and Little Miss Sunshine, who is 7 months old. We made this decision based in part on the fact that Miss Sunshine has a cleft palate and will require surgery (currently scheduled for January) which involves a two week recovery period, and starting a new job would prevent me from being able to be home for that. The current plan is for me to be a stay at home mom through the end of next summer at least. Depending on what our financial situation is at that point, when Monster Boy starts school full time, I will either go back to work or continue to stay home. Since Daddy Mac just started a new job the week after I got laid off (as he had been laid off the six months before that!) we aren't really sure where we will be in a year - so we are playing this all by ear. I will be going back to school next semester to get a second degree in nursing - starting with my LPN, which I am hoping to be able to finish by next September by taking night and summer classes - and then we will be looking into me getting my RN after that, depending on how things go.

So for now, I am a stay at home mom. And I have come up with all sorts of cute and fun activities for my son and I to do, along with creating fun snack and lunch ideas (some of which I am sure you have heard of before...) that I plan to share at least weekly. So, welcome to my blog - and to my exciting new life as a stay at home mom!