Cardboard Box Garage

Funny how sometimes the simplest stuff turns into the most amazing toys! We got a package in the mail and Jatin quickly saw the cardboard box it came in as a possible "garage" for his many cars. His requirements were: It needs to look like Dada's garage! 

So, with a little help of Dad's mini accessories for some model cars, cutting out some car race rugs from kids magazines, hand drawing garage doors, adding coke magnets as a fridge, dowels, tongue deppresors for shelves and some bubble wrap for the floor we turned an ordinary card board box into an AMAZING GARAGE!

Just the right project to do with your kids while their home for summer!

Beautiful Butterfly

Teach your child about the magic of mixing colors with this simple, quick and GORGEOUS painted butterfly exercise! Take a sheet of finger paint glossy paper. Fold it in half. Unfold it so you now have a crease down the middle. Have you child pick out their favorite colors of kid friendly paint and help them squeeze some on different sides of the paper. After you've put a good amount of dots of color across the paper, fold it in half and start pressing and moving your hands over the paper gently to get all the colors to spread and mix together. Slowly unfold the pressed paper and watch you child's face as a gorgeous butterfly appears from their favorite colors. This is a great way to teach your children about color, and the art of mixing colors to get more fantastic colors in your painting! Enjoy :) - Vani

Fingerprint Animals

What a wonderful and simple craft to do with a child of any age! My kid like all loves to get his fingers dirty with paint! So I let him :) I gave him a simple watercolor set. Added a few drops of water in each color and a white sheet of paper. He had fun dipping his little fingers into the paint and putting his prints down on the paper. Once he had his fun, I told him to let it dry. He said - what is it? I told him that I would make it into all his favorite animals. He said, okay - make a fish, a dinosaur, and a shark! So, when nap time came, I got my Mommy fun time and took a sharpie marker to the dried sheet of finger prints and turned it into a sea of creatures! I left the finished product on my son's desk and he was AMAZED and so excited to see what his lovely art had turned into. For older kids, they can even take a pen or pencil and make their own creatures out of their prints.

Try this technique for a card, wrapping paper, art to frame, a bookmark etc... Have fun with it!

 Enjoy! Vani

Colorful Kids Coat Hanger

Little jackets and sweaters deserve little cute hooks to hang on! So with that said here is a fun project that I did over a weekend morning. I got a unfinished wooden coat hanger from Michaels and hand painted it with some acrylic paint. After that dried I glued on some craft shapes like the stars, and animals. Some were already painted and some I painted extra stuff on. For the finishing touch I took silver sharpie marker and added some curvy designs to the actual knobs of the hanger to ad that whimsical touch I adore! It turned out very colorful, bright, and was pretty simple to make! Now my kids jackets hang in style!

A Color Of His Own

In 2012 I am going to do a better job sharing all the creative activities we do in the Gundara House!

Let's start with one of my favorites from 2011. Jatin (my 4 year old) loves a book called "A Color Of His Own." So, we drew the cover of the chameleon with sharpie marker, and then my kiddo colored him in using his favorites "turquoise, vermilion, chartreuse, and marigold!" Yeah - he's only 4 and those are some of his favorite colors! He was very proud of his rainbow creation. As was his mommy! 

To finish it off, I cut out the colorful character and pasted him onto a glittery green scrapbook paper. Here's to making 2012 a very CREATIVE and HAPPY YEAR! - Vani

Jatin's Thankful Tree 2011

Okay I got such great feedback from the first project that I'm sure you'll all love this one too! I interviewed Jatin and asked him to tell me all the things he is thankful for. Then, I drew a tree on scrapbook paper, and had him use his fingers dipped in paint to make the "fall tree leaves". I finished up by writing down all of his interview answers around the tree branches. A creative way to document "What Jatin was Thankful For in 2011!"


What you will need:

1. 12 x 12 sheet of scrap-booking paper
2. Kid safe non-toxic paint in (red, green, yellow)
3. 1 black sharpie marker
4. A creative kid and helper (that's you :)

Wooden Owl Masks

I found these fantastic wooden masks at Michaels Arts & Crafts Store during Halloween. I bought ones shaped like monsters, pumpkins and owls! I personally LOVED the owl one, and was thrilled when Jatin decided that that's the one he wanted to color also!

We used good old fashioned crayola crayons and colored right onto the wood! I stepped away from mine for a few minutes and found him putting multiple colors on my owl - which ended up inspiring the very vibrant version you see below!

An awesome, inexpensive craft for you and your youngster to enjoy!

Vani

Father's Day Canvas

If you have a toddler at home this is such a lovely way for them to create a piece of art that can be hung in your home for years to come! Get a stretched canvas from your local craft store. Purchase a canvas open back frame. Set out lot's of glue, glitter and paint for your child to dip into and smear and paint their masterpiece of colors all over. Encourage your child to add beads and buttons of all shapes and sizes on top of the painted canvas. In the end use scrabble tiles and glue the words Father, Dad, Love etc...on the board. Hang it up in a special place where Dad will find it in the morning! :)