Easy Father's Day Craft

Father's Day Hand Print Tree--Made With Love

Please remember that you are making memories--not something to be displayed in the Louvre. This is supposed to be FUN. The messier the more fun and the more fun the better!

What You Need:

1. Fingerpaint

2. Something to squirt the paint in--I like paper plates.

3. Poster board or construction paper

4. (optional) Markers or crayons

Cheaper options:
Option A: Construction paper, scissors, glue, crayons
                               OR
Option B: any kind of paper, markers/crayons

Instructions:
1. Cut out a piece of brown construction paper to look like the trunk of a tree.  Glue it to the poster board or another piece of paper.
Option A:  same
Option B:  color a tree trunk onto your piece of paper 

2. Squirt some of your fingerpaint onto a plate
Option A:  Trace hand prints on to construction paper and cut them out
Option B: Trace hand prints around your tree trunk on your piece of paper

3. Help your child get paint on their hand by pressing their hand gently onto the paint covered plate.
Option A: Glue your hand prints along the tree trunk
Option B: Color your hand prints bright, pretty colors!

4. Press your child's hand along the tree trunk to make "leaves" and "branches."    

Have your child sign their work of art, and if you like put the year and their ages! Then give it to Dad to make his Father's Day special!   

Kid Craft Friday: Go Batty!

Today's craft is really easy, plenty of fun, and even your toddler can do it! I have even included some fun educational suggestions you can do with the craft (or before/after you complete the craft) to help your child learn about bats. Enjoy!

GO BATTY: Handprint Bats

What you'll need:

• Construction paper
• glue
• scissors
• (optional--easier with small kids): black paint (washable)
• Squiggly eyes (or some whiteout and black magic marker, or cut circles out of white paper and draw a pupil with a marker)

Instructions:

1. There are two ways to complete this craft.  Choose whichever you feel is best for you and your child.

         A. Trace your child's hands on construction paper.  Help them cut out the hand prints.

         B.  Using a lighter colored piece of construction paper, dip your child's hand in black washable paint and

         press a few inches apart (sideways) on the paper.  These will be your bat's wings.

2. Trace a big trinagle (about a third of the size of the construction paper) and a long oval (2/3 the size of construction paper).  OR click here for a bat template to print from your computer, then trace those onto thicker construction paper. Cut out your bat's head and body.

3. If you used cut-out paper handprints:  glue the body and head together, then glue the hands behind the body.

    If you used painted handprints:  glue the body and head over the hand prints. 

4. Put the wiggly eyes on (or make eyes as suggested above in the "what you'll need section").

5. Voila!  You've got a bat that looks something like this:

How cute is that?  I love it.  Now if you want to continue the fun keep reading.

Educational Stuff:

Go to this kid friendly website and teach your kids all about where bats live, what they eat, and even how echolocation works!

Now take a trip to your local library (or bookstore) and pick up this book to read aloud to your kids:

I hope you enjoyed this Kid Craft Friday!  If you have Kid Craft suggestions please email me at jenniferwelbornwrites@gmail.com.  Feel free to comment and post pictures of your child's bat!