Joyful Parenting
Welcome to my blog! I'm MaryAnne, and I write about building a rewarding family life through mindful parenting, hands-on learning, and creative family activities. Learn more.
These DIY interlocking building bricks are incredibly versatile and surprisingly easy to make. Created by Bill Atkinson; instructions shared with permission. We discovered these DIY interlocking building blocks at Maker Faire this year, and my kids would have happily spent the entire afternoon playing with them. Created by Bill Atkinson, the blocks have a great feel, and you … [Read more...] about How to Make DIY Interlocking Building Blocks
Why buy toys when you can make them? Teach your kids to make stuff toys based on drawings using this simple method. Even my four-year-old can do this! Last summer I wrote about how I turned my children's drawings into a felt doll and a felt alien. This summer I'm sharing how your child can turn virtually any drawing into a pattern for a very easy-to-sew toy! These are so … [Read more...] about Teach Kids to Design and Sew Stuffed Toys Based on Drawings
Tutorial on how to make hand stamped metal jewelry. I had no idea it was this easy! This approach is so simple that tweens can make their own hand stamped jewelry. I have long admired hand stamped jewelry, but I had no idea it was easy to make. I was able to watch a hand stamping demo at Creativation, and I was amazed by the simplicity of it. Of course, the easiness or … [Read more...] about An Easy Tutorial on How to Make Hand Stamped Metal Jewelry
Looking for a fun DIY gift idea? Check out this tutorial on how to make a monster kids can decorate! It's the perfect Halloween craft, and combines perfectly with these other Halloween activities for preschoolers! You may also enjoy these sewing tutorials for all ages. Kids love softies, ESPECIALLY when they can decorate them themselves! This little guy was super easy to … [Read more...] about How to Make a Monster Kids Can Decorate
