Fun Foam

There are so many things you can do with craft foam. For example, the picture is of a box set I got at Easter. It had foam crosses, glitter, and stickers to decorate. My 5 yr. old did one for each member of the family and we hung them in our window. They made a great display. Sets change seasonally, but you can always buy other basic sheets or crafts to do. (Found at any arts & crafts store or Walmart/Target.)

Discount School Supply

Discount School Supply is a great website from which you can order all kinds of art and craft supplies inexpensively; their own brand seems to be fairly high quality. They have free shipping on large orders, so plan ahead (or share your order with a friend) to get the best deal. We ordered all kinds of very fun beads, tempera paint, toddler sized smocks, pipe cleaners, newsprint, glue sticks, and a host of other miscellaneous supplies. My toddler can't use some of the items yet, but she absolutely LOVES the beads we have. Look for larger sizes if you have young children.

The New Camera

Cameras have come a long way in my time (let alone my parents!) It is also a big hobby of both mine and my husband. He likes to try to take good scenery pictures. I just like pictures, and LOVE scrapbooking! So if you are in the market for a new camera check out http://www.imaging-resource.com/. They review all types of cameras and have sample pictures. Keep in mind a few pointers too:

• If you aren't going to use the manual option of taking your pictures (adjusting light, focusing, etc by hand) than don't spend the extra money on a SLR camera. Look for a good point and shoot.


• Digital cameras can be sensitive. You usually have to hold the button down half way to focus, then snap the picture. Otherwise you will end up with a blur. You'd be suprised how many people don't!


• The higher the mexapixle, the larger the file or picture size. But you can often crop in your picture later with a much better resolution than using a lower setting.


• Rechargeable batteries. These really do last longer in cameras, and you would hate to miss out on that perfect shot. Always carry extra.


• Bring extra memory cards, especially on long trips when you can't download often.

Happy Shooting!

photo by Carrie

Learning Can Be Fun

Summertime is quickly approaching! Whether your children are in public, private, homeschooled or just starting Pre-K, here are some sites for free educational worksheets and crafts to chase away summertime blues. Who says learning can't be fun!

Starfall: Excellent for reading and abc's
Enchanted Learning: Has ideas for everything! You can pay to get better printouts, or deal with a few ads and keep it free.
PBS Kids: Games, coloring pages and more from those favorite cartoons.
Free Kids Coloring: Free printable coloring pages.
DLTK's Educational Activities: All kinds of crafts and learning activities.
Crayola: Everyone's beloved crayon has a webpage of coloring pages, crafts and games.
First School: Has a bunch of printables especially for pre-school age children.
Your Local Library: Not just for fiction. They will have books on crafts, or other activities for children. They also have books on tape, videos, cd's and other fun things all for free.

You can always google a search for free printables. I did and it brought up lots of websites, especially if you have a particular craft in mind. Make summer fun!