DIY Father's Day Gift Idea for Kids: Building Memories with Lego Block

Nothing beats a homemade gift from the heart! Enjoy quality time together and create an easy DIY Father’s Day Gift that will build memories to last a lifetime!

Buying gifts for men is always hard! It seems like Keith rarely needs or wants anything, which can make material items seem like a waste of money. But I do know one thing that he always enjoys, and that’s spending time doing fun activities with his three boys…making THIS the perfect gift! http://everfreecoloring.com

The kids and I recently sat down together and brainstormed a long list of their favorite activities to do with Dad. It wasn’t hard, since he keeps us constantly on the go! Plus, each child had their favorites, so our jar quickly filled up when we began writing these different adventures onto individual building blocks. I know that Keith will love the thought behind the gift, as well as the seemingly endless stash of readily available options for those precious Saturday afternoons when we happen to have some free time! And as we check off each item from our “list,” the boys will literally AND figuratively be building special memories with their Father.

That’s a gift to last a lifetime!

So what exactly went inside Keith’s jar? What are the kids’ favorite ways to spend time with their Dad? Well, let’s start by making one thing clear: whatever these boys do always involves food! So if you’re gifting Dad with a jar of activities, you’ll probably want to include some snacks to have on hand as well!

For instance, I recently caught Keith and Casey diligently working on one of Casey’s new Lego sets that he received for his birthday…while also munching on some Horizon Snack Grahams!

Another favorite father-son activity? Watching a movie!

This particular afternoon included a Thomas the Tank Engine movie, as well as some Horizon Cheddar Snack Crackers… Dr. Seuss Coloring Pages

Some additional ideas that made it into our jar were making s’mores around the fire pit, planting a tree or working in the garden, riding the tractor (always Spencer’s request), going for a hike (don’t forget to pack the Horizon Fruit Snacks for easy energy on the trail), having a water gun battle, and enjoying a picnic.

These Horizon cheese snacks are perfect, by the way, for stashing into picnic baskets! For the leader of our pack, and the man who can do it all, the gift of time and special memories with his babies is the most precious present available!

I hope that you’ll take some inspiration from our family’s favorite activities and snacks to create a special DIY Father’s Day Gift for your own dad this season as well — and build many special memories along the way!

How to Make Paper Peacock Craft for Kids

We have yet another super simple paper craft idea to share with you, this time we are showing you how to make a paper peacock craft. Peacocks trully are gorgeous birdies, their colorful feather tail is really memorable!

While peacocks are breath taking they can also be super duper loud. http://everfreecoloring.com

When I was a teen, my neighbours temporarily had a pair of peacocks. They were giving them a home while their big enclosure on a farm further away was being built. The time when those magnificent birdies were leaving near by were the times I had the most sleepless nights. Nothing could have ever prepared me for the loudness coming from such a (relatively) small animal. But one can get used to them too.

Putting that aside and getting back to crafting. This fun craft idea is great for fine motor skills.

Its a fun craft for preschool, but you will need to modify it a little bit – certainly use wider strips of paper and less of them. Peacock legs certainly don’t have to be as detailed if preschoolers will be making the project either. We do recommend using kid safe scissors to cut the strips of paper for a good scissor practice workout. Cutter trimmer isn’t a good option for younger kids, even if it’s secured (as ours is).

Most kids in kindergarten will be able to do this project. You can have them use paper trimmer under adult supervision (not in a classroom setting). Always use your good judgement when crafting with kids :). Peppa Pig Coloring Pages

Older kids should easily handle this craft and can even take it a bit further by adding more details on the tail feathers (by decorating them beforehand with markers or adding yellow and blue paper).

Ready? Let’s craft!

Here is a list of materials you will need to make your peacock craft:

• white constriction paper as base
• blue construction paper
• green construction paper
• yellow construction paper
• scissors and / or paper trimmer
• wiggle eye stickers
• glue

Follow the Step by Step Instructions

1. Start by cutting a whole bunch of green paper strips.
2. We used a regular letter sized (A4) sheet and have cut it across the width.
3. The width of the strips was about a “finger” wide.
4. No need to be precise here, just make them as wide as you want – you can always change the size as you go.
5. If you want now is the perfect time to draw some feathery elements on the paper strips (we think regular “feather marks” or zendoodle patterns will work out pretty great).
6. Glue the ends of the strips together to make a loop/teardrop shape.
7. You will need a whole lot, well you can only have a few too, whichever number works for you as long as the project is fun.
8. Younger kids might get a bit bored or loose the focus if there is too many loops to make.  Older kids will be able to make more loops, the more loops the richer the peacock tail will look.
9. In our opinion stick glue works out best when working with paper as it dries quickly and it does not wet the paper.
10. The looping process might take a while. But it can be fun :). You can also glue yellow paper shapes on the loops to make it more peacock-feather like.

Now Let’s Make a Peacock!

1. Take the white background and start gluing the loops onto the paper.
2. Make a half circle. We started at the outer edge and worked our way to the centre (we really recommend you check the video tutorial).
3. Once you are happy with how your tail is starting to look it’s time to move to the (happy) feet.
4. Cut two feet out of yellow construction paper and glue them on the base (at the center of the circle, a bit under). Younger kids can just cut the rectangle shape while older kids can get a bit more curvy.
5. Cut the peacock body shape out of the blue construction paper (make an 8 shape).
6. Cut a small triangle out of yellow construction paper and glue it to the head part.
7. Stick on two wiggle eye stickers.
8. Glue the body on the white paper, nicely push it on top of the tail. You’ve made yourself a nice looking paper peacock craft!

Best Kid's Craft Idea for Spring and Summer: Paper Plate Fans

These hand fans are an easy and lovely craft for the spring and summer.

We made pretty Asian style hand fans for the Lunar New Year a few months back. They were such a big hit and so much fun to make that we wanted to make more for the spring and summer. I love these fans. They are simple to make and the kids will enjoy decorating them with their own designs. http://everfreecoloring.com

Paper plate fans for the spring and summer. These hand fans are a simple arts and craft project that is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers and kids of all ages.

What you will need:

• Paper plate
• Acrylic or tempura paints
• Jumbo craft sticks
• Glue gun

Directions:

1. Cut a paper plate in half.
2. My daughter wanted a bigger fan, so she only cut about 1/3 of her paper plate.
3. Paint a spring or summer scene on your plate. Paint a rainbow, a cherry blossom, butterflies or any other design of your choosing.
4. When you have finished painting your fan, set it aside to dry.
5. While you wait for your plates to dry, grab two of the jumbo craft sticks. You can choose to paint them or leave them natural. If you paint them, make sure you let them dry completely.
6. Glue the craft sticks into a wide “V” shape to form the fan’s handle.
7. Glue the handle to the bottom of your painted fan. superman coloring pages
8. Paper plate fans for the spring and summer. These hand fans are a simple arts and craft project that is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers and kids of all ages.

It is as easy as that. Make a bunch with different spring or summer designs. These are perfect for a warm day. Just grab one and enjoy the breeze.