Snow day, you say? Utter this phrase in the direction of any school-aged child and you can just about see the excitement building. Snow days for our little ones mean sledding, snowball fights, fort-building, hot chocolate, and more winter-weather fun. For parents, though, it means a whole day of keeping the kids entertained.
With record-low temperatures hitting the Northeast and the rest of the country this winter, there’s bound to be many more snow days in our near future. And when it’s too frigid to enjoy the great outdoors for longer than about 10 minutes, that’s when you fall back on your snow day survival kit (see: craft supplies, books, and board games galore). Don’t have one? You’re in luck! Here are some must-have snow day supplies:
Stick It, Label It, Laminate It!
The Creative Station from Xyron ($34.99) is a sticker maker, laminator, label maker, and magnet maker all in one, making it perfect for craft, school, home, and office projects. The 5-inch device is ideal for creating photo stickers, photo magnets, laminated recipe cards, business cards, labels for jars and cabinets, and many other projects. Keep it simple: For a lower price point, the Xyron Sticker Maker (three sizes; $4.99-$27.99) turns anything you can imagine into an adhesive sticker. Insert a photo, memento, note, ribbon or other item into the sticker maker, then pull it through and tear. In seconds you have a custom sticker without the messy glue. See the Xyron site for instructions on how to use the Sticker Maker to create Glow-in-the-Dark stars.
Sew Easy
We Love to Sew: 28 Pretty Things to Make ($22.95) by mom blogger Annabel Wrigleyis a delightful, easy-to-use, sewing guide for young, creative beginners. The reimagined, centuries-old art is modernized; each page provides vivid images and instructions for each step of a project, all performed by Wrigley’s young students. Wrigley’s new how-to book features a collection of 28 imaginative projects specifically designed for girls ages 8 and older, and it’s written in language suitable for and readable by young children. Parents, caregivers, and teachers can work together with their children on the trendy new projects. Pictured at right is a personalized ornament project from the book.
Put Your Stamp On It
The Carve-a-Stamp Kitfrom Yellow Owl Workshop ($30) contains everything you need to carve and print your own custom rubber stamps. The kit includes: easy-to-follow instructions, 25 original templates, Carve-A-Stamp block with two sides for carving, carving tool with multiple blades, muslin keepsake bag, and an all-purpose ink pad for printing on paper, fabric, and more.
Crafting with Older Kids
The people behind the popular craft blog Everyday is a Holiday, Jenny Heid and Aaron Nieradka, believe that you should have no fears when it comes to crafting. Their easy-to-follow, step-by-step instruction manual details how to create unique and vibrant art journals and mixed-media crafts. In Mixed Media Masterpieces with Jenny & Aaron (Page Street Publishing, November 2013; $19.99), authors Heid and Nieradka walk crafters through mixed-media projects that will explore their creativity while expanding skills. The eye-catching projects are true to the author’s quirky style and range from pieces of art to gifts to jewelry. Projects include an art journal page dedicated to favorite places, mini faux doughnuts to display in the kitchen or make into magnets, and a necklace with elements from favorite art journal pages. Crafts are divided into Painting, Making, Sculpting, Escaping into Mixed Media, and For the Love of Art Journaling.
Pack It All Up
When it comes to arts and crafts you need tons of storage for all of your tools and equipment. Storage boxes and bins take up too much space and can quickly become messy and unorganized. ZizzyBee Bags ($15.99-$19.99 for 3-pack) are a practical solution for DIY crafters to store all of their crafting supplies without taking up too much room in the house. The eco-friendly bags come in two convenient sizes with a zipper to keep things in place and a handle for hanging on hooks. The bags are also see-through so you can easily find what you’re looking for but they can also be labeled to keep things well organized. The bags are washable and reusable so if your next art project gets a little messy — no worries! Just wash out the bag and it’s ready to be used once again.
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