Easter Egg Match: printable card game

Easter is literally around the corner, so have some fun with your kids by playing our free printable card game, Easter Egg Match.

You can let the littlest kids find matches by looking at the cards face up.  Or turn the cards over and play Concentration.  You can also play Go Fish, or Old Maid, or whatever other card game you can think of.  And there are fewer cards than a regular deck, so you don't have to worry about the short attention spans of little kids.

Just click to get the free download:

REMINDER: Printables from Peonies and Poppyseeds are free for non-commercial, personal printed use only. Mass production and file sharing are not permitted. If your friends or family want to know where you got your printables, send them to our site. Thanks!

free paperdolls printable

One time my mom drew some paper dolls that looked just like my sisters and me. And they were awesome. I'm not willing to draw custom paper dolls for everyone though. Because that is just crazy talk. But you can get these free paper dolls to print and play with and make fun memories with your kids.

Print these on cardstock and laminate them to last longer.  Or you can cut off all the tags and mount the pieces on magnetic strips to get the clothes to stay on easier.  The magnets also allow you to play with the dolls in fun places like the fridge.

I plan on posting more clothing to print with these every once in awhile.  But let me ask you a questions - do you want a boy version?  Do boys like to play with paper dolls?


 
REMINDER: Printables from Peonies and Poppyseeds are free for non-commercial, personal printed use only. Mass production and file sharing are not permitted. If your friends or family want to know where you got your printables, send them to our site. Thanks!

Fun Food Bingo Game Printable

We like playing bingo at our house.  Especially when we get to mark the squares with candy or cereal or something.  Because then, when you win, you get to eat the treat!

Here is a fun food bingo game printable for you and your kids to enjoy - it comes with 5 different player bingo cards and all the calling cards (so you can put them in a pile upside down and pick the next square to mark at random by drawing one card at a time).  Just click to download:

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This bingo set was made with the Yum Digital Scrapbook kit, found here.

Hand Warmer Craft Tutorial

I woke up to snow this morning which, let me tell you, was not a happy thing.  Stupid snow.  But here's a craft I did with my kids to help combat the cold.

We gave away a few of these as gifts, which was great because they were cheap and easy, and I seriously made my kids do half of the work.  Here is how to make your own:

First you need to make a pattern (we did hearts and stars).  Basic shapes are easiest - just take a piece of paper, fold it in half, draw half a shape, cut it out and unfold.  (Look, one of my patterns was made out of a paper towel, because we're super fancy here.)

Then take a piece of fabric (we used polar fleece, but I've made these with other fabric) and cut out a pair of whatever your shape is.

Next, you need to sew around your shape, leaving a small opening.  And make sure you sew with the right sides facing each other.

And then, turn your shape right side out.  This is where your kids come in handy.

Then, make your kids fill the warmer with rice.  I handed my kids a funnel, a grody bowl to catch the stray rice and then told them to work together.  It semi-worked, but in the end, they got it filled.

Once the handwarmer is filled with rice, you'll need to turn the edges of the opening in and pin it shut.

Then you make your kids sew the opening shut with a needle and thread.  Because it teaches them new skills and makes them practice fine motor control and also because if they do it then you won't have to (even though first graders clearly aren't the best seamstresses).

Then, if you want to give these as a gift, you'll need to print out the little hand warmer printable just

...and then print and cut.

Lastly, all you have to do is stick the handwarmer and the printed card in a bag and viola - cheap and easy gift that your kids did most of the work.  Or you can just use one at home to combat the evil cold of snow.

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Summer Plans: 100+ things to do with your kids this summer

With less than a month left until school gets out, I am making Grand Plans to ensure that we have something to do every day.  (And I just counted, we only have 80 days of summer vacation. That is not even a full three months. I remember summer being so long!)

I am in the process of making a 100 Days of Summer advent calendar, and in each pocket, there is going to be a slip of paper that has what we’re doing for the day inside.

Of course, when I say Grand Plans, I mean that I am willing to go on a few day trips.  The majority of the summer will be spent at home, and these are the things we will be doing (you know, in addition to our regular every day things like practicing the piano and swimming). I present to you:

1. run through the sprinklers
2. wash windows
3. have a picnic
4. go to the beach
5. go to a waterpark
6. have a BBQ
7. make s’mores
8. go camping
9. go to the river
10. movie day
11. wash the cars
12. write a letter to someone
13. make cookies
14. have a lemonade stand
15. go to the zoo
16. visit a museum
17. make popsicles
18. blow bubbles (foamerator!)
19. watch the fireworks
20. have a watermelon seed spitting contest
21. make cards (birthday, thank you, etc)
22. Have an Unbirthday party
23. lay on the grass and watch the clouds
24. bird watching!
25. scavenger hunt
26. make a quilt
27. read a book
28. make a treasure hunt
29. have a game night
30. stay up late and watch a movie
31. make a movie
32. go fly a kite
33. make a bird feeder
34. learn first aid
35. learn a new song
36. make up a funny skit and perform it for your friends
37. water balloon fight!
38. make your own ice cream
39. go bowling
40. draw a self portrait
41. make your own pajama’s
42. learn about an animal
43. go on a day trip
44. visit “downtown”
45. make your own jam
46. give yourself a pedicure
47. make a dish you’ve never made before
48. plant some flowers
49. play kickball
50. start a collection
51. go on a bike ride
52. make a fort
53. have ice cream sundaes
54. see a movie at the drive-in
55. go to the park/playground
56. decorate a shirt
57. have a parade
58. learn about the night sky and find constellations
59. make a family flag
60. go to a free concert in the park
61. be a secret helper - do a nice deed for someone, and don’t tell them about it!
62. feed the ducks at a pond
63. go fishing
64. play hopscotch
65. make strawberry shortcake
66. have a summer Olympics
67. go on a factory tour (day trip: We’re going to Hershey’s!)
68. make your own pizza
69. make snow cones in your blender
70. go on an alphabet tour - snap photos of all the letters in the alphabet
71. have a puppet show
72. have a “board” day - play board games all day!
73. do a science experiment
74. make taffy
75. learn to hula hoop
76. play hide and go seek
77. build a time capsule
78. build a rocket
79. make a marshmallow gun and have a marshmallow fight
80. climb a tree
81. visit the fire department
82. paint a room in the house
83. catch a bug
84. learn a swimming stroke
85. get a haircut
86. visit a farm and pick fruits and veggies
87. go to the temple
88. SWAP! - take your friends kids for the day, and then they’ll take yours for a day.
89. ride a scooter
90. watch all the Star Wars movies
91. watch all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
92. write a story
93. get a junior ranger badge
94. go to the county fair
95. learn a new card game
96. make play dough
97. learn a dance
98. see the sunrise
99. have a musical concert or talent show
100. make a diorama
101. learn a new word - try to use it as much as you can!
102. put together a puzzle
103. make a maze
104. decorate cupcakes
105. play Frisbee
106. hunt for four leaf clovers
107. go on a boat ride
108. take a train
109. make a collage
110. make a sandcastle... out of graham crackers!
111. build an obstacle course
112. build a model car
113. mini-golf!

I’m getting excited for summer! How about you?