by Laura Kycek
I love crafting–by myself, with friends, with children–all of it. So when I was asked to write up something for the blog this month, I enthusiastically gave a “YES”! I will admit, it was hard to narrow it down to just a few. God Himself–the Creator–gave us the ability to create, so why not enjoy it! Here are a few of my favorite crafts. Whether you have Bigs, Middles, or Littles, these are sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Bigs – Rice Krispie Turkeys
Items Needed: Rice Krispie cereal, marshmallows, 1 stick butter, red/orange M&Ms, chocolate wafers, candy corn, candy eyeballs, jelly roll pan, and parchment paper.
1. Whip up a batch of rice krispie bars. I used a jelly roll pan to get the depth of bar I desired. Allow them to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the decorations.
2. Cut red or orange M&Ms in half for the beak. Melt a handful of chocolate pieces for the drizzle.
3. After the bars have cooled and set, cut circle pieces. I used a wide mouth jar lid to cut out the circle shape.
4. Then drizzle a small strip of chocolate at the top and place 5 candy corn pieces as feathers.
5. Dab another blob of chocolate near the middle bottom for the face. Add a chocolate wafer, flat side up.
6. Dap a small amount of chocolate on the flat side of the wafer and add two eyeballs and the M&M piece, cut side down.
Middles: Leaf Wreath/Garland
For this project, you could use any variety of leaf printouts (example here), or draw your own leaves.
1. Print/draw the leaf shapes on cardstock paper and cut them out.
2. Cut out the middle of a paper plate and use glue dots to arrange the feathers around the plate for festive fall wreath.
3. Hang your wreath at home, or share it with a friend.
I gave mine to my dear Aunt Janet who turned 94 last month. You can also hole punch the leaves and string them on twine for a garland. A hot glue gun works as well, but would require adult supervision.
Littles: Golf Tee Pumpkin
Head on out to the pumpkin patch and let your littles pick their favorite pumpkin. Show them how to hold the golf tee and gently pound the tees into the pumpkin. Albeit not very crafty – this will keep them entertained for hours! As a boy mom, this was a huge hit with our little guys.
Everyone: Kindness Leaves and Thankful Pumpkins
Kindness Leaves. Using leaf templates from online (example here) or by drawing your own, you can share love and kindness with a friend, coffee barista, server, or random cars in the parking lot. Everyone needs a little kindness and these cute leaves have it. Print them on colorful cardstock and cut them out. Share with one and all.
Thankful Pumpkin: I like to say, “It’s hard to be grumpy when you’re grateful.” People of all ages can enjoy writing their thanks on a pumpkin. Use a big pumpkin and add to it as a family or each person can get a small pumpkin and write on the sections. I love having mine in the dining room as a regular reminder to be thankful.
Laura Kycek (key-check) is a SE MN native and has been attending Calvary since 2013. Wife to Michael and homeschooling mama to Andrew and Benjamin, she loves to spend her free time reading and snuggling their dog, Minnie. After years of children’s ministry in Rochester and Minneapolis, Laura is now the director of a local Classical Conversations community. She also loves when stories come to life for children through carefully selected read alouds and is passionate about VBS.