Make Your Own Storybook Block Puzzle: Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse_Little Golden Books

Learn How to Make a Storybook Puzzle from Old Blocks

In this addition of, Things to Make at Home, we recycle children's books. Your kids' story books can grow up with them. Use those old foam baby blocks and worn out Little Golden Books to make a fun puzzle for the kids. The pages trim to fit a 3x3 block pattern. Enjoy!

Use glue to adhere the pages to the aligned blocks.
Let dry completely- up to an hour.
Trust me, patience is not only a virtue but a requirement.
If you don't wait for it to dry, it will turn into a disaster.

When the first page is dry, take an Exact-o knife and cut through the block seams.

Cutting through the paper.

Once row is separated flip it, and align again.

Repeat until all side are covered. 
Don't worry if the paper edges aren't even.

Trim the paper edges after each paste.

Completed Story Block.

Blocks are ready to Modge Podge, let set, and play!

Some blocks stuck to the board and ripped, but this is easily repaired in the final step with the Modge Podge. Even if some of the image is removed, it still makes a nice picture. If you're stuck on perfection you can take an extra step and cut the squares out before pasting to the blocks. If you cut them out individually, make them slightly smaller than the face of the block. This leaves a nice outline around each image and gives the puzzle a more professional feel when complete.

Recommended Reading:

Recycle Scrabble Games

Recycle Plastic Bottles

Recycle!: A Handbook for Kids by Gail Gibbons*











ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Thanksgiving Activity: Broomstick Toss Craft and Game for Parties

Broomstick Toss Craft and Game for Kids for Fall Parties

You are busy working in the kitchen; your kids need something to do. Take a minute to turn some plates and a broom into a fun Thanksgiving Activity. This Broomstick Toss game is perfect for preschoolers and family parties. Bring on the holiday fun! Enjoy.

Thanksgiving Game for Parties.

Jake is happy he got to use scissors, nevermind he did not follow the instructions. Let your kids experiment. Give them a plain piece of paper and a pair of kiddie scissors, and you've just earned twenty minutes of freedom. Cut the center from your mini-paper plate. Grab your broom. Dessert Plates work best.

Use Sensory Motor Skills to make this craft.

Easy Thanksgiving activity game for kids to make and play.

Thanksgiving Game for Parties  

You will need:

6 -10 paper plates, scissors, and a broom.

• Start by poking a hole in the center of your plate and cutting around to form a ring.
• Repeat with all plates.
• Divide into two teams, each team taking half the plates to opposite ends of the room.
• Get your broom, decide which team goes first.
• Unlike the traditional ring toss the player holds the broom and actively tries to catch the rings. It can be a boisterously fun game for preschoolers.
• We found when you toss your plate upside down it flies better, but it is nearly impossible to catch on the broom. So, toss your plates under-handed with the eating side up.
• When a player tosses all of their plates, tally the 'ringers' and switch sides.

The winner catches the most plates with the broom.

 

Jake beams after catching a plate- Don't tell Amanda we let her cheat!

Action!....

The kids really like this game and it is so SIMPLE.  It is a great 'busy' activity while you cook Thanksgiving Dinner. They needed very little moderation, although I can see the broomstick turning into a weapon quickly in a dispute, so don't leave them unattended for too long. :-)



Recommended Reading:

Thanksgiving Song for Kids

Thanksgiving Song for Kids

Things to do with a Box: Homemade DIY Disney Perry the Platypus

How to make a Perry the Platypus Costume for Halloween

Got a box? Got an hour? Make a homemade costume for creative play, trick or treating, or a fun spontaneous parade. We saw an episode of Phineas and Ferb and Candace was wearing a Perry Costume. We had to make our own Perry the Playtpus Homemade Costume for Halloween. Enjoy!

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Perry the Platypus costume to make at home.

So, I was surfing Facebook and caught this photo of Candace dressed in a Perry the Platypus costume, and I immediately knew I'd be recreating it for the blog. What a great idea for creative play- Box recycling. I mean, who doesn't love a box?

Candace as Perry the Platypus.

Who indeed? Of course, the family cat loves a box.

First, I grabbed an old box. Then, I tried to match Perry's teal color with paint I had on hand. I got a drab teal by mixing blue + white + a dash of red.

 

I didn't want to go to the store. It was hurricane weather- even Indiana was cold and windy. So, I searched my stash of junk and found old paper plates, squished turquoise crepe paper garland, Styrofoam circles, and lucky me an old, beige fedora!

Start by taping an end to the back, and then line glue all around 
and attach the crepe paper.

Paint your beak orange.

Paint a mouth on one side.

Attach paper plate beak to inside with tape.

Cut out paper eyeball and wrap crepe over for eyebrows.

Finally...

• Insert kid as Candace. 
• Find Phineas and Ferb Friends. 

This took a couple of hours. Of course, you can always save time or effort and choose to buy costumes from fancy costume shops online such as kigurumi.co. but I loved that we had everything on hand and could recycle my craft supplies. Full Disclosure: I ran out of crepe, so I made sure to cover the front and let the sides go with just paint.



Recommended:

Phineas, Ferb, and Perry Fun Free PDF Activity Book

How to Make a Phineas Mask

No Sew Nativity Costumes

Disney 18" Perry, Folding Plush Pillow

Phineas and Ferb Reader #2: Perry Speaks! (Level 3)

Pumpkin Mania: 12 DIY Things to do with PUMPKINS

12 things you can do with your favorite, fall gourd: the Pumpkin

DIY Pumpkin Carving Crafts.

There are so many things you can do with gourds! I like pumpkins, p-p-p-p pumpkins. I like pumpkins 'cause pumpkins are so fun! Pumpkins aren't just for carving.

1.   Happy Accident Painting with Gourds and pumpkins
2.   Creative Pumpkin Activities from Hands on as we Grow
3.   Pumpkin Eating Dinosaur
4.   Cute Online Pumpkin Carving
5.   The original Pumpkin Chalkboard :-)
6.   Phineas and Ferb Pumpkin Carving Templates
7.   Fall Funtastic: Pumpkin Patches, Haunted Houses, and Fall Fun
8.   Harvest Pumpkin Skillet Recipe
9.   How to make an easy kid size scarecrow
10. Song about Pumpkin Pie, Over the River and Through the Woods.
11. Halloween Turnip? The Legend of the Jack-o-Lantern
12. Snowman Pumpkin Decorating

Recommended Reading:


The Three Friends and the Pumpkins by Tomie dePaola

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever

Christmas Tree in Snow clipart, photo, images, and cartoon pictures

Christmas Tree in Snow Pictures and Free Clip Art Printables

I surfed the Internet and came up with these beautiful Christmas clipart photos of Christmas Trees in snow and we have many types of Christmas Trees* for you. Click the image to visit the website of origin, find more beautiful photos available for free or purchase.  Happy Holidays! Enjoy!

Cartoon Christmas Tree in Snow from Microsoft Clipart images.

Christmas Tree in Snow with colored lights from Word Clipart images.

Tiny Charlie Brown Christmas Tree in Snow with white lights.

Lit Christmas Tree in Snow from Indigo Crossing Blog.

Christmas Tree in snowy hillls from Pixadus.com posted by Coy.

Also from Indigo Crossing Blog.

Waffle cone Christmas Trees in snow from popcorn.

Christmas Tree from Rudolph's Shiny New Year with Yukon Cornelius, Bumble, Santa, and Rudolph.

  

From make-handmade.blogspot.com (blog no longer exists.)

Christmas Tree Clipart from Microsoft Office and Word.

From Latoro.com Screensavers visit for tons of wall paper to download.

Twig ornament Christmas Trees from Michele Made Me Blog.

From Recovering Craft Hoarder Blog. Click image to visit blog.

Here is  a great website for free clipart images.
Click on the photo to visit clipartguide.com

You can find great clipart images in word and office programs like this cartoon Christmas tree with decorations.

Christmas Tree in snow cartoon clipart.

Recommended Reading:

Old-Fashioned Christmas Illustrations Clipart*

Christmas Quote: Tinsel in a Tangle

Winter Backgrounds - Christmas Vector Clip Art Images*


*If any of these images are yours and you would like more than a link back please let me know.

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)