Leprechaun or Santa Placemat Papercraft Tangram Game

Tangram Template Pattern for Santa's Hat Game

This holiday homeschool math lesson for first grade, is a fun learning game for tangrams. What's in Santa's hat? Tangrams! And, yes... I realize tangram is misspelled on some of the images and printables. Who knew? Everyone here says, "TanAgrams". So, if you do too, now you know the correct spelling is T-A-N-G-R-A-M. Enjoy!

What's in Santa's Hat? Tangram game for elementary!

Shh, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. In March, Santa is a leprechaun. That's right, he just changes his clothes to green and dyes his hair and beard red. You can do it too! 

When you make our placemat papercraft free printable template, just cut green and orange to make Lucky the Leprechaun for this tangram placemat papercraft game for kids. 

It makes the perfect classroom activity for sitting quietly at your desk, or use it at the dinner table to keep the kids busy while you finish preparing dinner. 

Click on the images below for printable templates or right click and save to computer to print. The latter way might not come out the right size- it is best to click to our MediaFire storage. 

Then, trace and cut out all shapes. When sewing or gluing, leave the top of the hat band open to insert the hat/napkin. I also used the face (just glued the sides) to make the storage space larger.

Santa printable traceable pattern .

Click the image for Santa Template to download.

So, oops I misspelled tangram on my printables. Don't make the same mistake!

Tangram Pattern, that's right tangram. Watch your spelling.

Santa Math Game for First Graders.

Tip: If you are really crafty, use felt or laminate the paper to make it last longer!

Tangram Shapes 
Printable Hat 
Template Santa's Face Template


Recommended Reading:


Homeschool Lessons by Grade

Santa's Hat Companion Book Idea Ad*









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! :)

Teens Halloween Party Ideas Cool Activities

10 Halloween Decor, Games, and Activities for Teenagers
 

Ah, your little preschool darlings have blossomed into not so darling teenagers. Sigh. At least a few times a year, you'll still get some of those old time, good vibes with birthdays and holidays. Halloween is our favorite time of the year. Rarely have we lived in a place where trick or treating door to door was a possibility, so we've always gotten creative. Throw your teens a Halloween Party with these cool ideas and activities for Halloween! Oriental Trading generously sent us the supplies for this post. We hope you enjoy our tips for Halloween decor, games, and activities for teenagers!

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links. 

Teens won't admit it, but they love to play funny games and win prizes. Sure, they'll groan how uncool you are, but inside they'll feel all giddy and look forward to the fun! This Halloween, tone it down, be cool, and have fun!

10 Cool Halloween Activities for Teens

Dragons guard the Halloween candy dish.

• These Cheesy Ghost Chicken Nuggets taste delicious and make a spooky appetizer for a Halloween Party. Be prepared to work quickly, the cheese gets solid fast.

• Use a paint marker to write 'Boo' on the bottom of one mini popcorn bucket. Have everyone check their  buckets. Whoever gets the 'boo' wins a special prize. Be sure to tell everyone else to boo the winner! Teens like that stuff, you know.

We like to use these Mythical Halloween Creatures from Oriental Trading as boo prizes.

• Tell teenager party-goers the story of how the Jack-o-Lantern originated and carve Halloween Turnips instead of Pumpkins to keep with the tradition.

The REAL story of the Jack-o-Lantern started with a turnip.

Oriental Trading has tons of cool decorations for Halloween parties. Our teens chose to go with a dragon theme for their Halloween party. We ordered dragon skeletons, swords, gloves for knights in shining armor, and more. 

• For the Halloween party tablescape below, we used a black light up bat wreath as a centerpiece decoration for our candy dish. If you're having a sleepover party, build memories by making a Halloween wreath as a favor to take home. 

• The black light up bat wreath is perfect for various themes. In fact, it can be used as a centerpiece decoration for a Medieval-themed Halloween party. Be sure to include other Medieval decorations. For starters, give your walls an ancient look by covering them with stone wallpapers and hanging shields. Also, provide minimal natural light using chandeliers and torches. Equally important, don't forget to dress appropriately for the event. Men can sport a "noblemen" look by wearing tunics, leggings, and breeches. Meanwhile, medieval costume ideas for women include long gowns and ankle-length tunics belted at the waist.

We filled these mini milk jugs from Oriental Trading with assorted M and Ms.

• Play ring toss with the candy filled milk jugs and some Halloween bracelets. When the kids toss a bracelet over a jug, they win the jug and the bracelet!

Halloween Party Candy Theme Table Decorations.

• Creature Pizza Biscuits are easy and fun to make as a Teen Halloween Party Activity. Just dip them in marinara sauce for a tasty appetizer. Learn how to make them here: Pumpkin Face Pizza Biscuits.

Edible Art: Pumpkin Biscuits.

• The large Dragon Skeleton is perfect for posing for pictures for teens to share on their social media! #HalloweenGames  After they've posed, blindfold them, tape a paper flame (with tape on both sides) to the end of the sword, and play PIN THE FLAME ON THE DRAGON.

Pin the Flame on the Dragon Party Game.

• Make your own Halloween Pumpkin and Ghost lights with plastic cups and cheap string lights. Learn how here: Pumpkin and Ghost Lights for Party. When teens arrive, give them each a cup and some markers. Let their creative juices flow and then collect the cups and pop them on a strand of lights. Hang it on your entry way, so they can see their art work as they head home.

• Don't forget the worms! For a cool teen HALLOWEEN party the best ideas are the grossest (is that even a word) ones. Our world famous SLURPIN' FOR WORMS game is a necessity! Especially, when you use the realistic gummy earthworms from OTC.

Realistic Earthworm Gummy Candy from Oriental Trading.

How to Play Slurpin' for Worms Game.

• On Halloween, a house party full of teens needs haunting! Hang sheets to make mazes throughout the rooms, turn out the lights and light the way with strobe lights or flickering string lights. Add creepy creatures at every corner, and make the final exit a 'dead' end.

Dragon Skeleton for Yard.

Follow us on Pinterest and Instagram for more fun Halloween Party Ideas!

Recommended:

Cool Games and Songs for Teen Parties

Get Halloween Costumes for Teens from Amazon

More Halloween Activities and Recipes from Kids Creative Chaos

Need Cat Food Portion Control?

How do you Control Cat Food Portions?

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MeowMixatMeijer #CollectiveBias

If you have a cat (or several like we do) you probably have a  time controlling portions. We have one fat cat who likes to hog all of the cat food. What is the right serving per cat? Do you base it on age, weight, or both? How do you control the mess? Meow Mix® Simple Servings™ at Meijer has solved your problem! It comes in a simple portion control package, so that part is easy.

How do you keep your fat cat from nudging the other cats out and stealing their portion? Keep reading to find out how we keep every cat eating their own cat food portion. Turns out, the bully isn't who we thought it was.

Tigger chilling after his meal of Simple Servings.

 

Tigger and Buddi love Meow Mix® Simple Servings™ cat food. Their favorite cat food flavor is chicken and turkey. When you shop at Meijer you can use their mPerks offer  and get 30% off from 10/08/17 - 11/04/17. Awesome!

First things first, when we walk into the kitchen fat cat follows. He's always looking for an opportunity to eat. There's always dry food in the dish in case he gets hungry between meals, but he's too finicky for that. If the food has been out for more than an hour, he starts slapping the bowl to to get our attention. When we ignore him, he tips the bowl over and spills the 'stale' food out onto the floor. Grr. We sweep the cat food off the floor several times every day. So, of course, he is first to arrive for Simple Servings. The plastic cups are ideal for portion control.

Now, Buddi smells the cat food, hears the the purring, and comes running. Next comes a paw duel and some growling. Then, one of the cats bows down to the other. To our surprise, the bigger cat stood back. She's that blur running in for the food.

With Simple Servings we can fix this mess! Each cat gets their own serving. You can serve it on a plate or leave it in the cup. So no bullying, right? Wrong.

Aww... What a gentleman. He steps back and lets the lady eat. How sweet. We tried to give him his own plate of Simple Servings, but she kept running back and forth to each plate and crowding him out of the way.

So, what's a poor gentleman kitty to do? With the mess-free, new Meow Mix Simple Servings cat food from your local Meijer store, you can serve him on the counter or at the table... Well, if you're a cat person. If you don't like the idea of your cat on the counter just stick a cup on a chair.

Tigger enjoying Simple Servings on the kitchen counter- no mess!

Meow Mix® Simple Servings™ is a new, single serving of delicious wet cat food in a convenient, mess-free cup. It comes in single-serve portions so there are no leftovers, you can serve right from the cup and pop it in the trash when your cats are finished eating. The cup is easy-to-open and easy-to-serve without forks or spoons.

Tigger loves the pieces of real seafood or poultry in a savory sauce or gravy. His favorite flavor is Chicken And Turkey, but there are plenty of flavors for your picky eaters.

Tuna and Salmon
Seafood Variety
Seafood Variety
Whitefish
Chicken and Turkey
Tuna and Whitefish

Each Simple Servings cup is a single serving so you can feed your cat the wet food they crave, without the hassle of worrying about portioning or what to do with the leftovers. All you have to do is open and serve—it’s that simple.

Yum! Licking his lips and yawning after filling his belly with his fair share.

Join the fun and follow Meow Mix on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. #MeowMixatMeijer #CollectiveBias

Problem solved, bellies full, a peaceful ending to the cat food bully situation.

You can find these in the Wet Cat Food aisle at Meijer.

Recommended: Gifts for Pets

How to Make Clay: Air Dry Clay, Homemade Clay Recipes for Home School Art Project

How to make clay is simple: Here are some recipes.

We've been crafting with Air-Dry clay. We purchased a clay kit and then we also made our own clay at home. It can be used with a Potter's wheel or shaped into free forms for home school art projects. Enjoy!

Air dry clay pig and diy homemade clay recipes.

Attach pieces by adding a little water to each piece. This is Jake's Pig (From Jake's Journey in Art). He enjoyed playing with the clay just enough to complete the assignment.

Alextoys.com sells boxes of air dry clay refills perfect 
for your animal  sculptures.

Clay is wonderful for Sensory play. In the homemade recipe below, just add some scented oils like vanilla or cinnamon.  TOUCH, SMELL, TASTE (I don't recommend it), SEE- hmm... When it dries you can gently tap it onto the table for SOUND encompassing all senses or get CREATIVE and make a rattle/maraca or a base for a drum just stretch tissue paper over the top and attach with a large rubber band.

Mayhem made many animals and embellished each one.

 Get your Air Dry Clay Refill Pack  by Alex Toys.

The baubles in the photos above came with the air dry clay refill for the pottery wheel from Alex Toys.

How to make Homemade Clay Recipe:

Click here for how to make clay without cream of tar tar

Easy/recommended for preschool and early elementary

1 cup flour
1 cup water
2 tsp cream of tartar
 ¼ cup salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized pot. Decide on a color  for the clay. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly. The dough will eventually become difficult to stir, and it will stick to the spoon. At this point, dump the dough onto wax paper. Allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes, and then knead it until it is smooth. Store the dough in a plastic container or a plastic bag when not in use. Refrigerate the clay when not in use.

Homemade Clay can be painted and it will last for years to come. Make cute Holiday Gifts: Think napkin rings, 3D wall hangings, necklace medallions, trivets, and pretty catch-all bowls.

Looking for Toddler or Preschooler Activities? 
Try this:  Sensory Dough playtime Activities.

Recommended Reading:

Craft a Minecraft Marshmallow Pig

Happy Pig Day! *

If You Give a Pig a Pancake*






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! :)

Plan a Ladybug Picnic Party & Learn about the Ladybug Life Cycle too!

A Ladybug Picnic Party is a Fun Way to learn about the Ladybug Life Cycle

Spring and Summer are the perfect time to throw a Ladybug picnic or Ladybug theme birthday party! We love to sneak in educational elements whenever possible, so we've come up with some fun Ladybug activities and added an educational one too. Learning about the Ladybug's life cycle is fun - Scroll down to find more Ladybug learning activities from Teaching Mama. Enjoy!

Plan a Ladybug Picnic Party and Learn about the ladybug Life cycle.

Online, you will find lots of different Ladybug tic tac toe games. Some are made of construction paper, others use painted rocks, blocks of wood, or even sticks.

Collect walnut shells and paint them like ladybugs and bumble bees
for Tic Tac Toe and Checkers games.

We enjoy taking hikes around our property. It is like our very own nature park. So, on a recent hike, we collected broken Walnut shells to paint like Ladybugs and Bumble Bees in honor of the book, Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy!

These are so cute and perfect to leave sitting out for an impromptu game of Ladybug Tic Tac Toe or Checkers. 

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy Party.  Want your own? Let us know in the comments.

Just store your bugs in a woven basket, and leave them sitting on a table or bench as an invitation to play. We tossed in sidewalk chalk, so that kids can make a board anywhere they want! Sticks make a perfect natural Tic Tac Toe board.

Make and play Ladybug Tic Tac Toe and Checkers.

Playing games are a great way to build friendships and teach about compromise too! Read the book, LADYBUG GIRL AND THE BUMBLEBEE BOY, the theme is “friendship and compromise.” 

In the story, Lulu and her dog Bingo meet up with Sam on the playground and want to play together. Sam likes the sandbox but Lulu thinks the monkey bars are better. They just can’t agree…until Lulu asks, “Have you ever played Ladybug Girl?” Quickly, Sam becomes the brave Bumblebee Boy, and he and Lulu, a.k.a Ladybug Girl, are superheroes who save the playground from scary monsters and mean robots. New friends want to join their game too, and soon the Bug Squad is formed with Ladybug Girl, Bumblebee Boy, Dragonfly Girl, and Butterfly Girl using their imaginations to keep the playground safe.

Gather walnut shells, paint, and brushes to make a Ladybug Tic Tac Toe game.

Paint walnut red to make a ladybug.

Paint walnut yellow to make a bumblebee.

Hop over to Teaching Mama to print a ladybug life cycle printable activity the kids can make at the party!

Ladybug life cycle printable available at TeachingMama.org

This is one of my all time favorite Sesame Street Videos: Ladybug Picnic.

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter to win Ladybug Girl items for your own party!


Recommended:

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy*

Things to do with Walnuts

Paper Ladybug Tic Tac Toe Valentine

Frog Birthday Party Ideas 

Kids Games that get You Moving: How to Play Disc Golf

Disc Golf is a Game that gets Kids Moving

Frisbee Golf or Flying Disc Golf isn't very complicated, but the professionals take it very seriously. Since we blog about kids' activities, we've adapted this fun, family game into an easy to play (and explain) game to get children moving. If you're lucky, you have a disc golf course at your local park, but you probably don't even realize it. Enjoy!

This post contains  Amazon and other affiliate links for your convenience.

Edible Art PRETZEL Heart Recipe Valentine Craft Activity for Kids

Pretzel Heart Recipe

Almost as good as the ones you get from a carnival, this Edible Art, Pretzel Heart Recipe is the perfect Valentine Craft Activity for family fun. Enjoy!

Want to make pretzels at home? This recipe is fun to do as a family. And, it's yummy too- better than a breadstick! Make an edible heart for a fun, Valentine activity.

Twist Pretzel into a heart for Valentine's Day.

Have a HEART!

You will need:
1 pkg. dry yeast, 1 tbs. sugar, 1 1/2 cup warm water, 4 cups flour, 1 tsp. salt or sea salt, 1 egg beaten, Red food coloring,

Mix water and yeast together in large bowl until yeast dissolves. Add Salt, Sugar, Flour, and food coloring. Mix and Knead the dough until smooth- but don't over do it. The more you work the dough the less fluff the finished product will have. Flour your hands to work the dough; it is sticky!

Knead in red food coloring.

Roll dough and make heart shaped pretzels or oversize pretzel bread sticks, place on GREASED baking sheet, lightly brush with BEATEN EGG, sprinkle with SALT.

Brush with egg.

Twist and lay out.

 

BAKE at 425 degrees for 12 -15 minutes.

Try with usual dips WARM CHEESE and HOT MUSTARD

Or Experiment with CREAM CHEESE, PEANUT BUTTER, and PIZZA SAUCE.

Valentine Toast with Milk Paint

5 Fab Valentine Crafts

Salt with table salt or pretzel salt, place in oven.

Recommended Reading:

Valentine Doily Gift Pouch

Valentine Cootie Catcher Super Valentine Card Pack*

The Story of Valentine's Day*












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! :)