Spring is finally here and for so many of us, at not a moment too soon. So, let’s celebrate! Now, Easter time is nearly upon us and many of our families are even loving a spring break! Even if you do not celebrate the actual Easter religious holiday, this time has become synonymous with new life and a new beginning. And that is wonderful to celebrate. We found a few  craft ideas for kids that would champion that idea and be easy to do in an hour or two.

The first is a twist on an old tradition: These colored eggs start out like any other but end up being very practical and can be used as place cards for a family dinner. The website and article is available with this link: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/unique-egg-decorating-ideas/#slideshow=slide2

“You’ll need:
Eggs
Store-bought or DIY egg dyes
Wire egg holder
Acrylic craft paint
Small paintbrush
Small letter stickers

What to do:
Rest an egg sideways on an egg holder and dip in dye bath of desired color, but hold the egg so the top third of the egg stays above the dye bath and remains white. Let dry completely. Pour a small amount of acrylic craft paint in desired color on a plastic plate or wax paper. Dip the non-brush end of a small paintbrush into the paint and dab on egg to create a dot. Paint dots around the white oval. When the paint dries, apply letter stickers to spell a name or just one sticker for an initial.

Tips: Acrylic craft paints are inexpensive and available at craft stores. Small letter stickers are available in the scrapbooking section of the craft store. As the letters usually have a white background, these eggs are only partially dyed so the white background blends in with the egg.”

There are other beautiful ideas in that slide show. All that really matters is that you set a few fun crafty traditions with your children. It is fun to be creative in the springtime. It seems more of us have a spring to our step and are willing to start a fresh! And bring in a new decor and new beginning!

The technological society we’re in presents a parent with some dilemmas! Understatement, I know, but there are amazingly strong conflicting voices on the subject of how much “screen time” our young children should have or there is never enough virtue in outside exploration and a stick! So when I came across this article from TLC’s blog parentables – I was intrigued. The author Laura St Johns does an amazing job in presenting the idea that girls especially need more technology in their lives in order to be able to feel confident and free to express themselves in a techno savvy world. There is a real disperagy between the sexes when it comes to the “geeks” in our country and that really shouldn’t be the case. Girls are just as excited to get into technology as boys they just have a certain reluctance – perhaps due to lack of exposure. She invites us to try and change that with our daughters and prepare them for whatever they would like to study without feelings of inadequacy. She has tips for us to help our girls.

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