Where in the World...

Some of you might be wondering where in the world I've been. Well, I think I've decided to dedicate my tpcraft.com site to all things craft and to discontinue posting over here. So if you're interested, please come on over and start following me at tpcraft.com, or on our facebook page, or on pinterest.

Cardboard Tube Penguin

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Penguin Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, black paint, glue, scissors, white paper, yellow paper, 1 other colored paper, google eyes

Start by painting your toilet paper roll black and allow to dry. Cut an oval out of your white paper. Add google eyes, beak, and a small bow tie.

Glue your oval onto your toilet paper roll.

Book Suggestion: In the story Penguin, Ben is disappointed when the penguin he receives as a present doesn't speak. All that changes when Penguin saves the day. This was a sweet book with delightful pictures that your preschooler is sure to love.

Toilet Paper Roll Lion

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Lion Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, glue, scissors, google eyes, yellow paper, pipe cleaner

Begin by painting your toilet paper roll yellow. We mixed a little glitter glue in with our paint to make a sparkly lion. Allow your paint to dry.

Cut legs from the bottom of your toilet paper roll.

Cut a circle out of your piece of yellow paper and cut small slits all the way around the circle so that it looks like a sun. I let Cole do some of the cuts on this, but then he got board so I finished it for him.

Add google eyes and draw on a mouth.

Glue on your lion face on the toilet paper roll and add a pipe cleaner tail.

Book Suggestion: I love the story of the The Lion & the Mouse. It's a classic fable with a wonderful lesson. In this version, the story has no words and the beautiful illustrations tell the story. I like using wordless books with my kids. It gives them a chance to really tell the story and predict what they think is going to happen as well as recant what they've seen.

Paper Towel Roll Giraffe

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Giraffe Supply List: 1 paper towel roll, yellow & brown paint, google eyes, glue, scissors, pipe cleaner

Start by painting your paper towel roll yellow and allow to dry.

Paint some brown spots on your paper towel roll.

Cut some feet out of the bottom of your paper towel roll.

On the top of your paper towel roll so that it looks like the head of a giraffe sticking up.

Add your eyes, pipe cleaners and a scrap of paper towel roll for a mouth.

Book Suggestion: In Giraffes Can't Dance, Gerald the giraffe just wants to dance. He overcomes his akwardness with a little help and a new beat. This is a delightful book that teaches children that everyone can unique and dance to the beat of their own drummer, or cricket.

Cardboard Tube Bird Feeder

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Cardboard Tube Bird Feeder Supply List: toilet paper roll or paper towel tube, peanut butter, string or twine, bird seed, spatula

Use the spatula to spread peanut butter on your cardboard tube. Make sure to get it on nice and thick.

Once it is covered, roll your tube in bird seed.

Thread a piece of string through the tube and tie it in a knot.

Hang it outside and wait for your little bird friends to stop by for a bite to eat.

Book Suggestion: We checked out Backyard Bird Watching for Kids: How to Attract, Feed, and Provide Homes for Birds from the library and it had some great ideas for kids about how to attract birds into your backyard. It has very simplistic language that is easy for a preschooler to understand. Cole loved the bright pictures and all the interesting information about birds.

Toilet Paper Roll Race Car

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Race Car Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, hole punch, scissors, 4 plastic bottle lids, 2 toothpicks, 1 straw

Begin by painting your toilet paper roll.

While you're waiting for your toilet paper roll to dry trim your straw to just a little shorter than your toothpicks.

Punch holes in your toilet paper roll and thread the straw through. Then insert the toothpick through the straw.

Punch some small holes in the plastic lids. You want to make sure that you get the hole directly in the center so that the wheels don't wobble.

Put the wheels onto the toothpicks. I ended up putting a little drop of glue on the outside of the wheel, right where the toothpick poked through, but it wasn't necessary. I just didn't want the baby to pull them off and try to eat them.

Cut a hole in the center of the toilet paper roll for a seat and find a little friend who wants to go for a ride.

Book Suggestion: R is for Race: A Stock Car Alphabet is a great book that is as rhyming verse for that little kids will love and longer paragraphs that are good for older kids. It's perfect for the little car enthusiast in your house.

Paper Towel Roll Marble Run

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Marble Run Supply List: 10-12 paper towel rolls, hot glue gun, magnets, scissors, marble

Cut out the edges on each of the tubes.

Use the hot glue gun to attach magnets to the side of the tubes. Please do not allow your children to use a hot glue gun. I did this part while Cole was napping.

Line up your tubes on a magnetic surface. This would be a great activity to do on your fridge. We just got a new stainless steel fridge and it is not magnetic so we did out marble run on the laundry room door.

Here is a video of our little activity. It was a HUGE hit!

Cardboard Tube Packing Material

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

I was shipping a present to my best friend's daughter the other day and I needed some packing material. I cut up several paper towel rolls into small sections and dropped them down into the box.

Toilet Paper Roll Groundhog

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day! Here is a fun little activity that we really enjoyed. Cole loves popping his groundhog out of the hole. We even used the reading light in his room to show the groundhog's shadow on the wall and did a mini lesson on shadows and light.

Groundhog Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, brown paint, scissors, glue stick, crayons, popsicle stick, crayons, groundhog printout

Start by painting your toilet paper roll with brown paint and allow to dry.

Print out a picture of a groundhog. I got mine from here. I printed it at 30% and it was the perfect size to fit in my groundhog hole (toilet paper roll).

Cut out your groundhog and glue him to the popsicle stick. Once he is dry, your groundhog is ready to pop in and out of his hole.

Book Suggestion: We are crazy about non-fiction books in this house. Each week at the library Cole picks out at least 1 non-fiction book. Groundhog Day is a great book to introduce young children to the holiday. It has wonderful pictures that kids will love.

Toilet Paper Roll Dinosaur Bone

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Dinosaur Bone Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, newspaper, tape, flour, mixing bowl, paint

Ball up newspaper and tape it to the end of your toilet paper roll.

Tear the remaining newspaper into small strips and mix your paper mache. To make the paper mache I mixed equal parts water with flour, about a cup of each. Then I added in a couple of squirts of glue.

Dip the newspaper in your paper mache mixture and cover the toilet paper roll.

Allow the dinosaur bone to dry, we left ours overnight. Paint the bone white.

Book Suggestion: How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen is an amusing and fun book that follows some dinosaur friends through their bedtime shenanigans. We love all of the books in the dinosaur series.