Paper Plate Donut Craft for Kids

Paper Plate Donuts are a fun craft to make with the little ones! We paired this activity with the adorable children's book If You Give a Dog a Donut.


Harper and I love to get crafty together! We often pull out our Kwik Stix and paint together! She loves the freedom of painting without an anxious mom and I love offering her an outlet for her creativity.


We also love to read great stories together! So, on this day, we combined the fun of a craft using Kwik Stix with a favorite book to create paper plate donuts!



This craft is incredibly easy but offers so many options for creative expression in toddlers and preschoolers.
You can have the supplies ready in under 5 minutes for crafty fun with the kids.



Supplies
One Paper Plate per child
Kwik Stix
Pom Poms or small bits of paper to resemble sprinkles
Glue

Cut the center out of your paper plates.
Offer the kids the Kwik Stik, if you don't have any paint sticks, you can use markers or crayons.
After the paint has dried (it only takes 90 seconds) have the kids glue on pom poms or paper bits or sprinkles.

There you have some adorable and easy crafts to pair well with a fun book!

If you are making this craft you might want to grab my free Donut Coloring Page.



Where to Stay in Wayne County

Thank you to the Best Western and Wayne Count Visitors Bureau for hosting our family on this trip!

We have stayed in a number of hotels over the years. Both my husband and I have been bitten by the travel bug and it is not uncommon for us to make a spur of the moment trip.

I consider myself to be well versed in staying in a hotel. I know what to expect in amenities and levels of cleanliness. But,  I have to admit, on a recent trip to Wayne County Ohio, everything I expected in a hotel was to become re-envisioned.



After a long day in the car with two kids, nothing sounded nicer than checking into the Best Western in Wooster and putting my feet up. As we arrived, I went into the lobby only to have to do a double take. The Best Western in Wooster was much nicer than I could have expected. I made my way to the front desk to be greeted by a friendly face who checked me in a speedy fashion and I went out to retrieve my family.

As we made our way in with the luggage rack, the manager greeted us and took us to the room, which to my delight was the executive suite. I honestly had no idea the Best Western offered suites and was thrilled with the idea of spreading out after hours in the car together.

The room was located on the third floor, as we entered the room, I was truly speechless as the room was handsomely appointed, spacious and extremely comfortable. My kids were impressed with the television and ample room to pull out some legos and start building. {experienced travel moms know that a ziploc baggie of legos can make any situation better....}



Mr. Sweet Silly Sara let out a relieved sigh at the sight of the in-room Keurig and assortment of coffee. He later admitted he was prepared to drink gas station coffee for the weekend and was super impressed to have the best in room coffee while at The Best Western.

I was all around impressed. Like I mentioned, I have stayed at all kinds of hotels, but this was by far the most pleasant experience I have had upon arrival. I became touched by the thoughtfulness of the staff at The Best Western in Wooster when a basket of healthy snacks for the kids arrived along with a fantastic bottle of local wine for my husband and I. The staff at this hotel goes above and beyond to make your stay amazing.



The manager stole my heart right away when she offered me a tour of the hotel. Within moments she made me feel like an old friend and the look at the hotel gave me a good idea about the people that own and operate the establishment. They all have one common goal based upon one common interest. A lot of pride goes into The Best Western in Wooster to make each visit as pleasant and comfortable as it could possibly be.

While we were at the hotel we took advantage of the super clean pool. The kids were thrilled to splash around and get some exercise!

We walked around town and had dinner at a nearby restaurant. We took in the sights and stores of downtown Wooster and made our way back to the hotel. It had been a long day filled with fun. The kids easily fell asleep on the couch turned sleeper sofa and they blissfully stayed asleep all night long, as the room as incredibly quiet.

We had breakfast in the well appointed breakfast room. It offered ample seating and choices for the entire family. From waffles and yogurt, to biscuits and gravy or cereal and fruit, they had the bases covered. The breakfast attendant was efficient and sweet. The day began on a fantastic note after a hearty breakfast.

As we explored all that Wayne County had to offer, we made our way back to the hotel several times. The staff smiled and offered friendly greetings and absolutely charmed my children.

When the time came to check out of the hotel, my family had decided that when we make our way back to Wayne County, there is no doubt about it, we want to stay at the Best Western. The staff and the beautiful rooms make it hard to even consider staying somewhere else.

When you make your way to Wayne county to take in the sights of the Amish country, do yourself a favor, get in touch with the Best Western for a taste of luxury accommodations at family friendly prices. The hotel offers a fitness room, small bar, complimentary breakfast and a super clean pool for guests, making this an ideal place to stay with your family.

You might also want to check out our where to eat in Wayne County guide.



Easy Tie Dye Art for Kids

Tie Dye is such a fun concept for kids of all ages. We have been experimenting with different techniques and ways to blend colors without actually dying anything. After-all my kids are only 6 and 3 and are not quite ready for real tie dying!




This method is so easy because you probably already have everything you need on hand to create this fun project with your little ones.

Supplies Needed:
Washable Markers
Coffee Filters
Copy Paper
A spray bottle with water


Directions:
Place a coffee filter on a sheet of copy paper.
Have the kids color all over coffee filters with markers.
Spray the coffee filter with water after it has been colored.
Place another sheet of copy paper on top of the wet coffee filter.
Smooth it with your hand to transfer the marker to the copy paper.
Peel the sheets apart, and viola!
You get 3 lovely works of art in the end!


We have a few cute youtube videos on this technique, if you watch them be sure to give them a thumbs up and hit the subscribe button! You can also find me giving an intro to tie dye on facebook live.







Thing 1 and Thing 2 Puppets

Thing 1 and Thing 2 Popsicle stick puppets come together easily with minimal supplies to create an invitation to engage in dramatic play for toddlers and preschoolers!


My 3 year old loves to play with puppets and I love to encourage dramatic play for her developing mind! We made these super simple little puppets which were the perfect size for her small hands. She loved including Thing 1 and Thing 2 in all of her pretend play!



These are so easy. All you need is:
2 Popscile Sticks
Red Paint or Markers
4 googly eyes
a small bit of blue paper
2 small rounds of white paper
a pen or marker
Glue


Instructions:
Paint or color  2/3 of the craft stick red
Cut the blue paper to look like 2 shocks of hair.
Glue the hair on each stick
Give the sticks 2 eyes
Write Thing 1 and Thing 2 on the circles of paper and glue it on the center and you have your easy and fun puppets!


These are perfect for an easy peasy play session or a fun way to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday.



Easy DIY Ladybug Valentine's for Kids with Welch's Fruit Snacks

Valentine's Day embraces all things sweet! From cards to decorations and of course, the treats!

Thanks to Welch's Fruit Snacks for se

This year we are making an effort to offer healthier alternatives to the standard miniature chocolates and hard suckers. Our go to choice was fruit snacks and naturally, we turned to Welch's this year! They have these awesome emoji designs out just in time for Valentine's Day!



Inspired by the warm fuzzy feelings that my children give me when they are happy, I came up with this sweet little handmade Valentine to share with Rolf's classroom at their party next week!

These are so cute and easy to make!




One black sheet of construction paper
One red sheet of construction paper
2 googly eyes
One long section of red ribbon
One pink doily heart
Glue
Scissors
Stickers
Welch's Fruit Snacks


Begin by cutting an oval for the body, a medium size heart for the head and several smaller hearts from the back paper.

Cut 2 smaller ovals and a small red heart from the red paper.

Place the two red ovals on the sides of the black oval for wings.

Cut your heart doily in half. Glue one half on each wing.

Add the black heart to the top of the wings to make a head.

Glue 2 googly eyes on the heart head.

Glue the small red heart for a mouth on the head.

Curl on 3 inch section of ribbon for the antenna.

Decorate the body with the small black hearts and a few fun stickers!

Take the rest of the ribbon and tie it around the body, then affix the fruit snacks to the back of the card.


There you have a sweet and cute candy free Valentine Treat!




Welch's Fruit Snacks are available in these fantastic 28 count packages that are perfect for Valentine treat sharing, or just a tasty after school snack! Have you ever given fruit snacks at a holiday party?