Check out there cute sites where you and your kids can make a virtual snowflake.
http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/
http://snowdays.popularfront.com/
http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/symmetry/snow.htm
http://www.zefrank.com/snowflake/
http://www.thekidzpage.com/freekidsgames/games/snowflake-maker/index.html

February is National Embroidery Month! This means that it is the perfect time to introduce your child to the enjoyable activity of embroidering. It may surprise some parents to know that embroidery can not only be beneficial to children, but also can be a fun activity for them.

There are many benefits to be had from embroidery. For one thing, the very act of threading a needle, and then pulling the needle and thread through fabric can develop and improve hand-eye coordination as well as fine muscle coordination. Such skills will help them in other activities such as sports and even playing a musical instrument.

Embroidery for kids is also a fairly easy way for them to express themselves. If you buy a ready-made kit, there are instructions and a pattern for them to follow. It is a very simple activity that lets children create works of art. They may also gain confidence and satisfaction if you let them work on an item to be used within the household such as a dresser scarf for their room, a throw pillow, a towel, or a handkerchief. All of these projects can also be purchased in ready-made kits that provide everything you and your child need to successfully finish the project. Here’s a few embroidery kits that our readers have suggested. These make really fun projects for kids at home during the winter months.

Kids’ Embroidery : Projects for Kids of All Ages Make 15 fun, colorful projects, including bags, pillows, lampshades, journal covers, scarves, pins, and patches.

Alex Toys Super Embroidery Kit Comes with 12 colors of floss, plastic embroidery hoop, scissors, needles, ribbon, sequins, buttons, glass beads, flowers, felt butterflies, five colors of felt, felt shapes, practice cloth and transfer paper. Easy instructions include lots of great project ideas.

Embroidery -Kids Can Do It This embroidery kit features twelve different stitches, full-color photos and simple-to-follow directions for a variety of easy projects.

Simple Embroidery -Klutz This friendly book of instruction shows the ins-and-outs of 14 different embroidery stitches, and comes with all the supplies needed to get stitching, including thread, needles and an embroidery hoop.

More than muscle coordination and satisfaction, embroider may be able to improve a child’s attention span. Other activities such as watching television and playing video or computer games have been shown to decrease attention spans due to the never-ending stream of stimulation they provide. Embroidering is a leisurely activity that teaches constancy and patience. If you want to work on a child’s attention span, you can start with small projects and work your way up to longer projects. Finishing longer and longer projects will help give them greater self-esteem and may spill over into school and work ethics. If a child can consistently work on a piece of embroidery for a few weeks, they will be able to consistently work on other projects as well.

Most importantly, however, embroidery is fun. As mentioned before, it lets children express themselves, especially if you let them choose which project to work on. If you yourself like to embroider, it can be a special bonding experience between you and your child.

The best thing about embroidery is that it is relaxing and doesn’t take up all of your concentration; you will be able to talk to each other while embroidering, or even listen to music or watch a movie. In the end, your child will have something beautiful to display in the house. If he or she has chosen to work on a picture, you may want to frame their work and display it either in the living room or front room, or they may want it in their bedroom. In order to fully boost their confidence, let them know that you like what they have worked so hard on and praise them for it. If they have worked on an item such as a pillow, towel, or other such thing, let them use it and show your child that they have made a positive contribution to the household.

If you find yourself looking for a project to do with your child, or if you have always wanted to teach your child embroidery but have not yet managed to do so, I strongly suggest taking this month to teach your child about embroidery. Celebrate National Embroidery Month by introducing your child to an activity that they may love for a lifetime.

Last year we asked our readers to send in some of their Valentines Day ideas for kids so we could share them with all of you.  Here’s three cute ideas by Mary, Judy and Judy (two different Judys!)

Sent in by Mary H – Valentine Mailbox:

Start Valentine’s Day for your family with  surprise for each member. Make a small homemade Valentine mailbox to place on the back of each family member’s chair. This is a craft that can be done the day before Valentine’s Day with your children. Use half of a cereal box to make each mailbox. Cover the outside of the mailbox in either red or pink construction paper. Decorate each mailbox with the person’s name and cut out hearts and glitter to make it special for each person. Use a hole punch to place two holes on the back of the mailbox. Use these holes to attach the mailbox to the back of each person’s chair at the kitchen table with ribbon.

Before everyone gets up Valentine’s Day morning place a card and a small gift into each person’s Valentine’s Day mailbox. The gift can be a small stuffed animal or even a little bit of chocolate. The idea is to give each family member a small surprise gift to start their Valentine’s Day off right. A great way to build on this idea is to have each child place a special card from them in your spouse’s mailbox.

Sent in by Judy L – Valentines Breakfast:

Prepare a special Valentine’s Day breakfast for your family. You will want to make heart shaped pancakes for this event. You can attempt to make these by hand or use stencils that they sell in cooking stores. You can place chocolate chips in some of the pancakes for those in your family that enjoy chocolate. Make sure to include fresh fruit like strawberries to place on the pancakes. You can also make heart shaped toast. Once the toast is out of the toaster and buttered use a heart shaped cookie cutter on them. Make eggs, bacon, and any other breakfast favorites of your family.

Nonstick Heart Pancake or Egg Rings Creating heart shaped pancakes or eggs is simple with this handy mold. Set of two.

Valentine’s Day Toast Stamper A really cute way to add some Valentine joy to your families breakfast.

Sent in by Judy C – Valentines Cards: 

Start out by helping your children to cut out card sized hearts for the cards. The hearts can be cut from red and pink construction paper. The front of the heart can decorated with stickers, glitter and even ribbon to make each homemade Valentine card special. A personal note written on the back and signed by your child finishes the back of the card.

Your children can make special treat bags to go with each of the Valentine’s cards that they hand out. Start by choosing either chocolate candies or conversation hearts to fill the treat bags. You can get pink and red color tulle from your local craft store that can be cut into squares to make the treat bags. Place the square of tulle on the table. In the center of the square, you can help your children to place a small pile of candy. Finish off the treat bags by pulling up the sides and tying them together with ribbon.

Click here for more Valentine craft ideas!

Did you know that February is International Friendship Month? We should celebrate our friends everyday, but setting aside one month gives us a chance to extend our appreciation for our friendships, and to promote new ones.

Use International Friendship Month as a time to celebrate our friends near and far. With the internet it’s easier now than ever to connect with people from all over the world and form bonds that we might never have been able to.

Here’s a few easy ideas for your kids to try:

Make a friendship poster - write your name and your friend’s names on construction paper or poster board and decorate it using glitter, markers and stickers.

Make a ‘friendship collage’ – cut out pictures of you and your friends and arrange them on a piece of cardstock to form a collage.

Make friendship bracelets – shop for friendship bracelet kits below.

Have a picnic for your friends – make their favorite sandwiches and have some fun!

Find a pen-pal - in the spirit of International Friendship Month, find a pen pal from another country. Tell them about your country and it’s customs and learn about theirs.

My Friendship Bracelet Maker The set includes a bracelet maker and 56 precut threads in 14 different colors that are stored inside the Bracelet Maker to keep the strings organized. Simple to use – no tape, pins or bags of messy threads! Great to take along on trips or to summer camp or have a bracelet making birthday party. Price: $15.33

Friendship Bracelets (Klutz) Super-clear directions for ten different kinds of bracelets, with all the colorful floss and beads you need to make all of them. A built-in clipboard provides the ideal work surface for this coolest of crafts. Price: $12.63

Fancy Friendship Bracelets (Klutz) Introducing Fancy Friendship Bracelets, the original Friendship Bracelet’s new best friend. We started with super-simple instructions for a flock of all-new bracelet designs. We added five different colors of cord and more than 200 sparkling beads. Then we threw in some stylish charms for good measure. The result is even better than we hoped. Fans of the first book will love this new one. Price: $9.71

Friendship Bracelets (Kids Can Do It) Inside you will find clear, step-by-step instructions, full-color illustrations and 14 different bracelet patterns. Price: $6.95

How to Make Friendship Bracelets This handbook shows how to create 22 vibrant thread bracelets without any weaving equipment. Using only two basic knots and a safety pin to keep the work taut, crafters can create a host of designs ranging from the simple to more intricate. Price: $8.47

12 Woven Friendship Bracelets in Assorted Colors These yarn bracelets have beautiful ornate weaving and make great gifts and party favors. With stunning vivid colors and detailed designs, these 11″ bracelets are perfect to throw in goody bags or give away as prizes. Price: $2.50

Are your children looking for Valentine craft ideas that are simple and adorable? Here’s a few ideas that older kids can do themselves. Younger kids may need some help from a parent or older sibling.

Gather up the supplies needed before you start so you don’t scramble around looking for that one last thing needed to complete the project. Most of the supplies are probably items you already have on hand.

Scroll down to the end of this post to shop for Valentines crafts and activities from amazon.com.

Box of Love: First, find an small empty box. If you have a box from a bar or soap or a tube of toothpaste, that size would work great. Use Valentine wrapping paper to wrap the outside of the box. Decorate with ribbons, bows, stickers – let the kids use their imagination. Copy this poem onto a small piece of cardstock and attach it to the box. (Older kids can try the one below)

I took an ordinary box,
as empty as can be.
I filled it with a special gift,
and wrapped it carefully.

But please don’t ever open it,
just leave the ribbon
And hold it tightly near your heart,
My love for you’s inside!

Box of Hugs: Like above, gather a small box. Cut a bunch of approximately 2″x 2″ squares from red, pink and/or white  tissue paper. Cut out a lot because you will be covering the whole box!
Water down the glue – 2 parts glue to 1 part water. Lightly brush some glue on the box and stick the tissue paper squares on. You want them to overlap so you do not see the box. Work in small sections until the entire box is covered. Set aside to dry. Once it is dry, you can lightly brush over your box with the glue and water mixture to make it more durable and shiny; however this is optional.

Once dry, tie with ribbons as you would a wrapped present and attached a gift tag which reads:

This is a very special gift
That you can never see
The reason it’s so special is
It’s just for you from me.

Whenever you are lonely
Or are ever feeling blue
You only have to hold this gift
And know I’m hugging you.

You never can unwrap it
Please leave the ribbon tied
Just hold the box close to your heart
It’s filled with hugs inside.

I couldn’t send you flowers
And candy wouldn’t do
And mushy cards just didn’t Say the things
I want them to.
So I got you something special
And here’s the inside scoop
I found you something very rare Its genuine Cupid poop

Thumb One Loves You: This is really cute for the little ones. Cut a piece of white cardstock and fold it over to form a card. Have your child press down both of their thumbs on a red or pink ink pad. Angle them together so they form a heart and press down on the front of the card. On the inside of the card, write “Thumb” one loves you”. You can also write “Thumb one thinks you’re special”.

If you’re looking for more Valentines Day ideas for kids activities and gifts, check our suggestions listed here. Shop with confidence through amazon.com’s secured server.

Peanuts Valentine Craft Kit This craft kit includes everything you need to make your own valentines plus a 32-page storybook adaptation of the classic television special Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown Price: $24.98

Origami from the Heart Kit Use the art of origami to create unique, personalized cards that recipients will treasure! Price: $9.99

A Make-Your-Own Valentine Card Kit Kit comes with a stencil, 100 stickers, fancy paper, special instructions, and decorating tips! Makes over 45 valentines! Price: $7.90

Valentine Crafts for Kids A treasury of fun holiday crafts, gifts, cards, and decorations can help children turn an ordinary Valentine’s day into a special, heart-filled occasion. Price: $4.74

175 Easy-To-Do Valentine Crafts Price: $9.99

Valentine Crafts (Creative Crafts for Kids) Price: $10.50

Shrinky Dinks I Heart You Cards Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any other time you want to say ‘I love you!’ Make twelve handcrafted cards using pre-printed Shrinky Dink designs. Price: $6.98

Wilton Valentine Candy Necklace Kit Wilton Valentine Candy Necklace Kit makes 8 necklaces. Fun Valentine colors and great flavors Price: $2.80

A Christmas Carol was written by English author Charles Dickens and was first published in December of 1843. The story is about stingy Ebenezer Scrooge’s visit from Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future.

Click the link to print out or read a Christmas Carol online free.
A Christmas Carol

If you’re looking for free winter clip art, we’re sorry but we’ve had to remove them due to people linking directly to the images. Here’s a few links of other places offering free clip art and a few suggestions for our favorite clip art books.

Site #1
Site #2
Site #3
Site #4

More winter fun – Check out some cute poems about winter for children!

Winter Clip Art Price: $4.93

ScrapSMART – Snowmen Fantasy – Software Collection – Jpeg & PDF files (CDSM106) Use these delightful designs for frames, stationery, decor, decoupage, totes, fashions, etc. Create cheery winter posters, newsletters, and handcrafted projects to sell. Put the designs on invitations, name badges, and gift tags. Price: $14.99

Clip Art for Winter Price: $122.22

Click here for some fabulous Valentine craft ideas!

These winter coloring pages for kids can be printed out from your computer. You can shop for fun winter coloring books after the links!

Girl Skating
Boy Skating
Dad And Son Sledding
Bear Skating
Country Snowman
Snowman Family
Winter Moose

Click here for some fabulous Valentine craft ideas!

Winnie the Pooh Super Coloring Book 60+ page coloring book with Pooh, Tiiger, and the rest of his friends. Strengthen hand-eye coordination while providing hours of pure entertainment. Price: $8.85

Raised Line Winter Fun Coloring Book The Raised Line Coloring Book features 10 pages of winter activities such as sledding, ice skating, horse sleighing. Great for helping children to stay within the lines. Price: $11.95

LapTop Winter Wonderland Coloring Book LapTop Coloring Books open like a laptop computer and will easily sit on a child’s lap because of its plastic spiral binding. Price: $5.99

Scented Sticker Coloring Book Price: $0.90

Sesame Street Winter Wonderland Coloring Book This is a 96 page JUMBO coloring and activity book featuring all your favorite Sesame Street characters enjoying the great outdoors in the winter time. Price: $3.97

Bobblesberg Winter Games Coloring Book Bob and his dream-machine team are off to Bobblesberg, where the Winter Games will take place. Price: $2.99

Bear’s Winter Wonderland Coloring Book The weather may be chilly, but Bear and his friends from the Big Blue House have lots to do to keep warm in this coloring book celebrating the wonders of winter. Price: $2.74

Here’s a bunch of winter printables for kids. I’ll have more for you in another post.

~~~** Enjoy! **~~~

Winter Word Search
Snowman Connect The Dots
Snowflake Connect The Dots
Snowman Maze
Design Your Own Mitten
Children Sledding
Make A Snowflake
Make A Snowflake (intermediate)
Make A Snowflake (advanced)

Click here for some fabulous Valentine craft ideas!

Here are some of my favorite kids winter poems. Read them to your children, and then have fun creating one together.

Snow makes whiteness where it falls
The bushes look like popcorn balls
And places where I always play
Look like somewhere else today

Beautiful feathery flakes of snow
Over the woodland and field they go
Making a blanket so warm and deep
Over the flowers that lie asleep

Winter Arrival
by Marilyn Lott

It was a typical winter day
As I went for a little drive
I wanted to celebrate
For winter had arrived

I bundled up and took
My morning country trip
But as I got out of my car
I was careful I didn’t slip

For the fields were white
The road was slick with ice
But everything was lacy
It looked so fresh and nice

My world was transformed
To a winter wonderland
The ugly trees now lovely
Nature made its annual stand

I hope you see the beauty too
‘Course you’ll think about survival
When you have a white out scene
During nature’s winter arrival!

Jack Frost
by Helen Bayley Davis

Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one.

Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Children A treasury of wintry, shivery poems includes “”Mountain Snowstorm,”" “”Snow On The Trees,”" and “”River In Winter. Price: $8.72

Just Say No To Yellow Snow!: A Collection Of Winter Poems For Children Focusing on a variety of poems and poetry styles for a younger audience, the collection highlights the beauty, fun, and joy that is winter. Price: $12.99

Winter Poems This highly praised collection celebrates winter through the words of some of the world’s greatest poets such as William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe and Wallace Stevens, accompanied by glistening acrylic paintings of snowy landscapes. Price: $2.00

A Chill in the Air: Nature Poems for Fall and Winter When fall is just around the corner, winter can’t be far behind! Before you know it we’ll be exploring a world filled with sparkling ice and snow people! Price: $39.62

Winter Lights: A Season in Poems & Quilts This book celebrates the lights that brighten the darkest season of our year. Price: $10.29

It’s Snowing! It’s Snowing!: Winter Poems From master of rhyme Jack Prelutsky comes a flurry of winter poetry just right to usher in the season of ice and snow! Price: $0.99