by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

Crafts are fun, educational, and a great way to spend quality time with your kids. Another reason many moms rank crafting at the top of their list of things to do with their little ones is because it is inexpensive. There are tons of crafts we can do with our children that require little to no money at all. Here are four super easy craft ideas that will leave your kids and you having fun without breaking the bank.

Craft Projects on the Cheap

Nature Collage - Take a trip outside and gather up all kinds of items – the more you can find the better. Once you’ve got a good amount of them, you can bring them in and create a collage on a piece of cardboard from a box you have lying around. Glue each piece to the cardboard and label them with a marker. For some items it might be easier (and cleaner) to place them in plastic sandwich bags and staple to the cardboard. Here are a few items to get you started on your trek to the great outdoors:

•  Leaves of all shapes and sizes
•  Flowers
•  Rocks
•  Pinecones
•  Feathers
•  Dirt/Soil

Family Portrait – Take a piece of printer paper and cut it to make it the size of a 5 X 7 picture. With markers, crayons, or colored pencils draw each member of your family on the paper. Once the picture is complete, take construction paper and make a frame for your portrait. Let the kids decorate it by drawing, or cutting and gluing different colored construction paper, around the frame. You can write the family name at the top or bottom along with the date. Proudly display your family portrait for everyone to see just as you would if you went to a studio and had it taken professionally.

Paper Plate & Toilet Paper Roll Flowers – Grab a paper plate and let your little one decorate it to look like their favorite flower. Wrap a toilet paper roll with green construction paper or color with a green marker and let it dry. Tape the toilet paper roll to the paper plate to enjoy your flower. Make a bunch of them and create your very own flower garden.

No Sew Scarves – This is a great gift idea for Christmas or a winter birthday. The kids will love it and the recipient will too. Purchase a few yards of fleece material in the color of your choice. Cut the material by cutting strips as wide as you’d like the scarves to be. 27 inches is a good width if you’re not sure. Once you have the scarves cut out of the fleece, then cut fringes on both ends in 1/2 inch sections. Next, take the fringes and tie each one in a knot at the base of the fringe. You can then decorate the ends if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. Viola! You’ve now got a nice warm scarf. Don’t forget to make one for yourself and the kids while you’re at it.

There are literally thousands of crafts you can do with your kids that use materials you already have lying around the house. With a little imagination, you can probably come up with more of your own. No matter which craft you choose, have fun, let the creative juices flow and enjoy the time you get to spend with your kids.

by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

Do you find yourself longing for something you can do with your kids that doesn’t require an enormous amount of energy, but is still something you can do as a family? Playing football in the backyard, practicing an instrument or even baking are all great activities that can equal quality time spent together by parents and their children. But, if you’re like most parents sometimes you just want to spend time with your kids without having to overexert yourself (or your eardrums) just to keep up with them.

Sure you can watch television or a movie as a family. Just grab some popcorn and a drink and plop yourself on the couch for a couple of hours of staring at the TV. There is a bit of relaxation in that, but where does the family interaction come into play? Most of the time there is none because everyone is so engrossed in the movie no one wants to talk.

One way you can spend quality time with your kids, relax and still intermingle with one another is to teach your kids to cross-stitch. I don’t know about you, but for me a nice quiet evening of cross-stitching a special piece is a great way to relax after a day of rushing around. I just love snuggling up on the couch with my cross stitch work after a day of working, running kids here and there and making and cleaning up dinner. It’s nice to sit and create something that I’ve picked out especially for another family member or friend or for us to enjoy hanging on the wall for years to come.

What’s even more calming to me is when I have my kids join in with their own cross stitch creations in the making. Teaching my kids to cross stitch didn’t take a lot of effort since they see mom doing it. As little ones, they would see me working on a picture, bib, or blanket and become anxious to see the finished product. After awhile they began to think of patterns they’d like to see come to life and requested that I make them. That’s when I knew they were getting interested, so I taught them how to cross stitch too.

Now, cross-stitching is not just something mom does to relax. The kids join in too. At least once a week, we pull out our needles, fabric, and patterns. We’ll each find a comfy place in the living room to sit, grab our blankets and curl up to begin our night of cross-stitching and family togetherness.

During the time we’re working on our latest and greatest creations, something happens that sadly, many households never see anymore. We have family conversations. In the past, we’ve discussed things such as how our day went, what we hope to accomplish with our current patterns and even plans and dreams for the future. It’s absolutely wonderful.

Then there are the nights when we don’t talk much at all. Nights like these at first made me think maybe the kids didn’t have a good day, didn’t know what to talk about, or were just deep in their designs. Sometimes those things were true, but more times than not when we have a quiet stitching session it’s because we are content. We are comfortable with our surroundings and love where we are right at that very moment. We’re taking a break from the hustle and bustle that constantly surrounds us. We’re tranquil with those nearest and dearest to us – our family. Sometimes silence is the best medicine for a long, hard day no matter what your age.