As an artist in a former life, I am always looking for new craft projects that are easy to do at home.  I asked Lauren Levin, Development Associate at Habitot Children's Museum, for a new crafting idea. She gave me the directions for Ice Cube Painting, a project that was recently featured in Habitot's Tot-Mail as well.  

Ice Cube Painting 
Materials: ice cube trays; food coloring; water; popsicle sticks; paper and coffee filters (optional) 
Directions: 
1. Mix Concentrated solutions of water and food color in a measuring cup.
2. Fill each cube of an ice cube tray with one of the colored waters.
3. Insert a popsicle stick into each cube to make the cubes easier to handle after freezing.
4. Freeze ice cube trays 24 hours.
5. When ready to paint, spread paper on table.
6. Pop out frozen colored cubes and let children paint on paper with the ice cubes.
7. For something different, paint on coffee filters or other textured paper and see what happens. 

Very nice.  Can't wait to try this at home. 
~ Parents: What craft projects do your tots enjoy? ~

My friend Laura and her blogger-in-crime Kim, write the blog Baroque Babies, all about living abroad with their mutli-cultural and multi-lingual families. Some of the issues they deal with as Americans in another land, such as how to celebrate Thanksgiving or how to keep their kids entertained on multiple overseas trips a year, are different than some of our everyday concerns. But like all parents, they care about what their kids are eating, and making sure that their toys get put away. And their art supplies. Enter the most adorable and creative art supply holding system!  The Lazy Susan Art Caddy can go with you from room to room, and looks so fun to make too. It's the art project that comes before all other art projects!  Click here for directions. ~ Parents: What innovative systems have you come up with for organizing art supplies, toys or anything else? ~