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Cute & Easy Crafts for Kids

Kids Get Crafty – Eric Carle & Homemade Puzzles

Welcome back to Kid’s Get Crafty – a link up party/ blog hop for all craftiness with and for children! Do take part. Do be inspired! Link up at bottom of post! Hooray!

Old posts welcomed. Grab a button an add it to your post or side bar. Please do NOT post things for sale or Giveaways!

Come back weekly (Wednesdays) and link up!

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So, what did we get up to? First our book:

From Head to Toe (Picture Puffin)From Head To Toe, by Eric Carle. Read together age 2yrs+.

A great fan of the Hungry Caterpillar, I decided to get this book for Red Ted as you look at different body parts, as well as getting children to take part in actions. I had totally forgotten that I had ordered this book until it came sailing through our post box. It happened to be on a day Granny was visiting. Granny picked it up and seconds later, Granny and Red Ted were sitting on the sofa giggling away, wiggling toes, stomping feet and thumping chests! Need I say more? Well, just to add, that the book has the “classic” Eric call style: broad brushstrokes in a “mosaic style” assembly. Lovely.

That also gave me an idea. This another lovely way of making something out of toddler’s paintings. Though the craft that follows works for older ages too – you just do less and let them do more!! 😉

So, our craft:

Home made Eric Carle Puzzles

1) Red Ted did some painting after I showed him the book. He started off by painting a seal (see 2nd photo below)!  After that we went into toddler “free for all”.

2) Once dried, I kept the “seal” for his scrap book (see photos). I then selected a couple of sheets of paintings and matched them up (vaguely) against the book – there seemed to be lots of seal colour and red and green.

eric carle puzzle painting

3) I cut out rough shapes and then with decoupage glue stuck them on to card. I added some glue underneath the cut outs. Let it dry. Then added two more layers (letting each layer dry first). Best to “dab” on the glue, else it can smudge, tear the paper a little. The poster paint also cracked a little, but I thought it looked nice and added to the texture.

4) Once dry, I cut it all out again.

5) Add googly eyes and details in marker pen and DONE!

eric carle crafts

I think our seal was the one that came out really well… but Red Ted enjoys them equally. I surprised him with the finished puzzle after nursery. You can see him in the photo feeding the seal pasta! Don’t worry, the monkey was fed too. It is probably less of a “puzzle” and more of a “where do things go” game. But I think that is fine too!

Ahem: you could of course just paint straight on to card and varnish it! Bit quicker,  less cutting!!!

Enjoy your puzzles!

If you have been crafty with your kid’s be it at home, in the kitchen or outdoors, I would love for you to link up:

Filed Under: Kids Craft 61 Comments

Comments

  2. Ruth says

    So glad you posted this. Every time I read the Hungry Caterpillar I admire the artwork and think about its simple and thoroughly effective style

    Reply

    • Red Ted Art says

      Oooh yes, it is so lovely, isn’t? Now we can all gave a go… I can just see doing some “counting plums and strawberries” for Red Ted.. thanks for the hungry caterpillar reminder!!

      Reply

  7. Amanda @paintitsewthrifty.blogspot.com says

    Thanks for the invite and for stopping by pAIN’T it SEW thrifty! I linked up! Great party!

    Reply

  8. Naomi says

    What a fab activity (the seal), such a great activity I’m tempted to try in my classroom. Have also entered my school into the book competition so thanks for that link! 🙂

    Reply

  9. Jude says

    Just thought I’d add my contribution, since I did a project last year on a related theme, using kid’s artwork to make cards and gift tags. It’s amazing what you can do with their work! They make lovely puzzles.

    Reply

  11. Lynn says

    We LOVE that book! I ordered a copy as soon as I read our library copy for the first time. It doesn’t seem to be as well known as some of his other books, but it is such great interactive fun. The fact that it isn’t so well known makes it a great gift (less chance they will already own it).

    Reply

  12. Kerstin says

    Hi Mags,
    Another fantastic idea! 🙂
    What is “decoupage glue” though? Any German translation?
    Spray glue?? Thanks in advance for pointing me into the right direction.
    ‘s Gruessli,

    Kerstin x

    Reply

  14. Love and Lollipops says

    Oh I just this craft!! It’s also a lovely way of preserving a very young child’s first paintings. Using their paintings as the “printed paper” to create artwork/pictures from…hope you understand what I mean.

    Georgia

    Reply

    • Red Ted Art says

      Absolutely! And Red Ted is now beginning to want to help with cutting, so hopefully his cutting skills will develope!

      Reply

  25. amandab says

    From Head to Toe is a great, playful book and we have really enjoyed it the times we have borrowed it from the library. The pictures of the seal and monkey are awesome too, and I will have to remember that seals like pasta LOL

    Reply

  27. Mami Made It says

    Love love love that book “From head to toe”. We have it too and it worked so well. My girlie loved it so much. We had to read it every day and it was so funny to see her acting like the animals.

    Your puzzle idea is great!

    Reply

  28. Colleen - Sunrise Learning Lab says

    We love Eric Carle and his wonderful art and children’s books!
    Great links for this, too!
    My boys went to an Eric Carle themed summer camp last summer. Here is a link the post about it:
    http://sunriselearninglab.blogspot.com/2010/08/summer-camp-and-some-fuzzy-fun.html
    It was very fun and not only did they enjoy the arts and crafts they did at the camp, we also did some at home when they returned from camp!
    Happy birthday to Eric Carle, an artist, author, and illustrator we adore!

    Have a happy rest of your day!
    Colleen
    @F5th on Twitter
    Sunrise Learning Lab blog

    Reply

    • Red Ted Art says

      Oooh there is a special Eric Carle link up party starting on the 24th (I think)… come join in! 🙂

      Reply

  30. Messy Missy says

    I just love that idea. I have to admit that I sometimes look at Eric Carle books, which I love, and think…..I could do that. My child could do that!! You proved it. 🙂

    Reply

  33. Carolyn says

    You’re an excellent mom, going to all that trouble for your son. Encouraging them in their craftwork helps them build confidence in their work. Well done.

    Reply

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