Rewarding Great Behavior

Posted on August 17, 2015 by 24useablehours

My sister received these cards as a wonderful and creative gift for her kids and I loved the idea so much I made them myself. These would be great for rewarding wonderful behavior or for a great report card. It is a just a fun way to reward your kids!

I ordered Avery Business Cards and scratch off stickers to create the reward cards. There are several size options for the scratch off stickers. I created a template on my computer using the label size. You will need to rotate the text on the template to allow the cards to print correctly. You can choose the text you want to add to the card to personalize it for your family. Based on the size of the scratch off sticker you may need to scale down the rewards type to fit under the sticker. I printed a test run to ensure that the text was aligned with the cards.

I opted to do small rewards that I know are well received in our house, like movie night, trip to the park, and ice cream. I also did a few cards with the option for projects and a free day to choose what they want to do.

Once the cards are assembled wait for the good behavior to roll in.

Luggage Tags

Posted on July 14, 2012 by 24useablehours

Summer travel season is in full swing. A good rule for travel, whether you are going to day camp, the grandparents or around the world, label everything. So I thought what better way to start getting ready for our upcoming vacation than to make luggage tags. I made these as favors for the guest who traveled to my wedding and they were a huge hit. It also gave my daughter a chance to customize one for her own bag.

You will need:

Self Laminating Pouches
Paper or postcards
Stickers
Hole Punch
Marker
Ribbon or Plastic Tag

Cut the paper or postcards down to the desired size. Make sure to cut it smaller than the pouch so you have room to seal it.
Decorate, Decorate, Decorate. I bought some beach themed stickers for our trip this year. My daughter tried to use them all on one tag. She likes a lot of flare.
Write the relevant information on the opposite side of the tag. She opted to have the tags be different colors on each side. So I taped the two together.
Place them inside the pouch and seal it tight. Remember to go over the edges carefully and get any air pockets out.
Take the hole punch and make a small hole in the end. In the past have used a set of tags that was designed to be luggage tags. These are a bit smaller than the ones I used here. I need more room to decorate.
You can either use ribbon or a plastic strap to attach it to the bag.

Enjoy your trip and Thank You for Playing.

End of Year Tradition

Posted on June 13, 2012 by 24useablehours

Another school year has come and gone. To a child, this is a momentous time of year. It heralds the coming summer, lazy days playing outside, endless swimming, melting ice cream. To most parents this is a chaotic time, end of year programs, teacher presents, and scheduling summer camps.

This week’s project is designed to inspire you to recapture the feeling of the impending summer joy.

Make a tradition to celebrate the end of school.

It can be chocolate chip pancakes, cinnamon rolls or sprinkles on your cereal. Do something that is your’s and repeat it year after year to remind yourself to stop and enjoy these small moments.

Growing up, the first and last day of school were marked by one thing. Blueberry muffins. They can only be one kind. They must be the same ones that my mother made for me twice a year, every year, even through college. They are one of my happiest memories. Simply the smell of them takes me back. To the feeling of impending freedom. The unlimited possibilities that only the last day of school can offer and to my mother and the love and devotion she showed me.

I decided that doing this project with my daughter was a great way to start the tradition. Again.

I love cooking projects with her and it gives me a chance stop and enjoy a moment.

Our finished product. Smiles all around.

As with all traditions there are some additions over time. Unlike my childhood we decided to end with a dance party! Here’s to adding that to our tradition.

Thanks for playing.

Homemade Play-dough

Posted on June 6, 2012 by 24useablehours

I love projects with my daughter. It is a great chance for everyone to get some much needed creative time. The thing with crafts I find is there are never enough. I am always looking for one more idea. So I am starting a kid craft portion of the blog to help fill a portion of your 24 useable hours.

Homemade Play-dough

I have no less than 15 tubs of play-dough sitting in our house. The bin is filled with mixed up colors, lids half on and dried out pieces. The one thing it was missing was scented play-dough so I decided to fill that void.

Insert Koolaid Play-dough.

The kool-aid not only colors the dough but also scents it. And I assure you is like magic to a child. I like this one because everything I need is in the pantry and it gives my daughter a chance to practice numbers and measuring. This is a great quick craft.

You will need:

1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Cream of Tarter
1/4 Cup Salt
1 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Kool-aid

Mix the flour, salt, Kool-aid together in a pot. I used non-stick for easier clean up.
Whisk in the water and vegetable oil. It will be the consistency of paste.
Place on the stove and start to cook on medium heat, stirring frequently.
It will then pull itself together into a ball, remove from heat.
Transfer to a work surface to kneed it together. I used a silicon baking pad, again the whole clean up thing. I left it to cool for about 5 minutes, till it was easily handled. Please take note the play-dough is HOT. This is not the step for your kids to help with.
Once it has cooled. Turn the kids loose on it.
Keep it is a zip bag in a cool location or the fridge.