This make your own crayons project is a simple way to turn trash into treasure. Saving all those used crayons from the trash bin provides parents the perfect opportunity to include a lesson about recycling with afternoon playtime.

To make your own recycled crayons, you will need to gather together all of the broken crayons, a muffin tin and some cooking spray. Have the kids peel paper from the broken crayons and break any large pieces into smaller chunks about one inch long. Shorter pieces are fine, but longer pieces may not melt evenly in the oven.

While the kids prepare the crayons, preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Place between five to seven crayons into each of the muffin cups. Place the crayons into the oven. Cook between 10 and 15 minutes until the crayons are completely melted. Remove from the oven and allow the crayons to cool completely. Run a butter knife around the edges of the muffin cups to loosen the cooled crayons. Pop them out and color to your heart’s content.

This homemade crayon project can be completed in less than an hour, making it an ideal activity for a rainy afternoon. Best of all, it leaves the kids plenty of room to get creative. Keep it traditional by combining like colors together in the muffin tins, or allow the kids to make crazy, multi-colored crayons. Have kids combine pieces of all their favorite colors into one muffin tin in order to make one super, multi-colored crayon. Consider making rainbow crayons with small bits of every color combined in a muffin tin. You could also make primary colored crayons, combining yellow, red and blue pieces into a single cup. Color combinations are only limited by the child’s imagination and the broken crayons available.

Muffin tins produce a round, thick crayon perfect for coloring backgrounds and other large areas. A quick trip to the to craft store can help you uncover supplies to create recycled crayons in other shapes. Look in the baking aisles for cupcake tins or baking molds in a variety of shapes. Any kind of mold with a closed bottom will work for this project. Just be sure the molds are oven-safe before purchasing. Spray down the tins and molds with cooking spray, fill with broken crayon bits and bake according to the directions listed above.

Children want more than a one-piece toy that offers limited imaginative play. The more ways a toy can be used, the more stories and scenarios the children can create using the different aspects of the toys. The Pinypon Mini Dolls may be small in size, but they aren’t just one piece, static representations.

The heads are double sided and both heads and legs are connected by pegs that can be removed. Not only can the Pinypon Mini Dolls be used in imaginative play, children can also create whole new dolls by switching heads and legs from doll to doll or simply by turning the doll around. Hair can also be removed and switched from doll to doll. After the children have created their doll characters with hair, faces and legs, they can add accessories to finish off their doll creation with clothes, handbags, hair clips and bows and more.

There is a reason the Pinypon Mini Dolls attract children. The colors are bright, contemporary in design and are just the right size for children four and up to hold. These dolls give children hours of fun as they create new dolls simply by switching up all the different pieces parts available. There is no end to what children can do with the dolls, which were obviously designed with creative children in mind.

Even better for play is that there is also a Pinyon Caravan for the Pinyon Mini Doll collection. The Pinypon Mini Dolls fit into the caravan that opens up to reveal a doll, over 30 accessories and a pet. The Pinyon Caravan includes storage in the floor, closet and in kitchen drawers. It also includes a mirror so the dolls can see how they look and an actual working shower. There is even a boat and two surf boards.

Set up the camp in a backyard area. Set up a tent and then find wood to use for a campfire. Place pieces of logs around the area of the campfire to use for seating. When this is done you can then determine all the activities to provide for the kids.

A tried and true activity for any backyard birthday party is a scavenger hunt. To do this, a set of items is required and can be placed in a pillowcase. These include items such as glow sticks, flashlights, a snack food and anything else fun. Tie the pillowcase to a tree and then create a map to the location. Divide the kids at the party into groups and send them out to find the package of goodies.

When the sun has set, a fun activity is to use flashlights to play tag. Hide and seek is another activity to play at a backyard camping party. When these activities are finished, a campfire can be started. You can have the kids go out and collect wood to use for the fire. Prepare a stack of wood before the party starts that will be used for the fire. When the fire is ready, begin melting marshmallows and chocolate for use with graham crackers. This is a perfect time to tell a ghost story or other spooky stories.

Cooking food over the campfire is another fun activity. Foods to cook include hot dogs and dinners that are placed in tin foil. Heat from the fire will cook the hot dog or to cook the contents of a foil dinner. To do this you need to use a long stick that can be held over the fire. A birthday cake that has been decorated with a camping theme can also be provided to have after dinner.

There are many things that you can do to make your carnival themed party friendly to both your guests and the environment. For example, when selecting prizes for the children, select gifts that are made from renewed materials. Keep in mind that many of the carnival games can be made from things that you would normally throw out. For example, cans can be used for the can toss game and these can be recycled at a later time.

Another thing you can do is use old cloth to make bean bags for the children to throw at a bean bag toss or the tin can alley. Avoid doing games that use things that create more of a problem for the environment. For example, we all know that balloons are not eco-friendly. Knowing this, you avoid making any games with balloons.

You will not run out of carnival games to play because most any game can be adapted to fit this theme. You can use a ball and can to make a golf game or dig a small hole in the dirt outside for the ball to roll into. You can make a bowling game from weighted bags or cans and the list goes on and on. The types of games are only limited by your imagination.

One very cool game that can be made easy is the bottle stand up game. All you need is a few bottles, some string and a ring. You tie the ring onto the end of the string and try to hook the bottle with it. When they stand the bottle up, they win.

Regardless of which games you pick for your carnival themed kids birthday party, the children are going to love them. They are fun and each one will make your child’s party amazing. These ideas should give you some inspiration to create your own carnival games and make your little one’s birthday party super fun.

It’s actually quite easy to plan a fun and eco-friendly birthday party for toddlers. This is especially true for this age group, because toddlers don’t require very much. The fact that there are other kids around to play with are often good enough for these young tykes! However, since party planning is such a major event for the adults, here are a few suggestions for parents to use within their party planning scheme.

- Parents can write the party invitations on recycled paper, or upon paper that is made with plantable seeds. This helps to give back to the earth, while announcing the child’s birthday party.

- Parents can make party favors out of newspapers, or out of other types of recycled materials. Example of party favors include windmills, streamers, or fun paper masks that can be colored on with beeswax crayons or with colored pencils. Parents can come up with lots of creative ideas that will help keep the kids entertained and busy.

- Here’s a cute and efficient way to serve drinks. Use fun and reusable drink containers, such as Mason canning jars. These can purchased in small sizes. They can be kept cool in a recycled aluminum bucket full of ice. This beats keeping juice or punch in a bowl that will attract bugs and allow for juice to spill everywhere.

- Save money while serving cake efficiently and neatly. Serve Whoopie pies instead of serving slices of a big sheet cake. Whoopie pies require no plates or forks, and they are portable. Top the birthday Whoopie pie with eco-friendly candles, such as a beeswax candle.

Other green ideas include sending the kids home with party favors wrapped in reusable or recycled paper wrapping. You could also ask the other parents to choose more eco-friendly gifts for your little one. There are lots of activities that can be engaged in, that allow kids to learn how to nurture and respect the earth.

1. Purchase themed decorations. No party is complete without the extravagant decorations. Golden ribbons dangling from the ceiling, balloons in royal colors such as purple, gold, and pink, and glass slippers placed upon the tables as centerpieces all make excellent decoration ideas for a princess party.

2. Place crowns in front of every seat for guests to wear. Girls love playing dress up and getting their very own crown will make them all feel like real queens and princesses on this royal day.

3. Allow guests to wear princess costumes to the party. A costume party makes the event seem more realistic and will be lots of fun for the birthday girl and her guests. Since some guests may not have costumes, you can also create your own costumes at the party, which makes for a fun activity.

4. Rent a play castle or bounce house for your backyard. If you’re planning on going all out on this theme party, children love bounce houses. Look into renting one that is shaped like a castle to stick with the theme of your birthday party.

5. Pink or royal themed party supplies such as paper plates, cups, napkins, and goody bags are must-haves. These can be purchased at nearly any party supply store and will have your favorite princess or princesses on them.

6. Order a birthday cake with a princess theme. White and pink icing and heart shaped sprinkles will make the perfect cake.

For me, the biggest challenge was keeping the entire party eco-friendly. I wanted to use items that could be recycled whenever possible. As my sons have some food allergies, the cake needed to be gluten free with a minimal amount of food dye. The party food was actually my biggest challenge.

I made my own cupcakes using a mix from the local whole foods store. I also used the icing I found at the store. For cupcake toppers, I used special dinosaur candy I found in the bulk food portion of the store.In addition, I purchased ice cream made from rice milk as several of the children attending the party had milk allergies.

In order to make the frosting job look professional, I purchased an cupcake icing tip and icing bag at a craft store. This way, I could swirl the icing just like they do in the bakery department of the grocery store.

I wanted to make up party favor bags for the kids to take home after the party. However, I didn’t want to use the cheap trinkets that you find at most of the stores. Instead, I gave each child a book on dinosaurs and a bag of homemade play dough. I also got some great ideas for crafts that the kids loved! We rented a dino costume from our local costume shop and each child posed with the dinosaur during the party. My husband Dave took the photos to a 1 hour photo developing studio during the party. Then, we handed out the photos to the children as they were leaving the party.

The most important part of the party is the party itself! Instead of planning games for the children to play at our home, we took my son and his friends to a miniature golf course. The golf course had a jungle theme and actually had a dinosaur display on site!

Planning a dinosaur party is not too difficult if you take the time to plan the party. In fact, the most difficult part of the whole event was saying goodbye to our guests as they were leaving!

1. Ace Writer – Alphabet Series

For under three dollars, Ace Writer offers a great opportunity for children learning to write letters. It demonstrates how children can draw letters and allows them to trace the lines with their fingers. The app not only supports both upper and lower case letters, it shows a word that starts with each letter, and lets children hear the sound of each letter. Ace writer is a bright and engaging genuine educational app which will give children a necessary head start in the classroom.

2. Sound Touch

The Sound Touch app, costing around four dollars, is great for toddlers or developmentally delayed children who have not yet developed fine motor skills. It features bright colors, sounds, and touching big buttons. There are six categories of objects – household objects, musical instruments, vehicles, domestic animals, wild animals, and birds.

3. Talking Carl

Talking Carl is an app with a simple premise: say anything to Carl and he will repeat it back in a very high pitched voice. If it sounds annoying as an adult it is because it is annoying but children can spend hours shouting things at him just to have him shout back even louder. They can also poke him, tickle him, and pinch him to elicit various responses. At just over a dollar, it is a deal.

4. Teach Me: Kindergarten

Priced at under one dollar, this app features a talking mouse guiding children through exercises in basic math, spelling, and “sight words”. They become progressively more difficult and with every three correct answers, children earn a coin they can use to purchase stickers. Many reviewers note that in particular, the math exercises do a good job of explaining how to add and subtract by counting objects and solving equations. There are also a toddler version and a first grade version of the Teach Me app.

5. Drawing Pad

Drawing Pad is a two dollar app that will appeal to the artist in any child. Children can use their fingers to simulate markers, paint brushes, colored pencils, crayons, stamps, and rollers. There is also a sticker book with over one hundred stickers. Parents can also purchase coloring books inside the app and share pictures with family and friends via email, Facebook, or Twitter.

With the Chuggington set, your kids will have tons of fun playing with familiar characters from their favorite television show. There are several different Chuggington railway sets that can be purchased, each featuring different track shapes, such as a figure eight and circle. The railways can be easily snapped together to make new and exciting tracks of all shapes and sizes. With the Chuggington Wooden Railway Play Table, kids can set up the tracks on a surface that’s just right for their height. The play table is constructed of heavy wood and features colorful designs from the tv show. This is the perfect surface for rolling around trains. Koko, Brewster, Wilson, and other trains can be played with on the wooden railway tracks. The play table also has a pull-out drawer, which makes cleanup even easier than before. The table can be set-up easily and provides your child with a fun activity that they will enjoy for hours a day.

Even if your child is not familiar with Chuggington, they will still find fun and amusement out of the wooden railway sets. Perfect for small hands, the trains are much larger than others of the same type. The tracks also feature tunnels that your trains can be pushed through. For those that have other trains or play Disney cars, they should easily fit on the tracks as well. Each train has a front and back magnet, for the ability to connect to the other trains to create one large train.

Overall, Chuggington Wooden Railway sets are the perfect gift for your preschool aged child and will provide them with hours of fun every day. This toy can be enjoyed for years after the initial purchase.

Decorating eggs is a traditional and fun spring craft idea for kids. There are many egg decorating kits available on the market, but these kits are unnecessary. Normal food dye is an inexpensive and effective way to dye eggs. Children also may enjoy carefully painting eggs, or drawing on them with markers or crayons.

Hold on to your empty egg cartons, as they make great craft supplies when creating spring crafts with kids. With Easter approaching, an egg carton is a great way to store and display your hand-painted and dyed Easter eggs, and green paper can be cut into thin strips to create grass to hide the eggs with. Egg cartons can also be made into cars or buses, or can be used to create a special “Easter countdown.”

Instead of throwing away or recycling old magazines and newspapers, save them for your spring crafts. Hold onto old papers, especially sales papers or old school bulletins in bright colors. These magazines and papers can be cut into strips and braided to create an adorable paper basket.

Paper plates can be colored and decorated to look like lady bugs and plastic or paper cups can be cut into “petals” and glued together to create flowers. If you save any potential craft materials in a big box, break everything out on crafts day. Have crayons, markers, tape, glue, glitter and other inexpensive craft supplies on hand. You and your kids are sure to figure out many spring craft ideas that are fun and creative, all using inexpensive and recycled materials!