This pretty bag of potpourri
Was made for you by little me.
In it there are leaves and flowers
That will smell sweet for many hours.
I helped cut the ribbon and lace,
And tied a bow in a special place.
So keep it somewhere it can stay
To remind you of this Mother's Day!

Handprint Flower...
Mount a piece of white paper on top of a larger piece of  colored construction paper. Paint the child's palm of hand any color he wants.  Have him press down onto about the center or a little above.  Next paint the child's fingers using another color of choice and have him press down above the palm print.(A perfect hand print now.) When the paint is dry the child may add a cut out heart for the center of the flower.  Leaves and stem using construction paper.  Here is the poem to provide:

A piece of me
I give to you.
I painted this flower
To say "I love you."

The heart is you.
The hand is me.
To show we are friends-
The best there can be.

I hope you will save it
And look back someday
At the flower we shared
On your special day.
    -Kathleen Lademan
 
 

Molded Baskets...
Give each child an 8x8 inch sheet of prepasted wallpaper.  Help the children dip their pieces of wallpaper into a pan of warm water and then mold each one over the top of a can.  When the wallpaper is dry, let the children remove them from the cans and turn them upside down.  Have the children add handles to their baskets by gluing the ends of strips of construction paper to the sides.

Mother's Day Plant...
 The next year we bought clay pots and painted the children's hands with
acrylic paint using one of those foam brushes.  Then we had them hold the pot
with both hands.  We helped them carefully lift their hands off the pot and
immediately wash their hands in a sink of soapy water  (that  was the fun
part for the kids!!).  They painted around the rim of the pot with a
contrasting color.  We did this for Mothers Day.  Using a gold paint pen we
wrote Happy Mothers Day and the year.  We then put a plant in the pot.  The
moms loved these.   Again for the infants we did footprints..just seem easier
and safer since they don't put their feet in their mouths.
 

Herb Garden...
 Kids grow herbs in a six cup muffin pan (part of the gift) or in milk cartons placed in a shoe box. Moms always like this.

Tuna Can Pin Cushions...
Use clean tuna or cat food cans - throw out the lid. Lemon juice will help to get the odor out when washing. Use a small amount of quilt batting or cotton and fill the can so that the cotton forms a mound above the rim of the can. Then using scraps of fabric cut a circle of fabric about 1" larger in diameter that the rim of the can. Glue the Fabric to the INSIDE of the rim at the very top tightly enough to form a
cushion with the cotton underneath. Lastly, decorate the outside of the can with fabric, ribbons, lace or just about anything you can think of. You can also paint the outside of the can and glue on decorative buttons or beads, but make this your first step and let paint dry before making the cushion.

Bath Salts...
Epsom salts
food coloring
fragrance (ex:scented oils)

Fill a baby food jar, label, and put a pretty covering on the jar lid. (I use
wrapping paper and ribbon)
Fill a clean baby food jar with mixture and add bow or ribbons.

Potpourii Ornaments...
Supplies:
Sobo glue
Potpourri (color your choice)Potpourri with smaller pieces works best
Metal or plastic cookie cutters ( open kind ) ( hearts, bears, trees ect. whatever holiday! )
Cooking spray
Wax paper

Mix potpourri in plastic container ( one that washes easy or one that you can toss like butter or ice cream tub) gets kinda messy.
Mix a 6 oz. bag of potpourri with about 1 1/2 to 2 cups glue. You can tell if your getting enough glue if it's covering and mixing well. Just enough glue so that it covers most of the pieces of potpourri. Next spread some wax paper on table and spray wax paper and inside of cookie
cutter with a little cooking spray. Lay cookie cutter on sprayed wax paper. Fill cookie cutter with potpourri. Make sure to press down potpourri so top is flattened even with cookie cutter. Pop out design after it dries ( if you use a fast drying glue you can pop out in about 10 -15 min. and let dry completely for about 24 hrs. ) Add bows or whatever your heart desires. We have done hearts and poked a hole in the top and pulled ribbon through to hang them from.
And bears with a bow around the neck. Sooo cute and smell great too!! .

Teddy Bears...
 Precut teddy bear from poster board.  Have parents save used tea bags.
 Let children open the dried bags and shake the dried tea over the bear
 that has been covered with glue.  I used a tub to lay the bear in first
 (said they needed to lie down in their bed) so they excess tea doesn't
 get all over.  When they dry they look like fuzzy bears.  We stapled on
 Christmas plaid bows as well.  They looked really cute.

 Hole Punch Bear...
 Precut bear shape from green or red poster board.  Make hole punches all
 around and allow the children to sew in and out of the holes with red or
 green ribbon.  Glue a pocket on the front of their bear and add a message
 in the pocket.  "One big bear hug. Just for you.  Merry Christmas Love
 _______".  We added a ribbon string for hanging as well.  Also used old
 Christmas wrap cut into heart shapes to decorating the pocket etc.

A Special Gift...
Wrap a small jewelry box any one will do really.  If your using it for Mothers Day add floral a floral print wrap, if the gift is for Christmas wrap in a red or green wrapping paper.  Use the following poem and attach it to the box by hole punching the top left corner and tying it on with ribbon.

This is a very special gift,
That you can never see.
The reason it's so special,
It's just for you from me.

Whenever you are lonely,
Or ever feeling blue,
You only have to hold this gift
And know I think of you.

You never can unwrap it.
Please leave the ribbon tied.
Just hold the box close to your heart,
It's filled with LOVE inside.

Potpourri Sachet...
Cut a 8''x11'' piece of lace.  Have each child lay the lace right side down on a flat surface and place a handful of potpourri in the center. Bring the four corners up to the top and gather the lace around the top.  Secure the sachet with a rubberband.  Cut and tie a piece of colored ribbon and attach the following poem:

This pretty bag of potpourri
Was made for you by little me.
In it there are leaves and flowers
That will smell sweet for many hours.
I helped cut the ribbon and lace,
And tied a bow in a special place.
So keep it somewhere it can stay
To remind you of this Mother's Day!

Handprint Flower...
Mount a piece of white paper on top of a larger piece of  colored construction paper. Paint the child's palm of hand any color he wants.  Have him press down onto about the center or a little above.  Next paint the child's fingers using another color of choice and have him press down above the palm print.(A perfect hand print now.) When the paint is dry the child may add a cut out heart for the center of the flower.  Leaves and stem using construction paper.  Here is the poem to provide:

A piece of me
I give to you.
I painted this flower
To say "I love you."

The heart is you.
The hand is me.
To show we are friends-
The best there can be.

I hope you will save it
And look back someday
At the flower we shared
On your special day.
    -Kathleen Lademan

Pretty Posies...
Cut a plastic soda bottle about one inch from the top of the bottom.  Paint with glue in the inside and place tissue paper squares on top.  For the stem and leaves you will need to attach artificial leaves to the wire using floral tape. Add beads or fake jewels to the center of the flower and and magnet to the back of the flower and on both leaves.

Potpourri Hangers...
Cut 2 pieces of lace fabric about 1/2 inch larger than the body of the hanger, using a hot glue gun (teacher must do) glue one piece of the lace fabric to one side of the body of the hanger.  Turn the hanger so the hanger is laying on the lace fabric you just glued on. Now sprinkle potpourri inside the area of the hanger.
Glue the other piece of lace fabric on the hanger, sealing the potpourri inside the hanger between the two pieces of lace. After the glue dries trim the lace fabric close to the diameter of the hanger.  Glue the lace trim around the diameter of the body of the hanger. Tie a piece of ribbon in a bow around the neck of the hanger.

Flower Pot Turtles...
 Need:
 1 small flowerpot (very small)
 acrylic paint
 sponge for painting
 black marker
 tacky glue

 Turn flowerpot upside down and sponge paint.  Any color looks cute.  Let dry.  Cut head shape out of green sponges, plus 4 legs and a tail.  With marker, draw eyes on head.  Glue head, legs and tail to flowerpot.  The head, legs, and tail are glued to the edges of the pot opening.

Pretty Posies...
Attach a scrubber to the front of the folded card with a paper fastener. Either have the children draw a stem and leaves on the flower or add construction paper ones. And write this little poem inside:

To Make a Mother's Day gift fantastic
I made for you a flower of plastic
I give it to Mom with this special wish
May it help you scrub each pot and dish!

Apple Pie...
Place a small tart pie tin upside down on the tan felt. Trace the shape with you pencil and cut out the pie
crust. Pour  potpourri into your pie tin.  Fill the pie tin with pom-pom "apples". Put a bead of glue around the edge of the pie tin and cover with the pie crust felt. Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the crust and place a book on top until the glue dries. When your pie is dry, decorate the top by drawing lines with glue and sprinkle with glitter if you wish.

Potpourri Wreaths...
 I cut out a 5 in. circle from light weight green cardboard and then cut a circle from the center of it.  The children will use glue brushes to spread tacky glue on the wreath and then press potpourri onto it.  I used old potpourri but it still had some scent to it.  The varied colored plant material look very attractive.  We will attach a lot of ribbon to the back so it can be hung.  This is simple but attractive.

Ladybug Pin...
 Paint half of a walnut shell red for the ladybug's body.  Draw a black line
lengthwise across the shell to show the divide of the ladybug's wings.  Punch
some dots from black paper and glue them to the shell.  Rub some glue inside
the shell and stuff it with cotton.  Cut a head from black paper and glue it
to the top end of the shell.  Glue on some eyes cut from red paper.  Draw
black dots on the red eyes for pupils.  Cover the underside of the ladybug
with black paper cut to fit.  Glue a safety pin on the back.

 Button Bouquet...
 You will need several buttons and an equal number of pipe cleaners.  Take one button.  Stick the tip of one pipe cleaner up through one hole in the button and down through another.  Then twist the end of the pipe cleaner around under the button.  Take a piece of colorful paper or wallpaper and cut out several petals.  Put a dab of glue on the tip of each petal.  Stick the petals around the underside of the button.  Make other flowers in the same way - and there's your bouquet!

 Patchwork Flowerpot...
 Collect an assortment of colorful scraps of material.  Cut them carefully into different-sized  squares and rectangles.  Glue them, one by one, onto the outside of a flowerpot.  You might find that it looks prettier if you overlap the pieces just a bit.

 Appleseed  Mice Paperweight...
 Paint a stone yellow to look like cheese.  Glue black thread "tails" to three apple seeds.  Glue the seeds onto the cheese.  Paint on small white eyes.

 Hot Dish Holder...
  Glue pop or beer bottle caps on a heavy piece of cardboard in an apple or grape shape.  Draw a leaf and a stem on the cardboard.  Cut out around the caps and leaves.  Spray with flat paint.

 Apple String Holder...
  Measure 2 1/2 inches from the bottom of an oatmeal box or other round box with cover.  Cut away the top part of the box and discard.  Put the lid on the box and paint the whole thing red.  Poke a hole in the middle of the side, and push a drinking straw into the hole.  Color the straw brown or
black with a marker to look like a stem.  Add green paper leaves.  Place a ball of string inside the box, and put the end of the string through the straw.  Put the lid back on the box.  It looks like an apple with string
coming out of its stem.

 Message Bird...
  Carefully wash a large, empty frozen orange juice can.  Paint the outside of the can and let it dry.  Glue a clamp clothespin in place for the  birds beak.  The part of the clothespin that you squeeze should be even with the top of the can, and the clamp part should be pointing down.  Glue a bottle cap on each side of the beak for eyes, with the inside of the caps facing outward.  Punch two circles from yellow paper and glue them in the caps for pupils.  Put a pencil and some squares of paper inside the can.  Messages can
be written on a square of the paper and clamped in the bird's beak.

 Clay FootPrints...
 Every year I make an impression of the child's feet and hand using homemade
clay (the kind you cook on the stove).  Then I melt scented candles and pour into the impressions.  When the wax dries I scratch their name and the year into the flat surface.  They love it.  One of my kids has a set of 4 already.  The parents love it.  This year's color and scent is
green/eucalyptus. Directions follow:

 Cooked Clay Recipe
 2c flour
 1c salt
 2c water
 2tbsp cream of tartar
 1/4 c oil
 food coloring is optional for this project

 Put all ingredients into a pot and cook on low, stirring constantly.  When mixture thickens, put onto plate and cover with saran wrap and let cool.  To make impressions of the kids' feet I put the clay in an empty wipe box and have them step into the box and make an impression of their foot.

 Then melt scented candles or paraffin with a piece of crayon for color. Use a lot of caution, because candle wax is very flammable - in fact, use a double boiler to be on the safe side - and pour into the impressions. I do this at night when no one is around.  When the wax dries I scratch their name and the year into the flat surface.

Fragrant Soap Balls...
 Have children make homemade soap balls to give as a holiday gift or just as a middle of the year surprise to someone special in their lives.

 Use water to moisten Ivory Snow Flakes to the consistency of a very stiff dough. Divide the dough into several bowls. Add a different perfume and food coloring to each bowl for variety.

 Have children shape large spoonfuls of the soap into balls. Have them make about three balls each. Place the balls on trays (labeled with their model's name!) to harden for several days.

 Have each child wrap their three soap balls in colored cellophane paper and tie the package with a pretty ribbon.
 

 Candle for Parents Gift...
 Take a baby food jar. Tear different colored pieces of tissue. paper. Cover the jar using a paintbrush with glue diluted slightly with water and attach the pieces of tissue paper. Throw a few sprinkles of gold or silver sparkles. Add ribbon around the top and place small votive candle in jar. Before making
test candle size with baby food jar, as not all jars are the same so the candle sometimes will not fit.

 Dish Handprints...
  Here is another idea for handprints, most of us have done something similar to this, so this is a twist on an old idea:

  Materials needed:

  Planter coaster (bottom dish under a planter) from a pottery or terra cotta
planter
  Green or red paint
  White paint
  Paintbursh
  Toothbrush
  Ribbon, lace or raffia
  Optional-clear varnish, cutouts from material
  Hot glue/gun

  Have children paint the dish green or red, completely covering the dish. When dry, let the children use a toothbrush with a small amount of white paint on it and "fling" it toward the dish to create white speckles on the dish.  When dry, paint the child's hand white and let them make a handrprint inside the dish.  Let dry.  You can either leave the dish as is for a gift, or do one or more of the following:
  *Place cutouts of hearts or something around the hand and put a clear
varnish over them so they stick to the dish.
  *Varnish over the handprint for a better seal, and to add a little shine.
  *Make a raffia or fabric bow to glue on the top for decoration
 .
  Cinnamon Ornaments...
  What you will need:
  2 cups powdered cinnamon
  1 to 1/2 cups smooth apple sauce
  plastic drinking straw
  tiny dried flowers
  narrow ribbons
  Hot glue or duco cement

  Directions:
  Mix the cinnamon with 1 cup of applesauce.  The mixture will be dry and crumbly.  Knead in more applesauce, a little at a time, until the mixture turns into a very firm sort of "clay".  It should not be sticky.

  Dust your cookie mold with cinnamon, and press in an egg-shaped piece of your cinnamon "clay".  You will have to press firmly and level the back well. You may want to use a small, sharp knife to trim off extra "clay".  If the mixture starts sticking to your hands, dust them with cinnamon.

  Hold the filled cookie mold perpendicular to a wooden board. (I use a plastic cutting board or a piece of scrap wood from a lumber yard so as not to put dents into my good cutting board) and rap it quite hard several times, just as you would if you were making cookies.  The edge of the cinnamon pomander should start to come away from the mold.  Carefully peel the pomander out of the mold and place it on a baking sheet.  Using the plastic drinking straw, cut out a neat hole at the top of the pomander.

  Bake your pomanders for about 2 hours in a 150 degree oven.  After the first hour, remove them from the baking sheet and lay them directly on the oven racks.  This will help the pomanders dry out evenly.  Remove the pomanders from the oven to a cooling rack when they feel dry and hard.

  If the scent of your cinnamon pomander starts to fade after some time, you can refresh it by rubbing the back with a piece of sandpaper or an emery board.

  This recipe makes 8 or 9 pomanders, depending on the size of the cookie mold you are using.

Three Kisses For Mother...
Before hand, you or your children will prepare a little package with 3 wrapped
kisses.  You could use circles of tissue paper and ribbons.  With these packages on their hands, children will sing:

 Three Kisses for Mother
(The More We Get Together)

 Three ki-isses for mother, for mother, for mother
 Three ki-isses for mother on her special day.

 On her special day, on her special day,
 Three ki-isses for mother on her special day!
 >>Cleide

Card Or Book For Mom...
Use this along with a gift you've made as part of a card or make a book.
You sew the buttons on my clothes   (glue button on this page)
You gave me a hankie for my nose     (kleenex on this one)
You make good things for me to eat    (picture from magazine)
You buy me candy for a treat              (glue piece of candy on)
You wash my clothes and mend my socks(picture from mag and a cut our sock)
Dear Mother, I love you lots and lots!!(big heart - can put childs picture in it)

 Mother's Day Kisses...
 You will need 2 wrapped candy kisses, 1 plastic spoon, a 4x4 piece of
 netting, and ribbon.Place the two kisses back to back in the bowl of the spoon. Cover with the netting and tie with small ribbon.  To the ribbon's bow attach the following poem:
 "Happy Mother's Day!
 A spoonful of love
 And a couple of wishes,
 That you enjoy your
 Mother's Day kisses!"
 

Mother's Day Games