Invertebrate Crafts for Kids

Did you know that there are around 1.3 million different species of invertebrates?! This includes approximately: 

• 1 million species of insects 
• 100,000 species of arachnids (spiders, scorpions, ticks, etc)
• 85,000 species of slugs and snails
• 47,000 species of crustaceans
• 20,000 species of bivalves 
• 72,000 other species (everything from sand dollars to jellyfish to octopuses)

Those are staggering numbers! And when you consider how many individuals of each species there are, it is simply mind-blowing. Invertebrates are absolutely fascinating. Pair a study of invertebrates with a series of kid-friendly crafts. Below are nine of my favorites. 

Invertebrate Crafts for Kids

1. Cardboard Tube Honey Bee - Where would we be without bees? Craft a model of this vital pollinator using a cardboard tube.

2. Pretzel Monarch Butterflies - Make a gorgeous edible treat, inspired by the monarch butterfly. This craft is best for teens and tweens.

3. Ladybug Under a Magnifying Glass - What better way to study a tiny animal but under a magnifying glass?! This craft lets kids focus on all the details of a ladybug. 

4. Peanut Picnic Ants - Ants are absolutely amazing. Sure, they can be annoying, but when you learn more about their strength and teamwork, you can't help but be impressed!

5. Glue Resist Spiderweb - Create a beautiful spiderweb with two kid-friendly items you likely already have at home. It's a lot of fun to make. 

6. Lobster Drawing - Learn how to draw an American lobster, step by step. Then add watercolors to give it mottled coloration.

7. Crayon Resist Swallowtail - Use a fun crayon-resist technique to color accurate pictures of your favorite butterflies. This is an Eastern tiger swallowtail. 

8. Cardboard Tube Firefly - Fireflies are such interesting insects! Make your own firefly using a cardboard tube. Lights are optional, but totally cool. 

9. Painted Dragonflies - Create a beautiful painting featuring lots of colorful dragonflies. This mixed media project is really fun to do. 

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Be sure to check out the rest of the invertebrate craft tutorials! If you're looking for ideas for other animal crafts for kids, I have those too. Click on the links to find bird crafts, mammal crafts, fish crafts, reptile and amphibian crafts, and even crafts featuring mythical creatures!

New Toy

While I do most of the bunny care (feeding them, cleaning the litterboxes, combing fur, arranging for in-home nail trims, taking care of vet visits, scheduling bunnysitters, and endless vacuuming), Steve is in charge of making sure we have enough bunny supplies. He orders this hay and this litter from Small Pet Select; he buys Oxbow Adult Rabbit pellets locally at a pet store. Steve loves to spoil the rabbits, so he often adds extras to his virtual or in-person carts. We currently have Belinda's Blend, the entire range of Healthy Snackers, multiple packs of Herbal Blends, one pack of Loops, and plenty of Pea Flakes (affiliate links here and below). So basically, enough treats for 200 rabbits, not the 2 that we actually have. 

Steve likes to get new toys for the bunnies as well. This layout is about a toy he bought last year. It was an instant hit, especially with Brayden who chinned it the moment he saw it, thus claiming it as his. He worked hard to chew through all the ropes within the first few days and then played with the previously dangling toys he had released.  

New Toy

You probably noticed that Tulip isn't in the pictures. She likes that toy, but not as much as Brayden does. She has other favorites, especially her set of stacking cups. Rabbits truly are unique individuals, with different preferences and interests. 

Trio of Floral Cards

We had a cardmaking workshop after church last weekend. I made three cards using the same layered stamp set. It's fun to see how changing out the small details can significantly alter the card's appearance. The muted colors and subtle sentiment of this sympathy card...

... give a completely different look than the bright colors and bold sentiment of this thank-you card. 

The backgrounds on the first two cards are just ink. For this Hello card, I did a quick sweep of ink directly on the die-cut, then added details and shading with Prismacolors (affiliate link). 

I have very little experience with layered stencils and it was fun to experiment with different techniques.  Cards are great for trying out new skills and taking risks. I'm looking forward to playing with ink on cards again soon!

Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Frozen Drinks

When we were invited to a 4th of July party, I asked what we could bring. Suzzi requested a red, white, and blue drink. Last year, she made one using colored beverages with different densities and it was a hit. I wanted to try something different. Rather than relying on density, what if I froze the layers? One problem: we'd need to transport frozen drinks for an hour in the summer heat. If they melted, I'd be showing up at a 4th of July party with a light purple drink instead of a red, white, and blue one. 

I'm happy to report that my drinks arrived frozen and were indeed red, white, and blue. Unfortunately, there was a different problem I hadn't anticipated. Read on to find out what I did, versus what you should do if you want to make this drink in the future. Affiliate links below.

Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Frozen Drinks

Materials: 

• clear plastic cups
• Kool-Aid (Cherry and Blue Raspberry Lemonade)
• granulated sugar
• Simply Limeade
• plastic slushy straws

What I Did: 

First, I prepared the blue raspberry lemonade Kool-Aid according to the package directions. I cleared space in our freezer, then set the cups into bread pans that would keep them upright while freezing. I filled each cup 1/3 of the way full with the Kool-Aid and put the pans in the freezer. 

When the Kool-Aid was slushy, I added cute patriotic paper straws. This was a big mistake, so don't do that. I let the blue layer freeze completely, then added the white (Limeade) layer and let that freeze completely. 

I made the Cherry Kool-Aid and packed it into a Thermos. We put the bread pans into a cooler and crossed our fingers that the layers would stay frozen during the drive. When we got to the party, I set out the drinks and added the final layer, which remained liquid. They looked so pretty!

It should have been obvious, but freezing paper straws in a drink is a bad idea. You couldn't sip through them since they were frozen in a block of flavored ice. As the drinks thawed, they began to disintegrate. Most of us ended up using a fork to free the straw and then drank the resulting slushie. The good news is that the three flavors go together really well!

What I Would Do Next Time: 

First, I would buy slushie straws instead of paper straws. That's what I put in the materials list at the top of the post. I would not freeze the straws into the drink. In fact, I would not freeze the drinks like this at all. Instead, I would use my beloved Cuisinart ice cream maker to make a slushie of each color and store those in the freezer until it was time to serve them. I'd pack in the blue and tamp it down, pack white on that, and top with red, and THEN add the straws. I don't know how well slushies would travel, but I think this would work well at home. If you give it a try before I do, let me know how it goes!

Mom's California Visit, Part 5: Capitol Park Tour and SMF

On Sunday, June 28 my mom and I had our third (and final) luxurious breakfast at Willow. I highly recommend a visit if you're in Sacramento. We checked out of The Exchange and headed to the Capitol. You may be wondering why, since we had toured the Capitol just two days earlier and the building is closed on weekends. We were there for the free Capitol Park guided tour. 

  

The tour explores the 40-acre park, focusing on the history, flora and fauna, and memorials and monuments. 

We learned that Capitol Park is home to 14 state and national Champions - this is the largest Valencia orange tree in the US.  

This is the California Native American Monument. It honors the Miwok and Nisenan tribes whose ancestral lands include present-day Sacramento. The central statue is circled by nine seals that show California native plants and animals, representing the connection between the natural world and the original inhabitants. 

This is the California Firefighters Memorial. It remembers the more than 900 firefighters who have died in the line of duty since California became a state. 

There are interesting and unique plants from all around the world thriving in Capitol Park. 

There are over 1000 trees representing hundreds of species in Capitol Park. You can find a complete list on page 16 of the Tree Booklet. 

The Native Plant Garden includes cacti and other plants from across California. 

This is the World Peace Rose Garden. 

At the base of many of the roses, you'll find writings that promote peace. 

This is the Vietnam War Memorial. 

This is the Veterans Memorial. 

There is a lot more to see and enjoy in Capitol Park. Definitely plan for enough time to enjoy the beauty and the history of this unique place. 

After our time at Capitol Park, Mom and I headed to the Sacramento airport for her return home. Normally, I wouldn't have much to say about taking someone to the airport, but I did something I've never done before. I requested, and received, an airport gate pass. 

Before September 11, 2001 anyone could accompany a passenger to the gate. It was normal and expected that a non-ticketed person would see their loved ones off at the gate, and be waiting at the gate when they arrived back home. I suspect that will never be universal again, but there are circumstances where someone who is not traveling can accompany a child, a senior, or someone with a disability who might need a little extra help. To get a gate pass, I spoke with the agent at the Southwest ticket desk, who took my ID and returned five minutes later with my pass. It couldn't have been easier. 

There are an increasing number of airports that allow non-ticked visitors to get a gate pass. Take SFO, for example. You can apply for a Gate Explorer pass not only to accompany loved ones, but to go shopping, eat at airport restaurants, visit the airport museum, or to spend time at the SkyTerrace watching planes take off and land. I'm really glad for this option.