Kids love to play with pasta! Who knew something so simple and inexpensive could be so interesting to young children.

Dried pasta comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. If you don’t already have some in your kitchen cupboard, you can find a variety of different pastas to choose from in the bulk section of your grocery store. Let your child go with you to pick it out.

Pasta can be used for a variety of craft projects, and it is very easy to dye. It takes only a few minutes to dye the pasta, and a couple of hours for it to dry.

To dye the pasta all you need is:

Pasta in different shapes and sizes
Food coloring
Rubbing alcohol
Several small bowls

Pour approximately 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol into each bowl. Add 10 or so drops of food coloring into each bowl, one bowl for each color. Drop the pasta into the bowl and stir gently with a spoon for a few seconds.

Remove the pasta from the bowl and allow to dry for several hours on a paper plate. The colors will brighten as the pasta dries.

Your kids will enjoy playing with their colorful pasta. They can use it to create macaroni necklaces or they can glue pieces of pasta onto a sheet of paper for a creative work of art.

Children as young as two years old will enjoy counting and sorting the pasta into different piles. Have them separate the pasta by color or shape. They will have fun moving the pieces of pasta from bowl to bowl.

Article by:
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit Crafty Moms.

In our family, birthdays have always been a special occasion for my mother. She enjoys giving presents, but she loves opening them even more, especially presents that are thoughtful and unique.

This year we wanted to do something different to make her birthday memorable. The whole family chipped in to prove that the alphabet could be just as much fun, even for someone who long ago left school and has long mastered the art of reading. Using the alphabet as our guide, we made up a gift basket of 25 small and one big present – all in all, one present for each letter of the alphabet.

We added to the cheer by making her “work” for each present. She had to solve a riddle for each letter of the alphabet. An example of one of the riddles is the one we used for the jelly: “Add boiling water and cold temperature to turn this powder into a sweet temptation.”

Below is the list of gifts we packed into the alphabet basket…
A: Aromatherapy oil.
B: Bath salts.
C: A fragrant candle.
D: A recipe for a date pudding.
E: Easter egg, as her birthday was close to the Easter weekend.
F: Fizz balls for a nice and relaxing bath.
G: A small gift voucher for her favorite store.
H: A tube of hand cream.
I: An invitation to a coffee date.
J: A packet of jelly.
K: A loving kiss from my father.
L: A raspberry flavored lollipop.
M: Milk chocolates, one of her strong favorites.
N: A floral nightie for the cold winter.
O: An orange.
P: A packet of popcorn.
Q: A quiz cut from an old magazine.
R: One red rose.
S: Scented body spray.
T: Travelling rug to keep her warm while watching television.
U: Unlimited hugs.
V: A vitamin enriched drink.
W: The big one, which was a watch.
X: An old Xmas card from one of her sisters.
Y: A South African magazine called “Your Family.”
Z: A plastic zebra toy.

This was the best present ever! My mother, who also happens to be a sentimental person, cherished the notes with the riddles on for many days. She will always remember her alphabet gift basket.

I am sure that, upon receiving such a special gift, your mother (or grandmother) will feel just as loved.

Article by: Benetta Strydom is the owner of Crafter’s World Online.

Keep up with what’s happening at Mom’s Talk Network, by clicking here.

Some fun Christmas craft ideas your kids will really enjoy

Christmas Cards Crafts

Supplies: Construction paper, card stock, scissors, glue, glitter, pencils, crayons or markers and old Christmas cards.

Let the kids use their creative energy to make wonderful handmade cards that can be shared with family and friends. By cutting pictures out of old cards, even young children can make something nice.

Snow Globes Crafts

If you want to make your own, gather glass or clear plastic containers, like baby food jars or mustard or mayonnaise jars. Wash and dry them completely. Gather small plastic Christmas or winter decorations. Try to find some that float. Winter themed stickers or small foam cutouts are also nice. Decorate the outside of the jar with stickers or glue a few of the foam pieces on it.

Attach a couple of the floating pieces (things like snowflakes or stars work well) to string and glue a figure to the inside with the string underneath the figure to anchor it (which will become the base). Fill the jar with water and some glitter. Carefully glue the lid in place using waterproof glue and let dry. Once dry, shake it, set it lid down and watch the glitter swirl around.

Candy Crafts

A train can be a quick craft that can be used as a decoration or gift. Use a roll of hard candy for the main part of the train. Use individually wrapped round candy, like peppermints for the wheels. For the front, glue a square candy, such as a caramel or a Starburst with a Hershey kiss on top. If you add a string, they can be used as a tree decoration.

Garland Trees

Take a large piece of green poster board and cut a circle, with a slit out to make a cone. Tape it with clear packing tape. Take an artificial pine garland and wrap it around the cone, completely covering it to create a small tree. Fasten the ends in place so it doesn’t unwrap. The tree can be decorated with lightweight paper ornaments that the children can also make.

To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk Guide to Raising Happy & Healthy Kids – Tips and resources address nutrition, exercise, sleep, routines, and much more.