Modge Podge Baby Photo Cube

One of my closest friends had a precious baby girl earlier this year and asked me to be the God mother.  I wanted to make her something extra special on the day of her baptism.  Since, I have been spending some time getting acquainted with " Modge Podge" I decided to make her a photo cube!

I purchased some matching scrapbook paper to decorate the photo box.

Well Katelyn's parents liked it! I think it turned out nice. and it was SOOO very easy!  I used pictures that I just printed off, black and white.

A Crafty Italian Cultural Lesson!

I know I have been a little Lazy at posting lately ( I'm not going to blame the pregnancy or the fact that I'm getting ready to move across Iowa) But then again I will :)

I am going to pull some crafts to share from my other ( older) site I manage, which is CultureCottage.com Which I hope to bring to " Blog" form someday.

Here are some " Cultural" Craft Ideas to help your pupils learn about Italy.

The Leaning tower of Pisa!

( Here is a leaning tower of Pisa made from Craft foam, a hot glue gun and decorated with a Sharpie)

You can easily turn this into a history lesson!

I

Italian Coffee!

Much of our " Coffee Culture" in the United States, specifically our " Starbucks" is influenced by The Coffee in Italy.  In Italy, business men and women head down to the Coffee bar around mid morning and literally take shots of espresso. Also, many of the fancy names we have for our coffee drinks in the U.S comes from Italy. 

Here are some Coffee Crafts! kids can learn about Coffee drinks, and use these to learn and play imagination with them afterwards. Just get creative with the fun foam. ( afterwards, you might feel the need to take a trip to get a REAL Cappuccino!)

Make a Gondola Boat and Rower!

The Gondola is the traditional boat rower that used to be very prevelant in Venice.  Although nowadays, these boats are mainly used for romantic site seeing!

A Swiss Army Knife Safety activity!

Summer is a great time to get outside and learn about the outdoors. Back when I had my own Girl Scout Troop, I was always trying to find fun ways for my girls to learn about safety.

I found this activity online, where you make your own "Mock" pocket knife, and teach kids how to use a knife in an appropriate manor. 

My Girl Scout Troop LOVED learning about different countries, so I double dipped the learning in this activity, and also taught them the history of the Swiss Army knife. 

Learn about the history of the Swiss Army knife

This is a REALLY easy craft. All you need is Craft Foam and Brads.  Cut out and decorate your knife case and add all the tools you would like to put inside of your pocket knife. 

Knife Safety

* It is Very Important to explain to children the possible dangers of mishandling knives. and ALWAYS use proper handling when demonstrating to children how to use a knife properly. 

* While carrying a knife, it is important to have the knife pointing down.  If you drop the knife, don't try to catch it.

* Always use a cutting board when cutting.  DON"T try to cut anything without a sturdy surface.

* Cutting motion should go straight down.  Cutting motion should NEVER go towards yourself, and should NEVER go towards another person.

* NEVER place your fingers in the area in which you are cutting.  Curl up your fingers, so your knuckles are holding the item.

* After using  the knife, ALWAYS store it and put it away right away.  NEVER leave a knife in a place where it can be grabbed accidentally.

NEVER leave a child unattended with a knife.

This is a great Educational activity on a family camping trip, or just when you are looking for a different summer activity!