Author of Children's Books
Make these fun little owls with recycled paper tubes and coffee filters.
Owls are present all year round. But they tend to be louder in the Fall with their hooting noises as they establish their territories before winter. They can be aggressive predators of mice, frogs, and even small rabbits! But it’s undeniable that they are also very cute. Follow the directions below for these adorable, nocturnal birds.
Continue reading “Easy Owl Craft for Fall”
Make these fun skipjacks out of paper towel tubes and recycled paper.
According to the Maryland Sea Grant, skipjacks were made by oystermen over 100 years ago specifically to dredge for oysters. They were named after the skipjack fish because they are quick and agile in the water. There were once over a thousand skipjacks on the Chesapeake Bay. Now there are only about 20 left. And, even less are still actively used to dredge for oysters. Continue reading “Maryland Skipjack Craft”
Make these nature inspired photo frames from recycled materials.
My favorite season is the Spring. I love all the new life and new blooms on the trees, and every year I take lots of pictures of the kids in front of the new brightly colored trees that were so cold and bare just a few weeks ago. This year I decided to let the kids have a chance to be the photographers and take lots of pictures of their own. So, each with a camera in hand, they went out into the neighborhood to take pictures of nature.
Continue reading “Nature Photo Activity”
Make these fun lighthouses out of bottle caps and paper towel tubes.
These lighthouses are modeled after the Cape Henry Lighthouses in Virginia. According to US-Lighthouses.com there are about 680 lighthouses in the United States. The original Cape Henry lighthouse is made out of bricks. A new lighthouse was built along side it in 1882 when the older one developed cracks and became unsafe. Continue reading “Lighthouse Craft”
These bird feeders make it easy to watch birds in the backyard. I helped my daughter make these for a science project at school. We made them out of recycled materials, including a paper towel roll, a shoebox lid, and a milk carton.
You can make one, or all three of these feeders for your yard and enjoy watching the birds as they return for spring. Beware of squirrels, though. They seem to like the bird feed as much as the birds do, sometimes knocking down the feeders trying to get at the food! But the fun of watching the birds close up is definitely worth the effort of putting the feeders back in place and refilling them.
Continue reading “Homemade Bird feeders”
In addition to its oysters, Maryland is known for its blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. Help celebrate Maryland Day (March 25th) by making these fun crabs out of paper plates and pipe cleaners.
The blue crab is Maryland’s state crustacean, and its largest commercial fishery. Its scientific name is Callinectes sapidus, which means savory beautiful swimmer.
The second crab in the picture shown displays Maryland’s state flag–a fun way to show state pride.
I love homemade ornaments. We gave our Christmas tree a nautical theme this year with these colorful Angelfish. Made of polymer clay, they’re easy to make and they look great on our tree. You can use any color of clay to make these. Here is how we did it! Continue reading “Angelfish Ornament”
My family is super excited for Thanksgiving, as we are every year. It is one of my favorite holidays because it involves family, lots of delicious food, and giving thanks. So, in honor of the big day coming up, my kids and I are making these adorable little turkeys that will adorn our plates on Thanksgiving day. The orange placemats in this photo are actually crocheted, made by my grandmother. It’s so much fun to use things that are handmade by the people you love.
Continue reading “Thanksgiving Turkey Craft”
My family loves to collect sea shells during our summer trips to the beach. So, I try to find creative ways to use them all year round. Here are some shells “dressed up” like spooky ghosts for Halloween.
I draped these ghostly creatures along the handrail of the outdoor steps to “frighten” unsuspecting trick-or-treaters.
Continue reading “Ghostly Sea Shell Garland”
Oyster season has arrived! There is an old saying which espouses that oysters should only be eaten in months with an R, ideally September through April. Today, however, with modern refrigeration and oyster farming all year round, oysters can be eaten any time of year. But, some oyster aficionados hold that oysters are at their freshest and tastiest in the Fall.
In honor of the fall harvest, I’m posting this easy oyster craft. I make this craft with students when I visit schools to read my children’s book, Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay. I teach children that oysters are great for the environment because they are filter feeders and natural cleaners in the water. Continue reading “Easy Oyster Craft”