Marble Game – Craft for Kids! Easy!

Published on by Hannah GreentreeLeave a comment

My kids actually came up with this idea – somewhere – years ago – and they still seem to make a new model every few months or so. 🙂

It is super easy and requires mostly average household items.

As you can see above you only need the following supplies;

– Marbles

– Empty kleenex box

– Scissors

– Tape and/or glue

– Construction or decorative craft paper

– Our printable PDF for numbering – click here to download >>> Numbers Printable Page

Step 1: Cut off the top of the Kleenex box as shown above.

Step 2: Cover the box with decorative/construction paper using glue or tape – shown above and below. You can actually skip this step if you already like the design on your Kleenex box. 🙂

Step 3: Cut out numbers from our free printable PDF and glue to the side of the Kleenex box as shown in the two pictures below.

Step 4: Cut various sized openings along bottom edge of box as shown. Make sure openings are large enough for a regular sized marble to fit through.

Step 5: Set the game up as shown above – grab yourself an opponent and see who scores the highest!

Happy marble gaming!

~ Micheline

Summer to-do Charts! Easy FREE printables!!!

Published on by Hannah Greentree4 Comments

Every child cheers in victory at the end of the school year and then after about a week or two at home they begin to complain, “I’m boooorrreeed…” Ha ha haaaaaa! So, in response to this complaint I create a summer to-do chart for my kids.  Some of the activities listed are chores and some are purely for fun. If my kids complete the chart before the end of summer then they earn a trip to an amusement park.

Although I have seen some pretty beautiful and crafty summer charts out there in the online world I tend to keep mine simple… Years ago I created these charts on my computer which I update (if needed for age appropriateness), print out and pin onto a bulletin board. It is a brilliant solution to “boredom” complaints and gives the kids something to work towards over the summer season.

I also created a sheet of colourful check marks which we cut out and glue onto the chart when a task is completed. I have provided 5 printable PDF’s for you at the end of this post. The ideas and work are all done – you only need to print them off, pin them up, have your child cut out the check marks and then your summer-to-do charts are ready to go! Easy-peasy! 😉

Click each of the links below to download the free printable summer to-do charts and check mark pages >>>

Summer to-do chart_Page1

Summer to-do chart_Page2

Summer to-do chart_Page3

Summer to-do chart_Page4

Checkmark Page

I hope you and your kids enjoy! 😀

~Micheline

KCDC Grand Opening! And a NEW painting!

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On June 15th the Kootenay Child Development Center held it’s grand opening! Although I didn’t get the chance to be there in person I was there supporting it in spirit. I totally believe this place is an indispensable addition to the East Kootenays – it is going to be a such blessing to families and children around the region. If you don’t know much about the benefits of this center please DO check out this link to read more >>> KCDC Project Details.

‘Unspeakable Joy’ – 18″ x 24″ – acrylic on canvas.
Please click on image to see enlarged version.

My partner, Trina, did attend the grand opening with her son, Thom. She admitted that Thom had so much fun eating goodies, playing in the bouncy tent and doing projects at the craft table that they were actually some of the last people to leave – ha ha! Trina also told me that approximately 50 folks (in her estimate) attended the opening including Cranbrook’s mayor, Wayne Stetski, the Cranbrook city council members, Sharon Cross and Diana J. Scott. When I asked Trina what she thought about everything afterwards she said, “It was amazing to actually see this center come to fruition as I have been watching these dedicated women work so hard for the last few years.”

The women that Trina is referring to are Patricia Whalen, Gail Brown and Gwen Noble. Although I’m sure many folks were involved in making this center a reality I understand that these women have been the front runners. (Great job ladies!!! 🙂 )

So you still might be wondering where exactly do I come into all this and what does my newest painting have to do with it? Well, Gail Brown is actually retiring soon and as a memento of all her efforts and dedication I was commissioned to do a painting in her honour that will hang in the center.  The painting is titled, ‘Unspeakable Joy’ and it was presented to Gail at the opening.  It was a serious privilege to do this piece and my heart is that it reflects the untainted joy that we see daily in our children.

You can check out more of my paintings at my other blog – MISH MASH,

Micheline 🙂

Miss Emily the Cat at Home in KCDC!

Published on by Hannah GreentreeLeave a comment

It has been such and honour to help support this important endeavour – and we are so excited to have these prints framed and hanging in the Kootenay Child Development Center! Read more by clicking the following link >>> MISS EMILY THE CAT AT HOME IN KCDC!