Otterhop.com - Because your kids need something to do.

DIY egg carton seed starters...A green start to your spring garden

wendy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:51:25 +0000

Another year, another spring. Time to begin thinking how your garden will grow. Sharing this with your mini farmer couldn't be more rewarding. Think of all the goodness that comes from teaching kids to garden. From the care and attention paid to planting the seeds to the overwhelming excitement over the first sprouts there's so much to be experienced.

How to repurpose an ugly old crib into a stylish chalkboard easel

wendy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:12:02 +0000

It's rare I'm able to look at a found object and think "Hmmm, boy would this dingy, old scratched up table make the MOST fabulous little doll house." And although I'm not creative in that way I do appreciate those geniuses out there who are. Katie of Notes From a Very Red Kitchen is one of these said geniuses.

Make a Star Wars' themed version of Goodnight Moon

wendy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:28:21 +0000

After being chewed on and read through over the past 10 years by our two voracious readers our worn out copy of Margaret Wise Brown's Good Night Moon has earned it's rightful place on our bookshelf.

Free printable template = tons of slotted disc building fun

wendy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:07:26 +0000

How cool are these slotted building discs from Made By Joel? Let me just answer with a strong AWESOME!

Joel:

Make a dream catcher w/the kids and kick some nightmare butt

wendy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:06:12 +0000

When it comes to helping our kids have a good night's sleep there not much we wouldn't do...From monster powder to checking the closets three times to extra books at bedtime to lavender linen spray...you name it and we'll try it. And when a fear of nightmares comes into play sometimes we have to do a bit more than just leaving the hall light on for the night.

Mama King of 4 Crazy Kings has shared a brilliant idea for a dream catcher craft for kids.

Set the stage w/old school fun: Upcycled shoebox to puppet theater

wendy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:48:21 +0000

Shoeboxes...We all have them....It's hard to toss them, especially knowing one day your kid will be assigned the dreaded diorama project. But do you really need 20 of them shoved into the corner of your already crammed garage by your spatially challenged self?

Suess inspired crafts in honor of the doctor's special day

wendy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:52:57 +0000

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday and NEA's National Read Across America Day One Pretty thing has put together a roundup of Seuss related projects. It's a nice mix of how-to's, printables and recipes. Most ideas are easy and require very basic materials, most of which you probably already have on hand.

Make your own mini Olympic ice rink and let the toy games begin!

wendy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:36:38 +0000

We've got Olympic fever in my house and as to be expected my teeny Peggy Fleming has been sporting her best pair of ice skates (socks) and tutu joining in on the ice dancing competition with her own special living room routine. And the front page of today's sports illustrating a very psyched Yu-Na Kim?...Already been taped to my daughter's bedroom door...That's after she was finally convinced she might want to hang it up before it rips from being over handled.

Craft a Spring wind chime from recycled materials with the kids

wendy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:57:30 +0000

I don't know about the rest of the planet but it's raining here..again...And will probably continue to rain throughout the weekend (again) meaning we'll be stuck indoors with a couple antsy kids for the next 48 hours (again). We're gonna need some backup. Thankfully there are ideas like this wind chime making with the kids in the world. Shawn Connally of Craft just saved our weekend.

Reconstruct embarrassing adult tees into uber-cute toddler dresses

wendy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:04:34 +0000

Doing some pre-Spring spring cleaning beginning with my dresser drawers I've pulled out all sorts of t-shrits which should no longer be worn by a woman my age. And although it's true my hair is pink (what can I say? I kinda like being carded again) I just feel certain t-shirts + pink hair + a woman my age = a disastrous mess. So, the pink stays, the shirts go.