Handprint butterfly

handprint butterfly craft

Butterflies flitting to and fro — it’s the epitomy of spring and summer. Their colors are bright — yellow, orange, red. They land on bright flowers and create a perfect vision. You’ve seen butterfly craft after butterfly craft, but we want to offer yet another. All this one takes is crayons and a piece of Read More »

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Toilet paper tube birds

toilet paper tube birds

Who doesn’t have empty toilet paper tubes? We all do. And if you don’t right now, you definitely will have some soon. Let’s use them for a fun purpose and turn them into adorable birds, and you can make whatever kind of bird you want. I chose a robin — my mom’s favorite — and Read More »

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Butterfly ring *FREE template*

a little girl holding a butterfly ring

We love pollinators, and we love sharing that love with others through education and fun. At the 2019 Bee & Butterfly Festival, visitors could create a fun butterfly ring with a simple cardstock template and a pipe cleaner. You can create your own by downloading our free template below, and then all you need is Read More »

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Turtle finger puppet template

turtle finger puppet

Turtle or tortoise — they’re different creatures, but you can make this fun finger puppet into whichever you would like. Otherwise, you can use your imagination and make your own distinctive turtle! Make it pink. Make it sparkly. Make it your own. First, start off by printing off the free turtle finger puppet template onto Read More »

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Spring and winter coloring page

colored winter scene

When you sit down to color a picture, it’s usually pretty obvious what you’re coloring. What’s fun about folding pictures is that you have to finish it before you can see exactly what you’ve done. As we transition from winter into spring, we thought it would be timely to create a folding picture that encompasses Read More »

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Tissue paper snow painting

When you live in northwest Iowa, you’re going to have snow during the winter. There might not be snow all the time; there might not be deep snow; but you’re going to have snow. This is a fun craft to do because it starts out using snow, but you don’t have to try to preserve Read More »

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Bird seed ornaments

finished bird seed ornament

Everyone loves to feed the birds in winter. (Learn about one of Iowa’s winter birds: Dark-eyed junco) It helps the birds that are scavenging for food. It lets you get close to watch these fun, feathered friends. Bird watching is a good hobby to do from the warmth of your house on chilly days. You Read More »

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Ice cube tie-dye

frozen colored ice cubes

It’s cold. If you’re not reading this the week it’s written, the windchill is -6 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s 2 p.m. You can imagine how cold it was last night, and how cold it’s going to get tonight! However, we like to embrace the seasons around here, so we thought it would be fun to Read More »

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FREE frog mask template

frog mask

Did you know tree frogs’ last bone in their toes is shaped like a claw? Have you read about how about frogs’ bodies freeze during the winter and thaw in the spring? Do you know what a group of frogs is called? Click here to find out. Frogs are really interesting creatures, and many people Read More »

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Easy pasta creatures

pasta turtle

The Great Lakes Mall in Spirit Lake hosts an annual Festival of Trees in which local businesses and non-profits can decorate a tree for a chance to be voted to win the top prize. This year, the theme is about our local food pantry through Upper Des Moines Opportunity, and each organization that decorates a Read More »

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