Absolutely nothing says spring like seeing growing cherry blossom trees in gorgeous tones of pink! This cherry blossom artwork is a fantastic springtime art activity for children. Using cotton balls as a painting medium is so enjoyable for children of all ages.

Both my 4-year-old and 7-year-old enjoyed using cotton balls to paint. The cotton balls offer the artwork a feathery look, ideal for the fairy floss structure of cherry bloom trees.

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Supplies:

• Canvas paper pad
• Paintbrushes
• Acrylic paint
• Cotton balls
• Wooden clothespins
• Paint palette
• A water container – use recycled ones for a greener option.

Painting Instructions on How to Make Cherry Blossoms: 

We used a canvas paper for this project. It was something I saw in our local art store and felt that it’s worth giving it a try. A canvas pad is basically the same as the ones you see stretched out onto a wooden frame. The only difference is, it comes in a ten sheets pad. Amazing! 

It held the paint well, and also, I think it makes the painting have a better texture. My children enjoyed using it too since it’s always fun to work on a differently textured surface. 

1. We will be doing a painting of a cherry blossom branch and not the whole tree, so it’s best to split your canvas paper in half for a horizontal canvas, which I assume looks quite impressive!

2. Time to blend your paints. It’s great if you already have the right sky blue and two tones of pink paints. If not, you will undoubtedly be required to blend your colors. I wound up mixing blue with some white and also the pink with white to make another lighter shade of pink.

Using two tones of pink gives the painting more depth, which makes the art more realistic. Don’t forget to provide the kids with plenty of colors to paint with their cotton balls! We used black for the tree branch.

3. Cover the entire canvas with blue paint for the sky. Try mixing the blue paint with some white touches here and there, which I think looks nice. It works best if you paint the background using a larger level brush.

Make sure that the background paint is completely dry before adding more elements. You can use a hairdryer to dry the canvas quickly.  

4. Draw the branch with a pencil. You can help your child with this if your child is too young. My child wanted me to draw her the branch, and after that, she painted it in. Paint the branch with black paint and also let it completely dry.

5. Here comes the fun part! Using two tones of pink, one dark, and one light, your kids can start using their cotton ball paintbrushes by gently tapping the areas around the tree branch to create fluffy cherry blossom flowers. Begin with the darker color initially, then add the lighter pink after.

Your kids don’t need to wait until the canvas dries. Your kids can paint light and dark pink colors simultaneously.

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Painting with cotton balls was so enjoyable for both of my kids. I’m pretty sure that we will use the same technique in our future projects. It’s adorable how fluffy and vibrant the pink cherry blossoms look against the black branch and blue skies.

This cherry bloom artwork is such an excellent spring craft for children. Definitely worth the effort, as a result, will surely be dazzling!

Creating Valentine’s Day treats must not be complicated or dull. Involve your children to make it enjoyable and, at the same time, allow them to exercise their creativity. This activity is also the best time to connect with your children. Here are some of the treats you can take pleasure in making on Valentine’s Day for youngsters, their buddies, or the whole family.

1. Valentine’s Marshmallow Pops

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Here is a Valentine’s treat that is perfect for sending out to your little kids to share with their friends and very easy to make. My little girl’s love to help make these. I have made them numerous times (I used different sprinkles depending on the event) since I learned to make the recipe. 

What you need: 

•  One bag of Strawberry Marshmallows
• Chocolate
• Sprinkles
• Lollipop sticks

Prep: 

• Push a lollipop stick in each marshmallow.
• Melt some delicious chocolate (don’t use chocolate chips). I usually use the brand Ghirardelli, but you can also use any other brand you prefer. You will need around 4-8 oz. of chocolate, based on how many marshmallows you have.
• Dip marshmallow one at a time into the melted chocolate.
• Let excess melted chocolate drip off. Put sprinkles on the chocolate covered marshmallows. 
• Place marshmallow pops in a cup to set. You can also refrigerate the pops for a few minutes for the chocolate to set quickly. 
• Once the chocolate set, your Valentine’s Marshmallow Pops is ready to serve. You can also wrap them in an individual cellophane bag if you prefer. 

2. Cupid’s Arrows

You know you did well when the dish you prepare gets requested year after year. I made Cupid’s Arrow a couple of years back when I was tasked to come up with enjoyable activities for a small group of girls in my church. It was during our Valentine’s party in February that I came up with the idea, and it was an instant hit! The girls loved making and eating them. The Cupid’s arrows were cute and very delicious. 

What you need: 

• Pretzel Sticks 
• Cinnamon Hearts or Jelly Cherry Hearts

Prep: 

• Push the heart jelly at the tip of the pretzel. The heart jelly will serve as the arrow tip. 
• Cut some of the hearts into feather shapes and push it in the other end of the pretzel stick. 
• Serve. 

3. Valentine Cupcakes

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Valentine cupcakes have been my favorite ever since I learned how to make them from my mom. Now that I am also a mom, I take great joy in prepping these treats together with my kids. 

What You need: 

• 24 Homemade cupcakes (chocolate or any flavors that you prefer
• Small bags or marbles
• Cream Cheese frosting

Prep: 

• Make cupcakes according to recipe instructions.
• Line a muffin tin with cupcake paper cases.
• Spoon batter right into liners. Make sure only to fill it halfway to guarantee that they can be formed into a heart. 
• After loading the liners, position one marble in between the pan and the cupcake liner. You will see the cupcake take the shape of a heart!
• Bake cupcakes according to recipe directions. Allow to cool down completely before applying the cream cheese frosting.

4. No-Bake Oreo Balls

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Searching for an Easy Valentine’s treat dish? These no-bake Oreo Balls are a great treat to make as a present to family and friends, or for yourself! You and your kids can get your creative juice flowing with chocolate dips and toppings.          

What you need: 

• Around 25 Oreo cookies
• 4 ounce softened cream cheese 

For dipping: 

• 1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped  
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
• assorted sprinkles for decoration

Prep: 

• Crushed the Oreos into tiny crumbs via food processor or blender.
• Slowly add the cream cheese into the processor or blender until it gets clumpy. 
• Choose a medium cookie scoop (you can also use an ice cream scoop) to part the mix into 1 inch balls. Line the truffles on a parchment paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes. 
• While waiting for the truffles to cool, melt 1/2 cup of dark chocolate by putting it in a microwave with a 30-second interval until fully melted. Repeat process for the white chocolate. 
• Dip each truffle in whatever delicious chocolate you desire, then line them back onto the parchment paper. Embellish with sprinkles of your preference. 
• Chill until chocolate is fully hardened. Enjoy! 

5. Heart-Shaped Pancakes

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Start Valentine’s day morning with a hearty pancake breakfast! Make it with your kids to double the fun!

What you need: 

• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• Three eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Canola oil for greasing skillet
• Heart-shaped pancake mold

Prep: 

• Sift together dry ingredients – sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat the eggs and buttermilk in a separate bowl. 
• Combine, egg, buttermilk, and dry ingredients and blend lightly. 
• Blend in the dissolved butter.
• Heat pan over medium heat. 
• Brush the heart-shaped molds and skillet and with canola oil.
• Place the pancake mold on the pan. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter depending on the size of your pancake mold. Spread it until the mold is filled evenly. 
• Cook the pancake batter for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
• Remove the pancake mold. Flip the pancake to finish cooking. 
• Brush the mold and pan with oil before cooking more pancakes. 
• Once the pancakes are done, top it with the usual butter and pancake syrup. You can get creative by using other toppings of your choice like Nutella or chocolate syrup.