I organize a local mom's group, and we try to do at least one craft and story day for each holiday, or season. Sometimes these are difficult to come up with, and others and so easy there are too many to choose from. We have many ways of finding these, but the web is the easiest way to do it. In September is Grandparent's day, and let me tell you, there are not many craft ideas out there for little ones to do. Last year we did the typical popsicle stick picture frames. I didn't want to do that again, so I was determined to find something else. Well I came up with one on my own. I cut out a capital G from some cardstock (1 per child), I then punched a few holes in the center of the letter G, place a piece of tape over those holes, and press onto a sheet of construction paper. I bought a package of kitchen sponges from Dollar Tree, cut them in half, wrapped a rubber band around the top (to make a handle), and then cut a bunch of "legs". I poured some washable paint on a paper plate, and let the kids dip the sponges into the paint, and then on the paper. Once the paint is dry you can easily pull up the letter G and write a sweet message to the grandparents in there. The kids had a blast! They turned out great.
We also did leaf rubbings at home. Our friend gave us a large roll of plain white paper, so I cut a large sheet for each child, headed outside to find some different leaves, and sat us down on the kitchen floor. I really think using the larger size paper made it easier, and more fun for the kids to do.
Another craft we did, I borrowed from the Frugal Family Fun Blog. She has amazing cheap ideas for crafts with the kids. You NEED to check it out!! For this one, you cut a toilet paper tube in half and squeeze it into a leaf shape. I squeezed the paint onto paper plates for the kids, and they dipped the tubes in the paint, and then onto the piece of paper. Again, another hit! I really think the kids LOVE to paint.
