For this BOO-tiful craft, we created fun cotton ball ghosts! With just a few items needed, this could be a fun project for all of your little ghouls and boys!

Supplies:

• Black Construction Paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Cotton Balls 
• Googly eyes (optional) 

Directions:

In white crayon, draw a ghost shape on a black piece of paper.

Then, cut out the ghost shape. Depending on their level, you may need to help with this step!

Next, grab your cotton balls.

Now it’s time to cover the ghost in glue and apply the cotton balls.

Since the ghost is covered in white, we need to add some eyes.

You can use googly eyes or black construction paper.

Add a mouth, by cutting one out of black construction and glue it on to your ghost.

How SPOOK-tacular did these come out?!?! You can always display these around, or you can add a hole to the black paper and string them up so that they are “flying” in the room!

This type of project is so good for their hand-eye coordination and other fine motor skills! My kiddos LOVED making them and asked me to make a few more to display around the house! When you make these with your kiddos, make sure to tag us on Instagram @MyMilitarySavings!

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There is a lot of misconceptions on how kids will react and socialize when they are stuck with mom all day. Well, it is really simple. Move them out of their comfort zone! Having your kids home with you all day can  get a little tedious and you need something new. Check around your local area and see if there are any home school coop groups that meet. You can also check into nursing homes. They love to have visitors so have your kids take little pictures that they have colored and even some books to read out loud (yes, get that reading practice in), the residents will enjoy it as much as your kids. We visit the library once a week, and there they can interact with other kids (all ages) and also check out some new books to read. Bookstores, theaters, play groups.. it is all about what you want to do! Interactive museums where you can get hands on, or tour groups, so many options! Children, by nature, are very talkative and friendly. They want to be out and around people, and it does not always have to be someone of their own ages. Getting them involved and moving them into different settings will help to hone their skills in talking to different age groups, but also build their confidence. By showing some of the knowledge they are learning, you might be surprised what they can learn from another! Kids have minds like sponges, and we need to feed that. While we were walking through a museum recently, we met an elderly gentleman who had fought in WWII. My boys were in awe as he told them stories about his time there, and part of what his job was. Listening to them retell me (even though I was right there), was something special. You would have thought that gentleman was riding a golden scooter around the remainder of the day. Each time we saw him, my boys would wave madly and say, “that guy was a soldier once like you mom”. I love that they are willing to listen, but also to remember these precious moments. We won’t have our storytellers forever, so hearing them while you can, is magical.

Being social or anti-social is all about your children. Some are more comfortable to get out and talk to anyone that they might see, while others take a little while to warm up to new people. It is OKAY! My children are ones that would talk to anyone, although they are leery about being out of my eyesight, they are open and friendly. We have friends in the neighborhood that they can run around with, and they have our sweet next door neighbor wrapped around their fingers. They love nothing more than to take some treats over to her, and play her Xbox while talking her ear off for a couple of hours, which is perfect for me to run some errands and get some me time. Remember, it takes a village! Sometimes she can hit home some of the information we work on. As a former teacher, she and I spend a lot of time talking about what we are working on and how to tackle different ideas and issues that come up with kids. All moms need someone to talk to, and raising kids (not to mention teaching them) is never easy! As we work through different stages in life, it is always helpful to have someone there saying “its okay, you can do this.” We all need those cheerleaders in our life!

Remember – YOU CAN DO THIS!