A few weeks ago, I shared these adorable DIY mermaid and narwhal hand puppets. Now it’s time to get a little crazy with this DIY mad scientist hand puppet. Let your little creative concoct crazy schemes and bring their monsters to life with play!

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Collage of Mad Scientist Hand Puppet with text overlay: DIY Mad Scientist Hand Puppet

[bctt tweet=”Ready for some easy creative play? Unleash your kid’s inner scientific genius bent on world domination with this easy DIY mad scientist hand puppet.” username=”diyadulation”]

Who doesn’t feel a bit like a mad scientist sometimes. I feel that way any time I have to create dinner on the fly using only what’s in the pantry. Throw it in a pot, turn up the heat, and watch it simmer, right?

Now, your kiddos can get scientific and crazy on their own. Luckily, this isn’t going to add to your toy clutter. You can throw it in the same storage container with your other puppets and off you go.

Materials for Mad Scientist Hand Puppet

Red Silicon Potholder (I found mine at Dollar Tree but here are similar ones)
Scissors
Yarn (similar)
Small Notebook
E6000
Pink Glitter Foam (I used the one from this pack)
Large Googly Eyes
Comb

Yarn Wrapped Around a Notebook

Step 1

First, wrap the loose end of your yarn around your notebook 5-10 times.

Step 2

Cut where the yard is still attached to the skein and then cut a smaller, separate piece of yarn from the skein.

Rolled Yarn

Step 3

Next, carefully slide your wrapped yarn from the notebook and onto the smaller piece of yarn.

Step 4

Tie the smaller piece of yarn around the wrapped yarn.

Pieces of Yarn Tied Together

Step 5

Then cut through the yarn loops on either end.

One Side of Tied Yarn Frayed

Step 6

Hold one side of your tied yarn bundle firmly in your hand and comb the opposite side with a comb.

Tips:

Make sure you have a tight grip or the comb can pull out the strands of yarn.
Tousle your yarn some throughout combing to make sure you comb all of the strands.

Frayed Ends of Tied Yarn

Step 7

Repeat step 6 on the opposite side of your bundle of yarn.

Frayed Yarn Glued on Potholder

Step 8

Once your yarn is basically a big fluff ball, glue it to the top center of your potholder.

Tip:

Instead of doing a dab of glue, run a line of E6000 across the entire top and press your yarn firmly into it. The fluffiness of the yarn makes it easier to come off without this extra security.

Mad Scientist Hand Puppet

Step 9

After you have attached the hair, glue 2 large googly eyes to the potholder.

Pink Glitter Half Circle Next to a pair of Scissors

Step 10

Next, cut a wide semi-circle from a sheet of pink glitter foam. Make sure it is no wider than your potholder.

Tongue Glued on Mad Scientist Hand Puppet

Step 11

Finish your mad scientist hand puppet by gluing the foam semi-circle inside of the potholder as pictured.

I love how this DIY mad scientist hand puppet turned out. In fact, I love it so much I think I’m going to make some cute little beakers and test tubes to go with it. Don’t worry, I’ll share them with you if I do.

If you still haven’t decided how to store your hand puppets, I recommend a plastic shoe box with a lid. It will also be plenty of room to store any accessories we make for it. Not bad for toy storage, don’t you think?

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More Ideas You’ll Love:

DIY Mermaid and Narwhal Hand Puppets
Free Printable Summer Scattergories Game
DIY Popsicle Stick Army Men
Clothespin Paper Puppets – Moms and Crafters

When I lost my hard drive a few months back, it really got me thinking about other ways to preserve moments from our lives. In addition to having backups (which I did not), there should be more ways to record these fleeting periods of growing up. These DIY school year journals allow us to capture memories from the kids’ perspectives in addition to providing a fun place for kids to record their day.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

Collage of Green and Pink School Year Journals with text Overlay: Capture Memories with DIY School Year Journals

[bctt tweet=”Capture those precious memories with these DIY school year journals. They are also the perfect easy way to connect with your kids daily after school!” username=”diyadulation”]

I always take a lot of photos but they are small snapshots that don’t tell the entire story. Even through scrapbooking, I’m only preserving my memory of the situation. That’s why we’re starting a new tradition this school year. These DIY school year journals capture the kids’ memories each year from their own perspectives.

In addition to the free printable journaling page, you can also store artwork, writing samples your kid is proud of, and anything else from the school ear your child thinks is important.

Grab the Free Undated School Year Journal Page

by Clicking on the Picture Below!

Pink and Green Soft Cover Binders

Materials

Soft Cover 1 inch 3-Ring Binder
Printable School Year Journal Sheet
Sticker Sheets
3-Hole Punch
(Optional) 3 Hole Punched Pocket Folders
Supplies for Labeling Journals (see step 2 below for details)

First Day of School Printable

Step 1

First, print out multiple copies of the school year journal sheet. I recommend printing out at least 5 at a time so that you enough enough for an entire week.

Don’t Forget:

Subscribers can get a free 10 page school year journal with prompts. This includes prompted pages for the first 5 days of school as well as specialty pages for holiday breaks. Lastly, you’ll find the undated journal page included above on the last page to continue journaling the rest of the year. This is perfect for easing your kids into the process. Click here to sign up for the Newsletter now!

Pink Binder Covers that Says Brielle K-2018

Step 2

Then label the journal with your child’s name and school grade/year. You can do this in a variety of ways. I tried 2 different techniques to give you some ideas:

Technique 1

For Brielle’s journal I used puff paint to add her name, grade level, and the year. With this method you will need to let the paint dry before moving on.

Technique 2

The second method is to use sticker embellishments to label the journal. I used this method for Jude’s journal and it also worked well.

Technique 3

Another alternative, which I did not use this time, is to use a permanent marker to label the journals. If you want to make it a little more whimsical, use a metallic Sharpie instead of a regular black one.

Sticker Covered Green Soft Cover Binder

Step 3

Next, allow your kid to decorate the front of the journal with fun stickers.

Holes Punched in First Day of School Printable

Step 4

Now, punch holes in the printed journal sheets.

Open Binder with Pens Scattered 2

Step 5

Next, add the journal sheets to the binder. This is also the step to add folders to the binder if you want.

Green and Pink School Year Journals

How to Use Your DIY School Year Journals

Each day, have your child fill out one page of the journal. The journal is a combination of writing and drawing to fit your kid’s creative style. You can help your non-writers by letting them dictate to you.

In addition to recording your kids’ school memories, these also help your kids improve their English and handwriting skills. These DIY school year journals are also a great way to connect with your kids after school beyond the “How was school?”-“Fine.” conversation.

These DIY school year journals will become a wonderful keepsake that you and your children can look back on throughout the years. They also provide a secondary form of memory-keeping that isn’t as fragile as an external hard drive full of photos.

It is always sweet to preserve your child’s memories as they are in this moment. The time goes too fast, these journals are the perfect way to preserve a small piece of them.

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More Ideas You’ll Love:

DIY Duck Tape Backpack Tag
Easy Homemade After School Snack Ideas
Fun and Glittery DIY Notebook
14 Back to School Washi Tape Crafts – Domestically Creative

Raise your had if you love mushrooms! Seriously, any form is welcomed in my book. That’s why I have to share this easy and frugal yellow mushroom rice recipe with you. You won’t believe how good jarred mushrooms can taste!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

Collage of Yellow Mushroom Rice with text overlay: Easy + Frugal Yellow Mushroom Rice

[bctt tweet=”Are you looking for a quick and delicious side dish for dinner tonight? This easy and frugal yellow mushroom rice is perfect for busy families on a budget!” username=”diyadulation”]

Remember the rice I told you about in Top Food Items You Should Buy at Dollar Tree? This easy recipe uses that delicious rice as the base which means no additional seasonings are needed from you. Score!

For $2 you can have a side dish for dinner that serves 5+ people in no time. It’s perfect for large busy families on a budget like us.

Plate of yellow mushroom rice

Ingredients

9 oz. Bag Yellow Rice
10 oz. Jar of Mushrooms
2 1/4 cups Water
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Step 1

In a medium pot with a lid, bring your water to a boil.

Step 2

Once your water is boiling, add you olive oil and the entire package of rice.

Step 3

Continue boiling for 1 minute, stirring the entire time.

Step 4

Next, cover your pot with the lid and reduce the heat to simmer.

Step 5

Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes.

Step 6

While your rice is cooking, strain the liquid off of your mushrooms.

Step 7

After your rice has simmered for 15-20 minutes, stir in your strained mushrooms.

Step 8

Resume simmering for another 5-10 minutes.

Step 9

Remove your pot from the heat.

Plate of yellow mushroom rice

Step 10

Fluff the rice and serve hot.

This easy and frugal yellow mushroom rice is seriously delicious! It is the perfect side dish for feeding large families on a small budget. We usually have leftovers even though both my husband and 9-year-old are bottomless pits. That’s always a win in my book!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:29]

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More Ideas You’ll Love:

Super Cheap Homemade Large Pepperoni Pizzas
Cheesy Crispy Baked Asparagus
Freezer Friendly Easy Jambalaya
5-Minute Salmon Egg Rice Bowl – My Pinterventures