It's back to school time and man did the summer go fast I can't believe that September is creeping up so quickly... Soon the crisp fall will be upon us, I sure am looking forward to that, it's my favorite time of year. But before that head on over to hellowonderful.co and download this free pencil tube craft printable. You could stuff it with all kinds of small goodies for the kids to give the teachers.

Let me know how your back to school pencil turns out in the comments below!

I was inspired by the dinosaur eggs found here at hellowonderful.co. I love the home made dough and clay recipes, I used to make this with my special needs students, it was great because it is made with all natural ingridents that aren't harmful if ingested. I've made a recipe before with flour, coffee grinds, salt and water. The mixture smells good and the texture is satisfying to the touch. Although this mixture is edible it's not very tasty, but safe otherwise. The kids always have a great experience with it and there's so many different ways to use it.

Anyway, I decided I wanted to make some Pokemon eggs and that I want the dough to be white-ish. The recipe I decided upon turned out super simple.

I also had first ordered some super fun Pokemon figurienes, just do a google search for 'em or get 'em at Amazon here. The kids will love collecting and trading these little guys! They'll also be burying them in the dough mixture to make their eggs! How fun!

So here's my recipe and tutorial...

Ingridents:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of water
• Large bowl
• Rubber spatula

Other materials you'll need are:

• Small figurines
• Green paint
• ​Paint brush

Step 1. Add 2 cups of flour to a large bowl.

Step 2. Add the water a little at a time and mix as you go. You want your mixture to be dough like, not soupy or too flakey. If the mixture is too wet just add some more flour and if it's too dry add some more water.

Step 3. Form your dough into several small pieces and bury your little figures inside. Shape the dough like eggs and let the dough dry up a bit overnight.

Step 4. Paint your eggs if you wish. I painted mine just like the Pokemon eggs found in Pokemon Go!

Everyone's favorite Pokemon could top your back to school pencils, make this Pikachu with some felt and a little creativity. Who hasn't been into Pokemon Go this summer? It has really been a gaming revolution, getting people outside and exploring places right under their noses. The time has come though to return to the classroom and this little Pikachu will help the kids get back into the swing of things but bring a little of that Pokemon Go craze with them!

​Check out this cute Pikachu tutorial at hellowonderful.co!

Take a look at my felt flower pencil topper tutorial here at The Art Dream and make both of these in time for back to school!

When thinking about going back to school I get a bit of the jitters, even as teachers we too feel the nerves of getting back to work after the summer break, the lesson planning, the meetings, the parents, the deadlines and all the in-between. Children feel that pressure too and these days a lot is expected from them. We need to take a moment and remind them that hard work and dedication pay off, to be strong and open minded and they can accomplish any task.

I've always felt that the little things in life, the little joys that we experience are not just little, they're big, and they make a difference even for just a moment. Adding a personal touch to your school supplies spark a little excitement in me and really do make me anticipate getting back into the classroom.

A pencil topper like this is special because you've made it yourself, it's not just another copy cat from a store, it took time and dedication to complete and that's something to be proud of, even if it's not a masterpiece!

Make this felt flower pencil topper with your little girl to bring to school or even make one to give to the teacher, teachers love this kind of stuff. The tutorial can be found in the seasonal section of The Art Dream under summer projects or click on the photo above to take you straight to the tutorial!

You can never have too much of a good thing and this unicorn head craft is definitely one of those good things. I don't know what it is about this craft but it is truly magical and I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you. It's one of my faves and I've added another to the shop because I thought it would look great in a different color!

​If you like Purple Unicorn Head then check it out in the shop!

Of course you'll be needing a toilet tube to make this enchanted unicorn, they are the armature for most of my printables and the shape and size is perfect for little hands (big hands too). Check out my original Unicorn Head in the shop as well, they have the same face I've only switched the colors around and boy does it change the feel of this unicorn craft. The one little detail I did change was the pattern on the horn because ya know, all unicorns have to have unique horns.

Check out some more images in the gallery below!

Add your own unique colors for the mane, here I used three different shades of purple tissue paper, I think it looks great and I always feel like a monochromatic color palette is the way to go! You can be as creative as your imagination lets you with your choice of colors for the mane. You may even like to add ribbon in different patterns to add a funky touch to this craft, or you may consider using iridescent cellophane too, kids love that stuff, or how 'bout gold or silver mylar, that could really add some pizazz to these unicorns!

Please let me know how your unicorn turns out so I can share it on the blog and be sure to check out my shop for more fun and exciting printable crafts!