Yay! The Preschool Book Club Series is back in full swing for Back to School.  This time around it’s especially meaningful for me because my oldest, Gigi, is starting preschool in a few weeks.  She is super excited and a little nervous as well.  The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, is the perfect book to empathize with those back to school jitters, especially for first timers.  It’s a beautiful book about a little raccoon who worries about leaving his mama to go to school.  His mom finds a very sweet way to remind him that her love is always with him.  We made a little reminder too, in the form of temporary heart tattoos that couldn’t be more simple to make.  Here’s how we did it.

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First read this great book with your child.  The next step is to start with some parchment paper.  They may have some at your local super market or you can order some here.  You’ll also need a pencil, regular marker and a wet sponge.

Start by drawing some small hearts on a piece of parchment paper in pencil.  Color them entirely with the pencil.  On top of the hearts color whatever marker color you choose.  Make sure to cover all the pencil marks.  Flip the parchment over and place it on a smooth part of the body.  Hands and arms work really well.  Grab the wet sponge and hold it on top of the parchment for about 30 seconds.

Slowly peel the parchment of the skin and you’ll see the print of the marker on your arm.  Yay! You made a temporary tattoo.  You can do this with shapes, letters, and other pictures too.  It’s really simple and easy to wash off.  I think you can do it with a sharpie marker if you want something that lasts a bit longer.  For my little girls, I wanted something that would easily come off in the bath and it did.  Bye Bye tattoo.  But don’t worry, you can do another one in about five minutes tops the following morning, in time for school.  These are so easy and if your kids are anything like mine, they love tattoos.

For more fun projects inspired by The Kissing Hand, please check out these great bloggers who are also part of The Preschool Book Club Series.  Enjoy!

The Kissing Hand Salt Dough Charms from Sugar Aunts

The Kissing Hand Craft from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Felt Love Hearts from Homegrown Friends

The Kissing Hand Pop Up Cards from Buggy and Buddy

*After thought* You might be asking yourself, um…why not just draw a heart directly on the skin?  Well, I guess that would work too but making your own tattoos is waaaay more fun and we’re all about the process over here : )