See below the list of craft ideas found on cards in Rewards Box. These are a collection of the best crafts we could find on the internet. We give 100% of the credit to the creators of these crafts and encourage you click the provided link to review the original instructions, as needed.
Click the craft title and the instructions will appear.
Source: http://www.kidspot.com.au/things-to-do/activities/make-a-paper-mache-mask
This is a simple and fun paper mache mask for kids to make and use it as part of a costume for a party or to play with around the house.
What you need:
- Balloon
- Strips of newspaper
- Paper mache glue
- Paper
- Scissors
- Rubber Band
- Hole Puncher
- Markers
- Paint
What to do:
Step 1. Blow up the balloon to the size of your face. Coat the balloon with two to three layers of newspaper strips soaked in paper mache glue and let it dry completely.
Step 2. Once dry, cover it with two to three more layers of plain paper strips (soaked in the paper mache glue) and again, leave to dry. Using plain paper makes it easier to paint on than the newspaper strips.
Step 3. Pop the paper mache balloon (after the glue has dried) with a needle. Use scissors to cut the paper mache ball in half.
Step 4. Draw the mask face features such as a nose, eyes and mouth. Make two small holes on the sides around the ears area using a hole puncher and put a rubber band through the holes securing with a knot. Paint the mask and it’s ready to be used.
Source: http://therapyfunzone.net/blog/cardboard-marble-maze/
This is a quick and easy way to make a marble maze.
What you need:
- Card box lid
- Marker
- Colorful Straws – larger type for smoothies
- Scissors
- Glue or Glue Gun
- Marble
What to do:
Step 1. You may want to first draw a maze on a piece of paper the same size as the lid. Make sure to put in a few dead ends! Remember, you are drawing the walls of a maze between which a marble will travel. When you are satisfied with your design, use the marker to draw the maze walls inside the lid.
Step 2. Select the straws and, using the scissors, cut to match the lines. Glue the straws in place.
Step 3. Allow to completely dry before using by placing the marble at the start of the maze and only tilting the box to make it travel to the end.
Source: http://dharmaflyer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/finger-knitting.html
Finger knitting produces a long thin strip of stocking stitch and there are many things you can do with these strips. You can use any weight of yarn for finger knitting but for this tutorial I used chunky which produces a nice stocking stitch.
Fig. 1
To cast on, begin with the palm of your hand facing you with the tail end of the yarn between your thumb and index finger. Weave the yarn over your index finger and behind the middle finger then over the ring finger. Wrap the yarn around your smallest finger and weave back to your index finger (see fig 1).
Fig. 2
Weave the yarn around the index finger again and continue in the same manner but above the first rows of stitches returning to your index finger again (see fig 2).
Try to keep the stitches fairly loose otherwise it will be difficult for you to make the following moves.
Fig 3
The first row, begins with the little finger, lift the bottom row of wrapped yarn up and over the tip of your finger (see fig 3). Ensure that you keep the top row of wrapped yarn on your finger as you go.
Continue the process of lifting the bottom row of stitches over the top row of stitches along your hand until you get back to your index finger.
Fig 4
For all subsequent rows, weave the yarn around the fingers again ending with the index finger as you did in fig 2. It should look like the image in Fig 4, and then lift the bottom row of wrapped yarn over the top as you did in fig 3.
Fig 5
As you continue the process you will see a long strip of stocking stitch appearing behind you hand (see fig 5).
Fig 6
Continue until your work is approx 8″ in length then cast off. To cast off, do not weave the work around your fingers instead, lift the stitch off the little finger and pass it across to your ring finger (see fig 6) then lift the bottom stitch over the top stitch on your ring finger. Continue to pass the stitches across and over until you get to the index finger with one stitch remaining.
Source: http://ourbestbites.com/2012/04/kitchen-craft-soap-clouds-and-homemade-kiddie-tub-soaps/
- Put a paper towel or kitchen drying towel in your microwave.
- Take a bar of Ivory Soap (it must be Ivory) and place in the center of the towel.
- Set your microwave on high for 3 minutes, though, feel free to stop the process at anytime.
Have the children watch the soap in the microwave and they will be amazed! Once done, the soap is still usable and can be cut into chunks for bath time!
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/parents/play/view/cool_games_for_kids_balloon_ping_pong_and_pom-pom_cups
What you need:
- Can of Paint stir sticks (or Popsicle sticks)
- At least 2 Paper Plates (one for each player)
- Glue or, preferably, Glue Gun
- Balloon
What to do:
Step 1. Glue one stick to the back of the paper plates so you have a nice handle to grip.
Step 2. Blow up the balloon and you now have a fun indoor game to play on a rainy day!
Source: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/26618/crayon-resist
What You Need:
- White construction paper
- White wax crayons
- Newspaper
- Water soluble paint (tempera paint or watercolor paint)
What You Do:
Step 1. Draw a simple image on the white construction paper with the white crayon and write a few simple words.
Step 2. Tell your child that the ‘blank’ piece of paper is magic!
Step 3. Lay down some newspaper in the painting area and ask her to paint over the paper with her favorite color. Can she see the image? What is it? Can she identify any letters?
Step 4. To commend her excellent detective work, let her in on the secret and ask her to do her own ‘magic drawings.’
See if she can guess how the ‘magic’ works. Explain how the waxy crayon puts a ‘paint-proof’ layer of wax on the paper. So when the paint is applied, the areas that have been drawn on are blank!
Variations:
- This is a great way to exchange ‘secret’ drawings and notes with friends who are in the know!
- Let your child make a secret birthday card for a friend. Deliver the card with instructions on how to reveal the hidden message!
- Play the ‘Invisible Alphabet Game’ with your child! Draw a letter of the alphabet with the white crayon on the white paper and see if your child can guess the letter you have written. Was she right? All she has to do is paint over the letter to see! If your child can read, you can play this game using words instead of letters.
Our Source: http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/how-to-make-glove-monsters-tutorial
What you need:
- gloves
- batting
- sewing machine with a roller foot or walking foot attached
- needle/thread
- buttons, felt, etc for embellishing
What to do:
Step 1. Turn the glove inside out and sew a U-shape from the top of the thumb hole to the other side of the glove leaving a 1″ hole at the top. I used my sewing machine with a roller foot, but you could also hand stitch if you’re allergic to sewing machines.
Step 2. Turn the glove right side out
Step 3. Tuck the cuff inside.
Step 4. Stuff with batting, making sure to get batting to the end of each of the 4 fingers. It takes only a couple handfuls of batting.
Step 5. Hand stitch the 1″ hole shut.
Step 6. Cut facial features out of felt and hand stitch felt, buttons, etc in place. {Do not use button embellishments for kids under 3 years old, if they came loose, they could present a choking hazard.}
Step 7. We found that the 2 shorter fingers {pinky and pointer} make fabulous “monster arms” and if you pull the 2 middle fingers a little bit, they make great “monster legs”!
Source: http://robineggview.blogspot.com/2012/12/future-arteest.html?_szp=387006
What you need:
- a 2-pack of 11×14 canvas
- tape (Andy used to do auto pinstriping so I chose a thickness from his stash)
- gesso
- crayola paints
- sponge brushes
What to do:
Step 1. First, I laid out the tape between the two canvases and applied gesso along the tape lines. This prevents color from going under the tape.
Step 2. Next, I cut the tape connecting the two canvases, then applied blue painters tape around the outside, both to provide a border for the paint and to hold the tape in place.
Step 3. Then, I let her loose with sponge and regular brushes…
Step 4. The final product looks a bit chaotic (as mentioned before, I did fill in the blank spots – I’d ask her what color should go where once she had lost interest in doing it herself)
Step 5. Once the tape is removed, the final masterpiece is revealed! I true work of art for the boring playroom walls!
You will need:
- 3 empty water bottles
- food coloring
- vegetable oil
- Alka seltzer
What to do:
Step 1: Fill each bottle a little more than half with oil. Then fill the rest of the way with water. Leave about an inch at the top.
Step 2: Add 10 drops of food coloring.
Step 3: Break Alka Seltzer into 4 pieces and drop them in one piece at a time. Wait until the first piece stops bubbling before you drop in the next. If too many go in, you solution gets all cloudy.
Step 4: Watch the magic happen…
Source: http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2011/09/mini-marshmallow-shooters-or-pom-pom.html
What you need:
- plastic cups (ours were 9 oz)mark
- balloons (12″)
- mini marshmallows
- scissors
WHAT TO DO:
STEP 1. UNLESS HEAVY-DUTY, PUT 2 PLASTIC CUPS TOGETHER AND CUT THE BOTTOM PART OFF – ABOUT 1/3. YOU COULD USE AN EMPTY YOGURT CUP INSTEAD.
STEP 2. TIE A KNOT AT THE END OF YOUR BALLOON (THE END WHERE YOU BLOW) AND CUT OFF ABOUT 1/2″ FROM THE OTHER END – THE TOP OF THE BALLOON.
STEP 3. NOW STRETCH THE CUT END OF THE BALLOON OVER THE END OF THE CUP.
THAT’S IT! NOW IT’S TIME TO DO SOME LAUNCHING! TURN THE CUP OVER, PUT YOUR MARSHMALLOW INSIDE THE CUP ON THE KNOTTED CENTER, THEN AIM THE CUP AWAY FROM YOU, PULL BACK ON THE OUTER KNOT AND LAUNCH AWAY!
STEP 1. CUT THE BOTTOM PART OFF OF YOUR PLASTIC CUP. I FOUND IT WORKED BEST TO DOUBLE UP THE CUPS AND I CUT OFF THE BOTTOM THIRD.
STEP 2. TIE A KNOT AT THE END OF YOUR BALLOON AND CUT OFF ABOUT 1/2″ FROM THE OTHER END.
STEP 3. NOW STRETCH THE BALLOON OVER THE END OF THE CUP. I FOUND IT WORKED BEST TO PUT THE BALLOON ON THE TOP PART OF THE CUP WHERE THE LIP IS, OTHERWISE THE CUP WOULD BEND TOO MUCH WHEN I PUT THE BALLOON ON. PERHAPS IF YOU HAVE A STURDIER CUP, YOU WOULDN’T NEED TO USE TWO CUPS TOGETHER AND YOU COULD PUT THE BALLOON ON THE CUT END (LIKE IN THE ORIGINAL), BUT OUR WAY WORKED REALLY WELL FOR US. (UPDATE: A COMMENTER SAID SHE USED A EMPTY YOGURT CONTAINER AND IT WORKED WELL ~ GOOD IDEA SINCE SOME BRANDS TEND TO BE PRETTY STURDY, PLUS YOU’RE RECYCLING!)
STEP 4 THAT’S IT! NOW IT’S TIME TO DO SOME LAUNCHING! JUST PUT YOUR MARSHMALLOW INSIDE THE CUP ON THE KNOTTED CENTER, THEN AIM THE CUP AWAY FROM YOU, PULL BACK ON THE OUTER KNOT AND LAUNCH AWAY!
Source: http://www.devincollier.com/how-to-build-a-simple-small-marshmallow-catapult/
What you need:
- 9 craft sticks. Popsicle sticks may work, but wider sticks are much better. They can be found online at amazon or at your local craft store (I found some at Michaels for around $10)
- 4-6 rubber bands
- 1 plastic spoon
What to do:
Instructions
Step 1 – Take 7 of the craft sticks and tie a rubber band tightly around one end.
Step 2 – Tie another rubber band tightly around the opposite end so all 7 sticks are bound together.
Step 3 – Take the remaining 2 sticks and tie a rubber band on one of the ends. Try to tie the band close to the edge of the sticks.
Step 4 – Insert the 7 sticks banded together through the 2 stick bundle as shown in the illustration below.
Step 5 – Tie a rubber band in a cross fashion joining the two pieces. The closer the 7 stick bundle gets to the edge, the more leverage the catapult will have.
Step 6 – Use a few rubber bands and attach the plastic spoon on the end.
Source: http://livingwellmom.com/2013/05/crafts-for-kids-make-a-fairy-house/
What you need:
- craft sticks
- small plastic container (you could buy a new one, but this is a great chance to upcycle an old plastic container you can’t find the lid for!)
- colorful buttons (these are cute too!)
- colorful stones
- hot glue gun
- cardboard box
- sticks
What to do:
The best part of this craft project is that you and your child can make your Fairy House however you want. Use stuff from around your house or go visit the craft store; it’s up to you. And your little fairy-house-maker of course. He or she may have some very specific ideas!
We bought some colorful buttons and stones. Also some pipe cleaners, which we actually didn’t use. But maybe you will!
You’ll need a plastic container of some sort. We used an old Rubbermaid container. Have your child fill it with dirt. Not too full – about half way. It doesn’t have to be exact. This project is all about your child using their imagination!
Emily made a stone pathway around her Fairy House container.
The next step is to work on the actual house. I took an old tissue box (recycling and reusing too – woohoo!) and cut it up to fit the container.
Next, I used a hot glue gun to attach craft sticks to the sides of the box.
We covered all the sides and the roof. Remember (as I had to remind myself!): don’t worry about it being perfect. (I had started telling Emily to lay the craft sticks on evenly because that’s how I prefer it, but remembered that this is actually Emily’s project and I am assisting her.)
It was Emily’s idea to add buttons on the house for decoration. She said Tinkerbell and her friends would like it. (I think she’s right!)
While we let the craft stick-tissue box house dry, we made a sign.
For the sign, I simply wrote “Fairies Welcome” on a piece of paper. Then we cut it out, covered it with packing tape (for durability), trimmed the edges, and glued it (hot glue gun) to a stick.
We also made little button chairs. This was my favorite part.
Emily found a couple somewhat-flat stones and I glued a large button on. Then I attached a second button to the back. I wasn’t sure how well this would hold up, but it was quite solid, thanks to the hot glue gun. Lastly, Emily insisted on putting a second smaller button into the big button.
Next, we put the craft stick house into the dirt and began adding the little accessories to our little fairy house craft.
We added moss to the front and inside the house so the fairies would have a soft, comfortable carpet.
We even transplanted a violet from the yard. With a little water, it’s still alive and doing well!
Emily took a flower label and taped on a piece of ribbon. She said this is the fairies flag so they can tell how fast the wind is blowing.
Lastly, Emily sprinkled lots of pixie dust (glitter) around the Fairy House so the fairies would feel at home.
Source: http://alphamom.com/family-fun/crafts/sandpaper-printed-t-shirt/
What you need:
- Good quality crayons
- T-shirt
- Iron
- Fine sand paper – the more coarse sandpaper will provide more texture. Give them all a try!
- Parchment paper or paper towel
What to do:
Step 1. Color a fun design on the sandpaper. Remind children that the image will be reversed. Once the design is colored go back over the design giving the sandpaper an extra thick layer of crayon.
Step 2: Place a piece of cardboard inside the t-shirt to keep the design from bleeding through to the back of the shirt. Position the sandpaper right side down on the t-shirt.
Step 3: Place a piece of parchment paper or paper towel on top of the sandpaper to protect the iron. Iron, on cotton setting, the sandpaper for about 30 second. Gently lift one edge and make sure you have a good print before totally removing the sandpaper. Iron a bit more if you need to transfer more of the crayon.
Step 4: Remove the sandpaper. You’ll have a print with loads of cool texture–not to mention a new darling t-shirt.To set the color, place a couple of paper towels on top of the design and iron. This will remove some of the extra wax. Toss t-shirt in the dryer for about 20 minutes to set the color. Launder by itself the first time.
Source: http://artmommie.blogspot.com/2012/03/young-explorers-class_10.html
The basic idea is to have the child select a picture from a magazine, for example, and cut only a part of the picture out (i.e. a monkey’s head). Glue the photo onto a blank piece of paper and the goal is to draw around the photo, incorporating the photo as part of the whole piece of art.
Source: http://diyready.com/homemade-kids-crafts-balloon-bowl/
What you need:
- 1 balloon
- Bag of Confetti
- Glue, wallpaper paste or mod podge
- Paint brush
- Pie pan, cake pan or other flat, round container
What to do:
Step 1: Inflate the balloon and tie it. Put it into a container so that it is easier and sturdier to work with. Put glue on the balloon and spread it using a brush. Sprinkle the confetti all over. You can remove the balloon from the pan and hold it to add the confetti on the sides. It is recommended to cover the balloon liberally with the confetti. If you buy a bag of confetti, you will have more than enough to do this. You should actually be able to make 2 of these out of one bag of confetti.
Tip: If you really want to entertain you kids and keep them busy for hours, give them some scraps of colored paper and scissors, then have them cut the confetti. You end up with square confetti, and the bowl you make is equally cute, just different. Alternately, give them a hole punch. It really did keep my 7 year old daughter busy for almost 3 hours, morning and night, and she loved doing it.
Step 2: Allow the balloon to dry. Once dry enough, add another layer of glue and sprinkle with more confetti.
AFTER YOU HAVE ADDED MORE GLUE, ADD MORE CONFETTI.
Tip: You can put an object like a book on top of the balloon to push your confetti bowl down to get a flatter bottom on the bowl.
Step 3: Repeat Step 2 three to four times. Four is better. This is a fun project to get to come back to over and over again, though.
Step 4: Pop the balloon! You should have a bowl shape with rough edges.
Step 5: Trim the edges of the bowl. Using scissors, trim the edges of the confetti so that you have a smooth edge on your bowl. You can let your child do this with childproof scissors. They should easily cut through the glue.
Step 6: Display and Enjoy!
Source: http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/lesson9.html
You will need:
- Three or four plastic soda straws
- Yarn scraps
- Masking tape
- Scissors
- Large needle (optional)
What to do:
There are many items you can weave on a soda straw loom. You may want to make a bracelet or a bookmark. If you are making a bracelet, cut all the straws so they are about 4 or 5 inches long. The straws for a bookmark should be about 6 or 7 inches long.
Step 1. Now you are ready to warp or thread the loom. Measure the length of a straw and add 5 or 6 inches to this number. Cut one piece of yarn this length for each straw in your loom. Thread the straw by dropping the yarn through it. This may be easier to do if you shake a threaded needle through each straw.
Step 2. With their ends even, tie an overhand knot in the strands of yarn. Push the straws up to the knot, and tape them together at the top by running the tape around the straws, front to back. Now you are ready to weave! Tie one end of the yarn onto an outside straw just below the tape.
Step 3. Start weaving by going over that straw and under the next.
Step 4. Continue the over-under pattern until you want to change colors. Knot the yarn onto an outside straw, and cut it off from the ball or skein.
Step 5. Begin a new color as before, and continue weaving. Tuck loose ends inside the weaving. If you use yarn made of several colors (variegated), you will need to tie only the knots at the beginning and end, because colors will change automatically.
Step 6. When you come to the end of the soda straws, tie off the yarn and cut it. Remove the masking tape. Hold the weaving lightly in one hand as you pull out the straws, one at a time. Push the weaving up to the knot, and finish it by tying another overhand knot in the other end just below the weaving. If necessary, trim the ends so they are even.
It’s possible to weave something longer, like a headband or belt, with a soda straw loom. Just make sure the ones that go through the straws (warp threads), are long enough to tie around your head or waist. Don’t cut the straws, because you will need all the length and then some.
When you are weaving a longer item and you come to the end of the straws, remove the masking tape. Then move some of the weaving off the straws and up onto the warp threads. Do this by pulling the straws partially out of the weaving, being careful to leave the last inch or so attached to the straws. Repeat this process as often as necessary, and continue weaving till you come to the end.
Tips and Tricks:
Weaving on straws with a large diameter, like milk shake straws, will be easier to thread. You can recycle used straws for this project, but be sure to rinse well before using. This loom is small, so you can take it with you on car trips and to doctor appointments. Probably the best thing about the soda straw loom is that it can be used over and over and over again!
Source: http://discoverexplorelearn.com/balloon-rockets/
What you need:
- Piece of yarn (cut to about 6 feet)
- Balloon
- 2 Chairs
- Drinking straw
- Tape
- Scissors
What to do:
Step 1. Start by tying one end of the string to the back of a chair…
Step 2. Thread a drinking straw onto the other end of the string, and then tie the string to the second chair…
Step 3. Attach 2 pieces of tape (about 2 inches in length) to the center of the straw…
Step 4. Next, inflate a balloon (Don’t tie the end!)…
Step 5. Holding onto the opening of the balloon (so the air doesn’t escape), attach it to the straw using the tape…
Step 6. Pull the balloon to one end of the string (so that the opening of the balloon is touching one of the chairs), and let go…
Step 7. Observe what happens.
The balloon should start to move as soon as you let go of it.
Real rockets work in a similar way. A rocket engine works by exploding fuel inside a chamber that is open at the bottom. The force of the explosion creates an opposite force that pushes the rocket up and into space.
Source: http://oodlesofart.blogspot.com/2009/04/falling-back-in-space-portraits-3rd.html
What you need:
- LARGE sheet of paper…18×24 is best
- Crayons, colored pencils or markers
- Paint
- Sharpie
What to do:
Step 1. Have child trace hands facing outward, towards the top of the paper.
Step 2. Put papers on the ground, and have students trace their feet facing outward slightly towards the bottom of the paper.
Step 3. Have students draw an oval/circle for the head slightly above the hands (in the middle)…add details to the face, hair, etc…to make it look like them
Step 4. Then, add a neck, show them how to attach the arms to the hands, and the pants to the feet. The arms and legs get larger as they get closer to the tracings of hands and feet. Draw details, details, details!
Step 5. Discuss how they are ‘flying back in space’ and WHERE ARE THEY?! I have students drawing outer space, under the ocean, in a lightening storm, in tornadoes, etc….
Step 6. Outline in sharpies
Step 7. Paint with watercolors (we added crayon detail for small things as a wax-resist)
Source: http://afaithfulattempt.blogspot.com/2011/05/woven-painting.html
Younger children will need adult support for this project. You may consider splitting duties such as the child does one drawing and adult copies for second drawing. Adult may doal the cutting and child can do all the weaving.
What you need:
They could either go for opposite colors to create a high contrast checkerboard effect, They essentially did a drawing of the same image twice (they traced the first image onto the same sized paper) and then painted them slightly different colors.
or go for similar colours to create a more subtle effect.
So here’s a drawing of a falling over champagne glass- drawn exactly the same twice.
We used a tracing table- a window would work as well.
Then paint them both- we used acrylics and/or watercolors.
This student below chose a subtle colour change for her Egyptian piece.
Once both paintings are dry:
- Students fold one sheet of paper horizontally.
- Draw a line about one inch from the open end of the folded paper. This line is where you stop cutting. In other words, you are going to cut this piece of paper into strips UP TO THIS LINE so they all remain attached to the end.
- From the fold, make irregular cuts up to the line. Cuts need not be straight. (The irregular cuts make a more interesting finished product.) Unfold and lay it flat. This will serve as the “warp” and the “loom.”
For the second sheet of paper, cut the strips all the way through. I suggest to measure and draw all the lines out first on the back, with a ruler, then number them, in case they fall down, or get mixed up.
You won’t use the first couple of strips on both the top and bottom.
So here’s the weaving at the beginning stages. The blue painting below has been folded vertically and cut into the ‘warp’ strips. Then the pink/purple painting is being cut across- the ‘weft’ strips (1 inch) and those strips are being woven into the blue painting.
So here’s the back of the painting that’s going to be cut into the ‘weft’ strips. Number them on the back just in case. You need to weave them in order so that the painted image lines up more or less. It won’t be perfectly the same and that’s ok. Children tend to stress over this part and try to get it all perfectly lined up and it just doesn’t work. That’s not the point of this project. The drawings do not have to line up perfectly!!!
You can number the strips on the back to keep them in order.
Over, under, over, under and so on.
Then start weaving- over, under, over, under- this takes time and patience. When you have a few strips in and it looks good, glue down the edges with dots of white glue to keep it all secure. You will find you don’t need to use all the strips – you may take out some half-way through that don’t line up and that’s fine.
Here’s a link to a very basic paper weaving lesson that may help.
Source: http://www.housingaforest.com/painting-on-wet-glue/
Materials
- White Glue and lots of it!
- Food Coloring
or Liquid Watercolors
- Toothpicks
- Plastic lids (Lids from tubs of yogurt, hummus, sour cream etc. work best, although metal lids also work)
- Hole Punch
- String
What to do:
- Step One Pour a generous amount of glue into one of your plastic lids and swish it around to cover the entire inner surface.
- Step Two Have your child put one or two drops of each color of food coloring around the glue.
- Step Three Give your child a toothpick to swirl the colors around in the glue. Stop swirling before the colors get too combined or the final result will be muddy and brown. This is an exercise in restraint!
- Step Four Let dry. As the colors settle they will continue to expand and create a dyed psychedelic effect. Depending on how much glue you used, the suncatcher will take one to three days to fully dry. You will know it’s ready when the edges start to peel off the lid.
- Step Five When fully dry, peel the suncatcher off the lid, punch a hole through the top, add a string, and hang in a sunny spot.
Source: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-fireflies-that-really-light-up-147918
What you need:
- Plastic Easter eggs
- Flameless LED tealight
- Thumbtack
- Pipe cleaners – various colors
- Sticky labels
- Silver duct tape
What to do:
Step 1. Pop a flameless LED tealight into a plastic Easter egg. You don’t even need glue!
Step 2. Poke holes through the egg with a thumbtack to insert the pipe cleaners.
Step 3. The eyes are drawn onto white sticky labels
Step 4. Wings are silver duct tape. Quick, easy, and totally cute!
Source: http://frugalfun4boys.com/2014/03/06/make-magnetic-slime/
Magnetic slime is really fun to play with on its own. It stretches and squishes. If you hold it up, it oozes down to the floor in a long strand! Adding the element of magnet play makes it even more awesome.
What you need:
(The links on the original post are Amazon affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase through the links, the source of the project will earn a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. This is one craft that she would recommend ordering from Amazon because the items can be hard to find. So, click on the link above to go to her website to order.)
- Liquid starch – We used Sta-flo Liquid Starch. Shefound it at Kroger, but not at Target or Walmart.
- Elmer’s glue
- Iron Oxide powder
- Disposable bowls for mixing it up – saves washing slime out of dishes! We used craft sticks for stirring.
- A neodymium (rare earth) magnet – A regular magnet won’t be strong enough. The set that we ordered from Amazon is no longer available, but here is something similar: 10 neodymium disc magnets. And here is an option with only 3 magnets, but they are thicker (less likely to chip): 3 neodymium disc magnets.
What to do:
Step 1: Pour 1/4 cup of liquid starch into a bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons of iron powder and stir until well mixed.
Step 2: Add 1/4 cup white school glue and mix. It will look like a huge mess that isn’t going to turn into anything, but keep stirring!
Step 3: Take the slime out of the bowl and mix with your hands. Squish and squish until it’s well mixed. There will be some liquid left in the bowl that isn’t part of the slime, and that’s fine. Your hands will get very black, and you should wash it off right away. We had black left around our fingernails and slight staining on our hands, but it was mostly gone by the next day.
If you’re not a fan of lingering black around your fingernails, disposable gloves would solve that problem.
Step 4: Pat the slime dry with a paper towel to get rid of any excess liquid. The finished slime won’t make your hands black, but the extra liquid will. Once the slime is “dry,” it’s ready to play with!
Put down a large piece of parchment paper to protect the counter, but we didn’t have any trouble wiping up slime spills that did get on the counter. No stains, but ours aren’t white. If you have very light counter tops you might want to cover them just in case.
One of our friends figured out that he could blow a bubble with the slime – it really is amazing stuff!
Here are a couple more important notes:
- Neodymium magnets are extremely strong! Fingers can easily get pinched when trying to separate the magnets, so we didn’t even separate ours. (Plus, they’re small, and the whole stack of them was easier for the younger boys to hang on to.) Be sure to keep the magnets away from cell phones, computer, and other electronics! Also make sure that no one puts them in their mouth – these would be very dangerous if swallowed. Overall, this is not a project for kids who still put things in their mouths.
- Iron oxide powder is not good to breathe. This is why we mixed our iron in with the liquid starch. In the post on Instructables, they recommend mixing the iron powder directly into ready-made silly putty. Aidan and I tried doing that the day before our friends came over, except that we used our homemade silly putty recipe. Working with the iron powder was way more messy than just stirring it into a liquid, and we had a LOT of trouble getting it to mix with the silly putty. I would go the slime route instead of using silly putty, especially for younger kids.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/diy-animal-finger-puppets/
What you need:
- cereal box card board (you will need circle shapes for the faces and small rectangles for the back)
- pipe cleaners
- googly eyes
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- ink pen
- construction paper
- scissors
What to do:
Step 1: Cut out a circle for the face of your puppet from cereal box card board and glue pom-poms or construction paper features to the face for features like ears.
Step 2: Continue adding features like googly eyes for the eyes and a pom-pom nose for the nose.
Step 3: Doodle additional details with an ink pen like a tiny mouth or whiskers.
Step 4: Glue a pipe cleaner to the back of the card board circle and use a small rectangular piece of card board to hold the pipe cleaner in place
Step 5: Twirl the pipe cleaner around your finger like a spring.You are all set to put on a puppet show! Write a script for the characters and put on a play for your friends. Ask younger children what animal sound does each puppet make?