Seashell Wind Chime
(this craft comes from Nature Smart: Awesome Projects to Make With Mother Nature's Help
by: Gwen Dieh, Terry Krautwurst, Alan Anderson, Joe Rhatigan, and Heather Smith. 2003 Main Street Book: New York)
What is needed for this craft
seashells that are lightweight and somewhat flat, such as scallop shells and clam shells.
several feet of very thin, flat satin ribbon, 1/4 inch wide.
a 10-to-12 inch long wooden dowel.
about 18 inches of dental floss or other strong, light string.
an awl
scissors
white craft glue
What you need to do:
1. Tie the dental floss to each end of the dowel with double knots, and hang the dowel around a doorknob.
2. Work out a design for your shells by moving them around on a table. Try placing them one
below another on a couple of lengths of ribbon. When you have a design that you like, cut pieces of ribbon about 6 inches
longer than you want the length of each hanging shell to be. Turn the shells inside up, and run a thin bead of glue
down the length of the inside of each shell. Be sure to follow any curves completely.
3. Press the ribbon down along the glue, following the curves of the shells. For some shells,
it might be possible to drill a small hole at the top with the awl. If you are able to do this, slip ribbon through
the hole before gluing it to the inside of the shell. Slippiung a ribbone through a hole in the shell makes it hang
a little better, but it's okay to skip this step and just use glue. Let all glue dry overnight.
4. Tie the ribbons of seashells onto the dowel while the dowel is hanging from the doorknob.
Arrange the ribbons close enough to each other so that the shells jingle against one another when you move the dowel.
Adjust the balance of the ribbons of shells by sliding them along the dowel carefully. When everything is in good balance,
put a drop of glue over each ribbon to hold it in place where it is tied to the dowel.
5. Hang your mobile in a breezy spot indoors or on a deck, patio, or porch
Homemde Finger Paint
What you will need:
1/2 C. flour
2 C. water
food coloring
paper
saucepan and spoon
jars
What you will need to do:
Mix the flour with a little water, stirring out lumps. When smooth, slowly stir in the rest
of the water. Stir over med. heat, stirring constantly until the mixture gets thick and shiny. Pour into jars
for storage. Stir in color desired. Let cool. *** Always let an adult help you with the stove.***
Valentine bookmarks
What you will need:
light colored card stock
scrap paper
nontoxic red stamp pad
colored markers
hole punch
ribbon
What you will need to do:
Cut out a 2 1/2 by 8 in rectangle for each bookmark from the card stock. On scrap paper, practice
stamping heart shaped berries by pressing your thumb evenly on the stamp pad and stamping 2 overlapping prints in the forn
of a V. Then print on the bookmark when you perfect it. When the ink dries, use colored markers to draw on seeds
and stems, borders, a sweet message, such as "I am berry fond of you" and her name. Finally, punch a hole in each bookmark
and tie on a pretty ribbon.
Candy Magnets
These would be great for Valentine's Day or any other special occasion.
What you will need:
masking tape
sticky-backed magnets
craft glue
1 inch pom pom that is white, pink, brown, or any other color for candy
colored glue
empty brown candy wrappers ( like ones from a box of chocolates)
What you will need to do:
1. Put a small piece of masking tape over the bottom inside of the candy wrapper to create a better
gluing surface. Glue the pom pom inside the wrapper to look like a piece of candy.
2. Decorate the top of the candy with dribbles of colored glue.
3. Put a piece of sticky-backed magnet on the bottom of the candy wrapper.
Give these out for gifts, or to decorate your own refrigerator.
Wind Star
(From Highlights for Children)
What you need to do:
1. Glue five ice-cream sticks into star shape, as shown. Let the glue dry.
2. Paint the star, or color it with markers.
3. To make a hanger, braid three strands of yarn and tie the braided yarn to the star.
4. Cut six narrow strips from crepe or tissue paper. Glue them along the bottom of the star.
5. Hang the wind star where it can catch a breeze but won't get rained on.
Wheelbarrow Seed Starter
(From Highlights for Children Marie E. Cecchini)
1. With an adult's help, cut out a V shape from the handle of a laundry powder scool to form the
wheelbarrow's two handles. Use a nail file to smooth out any rough edges.
2. For wheels, use tacky craft glue to attach a button to each side of the scoop near the bottom
front corners.
3. Decorate the wheelbarrow with stickers and some glued-on beads
4. Fill the wheelbarrow partway with potting soil, and plant a seed or two. Transplant the
seedlings when they are about three inches tall.
A Special Valentine's Day Gift
What You will need:
A small box
Valentine's Day wrapping paper or pink and red construction paper
red ribbon
fancy stationary
What You will do:
Wrap a small box in Valentine's Day wrapping paper or make your own by decorating red construction
paper by pasting on pink hearts, and adding stickers, glitter, etc. You could also wrap it in colorful funnies from the newspaper.
Tie the package with a red ribbon.
On regular construction paper or any kind or fancy stationery write the following poem and attach
it to your special valentine's day gift box:
This is a very special box that you can never use.
The reason that it's special is that it's
always new.
Whenever you feel lonely or are feeling blue.
You only have to hold it and know I think of you.
You never
can unwrap it; please keep the ribbon tied.
Just hold the box close to your heart; It's filled with love inside.
Fuzzy Bunnies
(From
http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/easterbunnies/a/bleafuzbun.htm)
What You Will Need:
Washcloth\small towel
Plastic eyes
Marker\paint
Ribbon
Cotton ball
Rubber band
What You Will
Do:
Get your washcloth and roll
up 2 sides until you get to the middle; then, fold that in half. After folding the rolled sides in half, take the end of the
towel and fold it again up-right.As you see,two bunny ears form from the folded wash cloth. Put the elastic band around the
2nd folded peice ... the ears then stick up and a face is also formed. Glue your plastic eyes on the balled section to make
the face, and use the paint or marker to draw in the nose and mouth. Where the bunny's bottom is, glue the cotton ball on
to make a tail. Add ribbon where the is band to cover it up.
Apple Paperweight
(From Family Fun Magazine :September 2003)
What You Need to Do:
Cut the bottom 2 inches from a clean, empty 20 ounce plastic
soda bottle. Set a plastic sandwich bag in the bottle bottom and fill it with enough dry rice or craft sand to make it about
the size of an apple. Twist the top of the bag closed and tape it flat, then secure the bag to the bottle with masking
tape. Next, use a pencil to poke a hole in the top of the bag, then insert a real twig for a stem, adding a few drops
of glue to secure it to place.
Use a paintbrush and a solution of glue diluted with water
to stick torn pieces of red tissue paper all over the apple. Add a second layer, if necessary. Brush on a final
layer of the thinned glue, then allow the glue to dry. To make a leaf, glue 4 or 5 layers of green tissue paper to a
piece of waxed paper. When the glue is dry peel the tissue from the waxed paper, trin it into leaf shape. Then
glue it to the apple's stem.
Lunch Money Locket
(From FamilyFun Magazine September 2003)
This craft is great for those children who always seem
to misplace lunch money. It is stylish enough that they will love to wear it!
What You Need:
Small metal mint tin (perferably one that hinges)
Acrylic paint
paintbrush
strong or metallic craft cord (3 foot length) but thin
enough to fit through the hinge)
tacky glue
small plastic animal or fake jewels, stickers or anything
you want to add.
What You need to do:
Clean the inside of the tin. Paint the top and let
it dry.
Thread the string or metallic cord around or through the
tin's hinges. Pull both ends of the string tight, so that they fit snugly around the hinge, and then knot them together
at the top.
Glue plastic animlas or jewels to the top of the tin.
Let it dry.
Button Bracelets
(From FamilyFun Magazine Nov. 2003)
What you need to do:
Find an assortment of buttons, E-Z felt,
a needle and thread, and decorative edged scissors. First cut a strip of felt 1 1/2 inches wide and long enough to wrap
around your child's wrist, overlapping by about 1 inch. Sew a button at one end of the felt and cut a matching buttonhole
at the other. Now place buttons on the felt with more sewn on buttons. Now the bracelet can be worn.
Tissue Paper Butterflies
(From Family Fun Magazine August 2003)
What You Will Need:
For each butterfly-two 4in by 4 in squares of tissue paper,
a 12 inch pipe cleaner, and some thread or string for hanging it up.
What You Will Need to do:
Stack the 2 tissue squares, then trim the edges to resemble
wings.
Fold the pipe cleaner in half over the wings, as shown,
bunching the tissue slightly.
Twist together the pipe cleaner tips around your finger
or a pencil to create antennae. Tie one end of the thread to the pipe cleaner body for a hanger.
CARDBOARD
GINGERBREAD COOKIES
(from http://familyfun.go.com/parties/holiday/feature/famf128ornaments/famf128ornaments2.html)
What You Will Need:
Corrugated cardboard
Cookie cutters
X-Acto knife
Puffy fabric paint
Blow-dryer
What You will Need:
1.
Trace around cookie cutters on cardboard and cut out the "cookies" with an
X-Acto knife (a parent's job).
2. Decorate with puffy fabric paint. Let paint dry a few hours, if possible, then
blow-dry and watch it puff. (Have guests paint at the start of the party, so they can blow-dry before they leave.)
TIP: When
you cut out the "cookie," you don't have to cut all the way through the cardboard at once--go over the cutting line a couple
of times.
