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Easy Kids Crafts | Pretty Foam Pinwheels





















Catch the wind in these colorful foam pinwheels -- the perfect craft project for a breezy summer day.

Make It: Cut a circle from a colorful foam sheet and trim six slits towards the center of the circle. Fold from the outside of the circle in and secure with a touch of glue. To embellish, thread wire through a bright button and attach to the pinwheel. Gently push wire through the back of the pinwheel and wrap it around a dowel wrapped with ribbon.

Kids Crafts | Matching Memory Game Craft


















Tools and Materials

  • 24 wooden tiles
  • Coarse-grit sandpaper
  • Decorative paper
  • Paper trimmer or ruler and craft knife
  • Decoupage glue
  • Paintbrush
  • Bone folder
  • Craft punch

Matching Memory Game How-To
1. Smooth any rough edges on wooden tiles with coarse-grit sandpaper.

2. Cut twenty-four 1 7/8-inch square pieces of decorative paper.

3. On one side of each wooden tile, apply a thin coat of decoupage glue with a paintbrush. Place the paper on the glue and use a bone folder to smooth out any bubbles or curls. Set aside and let dry for about 10 minutes.

4. With a craft punch, punch shapes from different colored papers. You will need to punch two shapes from each color to create the pairs needed for the game. (Note: The cupcake and ice cream cone punches used on "The Martha Stewart Show" have two parts, so colors of tops and bottoms can be mixed up as long as each pair is identical.)

5. With a paintbrush, lightly coat the other side of a tile with decoupage glue. Use the tip of a paintbrush to pick up a punched shape and place it on the tile. Lightly brush the shape down with paintbrush. Once secured in place, paint over the whole side with more of the gel. Set aside to dry. Repeat to create 12 pairs of matching tiles.

6. If desired, an additional 2 to 3 coats of decoupage glue can be applied over the whole piece for protection.

Playing the Game (1-4 Players)
Lay all pieces with paper squares facing up. Take turns turning two tiles over at a time. If the colors on the two tiles match, the player removes and keeps them. If the two tiles don't match, the player turns the tiles back over. This continues until all pieces are cleared. In a multiple-player game, the player with the most tiles wins.

Kids Crafts | Bottle Bank


















This little piggy (bank) started off at the market as a bleach bottle. To make one, rinse an empty bottle with hot soapy water; let dry. Cut features such as eyes, ears, and nostrils from construction paper (ears should have tabs). Attach with double-sided tape, as shown. Tape patterned paper around body. Hot-glue empty thread spools on for legs. Cut a slot at the top for coins, and a hole in back to insert a pipe-cleaner tail.

Easy Kids Craft | Spinning Greeting Cards


















Card How-To
1. Cut out a sheet of colorful paper with a width that's divisible by three; ours is 12 inches (the height is 7). Use a ruler to divide width into three equal parts; fold paper at those points. Unfold. Fold left flap over middle (these panels will be card's front), then fold both in half (use a bone folder, if you like). Draw a half circle (or half square) over outer fold as shown; cut out, cutting through all layers, just outside line.

2. Trim cutouts. Lay one on photo; trace. Cut out photo; glue onto cutout.

3. Glue string between photo and the other cutout (or another photo). Place string in fold of middle flap, positioning photo in hole; glue left flap to middle, trapping string inside. Trim string.

Easy Kids Crafts | School Pencil Box





















What You Need

Shoebox (preferably kid size)
Paints, marking pens, stickers and other supplies for decorating
Glue
Pencil (for poking holes)
School Supplies (for the finishing touch)

How To Make It

Step One:
Help your preschooler paint the outside of the box, both the lid and the bottom. Let it dry.

Step Two:
Let your preschooler decorate the box however he/she would like. Use markers, stickers, glue on sequins, etc.

Step Three:
This step is for the parent. Carefully poke holes in the lid of the shoebox with the pencil. These holes will later hold pens, pencils, and crayons.

Step Four:
Fill with school supplies.

Egg Cup Ships
















What you'll need:

  • 3 cardboard egg cups
  • Brown acrylic craft paint
  • Paintbrush
  • ¼ cup modeling clay or play dough
  • 6 toothpicks
  • 1 sheet white paper
  • Scissors
  • White craft glue

How to make it:

  1. Paint the egg cups inside and out with brown paint. Set aside to dry.
  2. Cut sails from white paper. You will need 6 large sails (1.5” x 1”) and 18 small sails (.5” x .75”).
  3. Set aside three of the toothpicks for the large sails. Break or cut the other three toothpicks in half, giving you 6 halves.
  4. Put a line of glue through the middle of one of the small sails. Place the cut or broken end of one of the toothpick halves onto the glue line.
  5. Roll it in the glue to cover both sides, then place another sail on top, sandwiching the two sails together. Flatten the sails together with your fingers and set aside to dry.
  6. Repeat step number 5 with each toothpick half and 2 small sails (each).
  7. Following the guide in step number 5, make the larger salls. For each large sail you will need a toothpick, 2 small sails and 2 large sails. Glue the small sail to the end of the full toothpick, and then glue the larger sail beneath it, leaving a small gap between the top and bottom sail. Set aside to dry.
  8. Roll a small amount of clay in your palm, enough to line the bottom of the egg cup. Place in the egg cup and flatten to cover bottom.
  9. Insert open end of large sail into the middle of the clay. Insert two small sails, one on either side of the large sail, into the clay.

Tips:

  • This project can also be made with open walnut shells.
  • The Nina and the Pinta were both smaller ships, but the Santa Maria was much larger. Make a larger version of the Santa Maria by using margarine tubs, craft sticks and larger pieces of paper.
  • Teachers, use this project to discuss Columbus’s voyages to the Americas.

Easy Kids Crafts | Moon and Stars Mobile


























Try this simple and fun to make Moon and Stars Mobile.

You will need:

  • Thick card or greyboard

  • Foam or paper shapes

  • Sewing thread

  • Paints and paint brush

  • Pencil, ruler, scissors, a pair of compasses and play clay

Here's how:

  1. Cut 2 strips of thick card approximately 25cm x 4cm.

  2. Make a thin slit at the centre of each length, about 2cm high, so that the 2 pieces will slot together at right angles to form a balanced hanging frame.

  3. Take the frame apart and make small holes (just enough for the sewing thread to go through) at approximately 4cm intervals along the bottom edge of each piece of the frame. Make another 2 holes in the top of one half of the frame, one 2cm either side of the centre.

    Ask an adult to help make the holes - the point of a pair of compasses pushed carefully through the card into a lump of play clay is ideal for this stage. Make sure your work surface is well protected first.

  4. Paint or decorate the frame as required and leave to dry. Reassemble the frame once the paint is dry.

  5. Cut out moon and star shapes from paper, card or foam and decorate if required.

  6. Make a small hole near the top of each shape and thread a length of sewing thread through the hole. Then pass the thread through one of the holes in the base of the frame and tie a knot in the thread to secure. Trim off any excess thread.

    Use different lengths of thread so that the shapes hang at different levels. Hang only one shape through each hole in the frame and have a mixture of shapes and sizes on each of the 4 arms to ensure that your mobile is balanced.

  7. Attach a loop of thread through the 2 holes in the top of the frame to enable you to hang and display your mobile.