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.
Tools and Materials
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.
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.
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:
Cut 2 strips of thick card approximately 25cm x 4cm.
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.
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.
Paint or decorate the frame as required and leave to dry. Reassemble the frame once the paint is dry.
Cut out moon and star shapes from paper, card or foam and decorate if required.
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.
Attach a loop of thread through the 2 holes in the top of the frame to enable you to hang and display your mobile.
Celebrate with photos of your baby -- everywhere! Print a headshot onto circular labels to add character to cups, napkins, and goody bags.
Help your child discover his green thumb with this easy-to-make paper cup terrarium. His eyes will be wide with wonder as he watches his plant grow bigger every day.
Make it: Use markers to decorate a paper cup. Fill the cup with soil and place a small green plant inside. Give the plant a companion by adding a toy insect, a butterfly, or even a dinosaur on top of the soil. Cover the plant with a clear plastic cup and tape the two cups together. Place your new terrarium near a sunny window, add a little TLC, and track its growth together.
Make it: Stack two thick-weight paper plates and staple them together for durability. Let your kids paint the stacked plates their favorite colors and decorate them with stickers. Attach a paint stick to the back of the stacked plates and glue beads to the end as the pegs. Finally, add strings by stretching rubber bands around the stacked plates.
