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 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.

Paper Plate Banjo

Indulge your kids' musical fantasies with this simple banjo made from paper plates and a few well-tuned rubber bands. Making music was never this much fun!

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.