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.

7 Grocery Getups | Crafts Kids

Going to the supermarket takes on a whole new meaning when the goal is to look for ingredients for costumes. Who knew you could use ordinary household supplies to create Halloween haute couture? Add some craft supplies, and construct the costumes in most cases with just staples, packing tape, and glue. They're easy to make, and you and your child can work on them together. But the first thing you'll need to do is go grocery shopping. Take your trick-or-treater on a trip down the aisles, and let your imaginations run free.

Hula Dancers
These girls were transformed into hula dancers in one afternoon. What's their secret? Their leis are made of vibrantly colored gift bows; their swinging skirts, fashioned from rope-style mop heads. The dancer on the left is even a ukulele player; her instrument is made out of recycled cardboard cereal boxes, a paper-towel tube, and rubber bands.

Tools and Materials
2 rope-style mop heads
1 pack gift bows
1 pair flip-flops
2 cereal boxes (1 small, 1 mini)
1 roll paper towels
1 box brass paper fasteners

Skirt How-To
1. Cut two rope-style mop heads down their center seams to create four panels; line up side by side.

2. Cut a piece of 2-inch-wide cloth ribbon the length of the panels, plus 12 inches on each side for tying.

3. Using a hot-glue gun, apply glue to the edges of the panels; fold ribbon in half over edges.

Lei, Headpiece, and Bracelets How-To
1. Cut ribbon to desired lengths for lei, headpiece, and bracelets. For lei, make about six evenly spaced crimps in ribbon, securing each with transparent tape so it will lie flat around neck.

2. Affix self-adhesive gift bows in assorted sizes and colors to each ribbon; loop ribbons and secure ends with double-sided tape.

3. Decorate flip-flops by affixing one large gift bow to the top of each strap.

Ukulele How-To
1. You'll need a small cereal box and a mini cereal box. Flatten boxes, cut along one side of each, and reassemble inside out using tape.

2. Use a foam cup to trace a circle on the center of the small box; cut out with scissors or a utility knife. Attach 3 brass fasteners about 1 1/2 inches below hole.

3. Cut 2 inches off one end of a paper-towel tube. Use the tube to trace one circle on the top of the small cereal box and another on the bottom of the mini cereal box; cut out.

4. Attach three brass fasteners to the front of the mini cereal box. To connect boxes to tube, apply hot glue to inside edges of holes, and insert one end of tube in each. For strings, attach three long rubber bands to fasteners at both ends.

Fun Stick Puppets | Kids Craft

Supplies and Tools
* Bucket of sticky-back craft foam shapes
* Colored craft sticks
* Tacky glue
* Scissors

Directions
1. Carefully cut away paper on back of foam shapes only where craft stick will be placed. Note: Adult supervision may be needed to cut paper from back of sticker.

2. Glue craft stick to foam shape.

3. If desired, two sticks can be glued together for a longer puppet handle.

Skill Level: No experience necessary

Approximate Crafting Time: 30 minutes

Pretty Pencil Pinwheel | Kids Crafts

This cute little buggy mobile is a time consuming project, but the results are well worth the time invested! You can shorten the time of this craft by making it a group project. Let each child make one bug to hang on the mobile and it’ll come together in no time.

What you'll need:

* Colored card stock or construction paper
* Thumbtack or stick pin
* Pencil with new eraser
* White craft glue
* Scissors
* Sequins
* Pattern

How to make it:

1. Print the pattern onto plain copy or printer paper.
2. Cut the square pattern out, cutting on the solid lines.
3. Lay pattern on top of colored paper and trace the square. Cut out the square from the colored paper.
4. Keep the pattern square on top of the colored square. Either hold it in place with your fingers or tape it down lightly on two of the sides.
5. Cut through the pattern and the colored paper along the dotted lines but do not cut in to the center circle.
6. Use a thumbtack or stick pin to poke out the holes in every other corner as indicated on the pattern. Set the pattern piece aside.
7. Take one corner (one with a hole) and fold it toward the center of the square. Fold the next corner that has a hole and fold it toward the center on top of the first holed corner. Repeat with the other two corners with holes until all four are folded into the center. Glue the folds to each other and to the center. Hold together until dry.
8. Push the thumbtack through the center of the pinwheel and into the eraser of the pencil. Make sure the pinwheel isn’t touching the eraser or it won’t spin.
9. Glue some sequins to the flaps of the pinwheel and let dry.

Tips:

* You can use plain white paper and have children color with crayons or markers to decorate before cutting out the pinwheel pattern.
* Decorate with lightweight items such as sequins and stickers or glitter glue. Items like buttons and craft jewels are too heavy.
* If the pinwheel isn’t turning properly, try using a longer stick pin rather than a thumbtack to allow more room between the pinwheel and the eraser.