Friday, December 23, 2011

Happy Holidays!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Here's a fabulous way to keep the kids busy while they wait for holiday festivities or any day of the year!  And, it's a recycling project too!  It uses #6 plastic containers - and things from around your home.
 
I Shrunk the Plastic

Materials Needed
Cookie cutter, plastic or other plastic item for hanger
Wire or fishing line
#6 clear plastic containers
Plastic decorations: beads, toys, etc
Permanent pens
Scissors
Hole punch, small
Cookie sheet
Oven mitt
Candle
Paperclip
Plastic ring
Glue
1” wide braid
Oven or toaster oven

Directions

Draw design on clear plastic with permanent pens. NOTE: The designs will shrink about 50% of the original size. Cut out. Punch holes in top and bottom. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place clear plastic designs on cookie sheet and place in oven until they lay flat. This will only take a few minutes. Remove from oven using oven mitt. With adult supervision, make holes in plastic decorations by heating paperclip in candle flame. Insert into plastic to make holes. Thread beads, shrink plastic designs, toys, etc. on wire, knotting below item to secure. Make holes around bottom of cookie cutter edge with hot paperclip. Thread decorated wire in hole and knot. Repeat for all wires. Make three evenly spaced holes around top of cookie cutter. Cut three 12” pieces of wire. Insert each wire into a hole and knot. Gather wire at top and tie around plastic ring adding a bead, if desired.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Tin Can Creations

 










Here's a fun craft project to keep the kids busy!!! Use items from around your home to make this monsters inexpensively and you can get started right now!

Materials needed
Cans
Magnetic sheet with adhesive backing
Ideas to dress-up your Monsters: toy pieces, nuts, bolts, washers, brackets, colored foam sheets, wiggle eyes, pompoms, chenille stems, wood and plastic rings, beads, scrubbing pads, battery operated flickering candle, cork, chain
Glue
Pencil
Toothpick
Scissors

Directions
Clean cans. Let dry. Cut magnetic sheet to fit piece. Peel paper backing and place magnet on piece. For crazy hair, curl chenille stems around pencil. Poke hole in cork with toothpick, add a dab of glue on end of chenille stem and place in holes or glue chenille stems to a piece of foam cut smaller than top of can.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Veggie Animals

Keep the kids busy whether it's holiday break, summer time or a Saturday with Veggie Animals!  Set up a creation station with all sizes and shapes of veggies and let the imaginations take over!

What You'll Need
Stick Pretzels
Veggies: Mushrooms, Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, Carrots, Celery - experiment with your favorite ones
Olives
Knife
Toothpicks
Foil
Low-Cal Dressing for Dipping
Egg Glue - Eggs and Low-Fat Mayonnnaise


How to Make Them!
1. Set out the veggies and have fun connecting them with toothpicks and pretzels. Egg Glue (a mixture of eggs chopped up really small and a little mayonnaise) keep the animals together and adds details.
2. Place the animals in a setting by using broccoli as the grass and tomatoes for flowers.
3.  Make a 'water tank' by folding foil in several layers and folding in at the bottom. Place dressing in 'tank' for dipping.