Crafts

Finger Print Pictures

2008-06-10T21:00:00Z

Kids love any excuse to get their little fingers messy.
So go ahead! Try making finger print pictures. Just make sure to wash up before they start running around the house.

You'll need:
Ink pad
Paper
colored pencils, crayons, or markers

What to do:
Firmly press finger your tip onto an ink pad and
immediately press onto paper. Using markers, add arms, legs etc. to your creation.

Make theme suggestions like a swimming school of fish, a teddy bear, or a family finger print portrait!

Toothpick Shapes

2008-06-10T20:59:00Z

You'll Need:
Toothpicks
coloured, mini or regular sized marshmallows, gum drops, or gummies (bears, keys, worms)

What to do:
Insert the toothpicks into the marshmallows. Keep adding marshmallows as connection points to make any shape you wish.

Start by making triangles and squares, then experiment with star, hexagon, pyramid or complex structures like a tall building or a bridge.

Straw Painting

2008-06-10T20:58:00Z

Who said you need to paintbrushes to paint? All you need is a straw and then BLOW!

Maneuver the paint to go in any direction, by moving your straw.

You'll need :
Straws
Poster or tempera paint
Paper

What to do:
Place drops of paint onto the paper, and blow!
Be sure to line the table with old newspapers to avoid any messy cleanup. Remind children to take a break, to avoid dizziness.

Box Town

2008-06-10T20:54:00Z

With a bit of help from you, your child can make a play town with your old containers boxes!

You'll Need :
Saved boxes, cartons, etc. ie. Kleenex/cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, egg/juice cartons
Glue or Glue stick
scissors
Construction or wrapping paper
Crayons or markers

Directions:
Cover boxes and cartons with paper, younger children will need help. Carefully cut windows and decorations from construction paper or simply
color to decorate. Help cut doorways and tunnels.
Now it's ready for play!

For more fun, make cone trees out of green paper and let your child create their own store and road signs with their own name! This town works well with toy figures and cars.

Holiday Activities Part 2

2007-12-21T15:21:00Z

So much to do before the Holidays and so little time! But now’s a great time to have fun with your little tot, so here are a few more ideas to make this time of year the best time ever!

Holiday Advent Calendar

Find about 3 feet of cardboard. If you want to use some green felt material – glue that on the cardboard and then draw a shape of a Christmas tree on the felt.
Cut out the shape from the cardboard
If you don’t want to use the felt – then just draw the shape of the tree on the cardboard, cut it out and then colour it green!
Draw some fun Treehouse cartoon characters on normal white paper. How about drawing Max and Ruby, or Franklin, or Toopy and Binoo?!
Draw at least five shapes (since it’s only 5 days until Christmas!) and draw a number from one to five on each cartoon character.
Glue three small magnets or a magnet strip to the back of your cardboard Christmas tree and attach it to the fridge.
Now each day, you and your toddler can put on the cartoon characters on the tree counting down until Christmas day. You can use normal tape to affix the characters on to the tree.

Holiday Cards and Magnets

Here are some fun Holiday ideas that can make great gifts too! Treehousetv.com has some great colouring pages.

Print a few off for your toddler to colour.
Once he or she is done, you can cut out the image and glue it on to a folded piece of stiffer paper.

Presto! Now you have a custom gift card!

Gift cards all done? No problem.

Take those colouring pages and cut out the image.
Now place the image on a piece of cardboard or Bristol board and trace it on with a pencil.
Cut out the image from the cardboard and then glue the coloured image on to the cardboard.
Take three or four small magnets and glue them on to the cardboard.

Presto! You have your very own Holiday magnets made by your toddler!

Halloween Make-Up Ideas

2007-10-24T17:59:00Z

It’s Halloween! Ghosts, goblins, ghouls and sometimes pumpkins too! Let’s face it, the candy-getting is only half the fun – the other is dressing up the little ones in some of the most adorable costumes ever! And what better way to make even the cutest cow or clown more realistic than Halloween face make-up! How about this homemade face paint recipe:

1 tsp. Cornstarch
1/2 tsp. Cold cream
1/2 tsp. Cold water
Food coloring

Mix the ingredients and paint!

These ingredients will wash off with cold cream. But just be sure to always test any face paint for allergic reactions on your child’s hand – just in case. You can paint anything from cute little butterflies, to clowns or genies or flowers.

But maybe you want to try something a little more ghoulish? Slightly spooky and a little bloody? How about homemade fake blood make-up?

What you’ll need:

Bowl
A few measuring spoons

Ingredients

60-70 drops of red food coloring
10-15 drops yellow food coloring
2-3 drops blue food coloring
2-1/2 tbsp water
5-1/2 tbsp white corn syrup

1. Mix the food colorings and water.

2. Slowly stir in the corn syrup until the mixture is thick, but still slides!

3. Use a spoon or brush to apply the “blood” – be careful not to stain your clothes.

And voila! Now if your little tike wants to dress up as something a little scarier – you’ve got a head start. Have fun!

Mitten Puppet

2007-09-11T20:25:00Z

A craft from the Crazy Crafts DVD Collection

Materials:

mitten
stickers

Put mitten on hand and bend hand in half circle.

Put 2 stickers for eyes on side of 1^stfinger.

Attach centre sticker for nose below eyes.

Minnow

2007-08-15T20:47:00Z

A craft from the Crazy Crafts DVD Collection

Materials:

Toilet paper roll
Paint
Tape
Scissors
Ribbon
Stickers
Marker
Craft foam
Glue

On either end of toilet paper roll cut a long slit.

Fold edges of one slit over tightly and tape for tail.

Tape to hold for tail.

Fold edges of second slit over, not as tightly, for head and tape.

Tape ribbon to bumps on minnow's body for fins.

Put sticker on each side of head for eyes.

Draw little curved lines behind each eye for gills.

Glue craft foam V in small hole for tail.

Minister of New Toys

2007-08-15T20:33:00Z

A craft from the Crazy Crafts DVD Collection

Materials:

Candy box
Construction paper
Tape (shiny)
Felt
Glue
Pipe cleaners (sparkly and plain)
Scissors
Paint
Styrofoam ball
Popsicle stick
Beads
Pencil

Leave bottom end of candy box open.

Leave flap of construction paper at other end for collar.

Cut rectangle of construction paper bigger than candy box.

Lay candy box on paper and trim off corners of paper at open end of box .

Wrap paper around candy box for cloak and tape to hold.

Cut strip of felt for belt. Wrap around candy box and cloak.

Tape to hold in centre with shiny tape to look like buckle.

Fold down top corners of cloak to look like lapels.

Glue different colour of construction paper, sparkly pipe cleaner and shiny tape to lapels.

Put popsicle stick into bottom of Styrofoam ball for neck and head.

Thread bead onto pipe cleaner and stick end into top of head.

Twist other end into corkscrew for cap.

Stick second pipe cleaner around back and side of head for hair.

Stick little pieces of pipe cleaner into Styrofoam ball head for beard and moustache.

Poke two holes with pencil and insert beads for eyes.

Attach head by sticking popsicle stick neck into flap at top of candy box.

Stick your hand into open end of candy box to use as puppet.

Trees

2007-08-15T19:50:00Z

A craft from the Crazy Crafts DVD Collection

FEATHER TREE

Materials:

Feather duster
Paper towel roll
Construction paper
Scissors
Tape

Cut wide strip of construction paper long enough to wrap around paper towel roll and fringe one long side.

Wrap around trunk so fringe is pointing up near, but not at, top.

Stick handle of feather duster in top of paper towel roll so feathers stick up.

PEPPER TREE

Materials:

Pepper mill
Pipe cleaners
Glue stick
Tape

Wrap pipe cleaner around glue stick.

Remove glue stick and tape end of pipe cleaner to pepper mill near top.

Make lots of curly pipe cleaners in this way and tie together with pipe cleaner.

Tie to top of pepper mill so they stick up.

Little Girl

2007-08-15T19:24:00Z

A craft from the Crazy Crafts DVD Collection

Materials:

2 pointed paper cups
paint
construction paper
scissors
tape
felt
small box
wool
sticker
Styrofoam ball
pasta
pencil
pipe cleaner
ribbon

Stack pointed paper cups one inside each other and glue to hold.

Cut out shirt and arms from folded construction paper.

Open up and tape to paper cup so shirt wraps around body.

Bend arms up.

Wrap felt strip around neck for scarf .

Put sticker on front of scarf to hold.

Stick two pieces of pasta in Styrofoam ball for eyes and one piece of shell pasta for mouth.

Poke hole in bottom of head with pencil and stick on pointy end of paper cup body.

Poke hole in top of head with pencil.

Make wool loops around small box, cut ends, and tie wool with pipe cleaner.

Stick pipe cleaner into hole in top of head to attach wool hair.

Tie bow from ribbon and glue to top of hair.

Little Digger

2007-08-15T19:18:00Z

A craft from the Crazy Crafts DVD Collection

Materials:

Small box
Paper cup
Scissors
Construction paper
Tape
Marker
2 drinking straws
Pipe cleaner
Toilet paper roll

Cut rectangle out of paper cup for window.

Tape open end of paper cup loosely to top of box.

Draw circle at either end of long rounded construction paper rectangle. Draw line around outer edge of rounded rectangle and little short lines to show treads. This is one set of wheels. Repeat to make second set.

Tape wheels to both sides of box.

Slide drinking straws under cup so they stick out in front of box and attach .

Stick one end of pipe cleaner in end of each drinking straw.

Turn half toilet paper roll on its side and tape back to pipe cleaner for shovel.

Little Boys

2007-08-15T19:15:00Z

A craft from the Crazy Crafts DVD Collection

Materials:

2 fuzzy pipe cleaners
Medium pom pom

Fold one pipe cleaner in half. Put pom pom in fold and twist pipe cleaner tightly underneath to hold.

Twist pipe cleaner partway down to make body.

Separate ends of pipe cleaner for two legs

Bend up ends for feet.

Wrap second pipe cleaner around body.

Leave both ends loose for arms.

Lion

2007-08-15T19:08:00Z

A craft from the Crazy Crafts DVD Collection

Materials:

Paper plate
2 paper cups
Glue/tape
Scissors
Paint
Small pom pom
Pipe cleaner
Sticker
Circles
4 popsicle sticks
Construction paper

Cut slits around edge of paper plate to form wide fringe.

Bend alternating pieces of fringe forward and backward for lion's mane.

Cut slits all around open end of a paper cup.

Attach slits to centre of paper plate so cup bottom becomes lion's muzzle.

Glue sticker circle to bottom of paper cup.

Put two different coloured sticker circles on first circle so they overlap each other in the middle.

Put small pom pom on the centre of bottom of cup for nose.

Twist three pipe cleaner pieces together to form whiskers and attach to one side of nose. Repeat for other side of nose.

Put the two sticker circles on plate for eyes.

Cut rounded triangle shape for ears and tape to plate.

Turn second paper cup on side for body.

Cut four little slits in bottom of cup and slide a popsicle stick in each slit.

Tape back of paper plate head to open end of paper cup body.

Lid and Bag Ghost

2007-08-15T19:00:00Z

A Halloween Party Planner craft

Materials:

Plastic Container lid
Black construction paper
2 white grocery bags (the small white kitchen garbage bags work great too)
2 white pipe cleaners
Scotch tape
Glue
Black yarn or string
Hole punch

Glue eyes and mouth on front of lid.

Cut off any writing or graphics, and handles from grocery sacks. Lay the sacks on a flat surface. With scissors, shred 2 inch strips up sacks leaving at least 1inch area intact next to the seam.

Glue the pipe cleaner/chenille stem into the seam.

Turn lid over on flat surface. Bend and insert the pipe cleaner/seam into the ridge around the bottom half of the lid. Tape to secure in place.

Repeat with the second sack and stem, and insert in the ridge around the upper half of the lid.

Punch a hole through top of the lid. Thread a length of yarn through the hole appropriate for hanging.

The kids preferred to have a loop on the end of a 1 ½ foot length so they could hold on and run with them. They "fly" nicely and appear as though the kids are being "chased" by a little ghost!