Materials

• Burlap
• Yarn
• Ribbon
• Tape (we used Washi tape)
• Scissors (Sorry!  These seemed to have migrated to another area during the photo!)

Directions

• Cut your burlap into sizes a little bigger than you want your bookmarks.  We just used scraps that we had from other projects.

• Tape the edges.  We found that it was helpful to unwind the tape, lay it sticky side up and then to lay your burlap edge onto the tape half way, folding it over to make a finished edge.

• Do two of the opposite sides and then trim any excess pieces.

• Then do the other two sides. Trimming off any excess pieces. This “frame” will prevent any fraying of the edges.

• Sew any designs that you may like- lines, designs or create shapes out of the negative space with the burlap.

• Make a loop of ribbon over top of the end where you would like to put your tassel for your bookmark (See below).  Bring the two ends through a space/hole in the burlap from the back going through the loop in the front.  We showed you with another style of bookmark that we made below as it is a bit easier to see the process with this type.)

• Give your bookmark to a book lover (Which may mean keeping it for yourself!)

Purpose

• Encouraging reading
• Developing fine motor skills (sewing, cutting etc.)

Safety Notes

• Exercise care and use needles and scissors with adult supervision.
• Yarn can be a strangulation hazard, therefore it is important to use it for it’s intended purpose.

Materials

Directions

• Paint
• Wooden flags or print these ones ( flags ) out on cardstock (you will need scissors to cut them out and a hole punch as well)
• Twine
• Paint brushes
• Old casserole dish (we used glass for photography purposes, but we recommend metal for safety reasons!)
• Elastics
• Needle (*optional for threading your garland)

Painted Beads (*Optional)

• Wooden beads
• Acrylic paint
• Floral foam
• BBQ skewers
• Pony beads

OR

Purchase pre-painted wooden beads!

Craft Tray & Smock

We always find these items helpful as well!

Directions

Step 1: Painting your Beads

• Have an adult cut off the sharp points off of the BBQ skewers.

• Put a pony bead at the bottom of your skewer.  This will hold your beads in place and prevent them from sliding down when you paint them.

• “String” your beads onto your skewer.

• Insert your skewer into your craft foam.

• Don your smock.

• Paint your beads.  We find it helpful to hold the skewer with one hand at the top while you paint with the other.

• Paint as many colours as you would like for your garland.

• Allow to dry overnight.

Step 2: Painting Your Flags

• Carefully put your elastics around your casserole dish (be sure to clear this with an adult and use an old one).  We used a glass one so you could see the results better in the photographs, however, with small children you may want to use metal instead for safety reasons.

• Slide your flags/pendents under the elastics as shown.

• Paint the elastics.

• Carefully pull up your elastic band a bit and then let it snap down, splatter painting your pendents.

• Repeat this process with as many colours as you would like.

• We then had an adult carefully slide the pendents out and place them on a craft tray to dry overnight so we could wash the tray immediately.

• Once dry, lace your beads and your pendents/flags onto your cord, twine etc.

• Hang your beautiful, colourful banner!

Purpose

• Exploring various painting techniques
• Developing fine motor skills (cutting, lacing, etc.)

Safety Notes

• Use scissors, needles and elastics with care & supervision.
• Cord, twine etc. can be a strangulation hazard therefore it should be used with adult supervision and for the intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard and should be kept out of reach from those ages 0-3 years or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

Coffee Filters

• Markers (non-permanent)
• Water
• Spray bottle (we find this industrial version easy for kids to use and long lasting!)
• Craft trays and/or plastic craft tablecloth
• Cooling racks
• Coffee filters
• Smock

People

• Template characters
• Scissors
• Tape
• Multicultural markers
• Embroidery floss
• Paint brush & water *Optional
• Felt (or fabric, construction paper etc.)
• Craft glue

Putting it Together

• Cord
• Hole punch (or needle)
• Scissors
• Beads

Directions

Coffee Filter Skirts

• Don your smock and cover your workspace with a plasticized table cloth.

• Place your filters into craft trays and draw designs on them with your markers.

•  Place your coloured filters into your trays and spray them with a fine mist of water.

•  Place them on your cooling racks to dry overnight.

•  Voila!

•  If you would like to add any details to your filters.

 People 

• Colour your people in. We went over the marker with a bit of water, using our paint brush.

• Cut your people out.

• Cut out a top for your person.  We made it the length of the body and used felt, but you could make it as elaborate as you would like!

• Glue your clothing onto your person.

• Fold your coffee filters in half and then make any folds that you may like to form a skirt!

• Add your skirt to your person.

• We made a little felt belt to add a bit of polish to the edges, gluing it on the back.

• We then used a bit of embroidery floss to make hair.  (Two tips that we found that worked for the hair were: 1) If you want to make a more formed hair style like a bun, glue a cardstock base onto your head. 2) If your person gets a great deal of hair and they need a bit of support for their neck, glue a wooden craft matchstick on the back of the head, neck and top of the body.) Trim your hair into styles you like!

• Add any details you may like!  Our dancers were quite simple, but we hope you “make them your own!”

• Lace your beads onto your cord, string your dancers (we put the cord through the shoulders behind the dancer in between the body and the shirt and then glued it down again) and hang them up for a celebration!

• Use your extras to make anything you like! (Like this quick sketch of a superhero who transforms into a very fit mermaid!)

Purpose

• Recycling materials into a new use
• Developing fine motor skills (cutting, lacing, gluing etc.)

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with care & supervision.
• Cord, twine etc. can be a strangulation hazard therefore it should be used with adult supervision and for the intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard and should be kept out of reach from those ages 0-3 years or those that tend to put things into their mouths.
• We recommend that you use a craft tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.

Materials

• Fabric (we used something a bit thicker)
• Fabric paint
• Old gift card
• Fabric scissors
• Sewing materials (we used a machine, but you could do it by hand)
• Plastic table cloth
• Smock

Directions

• Put a plastic table cloth over your work surface.

• Spread out your fabric (you may want to have an adult iron it to assure that it is flat so it is easier to work with). Depending on the size of your child’s head you will want to go with a piece of fabric that is approximately 1 metre to 1 1/2 metres in length. (About 1 yard stick- 1 1/2 yardsticks.)

• We went with the painting method where you spread/scrape out fabric paint using an old gift card- the kids love it and it is tonnes of fun!  Our daughter did most of the painting, but as soon as our eldest son saw what she had been up to, he wanted to join in too!  Even the baby tried a few swipes! Thus, it is accessible to all ages!

• Put small blobs of fabric paint on your fabric.

•  Apply pressure to your gift card and pull the paint onto the fabric, using a scraping motion.

•  We find it handy to wipe the card between each colour, but you could let them mix too!  Cut your fabric to the width that you desire (remember that you will be folding it in half and that you will lose some fabric when you sew the edges.)  Our width was approximately 25 centimetres which is almost 10 inches.  We went with a bit bigger allowance to allow for possible errors from young sewers!

•  Fold your fabric in half with the good sides facing in, as shown.

•  Sew down the lengths of your headband, coming to a bit of point at the end.  (The kids thought it looked like the tip of a crayon!) * Be sure to leave a small gap in your sewing (as seen below) to allow you to turn your work inside out!

•  Trim off an excess fabric, leaving a border of approximately 1 centimetre/ a little less than half an inch.

•  Turn your headband inside out.  If you have trouble creating crisp edges we suggest using a bone folder or popsicle stick to push them out.

•  Sew together the gap by tucking the edges in or if you like, glue it together with fabric glue.

•  Wrap it around your head, tie it with a knot and enjoy your beautiful handmade creation!

Purpose

• Experimenting with different painting techniques.
• Learning how to sew.

Safety Notes

• Be sure to wear a smock and use a plastic table cloth to protect your clothes and work surfaces.
• Exercise care with scissors and sewing materials.  Be sure to have direct adult supervision.

Materials

• Blank t-shirts, pillow cases, aprons etc.
• Fabric paint
• Blocks
• Paint brushes
• Cardboard
• Craft tray
• Shallow tray

Directions

• Don your smock.

• Insert a piece of cardboard into your shirt, bag etc. to protect it from being glued shut with the fabric paint.

• Put approximately a tablespoon of your chosen colours of fabric paint onto your craft tray.

• Carefully paint one side of your shape (we find the painting gives a more even coat that dipping) and then apply it to your chosen surface.  Create a design using your shapes.

Here we are, covering up a spot or two on the smock:

While you are working, be sure to enjoy a song or two!

• When you are done, immediately wash your shapes and brushes to prevent the paint from adhering (we keep a few blocks that we only use for these types of activities) and allow your projects to dry overnight or according to the product directions.

• Enjoy your custom made stuff!

•  Wouldn’t this make a perfect pillow case for camp or for days when kids are sick?

Purpose

• Using a variety of tools and techniques to exploring painting
• Creating personalized materials

Safety Notes

• Be sure to wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces from the fabric paint!

Materials

• Felt
• Tulle
• Sewing needle/embroidery floss
• Fabric scissors
• Beads
• Ribbon
• Fabric glue
• Smock
• Craft tray
• Paper & pencil

Directions

• Draw out a simple butterfly shape.  (Our original we cut out and used for a pattern, but here is something similar.)

• Cut out your shape and pin or tape it onto your felt.

• Cut out two copies of your butterfly and one body shape.

• Sew around the edges if you would like to add some detail.  You can do it by hand or with a sewing machine.  If you like, sew on brightly coloured beads for spots of colour.

• Lay your butterfly on top of folded layers tulle or another similar material. Cut out a square/rectangle a bit bigger than your butterfly.

• Put your second copy of your butterfly on the bottom, forming a butterfly sandwich of sorts with felt on the bottom, layers of tulle in the centre and a felt butterfly again on the top.  Be sure to line them up.

• Pretend to eat it!

•  Sew in the centre with a sewing machine or by hand with an adult or have them do it for you.

•  Trim around your edges, leaving a bit of tulle peeking out to form the “flutter” as our daughter described it!

•  Put a line of fabric glue down the centre and add your body.

•  Take a rectangle of felt (a bit smaller than the centre of your butterfly) and cut another rectangle going the distance across as shown.  Sew the edges by hand or with a machine. (This is where your ribbon will slide through!)

•  Put a bit of glue in the centre on the back of your butterfly.

•  Attach your felt rectangle.

•  We inserted a small roll of paper so that it wouldn’t accidentally glue together.  Our son thought this would be a great way to send a message too!

•  Allow to dry overnight and then slide your butterfly onto a piece of ribbon and attach it to a present, lending a playful touch!

Purpose

• Developing fine motor skills.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors and a needle with care and adult supervision.
• A sewing machine should be used by an adult or with direct supervision and instruction.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children 0-3 or those that tend to put things in their mouths.
• Cord, floss, ribbon etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use it for its intended purpose and with supervision.
• When using fabric glue it is recommended that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to prevent damage to your clothes and/or surfaces.

Materials

• Kraft paper (or re-use the inside of a cut open paper bag)
• Thick paper (we used poster/bristol board, but you could use thin cardboard, cardstock etc.)
• Scissors
• Tape
• Craft tray or plastic table cloth
• Crayons
• Watercolur paint
• Paint brushes
• Smock
• Glue stick (Optional, however we liked this method best!)

Optional: (to dilute your paint)

• Water
• Containers

Directions

• Cut out shapes from your poster paper and arrange them into a design on a flat surface such a table top (be sure to clear this with an adult first) or craft tray, taping them down with “tape donuts” (a loop with the sticky side facing outward.)  On our craft tray we used a spot of glue instead as we could wipe it off later and it wouldn’t possibly show the tape donut through the rubbing.  We found the glue stick worked best, but your need a washable surface for this method.  You could cut out any shape that you like.  We just used lines (strips of the paper), circles and triangles (cut off the corner of the paper), but you could be as elaborate as you like!

• Place your kraft paper over top of your design and rub over your design with your wax crayons.  We find it helpful to peel off the paper on the crayons and use them sideways.  You may also find it helpful to tape your paper in place.  If you are working on a large piece of wrapping paper simply move it over your design several times, repeating the rubbing process.

We also tried it on watercolour paper which works beautifully and could make a matching card!

• Don your smock.

• Dilute your watercolour paint with water to make a wash.

• Gently paint over your rubbings.

• Allow your work to dry overnight.

• Trim the edges of your paper if need be (where the tape was) and wrap up your gift, tying it with a bow.

Purpose

• Exploring resist techniques (this would be a great time to talk about how/why resists work)
• Re-using materials

Safety Notes

• Be sure to use scissors with care and adult supervision.

Materials

• Blank card sets
• Liquid watercolours
• Paintbrushes
• Containers
• Water
• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Don your smock and set out your craft tray and/or cover your workspace with a plastic saZXtable cloth.

• Prepare your paints.  We used diluted liquid watercolours and enjoyed making secondary colours from the primary colours.  It was a great time to talk about warm and cool colours as well.

• Put your card and envelope into your tray and enjoy playing with watercolours!

• If you need a starting point, here are a few things we experimented with:

Stripes

Circles

Brushstrokes and Dabs

• We then branched out to to other ideas.  I may be a bit biased, but I love this idea our eldest came up with- making the letters for M-O-M into flowers!  (When he was done he even popped in his tooth fairy money for me to use at Starbucks!  Gotta love those moments!)

• Use one of the cards to write a note to your recipient and then wrap your cards and matching envelopes with ribbon.

Purpose

• Creating opportunities for writing
• Exploring with watercolour paints

Safety Notes

• Be sure to use a smock and craft tray to protect your clothing and/or surfaces.