| Creative Parenting Projects |
From "DIY Crafts"
episode DIC-168 |
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Donna Erickson of Target Stores explains an array of projects parents can do with kids, including handmade puppets made from gloves, framed artwork made of tissue paper and glue, and finger paint for the bathtub. She also shows how to create an alphabet journal for long car rides and a homemade concentration game. Tissue-Paper Picture Materials:
Poster or matte board
Tissue paper in a variety of colors
Scissors
White glue
Water
Paintbrush
Paper plate
Picture frame
Matte - Cut or tear strips of tissue paper about 1/2" wide.
- Mix white glue and water in equal amounts on a paper plate, and apply to a piece of poster board or matte board with a paintbrush, one section at a time.
- Have the kids wad up the strips of tissue paper and press them onto the glue (figure A).
- When dry, matte the picture, and place it in a picture frame.
Puppets From Gloves Materials:
Small stuffed animal
Knit glove
Hook-and-loop tape
Sewing machine and needle and thread - Stitch a piece of hook tape on the palm of a knit glove.
- Stitch a piece of loop tape on the bottom of a small stuffed animal.
- Put the glove on a child's hand, and stick the stuffed animal to the palm of the glove with the hook-and-loop tape (figure B).
Variation: - Attach one side of an old earmuff to the top of a glove with hook-and-loop tape. Glue wiggle eyes and a bead nose to the earmuff. Cut feet-shaped pieces of felt, and glue them or attach them with hook-and-loop tape to the ends of each finger of the glove (figure C).
Alphabet Game Materials:
Construction paper or poster board
Scissors
Zippers
Leaves - Cut out large letters of the alphabet from construction paper or poster board. Have kids find items in nature or around the house whose names correspond to the letters, then glue them onto the appropriate letter. For example, glue leaves onto the letter L or glue zippers onto the letter Z (figure D).
Bathtub Paint Materials:
Shaving cream
Food coloring
Muffin tin
Paintbrush - Squirt a little shaving cream into a cup of the muffin tin. Mix in a few drops of food coloring, and stir with a paintbrush. Make several colors, and have the kids paint the walls while they're in the bathtub (figure E).
Finger-Paint Materials:
3 Tbs. sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups water
Food coloring
Zippered plastic bags
Small covered containers Preparation
Mix all ingredients together, and store in small covered containers. For little ones, put the paint in a zipper-locked plastic bag, and have them squeeze the outside of the bag for fun without the mess.
Countdown Bag Decorate lunch bags with stickers and write mileage distances on the bags. Put a toy or some food or a cassette tape in each bag. At 150 miles, open the designated bag, which might contain a can of juice. Continue opening bags along the trip (figure F).
Alphabet Journal Before going a trip, have the kids draw pictures on a bound tablet of things they might see on the road that correspond to the letters of the alphabet. Have them point them out along the way (figure G).
Concentration Game Cut 2" by 2" squares of poster board. Find two pictures that are alike, and glue one to each square. Or use pairs of stickers, rubber-stamped images or pictures that the kids draw themselves. Make several pairs of pictures, turn them upside down, and arrange them in rows. Have kids turn over two pictures, one at a time, trying to find the matching picture to the pair. When the pair has been correctly matched, remove those two pictures from the game board (figure H).
Gift-Wrapping Paper Have kids stamp images on brown paper to create their own gift-wrap. Slice an apple in half lengthwise. Stick a fork in the rounded side of the apple for a handle. Dip the flat side in red acrylic paint, and stamp the image onto brown paper. Wrap a gift, and tie with raffia (figure I). Put a piece of colored paper inside the lid of a shoebox. Dip marbles in different colors of acrylic paint and place them on the paper in the lid. Let the kids roll the marbles around on top of the paper. The paint will leave colored trails, creating designer wrapping paper (figure J). Try dipping the wheels of a small toy car in paint and rolling them across white paper for another version of custom gift-wrap (figure K).
Body Self Portrait Have kids lie down on a long piece of brown kraft paper that's bigger than they are. Draw an outline around their bodies. Have them paint on facial features, clothing and hair. Use old clothes such as old jeans to dress up the portrait (figure L ).
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