Playdough
1 c. Flour ½ c. salt
2 tsp. Cream of Tarter 1 T. Oil
1 c. water Your choice of food coloring
Mix together in a pot on the stove. Cook approximately 3 minutes on medium heat until dough forms a ball. Cook a little longer if it is still sticky. Knead well and use. This recipe does not dry out really quick.
Submitted by: Tiny Tots FDH
Flubber:
- Put 3 tablespoons of water into ziploc bag. (If you want colour add food coloring now).
- Add 1tablesppon of white glue. Combine.
- Add 2 heaping Tablespoons of Borax (laundry detergent)
*must be Borax
- Shape into a ball. If the mixture is too sticky, roll the ball in a little Borax.
Make a Hand Print Print Poem
Directions: Copy the poem from below and print it in the center of a sheet of paper.
Pour some paint into a tray, pie plate, or flat dish.
Dip childrens hand into the paint and make a hand print on either side of the poem.
Decorate around the edge of the paper.
THIS IS MY HANDS
MY HANDS WILL DO
A THOUSAND LOVING THINGS FOR YOU.
YOU WILL REMEMBER WHEN IAM TALL,
THAT ONCE MY HAND WAS JUST THIS SMALL.
Submitted by: Second Home FDH
Tiny Bunny Hat Pin
Materials List:
Felt, Pink Pom poms, 5mm pink
Felt, White Straw hat, 1 ½ inch
Pin Back, 1 inch Wiggle eyes
Pom poms, 10 mm, white, 2
Instructions:
- Cut out ear shapes, using white felt as the outer ear and pink felt as the inner ear.
- Glue the wiggle eyes in place on the hat.
- Glue the pompoms in place, using pink for the nose and white for the cheeks.
- Glue the inner ears to the outer ears and attach to the rim of the hat.
- Glue the pin back in place on the back of the hat brim.
www.michaels.com/art/online/prejectssheet?pid=c00010&categoryid=77
Bird Feeder
You will need:
Toilet paper tube Peanut Butter
Bird Seed 12 inch String
Butter knife Whole Punch
Have the children spread peanut butter all over the tube. Roll the tube in bird seed. Punch 2 holes at the top of the tube for the string. Run the string through the holes to make a hanger. Hang it in the yard and wait for the birds to come. If you make extra, they freeze really well.
Our children do these almost weekly in the summer.
Submitted by Teslin Tlingit Council Daycare 2005
Oobleck
Oobleck is a strange mixture. When you put your hands into it, it’s semi-solid, almost like mud. But…. When you lift a handful up (be sure to keep your hand over the container), it returns to a more liquid state. Kids are amazed by this seemingly magic stuff.
Ingredients:
Cornstarch Water Food coloring
Directions:
Add water slowly to cornstarch until desired consistency is obtained. Mixture should be smooth, but not too watery. Add food coloring. Store in a large container with lid. Lasts for a week or so at a time. You may need to add a bit of cornstarch daily.
Submitted by: Kids R Kidz FDH
Finger paint
3 T. Sugar ½ c. cornstarch
2 cups cold water food coloring
detergent
Directions:
Mix sugar and cornstarch together. Stir in water. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Put in 4 – 5 pots and add color and bits of detergent.
Submitted by Kids R Kidz FDH
Water Painting
Materials needed:
Paint (watery) paper water
Put the materials out on the table and let the children paint using the watery paint. This allows them to discover the properties of a more liquidy paint as opposed to a thicker paint.
Submitted by: Love to Learn Day Care.
St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock (March)
Materials:
Green Felt seed green beads
Beading thread glue
Size 12 beading needle
Instructions:
1. Cut out two shamrocks and glue together.
2. Thread your beading needle.
3. Put a knot at the end.
4. Put your needle through anywhere on the shamrock, pick-up a green bead and stitch down.
5. Stitch from the back up, pull needle through. Pick up another bead. Put needle down.
6. Continued until satisfied with amount of green beads on shamrock.
Submitted by: Trinen Tsul Zzen FDH
Santa Plate
Materials: paper plate, cotton batten, glue, construction paper, scissors
1. Apply cotton batting to bottom of the paper plate to make Santa’s beard.
2. Shape Santa’s hat on construction paper and color red.
3. Put cotton batting on top of Santa’s hat. And trim bottom of hat with cotton batting.
4. Use cotton batting for eyebrows.
5. You can either draw the eyes on the paper plate, or cut them from construction paper. Same for mouth and nose.
Bell
Materials and Tools:
1 egg cup segment markers foil glitter ball string glue
1. Color the egg cup or cover with foil.
2. Put glue where desired and cover with glitter.
3. Tie a string to the end of the bell and pull the string through the top of the egg cup.
Egg Carton Christmas Tree
Materials and Tools:
Egg carton glue stiff paper tinsel scissors
1. Cut apart the cups of an egg carton.
2. Glue them on a piece of paper in the shape of a tree.
3. Wind tinsel through it.
Rose Colored Glasses
Materials and Tools:
Pipe cleaners red or pink cellophane construction paper glue
1. Cut two hearts that will fit over your eyes from construction paper.
2. Glue pink or red cellophane on each side of the hearts.
3. Attach pipe cleaners to each heart for ear pieces.
Stuffed Newspaper Sculpture
Materials and Tools:
Newspaper stapler markers or paint cotton batting
1. Each child needs four large sheets of newspaper.
2. Sketch a design (eg. Dinosaur, fish). Cut it out.
3. Staple together leaving one side open.
4. Stuff your design with cotton batting and staple remaining side.
5. Color and decorate as desired.
Bookmarks
Materials and Tools:
Construction paper, cloth or thin cardboard
Stickers glue felt tip markers or crayons
1. Cut out a design the shape and size of a bookmark (or be creative and make your own design).
2. Poke a hole in the top of the bookmark and thread yarn or ribbon through it.
3. Color and decorate as desired.
Snow and Sand modeling:
Both snow and sand require damp conditions in order to form lasting shapes. Encourage the children to use their imagination. Empty plastic containers are ideal for modeling various shapes. For any age.
Fingerpaints in the Snow
Materials needed:
Ivory Snow (powdered soap) glossy paper
Water hand mixer
Paint large bowl
Make up the “snow” using 1 cup of Ivory Snow soad and 2/3 cup water. Beat mixture with mixer in a large bown until fluffy and stiff.
Smear the “snow” on the glossy paper and let dry. When it is dry come back and make tracks “footprints” in the snow using your fingers and dipping them in the paint.
WICKS
Although wicks can be bought in craft and hobby stores, it’s easy and fun to make your own. Children enjoy the benefit of creating the entire project.
Ingredients: 2 T. Borax cotton string
1 T. salt 1 cup water
Method: Soak the string in this for two or three hours. Then lay it out to dry.
Weaving
Using small bendable twigs, mold them into shapes by intertwining the branches together.
Ages: 3 and up.
Painting
Straw painting
Materials: straw paper watered down paints
Let the children blow through the straws to make different designs.
Q-Tip Painting
Materials: q-tips paper paper bags paints
Children can use the q-tips to make all sorts of pictures and they can do it on all different kinds of mediums.
Scrubbers
Materials: dish scrubbers, fairly thick paint, construction paper, pie plates
Since your are going to be dipping scrubbers into the paint you should put the paint into a pie plate or something that is flat so the children can get paint on the scrubber.
Toilet paper rolls
Materials: toilet paper rolls, Yarn, scissors, thick paint, paper, glue
You can do several things with the toilet paper rolls. You could glue yarn into the rolls and dip into the paint to get a different effect. Another idea is to cut different shapes at the ends of the toilet paper roll, then dip into the paint.
Yarn painting
Materials: yarn paint paper containers
Children can dip the yarn into the container of paint and then pull the yarn across the piece of paper making lines.
Cutters
Materials: thick paint paper pie plates cookie cutters
Put the paint in the pie plates so that the children can dip the cookie cutters into the paint. Use thick paint so it does not get all over the place.
Gadget Painting
Materials: thick paint pie plates odds and ends
For gadget painting, all you have to do is collect odds and ends that children are going to be able to handle. You will want to use pie plates for the paint so all shapes and sizes will be able to fit into the paint.
Lacey Candles
2 litre milk cartons wick
pencil wax
crayons ice
Instructions:
Wash milk cartons and cut off the top. Hang your wick down fro the top on a pencil. Pour a few centimeters in the bottom to hold in place. Add a few ice cubes. Pour hot wax over ice. Let cool slightly. Continue adding ice and wax. Wait at least six hours to harden. In sink, slide the candle out gently. Make small holes in wax pockets to drain water. When you burn these candles, wax will flow out of the holes.
Ages 4 and up
Whipped snow
2 cups warm water Electric mixer
1 cup pure laundry soap large bowl
Beat mixture until fluffy. Mould into shapes and let dry.
Ages 2 and up
** A good winter activity. Children get the opportunity to mold snow inside as opposed to outdoor snow sculpting.
There are many outdoor activities for children when it comes to modeling. The media can be anything from snow, sand, mud or tiny branches. We have included a couple of activities in this section.
SAND CASTING
Materials: Bucket of moist sand wax and wick
Instructions: Make a hole in the sand. You can mold the shape with your hands or objects like bowls or shells. Create any shape you wish. Carefully pour hot wax into the mold. Let it set overnight. Remove candle from the sand. Do this over a lot of newspaper. Make a wick hole with a hot ice pick. Add wick.