Monday, March 25, 2013

Swirl Tie Dye

Welcome back! Its Spring Break here and some kids are home with nothing to do. You can pass your time by making swirl tie dye!

Materials
  • 100% cotton white t-shirt
  • Latex Gloves
  • Dye
  • Squirt bottles
  • A bucket
  • Drop Cloth
  • Rubber Bands
slideshow imageFirst, put on your latex gloves. Place the shirt on a flat surface. Pinch the fabric in the middle between your thumb and your forefingers and slowly twist the fabric in a clockwise direction until all is turned. Make the twisted fabric into a tight bundle and keep a neat spiral. In addition, secure the bundle with rubber bands. At this point, the t-shirt should look like the picture on the right.

More importantly, squirt different colors of tie dye onto the shirt and make sure it goes inside the folds too. You may need to move the rubber bands around a little bit as you go. Now, let it dry. Furthermore, slowly take out the rubber bands. In summation, rinse the shirt so the excess dye is removed. Have fun with your new t-shirt!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Kaleidoscope

A kaleidoscope is a fun toy and you can always go out to the store to get one. Well, save your money by making one yourself!

Materials
  • Clear, heavy plastic
  • Ruler
  • Pen
  • Scissors
  • Clear Tape
  • Paper Towel Tube
  • Black construction paper
  • plastic wrap
  • Shiny jewels, gems, or beads
  • Wax paper
  • Rubber Band
  • Wrapping Paper
First, draw an 8x4 rectangle on the plastic with your pen. Second, draw three lines parrelel to eachother on the rectangle. Next, fold your rectangle along the lines you just drew. Make it into a 3D triangle and tape on the top. In addition, cut the paper towel tube to a length of eight inches and then slide the triangle inside the tube. Furthermore, place one end of the tube on the construction paper and trace it. After, cut that out and tape it to one end of the paper towel tube. More importantly, poke a small hole in the middle of the construction paper circle with a scissor.

Next, take plastic wrap and wrap it around the other end of the paper towel tube. Poke your finger about one inch in the middle and then fill it up with shiny jewels, gems, or beads. Then, cover that with wax paper and wrap a rubber band around it. Now, cut off the extra plastic wrap and wax paper. In summation, to decorate, wrap the outside in wrapping paper so it looks pretty. Make sure not to wrap the two ends.

Look through your kaleidoscope facing a lamp or the sun and keep turning it to see the pretty designs you have made!

HAVE FUN!!

Tulle Flowers!

Welcome Spring! Spring is finally here and the flowers will start to bloom. Lets get those flowers blooming early by making tulle flowers. This is a simple and very fun craft to do! You can put this flower anywhere and decorate anything. You can clip it on a hat or even a t-shirt!

Materials
  • tulle
  • scissors
  • needle
  • thread
First, cut four pieces of tulle, each being one inch wide and 30 inches long. Second, fold each strip two times. Next, thread a needle with thread and tie a knot at the end of one strip. (The thread should be the same color as the tulle.) In addition, take the needle and weave through the top of the tulle. When you reach the end of one strip, start with another strip. Cinch the tulle as you go to make the flower more fluffy.  When you are done, cinch all of it tightly and sew the beginning of the flower to the end and tie a knot.

Furthermore, separate the tulle pieces so it looks more fluffy and realistic. Now that you're done can add a clip on the back so you can clip it on anything to decorate. You can also hang it in your room or just leave it. Have fun and Happy Spring!


DECORATE

Friday, March 15, 2013

Shamrock Stamp

Welcome back everyone! St.Patrick's Day is just around the corner so lets get in the spirit! Today we will learn to make a shamrock stamp! You can stamp this any place you want to decorate for the special day!

Materials

  • Cardboard (4x4)
  • Foam Sheet (4x4)
  • Scratch Knife
  • Liquid Glue
  • Green Acrylic Paint
  • Paper
  • Pencil
First, take the foam sheet and glue it on the the cardboard. Let it dry for a few minutes until you start working again. Next, take your pencil and draw a shamrock on the foam sheet. To draw a shamrock, draw a heart and two other hearts coming from both the other sides. In addition, draw two lines coming from the bottom of the three hearts and connect them.

Furthermore, take the scratch knife and cut over the shamrock that you drew. Cut it so it almost looks like you drew it in bubble letters. More importantly, take green acrylic paint and paint on the shamrock. Before that dries, make a test by quickly stamping it on a piece of paper. Press it down for a few seconds and once you think it's ready, take it off. Now you should be able to see the shamrock!
                                         Have fun!

 
 
 
 

Saturday, March 2, 2013

It's Time For One to Die!


The Argument
For many years, people have been arguing about whether or not crayons are better or colored pencils. What do you think is better? Well, let's find out?
Crayons
Crayons have many pros but also have many cons. Crayons last longer because all you have to do is pull the wrapper off instead of sharpening it. Crayons could also be very waxy and don't show smooth marks on the paper. Crayons are also better for little children to use because crayons lead children to self expression, teach them the colors, and also they really amaze the minds of young children. Although the crayons are better for young children, they can also be bad for young children. Research shows that crayons amaze the minds of young children so much that it looks like food. As CRAZY as it sounds, many times in the past, children have actually ate crayons!


Colored Pencils
Colored Pencils are also great to color. Colored pencils are known to be soft-tipped which make you color faster. Although you can color faster, you always have to sharpen the pencil when the point breaks which makes the process slower. Colored pencils are also known for children and adults. Crayons are known for young children. Colored pencils are also great for small details but research shows that if you use colored pencils for a long time, the joints in your fingers can ache and pain. 

Crayons
pro
1. last longer
2. lead children to self expression
3. teaches children colors
4. amaze childrens' minds
 
con
1. children could eat crayons
2. very waxy
 
 
Colored Pencils
pro
1. soft-tipped
2. color fast
3. great for small details
 
con
1. constently sharpen
2. aching fingers