1. Remove the label from a plastic soda bottle.
2. Gather trinkets and put them in the bottle. Then add uncooked rice or sand to fill the bottle two thirds of the way and tightly screw on the cap. Shake well to conceal the objects.
3. Now twist and turn the toy to see how many treasures you can spot inside.
Tips:
Objects such as coins and pebbles tend to gravitate into the middle, while lightweight plastic beads, buttons, and trinkets are easier to spot.
Glueless Collage
You may do your best to avoid sticky situations, but toddlers love nothing more. In this collage project, clear Con-Tact paper stands in for glue, offering all the fascination of adhesiveness -- with none of the mess.
1. Begin by taping a piece of Con-Tact paper, sticky side facing out, to a wall or a low table. Set out bowls of small, flat stickables nearby.
2. Now let your toddler explore the sticky feeling of the paper first with his hands, then by placing the items against the paper. Once he gets the hang of it, just sit back and enjoy the show.
3. Preserve the collage with a second piece of Con-Tact paper. Frame the artwork with colored masking tape around the edges.
4. Keep the fun going! Make a theme collage, such as a nature collage with flowers and leaves or a color collage of all things blue.
Homemade Playdough
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 cups water
4 tbs oil
Food Coloring of choice
Place all ingredients except flour into a large pan
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add flour a little at a time, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool. Knead then store in an air tight container.
Homemade Bubbles
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup liquid detergent
1 tbs cooking oil
Mix all ingredients together.
Colored Macaroni
In a Ziploc bag add 2 tbs alcohol and food coloring. Fill bag 1/3 full with macaroni and shake. Dry on newspaper. Glue on colored paper, make necklaces etc.
Paper Bag Puppets
Supplies Needed:
Paper Lunch Bags
Colored construction paper
Glue
Scissors
Markers or crayons
Optional: pipe cleaners, felt scraps or googly eyes
Dog, Bunny, Mouse, Cat, Pig, Bear or any animal your child likes:
1. Fold under the bottom square edges of the paper bag to form the animals face.
2. Cut out eyes, ears, nose and tongue (dependig on the animal you are making) and glue them to the animals head and face.
Optional: pipe cleaners for whiskers (depending on the animal)
Personalized Gifts You Create
Gifts you can afford! Here is a fun-filled family project that is easy to personalize and is very inexpensive. The only items you need are new or used cards, scissors, glue, clear contact paper or laminating machine, and your imagination.
1. Group cards either by color, theme, or whatever catches your eye or whim. Angels, Santa, nativity, and animals are good ideas.
2. Draw and cut the cards into circles, roughly 4 inches across. You can place cans on the cards as a guide to draw the circles, which makes this part really easy.
3. Overlap the circles, starting by creating an outer ring (12 cards) and then continue overlapping the inner circle (6 cards). Placemat size should be at least 12 inches by 16 inches. Make sure you overlap the cards about ½ inch to glue the cards together.
4. Glue them together. A little Elmer’s glue goes a long way. Let dry.
5. Laminate the cards together, or use contact paper on the front and back. Then cut down to size, making sure you leave about ¼ inch border around the placemat.
Tips:
1. You can also have fun using different cards for different holidays, such as Halloween, Easter, or Mother's Day.
2. You can use the placemats under plants, lamps, statues, and collectibles to avoid scratching the table underneath.
Warning:
1. Children must be supervised, especially around a hot laminating machine.written by: Sheryl A. Johnson
Make a Paper Christmas Tree
Supplies Needed:
Green construction paper
Crayons, markers, and glitter glue
Scissors
Clear tape
Optional: other stickers or objects to decorate tree
1. Fold a piece of green construction paper in half widthwise, then cut it in half.
2. Put the two pieces together, and fold them in half again.
3. Draw half a Christmas tree opposite the fold.
4. Cut along the line - you should get two identical trees.
5. Fold the trees in half lengthwise, barely creasing the center line to mark the center of the trees.
6. Cut a slit along the bottom half of the center of one trees and along the top half of the center of the other tree.
7. Slip the two trees together along the slits. Tape the bottoms and tops together using clear tape to prevent the slit ends from flopping over.
8. Decorate your tree.
