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Windchimes
Wind chimes add a whimsical atmosphere wherever you put them. You can hang it on the window of the kid’s room or on your veranda if you have one.
What you will need: Plastic bottle, acrylic paint, craft sealer, paintbrush, yarn or twine, pony beads, coloured straws, large buttons and a holepunch.
Method:
- To start, you need to cut off the tapered, top portion of the plastic bottle.
- Then you paint each section of the bottle a different colour.
- When the paint is dry, you punched some evenly-spaced holes around the bottom of the bottle. Maybe punch around 8 holes.
- A coat of craft varnish gives it some shine and will help protect your homemade wind chime from the elements.
- For the outer chimes, use a piece of yarn or twine to load up with lots of colourful plastic beads.
- For the inner chime, thread a flat button on to a long length of yarn. Then you double the yarn back, thread both ends through a needle, and fill the length of yarn with sections of black straws and coloured beads.
- Leaving a few inches of space at the top of each strand of yarn, slip each one through a punched hole, and knot it in place.
- To attach the center chime, make a hole in the top of the bottle.
- Once you have the hole in the bottle, poke the yarn for the centre chime through the hole. But you need a stopper on the inside and outside of the bottle to prevent the chime from sliding up and down through the hole.
- Knot the yarn a couple of inches down from the top. This would be the stopper inside the bottle.
- Then thread the yarn through the hole, and slip it through a pony bead, knot the bead in place and tie a loop for hanging.
- Then you can hang your windchime, using this hoop!
TeePee
Kids always love to have their own hideouts, where they read books, play Indians or keep their nick and nooks. A Tee Pee is perfect indoor or outdoor.
What you will need: Nine 10′ poles (bamboo), Canvas painter’s drop cloth (12′ x 15′ heavyduty), Lightweight cord or rope, Five sticks 9″ long, Two sticks 6″ long, Scissors, String, Garden clippers, Permanent coloured markers.
Method:
- Collect thin, sturdy branches and using garden clippers, cut five branches to 9'' long and two branches to 6'' long. The collecting is a fun activity for kids. If desired, taper the ends slightly by rubbing them on the sidewalk or a piece of sand paper.
- Lay the canvas drop cloth flat on the grass. Find the center-top of the long end of the cloth and make a mark. Tie a marker onto the end of a string and holding the marker upright at side-top of the cloth’s long end, stretch the string to the center point and cut it. Your string should be 7.5′ long. Hold the string at center point firmly, while a second person makes an arc with the marker to denote the cut line.
- Choose a spot for the teepee and set the first three poles in place as your teepee base, crossing the tips of the poles at the top, as if you are making a tripod. Now add two poles between each of the base poles; try to position them sturdily by paying attention to how they cross at the top. Add the last pole to the ‘back side’ of your teepee. Spread the pole bottoms evenly around the ground.
- If you don’t have someone tall to reach up and place the top-center of the cloth near the cross poles, remove the last pole from the back side and attach the top-center of the cloth about a foot from the top. Since this is temporary, you can just make a ring of duct tape and attach the inside of the cloth to the poles.
- Pull the sides of the cloth around the poles, overlapping at the top of the teepee’s front. Make two slits to accommodate each 9″ stick, making sure the cuts go through both pieces of overlapped cloth. Slits should be about 3″ to 4″ apart. Weave a stick into the openings and secure the teepee front.
- To make the teepee opening, fold the side flaps open and make two slits to accommodate the 6″ sticks.
- Use markers (or paint, if desired) to decorate the outside of your teepee. Let the kids decorate however they want, and show them some American Indian designs as inspiration. This is a perfect time to teach kids some Native American history and the symbolism of Native American designs.
Make a Milk Carton Birdhouse
Attract more birds to your backyard, so you and the kids can enjoy seeing and hearing them chirping. You can use recycled materials for this!
What you will need: half-gallon milk carton, acrylic paint, a stapler, a pencil, scissors, markers and string or wire to hang the birdhouse.
Method:
- First of all, you want to clean the milk carton out and make sure you allow it to dry thoroughly.
- Then, paint the entire outside in a desired colour and also wait for it to dry.
- Then you want to staple the top of the milk carton closed. And cut a 1 1/2-inch hole on one side of the milk carton.
- About an inch under the hole, slide the pencil or wood dowel through the milk carton to create the perch. Leave about an inch sticking out under the hole.
- Then let your kids decorate the birdhouse with paint or markers. Attach a piece of string or wire to the milk carton and hang it up.
Pipe Cleaner Stationary Pots
One of the things we love about pipe cleaners is how malleable they are. They’re able to hold almost any shape or angle you put them to. So how about moulding them into a handy stationary pot.
What you will need: One empty tin can, 2 sets of 8 pipe cleaners in desired colour, 4 sets of 6 pipe cleaners in desired colour and a glue gun.
Method:
- Gather your pipe cleaners. You will need about 8 of each for your two vertical colors (two sets of 8) and about 6 of each for your woven colors (four sets of 6) Depending on the size of your can, you will need more or less of these colors. You can always have them weave too many in and then take unneeded rows out. The only thing you need to determine before starting is that the circumference of the can is not greater than the length of a pipe cleaner.
- Layout your pipe cleaners for your pattern. I highly recommend finding a flat piece of cardboard or flat rectangular tray to work on, one you can put tape on. This makes it easier for your child to work, and also for them to carry the project around. We taped ours to a plastic covered canvas, but use whatever you can find. Once you have your two vertical colours laid out, tape them to your board. We used scotch tape, but duct tape and other tape will work fine.
- Using your other 4 sets of pipe cleaners, start weaving a pattern. Start with one, going over and under. For the next pipe cleaner, do the opposite, under and over. You will alternate weaving over and under, under and over until you have used all your pipe cleaners. As you work, you need to push the pipe cleaners up when you finish each row.
- Trim the ends of the pipe cleaners. Make sure first that your item is long enough to fit around the can. If you have too many, you can remove a row. If you need more, you can add some. On your horizontal rows, you can actually fold the ends of the pipe cleaners over or under, whichever be the case, and then trim them. For the vertical rows, you are going to want to leave at least a half inch to fold over the top and bottom of the can.
- (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED) Using a hot glue gun secure one side of your weave to the can. It is much easier to put the glue on the can than on the pipe cleaners. Press the edges of the horizontal woven pieces onto your can, being careful not to burn yourself on the hot glue.
- Tuck the ends of the pipe cleaner inside the can and under the bottom, bend inward to secure. Adhere with glue gun to ensure sticking, but this is optional, especially inside the can.
Succulent Terrarium
You can assemble a succulent terrarium in a matter of minutes! When picking the soil for this project, it’s best to go with a cactus mix — potting soil, pumice, and coir. Also, don’t forget to put in enough soil to help hide and let the roots grow!
What you will need: Vase or jar with large opening, Small stones, pebbles, or gravel for drainage, Soil, preferably, cactus mix, as it retains little moisture, Succulent plants of your choice, Sand, Garden ornaments or rocks (optional accents) Use birds, snails, mushrooms; large river rocks; glass spiders and bugs.
Method:
- Prepare a vase or medium sized jar with a larger opening at the top.
- Place small stones at the bottom of the jar.
- Add a little thicker layer of soil, enough so that you can let the plants roots.
- Remove the plant from the pot. Put into your terrarium bowl and gently press.
- Continue to transplant plants from the largest to the smallest depending on your taste. Get creative here, all terrariums are different. It is hard to go wrong.
- When you have transplanted all the plants cover the surface with a thin layer of white sand.
- Add decorative stones or ornaments for the final step. The terrarium is finished.