Make a Craft

Updated 06//04

Bird Feeder
(Adult Supervision Recommended)
An easy craft to make, and fun to watch the birds eat!
This project is rated VERY EASY to do.

What You Need:  
Slice of white bread 
Cookie cutter 
Peanut Butter 
Knife to spread peanut butter (plastic is fine!) 
Yarn 
Bird seed on a plate 

How To Make It:
Step 1:
Take the cookie cutter and punch a nice shape out of
 the white bread.  You can save the scraps for bread
crumbs or make ones with the center cut out. 

Step 2:
Punch a hole into it for yarn to hang, thread the yarn through. 

Step 3:
Let the white bread shapes sit out for a day or two so that
they become firm. This will make it easier to spread the
peanut butter. 

Step 4:
Spread peanut butter on the bread, then turn over and push
into bird seed. You can turn it over and put peanut butter 
and seed on the other side, too, if you wish. 

Step 5:
Hang outside on a tree for the birds to eat. 

Holiday Vinyl Placemat
(Adult supervision is recommended)
These placemats wipe-off and stack easily in a drawer. This project is rated AVERAGE to do.

What You Need:    
1 Piece of holiday fabric that is the size of your placemat 
Iron-on vinyl 
Iron 
Scissors 

How To Make It:
Step 1: 
Choose the shape of your placemat. Make oval, rectangular, heart-shaped, circular, or any shape! 

Step 2: 
Follow the directions on the iron-on vinyl package to attach a piece of vinyl on each side of the fabric. 

Step 3: 
Trim around the edges of the vinyl so that it is even on all sides. 

Step 4: 
Make them for all your special holidays. 

Corn Husk Dolls 
(Adult Supervision Recommended)
Next time you're shucking corn for dinner, don't throw away
the husks -- dry them in the sun for one to three days, and 
you'll have the makings for a corn-husk doll. 

What You Need:    
• Dried corn husks or tamale wrappers (available at grocery stores)
• Twine or string
• Scissors
• Pipecleaners 

How To Make It:
Step 1: 
Soak the dried corn husks (approximately 20 per doll) in
warm water for about 10 minutes to soften them, then 
blot them dry. Next, gather twenty 10-inch lengths of 
twine and tie an overhand knot at one end. 

Step 2: 
Trim the husks so that they are each about 8 inches long. 
Then sandwich the knotted twine between 4 or so husks
and tightly tie another piece of twine around the bundle 
just above the overhand knot. 

Step 3: 
Make the doll's arms by rolling up a pipe cleaner in a husk
(this will make the arms posable). Roll up 2 more husks
(without pipe cleaners). Then braid the three together and 
tie the ends with twine. 

Step 4: 
Take the bundle from Step 2 and peel down the husks (as 
you would a banana) to create a head and expose the hair. 
Tightly tie the bundle where the neck should be, then insert
the arms. 

Step 5: 
Braid together 3 rolled husks (without a pipecleaner) for each
leg. Then use 2 of the inner husk ends to tie the tops of the 
legs to the dolls. Trim the remaining husk ends an inch below
where the legs are attached. 

Step 6: 
Snugly wrap a single husk around the doll's hips, tying the
ends together to secure it. Trim the knot tails. 

Step 7: 
Now it's time to dress the doll. If making a girl, go right to 
Step 8. For a boy, create leggings by wrapping a single
husk around each leg and tightly tying twine around the 
very top. Then fringe the leggings by making a series of 
short snips along the outer sides. 

Step 8: 
For a skirt, sandwich the doll's body from the hips up with 
a few husks and secure them to the waist with twine. Then
peel down the husks. For a girl doll, leave the skirt long; 
for a boy, trim 1 1/2 inches from the waist. Finally, drape 
husks over the shoulders. Crisscross the ends in front and 
in back of the doll and sash them around the waist with
twine. 

Slime 
(Adult Supervision Recommended)
Transform ordinary ingredients into a ghoulish concoction. 

What You Need:
• Two mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Glue
• Borax
• Green food coloring
• Water 

How To Make It:
Step 1: 
Mix together 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup glue and several drops 
of green food coloring in the first bowl. 

Step 2: 
In the second bowl, mix together 4 teaspoons borax and 1 1/3 
cups warm water. 

Step 3: 
Pour the contents of the first bowl into the second, but don't stir.
Let it sit for 1 minute, then lift the now-congealed slime out of 
the bowl. 

Step 4: 
Divide slime so that each child has a piece to play with. The
glue in slime can make it stick to certain fabrics. To minimize 
accidents, give each little monster a zip-top bag to store it in. 

Tips:  SAFETY NOTE: 
Since borax is toxic in large doses, be sure to keep the 
slime away from kids younger than age three. 

Bath Salts
(Adult Supervision Recommended) 
This will make a great gift. Keep your eyes open for some
unusual jars to use.  This project is rated AVERAGE to do.  
Makes 3 cups of bath salts. 

What You Need:
• Large glass or metal mixing bowl 
• 2 cups Epsom's salts 
• 1 cup Sea salt, rock salt or coarse salt 
• Food coloring 
• 1/4 teaspoon Glycerin 
• Essential oil for fragrance such as vanilla, citrus or peppermint, 
optional 
• Clean, dry jars with cork stoppers or metal screw-on lid 

How To Make It:
Try and do this on a day with low humidity, the salt will absorb
moisture from the air. 

Step 1:
Combine salts in bowl and mix well. Add a couple drops of food
coloring and mix well. 

Step 2:
Add glycerin and essential oil (4 or 5 drops) and mix well. 

Step 3:
Spoon salts into the jars and close them. 

Step 4:
Make a gift tag with the scent (if you used one) and suggesting using 
1/3 to 1/2 cup in the bath. 

Sand Castles
(Adult Supervision Recommended)
Have you ever been to the beach and wished that you could bring your
castle home with you? Here is a way to make sand creations that you
can keep!   This project is rated EASY to do.

What You Need:
• 3 cups of sand (If you don't have "beach sand," you can buy
"play sand" at a hardware store.)   
• 1 1/2 cup of cornstarch   
• 1 1/2 cup of water 
• Newspaper 
• Old cooking pot 
• Large spoon 

How To Make It:
Step 1:
Mix the cornstarch and sand together.  Add to the pot and mix 
in the water.  

Step 2:
This step requires a grownup. The grownup should cook the 
mixture over low heat, stirring constantly.  When it gets thick,
take it off of the stove and let it cool. 

Step 3:
Once it is cool, use the spoon to turn it out on the newspaper. 

Step 4:
Now you can make it into any shape you like, let it dry, and
keep your creation forever! 

Tips:
Spray Pam in the sandcastle molds before adding the mixture. 
You can also use little colored stones or shells and little flags
used for cupcakes as decorations.  

Seashell Mobile
  (Adult Supervision Recommended) 
A great craft after your trip to the beach. This project is rated
EASY to do.

 

What You Need:
• Shells or other finds  
• String  
• 2 pieces of dowel rod, about 1 foot length
• Glue 

How To Make It:
Step 1:
Use string to make dowels into an "X" shape

Step 2:
Glue shells onto several different lengths of string. 

Step 3:
Let dry about a day. 

Step 4:
Tie string with shells to dowel rods at all four corners and some between. 

Family Key Keeper
(Adult Supervision Recommended)
For Father's Day, give Dad a personalized rack that he (and everyone else) can use to keep track of car and house keys. 




What You Need: 
• Two picture hangers
• 2 1/2- by 12-inch pine board
• Several flat wooden spoons (available at craft or 
art stores) or wooden paint stirrers cut into 3 1/2-inch lengths
• Markers
• Twine or yarn
• Glue
• Small brass cup hooks 

How To Make It:
Step 1: 
First, attach the picture hangers to the back of the pine board according to the package directions. 

Step 2: 
Decorate the wooden spoons with colored markers to resemble each person and pet in your family. When they're done coloring, fashion hairdos by gluing on pieces of twine. 

Step 3: 
Next, glue the handle of each spoon to the back of the pine board, as shown, so that the characters are spaced equally apart. 

Step 4: 
Once the glue dries, screw a brass hook into the board below each character, and the rack is ready to give as a gift.

Flowerpot Chime (Adult Supervision Recommended)
Give spring's warm breezes a unique voice with this earthy wind chime. 

What You Need:
• 5 1/4-inch-diameter plastic flowerpot saucer 
• Five 1 1/2-inch-diameter clay pots
• Clear acrylic finish
• Pushpin
• Acrylic paint
• Scissors
• String
• Hole punch
• Soda bottle
• Craft knife
• Small bells
• Buttons 

How To Make It:
Step 1: 
Paint the saucer and pots. When the paint dries, add a
coat of clear acrylic finish. Let it dry. 

Step 2: 
Using a pushpin, make a hole in the center of the plastic 
saucer and at four equidistant spots around the side of 
the saucer. Widen the holes with scissors or a compass
point if needed (a parent's job). 

Step 3: 
Cut five leaf shapes out of the soda bottle (a parent's job). 

Step 4: 
Cut four 1 1/2-foot lengths of string. 

Step 5: 
To make each chime, punch a hole in the end of a plastic 
leaf and tie it onto the end of the string. Next, slip on 
the bell, tie a knot about 3/4 inch above the bell, thread 
on a button and then a pot (upside down). 

Step 6: 
Thread the end of the string out through one of the side 
holes in the saucer (thread from the inside and make sure 
the saucer's upside down). To fasten in place, run the 
string up through one hole in a button and then down 
through another hole and knot tightly. 

House Helper Card (Adult Supervision Recommended)
Kids can pledge to lend Dad a hand around the house with this flowery card. 

What You Need: 
• 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of heavyweight paper
• Construction paper or card stock
• Glue
• Con-tact paper, optional 

How To Make It: 
Step 1: 
Fold in half an 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of heavyweight paper so that the shorter ends match up. 

Step 2: 
Cut a flowerpot shape from colored construction paper or card stock and glue it to the lower portion of the card face. Attach only the bottom and side edges and leave the top unglued. 

Step 3: 
Cut out a bunch of colored flowers and thick green stems and then glue the stem tops to the backs of the blossoms. 

Step 4: 
Once the glue dries, print a different chore (such as "fold the laundry" or "walk the dog") on the back of each stem. 

Step 5: 
Inscribe the inside of the card with the words "Pick a flower and you will see the jobs you'll pick this week for me" and sign it. All that's left to do is to "plant" the flowers in the pot and present the card. 

Photo House Card (Adult Supervision Recommended)
Make a picture-perfect frame card that's filled with Dad's favorite faces. 

What You Need: 
• Heavyweight white paper
• Markers or crayons
• Photographs
• Craft knife
• Scissors
• 3-inch-wide cardboard strip 

How To Make It:
Step 1: 
Use crayons or colored markers to draw your house on the paper. 
Include a window for each family member. 

Step 2: 
With a craft knife (adults only), cut out window openings. 

Step 3: 
Place a photo behind each window and tape the photo edges in place. 

Step 4: 
Use scissors to cut along the house outline. Place the cutout face 
down and spread glue along the outside edges. 

Step 5: 
Mount the art on a piece of cardboard and trim the backing so that
it is flush with the art. 

Step 6: 
To make a frame stand, cut a 3-inch-wide cardboard strip that is 
half the height of the house. Fold the strip in half vertically, 
line it up with the frame bottom, and glue one side to the back 
of the frame. 

Wallet Collage (Adult Supervision Recommended)
A "World's Greatest Dad" T-shirt may be nice, but this wallet-size 
collage is a gift Dad will really welcome. Cut a credit-card-size 
rectangle out of poster board. Have your kids decorate both sides 
with messages, stickers, drawings and glued-on photographs. To 
make the card sturdier, cover it on both sides with clear Con-Tact 
paper or run it through the laminator at your local copy shop 
(about $2).  Dad can keep the card in his wallet and take it with 
him wherever he goes--a reminder of who loves him best of all.

Wooden Spoon Bouquet
(Adult Supervision Recommended)

What You Need 
• Long-handled wooden spoons
• Acrylic or tempera paint
• Paintbrush
• Mug
• Assorted flat wooden craft shapes (sold by the bagful
 at most craft stores)
• Wood glue
• Wooden beads (colored or plain) 

How To Make It
Step 1: 
Paint the wooden spoon handles green and stand them
stem-end up in a mug to dry. 

Step 2: 
For petals, glue flat wooden craft shapes to the bowl 
of each spoon, as pictured  (this step works best if 
you lay the spoons on a flat surface). 

Step 3: 
Once the glue is completely dry (see manufacturer's
directions), paint the flowers (both front and back) 
and stand them in a mug to dry. 

Step 4: 
Lastly, glue a cluster of wooden beads in the center of each flower. 

Onion Print Placemats
(Adult Supervision Recommended)

What You Need 
• Onion, kitchen knife
• Solid-colored cloth place mats (wash before painting)
• Fabric paint
• Paintbrush
• Scrap paper 

How To Make It
Step 1: 
Cut an onion in half, making sure the cut surfaces are as level as possible to create flat stamps. Press the two halves, cut side down, on a paper towel to draw out any excess moisture. 

Step 2: 
Next, brush a thin, even layer of fabric paint across the cut surface of one half (you can save the other half for another color) and have your child practice stamping the onion on scrap paper to see how many impressions he can make before brushing on more paint. If the fabric paint seems too thick, dilute it with a little water (this will make your stamp pattern more defined). 

Step 3: 
Once your child has mastered the technique, he's ready to print directly on the place mats. Let the finished designs dry completely and refer to the paint manufacturer's directions before washing the mats. 

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