Acorn Pumpkins

By Family Fun
Oct. 31, 2009

Total Time Needed:

30 Minutes or less

Want a festive decoration that won’t clutter up your porch? Try a patch of mini pumpkins small enough to fit in your child’s hand.

Materials

• Acorns
• Orange acrylic paint
• Brown acrylic paint
• Black permanent marker

Instructions

1. Remove the caps from a handful of acorns.
2. Coat each one with orange acrylic paint, adding a bit of brown to the acorn’s point for a stem.
3. Let the paints dry, then add a jack-o’-lantern face with a black permanent marker.

Tips:

Warning:
As several FamilyFun readers who made this craft found out, some acorns are infested with weevils. The weevils feed on the nutmeat while they develop over the summer, and when the acorns hit the ground in the fall, these insects know it’s time to start chewing their way out and into the ground — or your home. Reader Janie Foster offers a solution: before you start the project, bake the acorns in a slow oven to kill the weevils. Just be careful not to burn the acorns!

Source: Family Fun

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Spider Hatchlings

By Family Fun
Oct. 29, 2009

Total Time Needed:

2-3 Hours

This is one egg that trick-or-treaters will scramble to get away from: an orb of hatching spiders hanging from an entryway ceiling or a door frame.

Materials

 

• White glue (we used a 7 5/8-ounce bottle)
• 2 bowls
• Plastic spoon
• Balloon (we used an 11-inch size)
• Cheesecloth cut into 12 or so 3- by 18-inch strips
• Pin
• Clear fishing line
• Plastic spiders (available at www.orientaltrading.com)

 

Instructions

1. Empty the glue bottle into a bowl. Then fill the bottle halfway with water, shake it to dilute any remaining glue, and add the contents to the bowl. Stir the mixture well.

2.Inflate the balloon to about 9 inches tall and set it aside in another bowl.

3. Individually dip the cheesecloth strips into the glue, gently squeeze out the excess fluid, and spread the strips flat on the balloon. Cover the balloon this way, leaving 3 or 4 small gaps (as shown) and a 1 1/2-inch opening around the knot for tying on the spiders later. Let the glue dry, rotating the balloon occasionally to speed the drying process.

4.  Pop the balloon with a pin and remove it.

5. Tie a loop for hanging the egg at one end of a long piece of fishing line. Near the top of the egg, insert the other end of the line through the cheesecloth, then reach inside and pull it out through a nearby gap and tie a spider to it. Gently pull the line back until the spider comes to rest against the inside of the egg, thereby securing the line.

6. Use more fishing line to create strings of spiders. To tie them to the egg, thread one end of the line through the cheesecloth and out a gap, knot the line, and pull the knot back inside the egg. Attach more spiders directly to the egg simply by poking 2 or 3 legs through the cheesecloth.

Source: Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Frank ‘n’ Friends

 By Family Fun
Oct. 16, 2009

Dried citrus rinds give this seasonal squash — and his companions — their un-natural good looks.

 

 

 

Materials

• Craft knife
• Hole punch
• Glue dots
• Spaghetti squash
• Two limes
• Black craft foam
• Duct tape
• Toothpicks
• Large bolts
• Black permanent marker

Instructions

1. Use a craft knife to cut a circle of rind from the top and bottom of an orange or lime for the eyes (a parent’s job). Cut a slit in the remaining peel and remove it intact to use for ears, teeth, and other features. If you’re making the witch, reserve the larger pieces of orange peel for the hair.

 

2. Clean the fruit from the rinds, then use scissors to snip out your character’s facial features, as shown. Cut them a little larger than you want; they will shrink as they dry. To dry the pieces, bake them on a foil-lined cookie sheet at 175 degrees for 20 minutes, then allow them to air dry for about 1K hours (or until glue dots will stick to them).

 

3. Use a hole punch to make a pair of pupils from the craft foam, then adhere them to the white side of the rind eyes with glue dots.

 

4. Attach all the pieces with glue dots, as pictured. To make the ears stick out (for Frank and the Count), tape a toothpick to the back, leaving about 1K inches of the toothpick exposed, then insert it in place.

 

5. Finishing touches for Frank: Cut the hair from craft foam following the diagram at right and attach it with glue dots. Bore a hole on each side of the squash with a pencil, then insert the bolts. Use a permanent marker to draw the teeth.

 

 

 

6. Finishing touches for Witch: Cut a small mouth from the craft foam. To make a hat, cut the shapes shown at right from a piece of black craft foam. Roll the half-circle into a cone with a base slightly larger than the center of the ring, and secure the edge with glue dots. Tuck the cone’s base into the center of the ring. For the buckle, double-fold a sheet of foil to create a square shape. Snip out the center, then adhere it to the hat with glue dots.

 

 7. Finishing touches for the Mummy: Wrap the pumpkin in gauze, using glue dots to attach the fabric as you go.

 

8. Finishing touches for the Count: Cut a collar and hair from the craft foam, following the diagram at right. Wrap each around the pumpkin and attach them with glue dots, as shown.

 

 

 

 

Variations:
 

 

 

 

Source Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Beanbag Balls

By Family Fun
Oct. 3, 2009

These totally tossable, squishable balls are lightweight and easy to grip, making them perfect for novice jugglers, beanbag games, or a good old game of catch.

 

 

 

 

CRAFT MATERIALS:

• 9 (11-inch) balloons (for 3 balls)
• Funnel
• 2 1/4 cups of dried lentils
• Scissors

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Stretch the first balloon by inflating it halfway, holding it closed for about 30 seconds, and deflating it.

2. Place a funnel in the balloon’s neck and gradually pour in 3/4 cup of lentils, pushing them in as you go. The balloon should be firm but squeezable.

3. Snip off the balloon’s thick rubber lip. Cut the neck off a second balloon and gently stretch the opening.

4. Ease the second balloon over the filled balloon, tucking in the neck as you go.

5. Cut the neck off the third balloon, stretch the opening, and ease it over the other two. Repeat this process to make a set of three balls, or however many you’d like..

 

 

 

Source Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Make a Swarm of Tumblebugs

By Family Fun
Oct. 3, 2009

Set these little critters on an incline and watch them cartwheel a beeline to the bottom. The secret to their antics is a marble rolling around inside.

 

CRAFT MATERIALS:

• Scissors
• Card stock
• 2 nickels
• Tacky glue
• Toothpick
• Marble (1 for each bug)
• Black marker
• Colored tissue paper
• Glue stick

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. For each bug, cut a 5-1/2- by 3/4-inch strip of card stock and two 1 3/4- by 7/8-inch card stock ovals.

2. To make an oval, lay 2 nickels side by side on the card stock and trace around them, connecting the top and bottom.

3. Glue the strip into a loop, overlapping the ends by an inch. Pinch it or use a paper clip to hold it together while the glue dries. Next, use a toothpick to line one edge of the loop with glue, then set the loop on top of an oval.

4. When the glue dries, place a marble inside. Line the edge of the loop with glue and press the other oval on top.

5. Once all the glue is dry, use a marker to add a face and other features. Cut out a couple of 2-inch-long wings from tissue paper and use the glue stick to attach them to the top of your bug.

Source Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Spend Time With Kids – Make A Racket

By Family Fun
Sept. 27, 2009

These rubber band rackets can be used with almost any kind of ball, including a tennis, Wiffle, or beach ball. A foam one is ideal for smaller play areas.

 

 

 

 

 

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Plastic pipe

Rubber bands

Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours

 

Assemble the head: Use a fine-tooth handsaw to cut the PVC pieces shown below (you’ll have a few inches of pipe left over). Using the diagram as a guide, join the pieces to make the racket head.

Add the handle: Squeeze some tacky glue inside the tee fitting, then insert one end of the 16-inch-long piece. Slide the pipe cap onto the bottom.

String the racket: To string the racket head, stretch 16 rubber bands around the square horizontally, then add 7 vertically on each side of the handle.

Go out and play: Play Pro Kadima style, go for distance records, or draw a chalk court in your driveway for blacktop tennis matches.

Source: Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Water Balloon Catch

by Family Fun
Sept. 27, 2009

This wet and wacky game is as refreshing as a dip in the pool. On a hot day, even if you drop the ball, you’re still cool.

 

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Gallon-size milk jugs (one for each player)

Tape

Ribbons

Water balloons

 

HOW TO PLAY:
1. Create the catchers by cutting the bottom off a gallon-size milk jug (one for each player), taping the cut edges, and decorating with ribbon, as shown.

2. Fill a bunch of water balloons to the size of a grapefruit.

3. See how many times you can toss the balloons without breaking them or how far you can catch and throw them.

Source: Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Project: Backyard Tepee With Your Kids

 

By Family Fun
Sept. 20, 2009

Just like the traditional Native American tepee that inspired it, this backyard shelter can be assembled and dismantled in a jiffy.

  

CRAFT MATERIALS:

 

9- x 12-foot canvas tarp or drop cloth
Measuring tape
Colored marker
Scissors
White cotton rope
Ten 8-foot-long white PVC pipes, 3/4 inch in diameter
Hacksaw (optional)
2 chopsticks or similar strips of wood

 

Time needed: Afternoon or Evening

  

 

1.Fold the tarp in half so that it forms a 9- x 6-foot rectangle.

2. Measure in 1 foot along the fold and mark the spot.

3. Cut a 6-foot length of rope. Have your child hold one end of the rope at the marked spot while you tie the opposite end around the colored marker.

4. Step away from your child until the line is taut and move the rope in an arc, marking a line on the canvas as you go.

5. Cut the tarp along the line and then cut out a 12- x 6-inch rectangle to the left of the marked spot at the top of the tepee.

6. Loosely tie together three of the PVC pipes two feet down from the tops with a piece of rope, then stand them up like a tripod.

7. Lean the remaining poles against the tripod so that they are evenly spaced.

8. Drape the cut canvas around the tepee frame, overlapping the top a bit. Make 2 sets of holes through both layers of the overlapped portion and thread the chopsticks through them to hold the canvas in place.

9. To secure the lower edge of the canvas to the frame, first snip a small hole about 1 inch from one of the tarp’s bottom corners.

10. Loop a short length of rope through the hole, as shown, and tie the ends around the base of one pole (this pole will become part of the doorway).

11. Gently stretch the canvas around the PVC frame so that the canvas extends past the first pole to create a door flap.

12. Snip a small hole near the lower edge of the canvas where it falls on the remaining poles and tie it in place using the same method as before.

Source: Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Help Kids Making Learning Fun

 

By Jackie Fitzpatrick
Sep. 10, 2009

 

When Judy Grigg Hansen saw our recent request for ideas on making learning fun at home, she thought of her father.

He had a game for everything,” she says. To reinforce social studies, he would lead his seven children in a round of current-events hopscotch. To teach math, he’d cook up a make-believe stock market game. “My dad just loved to learn–he still does–and he passed that on to us,” she says. Judy, now a mother of five, has followed her dad’s lead, with similar games.

More than 500 parents who wrote to us have found ways to blur the lines between home and school, to make sure the classroom isn’t the only place to learn. Some have tried to sneak troublesome subjects into their kids’ favorite games; others have simply made the process of asking questions and finding answers an everyday ritual. What works best? Nearly every parent suggested this: Keep learning playful. The biggest hits, they told us, are ideas that don’t have the feel of homework but are simply new ways to have a good time together. In this package we have compiled our favorite ideas.

 

Editor’s Note: Jackie Fitzpatrick is a freelance writer who lives with her husband and two children in Milford, Connecticut.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Source: Family Fun

Jazz Up School Supplies

By Family Fun
Sep. 13, 2009

For Jennifer Jones and her 10-year-old daughter, Lauren, getting ready for school each year means spending a few late-summer afternoons getting crafty. The Montgomery, Illinois, pair start by picking a piece of back-to-school gear, then set to work embellishing it. Past projects include covering a white metal lunch box (purchased from orientaltrading.com) with stickers, and decorating a plain black messenger bag from an army surplus store with iron-ons and fabric paints. “It’s a special activity that we can do together.

We have fun hunting for that perfect item and coming up with ways to turn it into a keepsake,” says Jennifer, who makes sure she adds her own handiwork to the project. “Having such a personalized article makes it easier for my daughter to strike up conversations with potential new friends, since someone always asks to see her masterpiece. It helps her adjust during the first days of school every year.”

 

 

REHEARSE THE NEW ROUTINE

 
To help Logan, age 7, and Megan, 5, tackle the transition back to class, the Potts family of Toms River, New Jersey, gets accustomed to the fall schedule ahead of time. During the last weeks of vacation, they begin to shift into school mode, setting their alarms, then eating breakfast and dressing by the time the bus will arrive. They set the stage for handling homework too, establishing an afternoon study time for reading, crafting, or conducting fun experiments. Says mom Sandra: “By the time the academic year kicks off, Logan and Megan are already in the swing of things at home.”
GET TO KNOW YOUR TEACHER (AND VICE VERSA)

Brooke Rodgers and her son Logan fend off jitters by sending a “get to know me” letter to Logan’s new teacher on the first day of class. The letter lists a few fun facts about the Manchester, Pennsylvania, first grader, such as his favorite foods, colors, sports, and animals. But the really interesting part? Brooke also includes a similar survey for the teacher to fill out and return. “Knowing that his teacher is a real person with likes and dislikes just like him really helps Logan get through those first few days.”

Source: Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

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