A Garden Playhouse

By Family Fun
September 6, 2009

Practicality and whimsy are perfect playmates in this outside-in room.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Plywood
	Wallpaper sample
	Hot glue gun
	Wooden birdhouses
	Fabric
	Cedar shake
	Masonite
	Molding
	Fake plants
	Craft board
	Rope
	Screws

Time needed: Weekend Project

1. To create a robin, cut out from wallpaper samples and hot-glue a craft-store nest and eggs next to it.

2. For curtain holders, paint two wooden craft-store birdhouses. Drill holes for the fabric, then screw them to the window frame. A craft-store bird perches in the entry hole.

3. Use a third birdhouse into a floor lamp by drilling a hole through the bottom and mounting it on a hollow post made from narrow boards.

4. The plywood playhouse is topped with cedar shakes and faced with Masonite. Thin strips of molding staple-gunned together create the illusion of windowpanes , while a wooden window box filled with fake flowers, moss, and ivy adds a welcoming touch.

5. The swing is made from a craft board purchased at Home Depot, strung on rope, and attached to lag screws drilled through the ceiling into the joists.

Source: Family Fun

 

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

Start a Book Club with Your Friends

 

By Family Fun
Sept. 5, 2009

A kids’ book club can provide relief from winter boredom on two fronts. First, it offers a fun weekly (or monthly) occasion to look forward to, and second, it is a great incentive to read stories that jump-start the imagination.

To make lighter work, partner up with a friend, then send out invitations that include the title of the first book (ask your librarian for a recommendation) and a weekly time to meet. A bookmark, with extra spaces where the book titles will go, makes the perfect invitation. Before the club meeting, all the kids read the same book (or specified chapters), then come together for snacks and discussion. To get things started, the host child might want to write up a list of five discussion questions (What was your favorite part? Who was the best character?). Or, if the readers are little, you can read aloud while they listen or draw along to the story. If the kids like, you might consider choosing a loose theme for the books–for example, all winter stories, or all summery stories, or books from everyone’s favorite series of the moment.

Source: Family Fun

 

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

Pastel Portraits

 

By Family Fun
August 22, 2009

 

Expressionist artists use soft lines and color to create a mood — in addition to the actual image they’re drawing. Try this simple technique for making your own expressionist portrait or self-portrait.

 

CRAFT MATERIALS

Wide-tip black marker 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of paper

Clear tape 

8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of acetate (available at copy shops and craft stores) 

Oil pastels, such as Cray-Pas

9- by 12-inch sheet of colored construction paper

Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours

  

 

 

1. With the marker, draw a large face on the paper. Go over the drawing a second time to make sure the lines are thick.

 

 

2. Tape the clear acetate on top of the drawing. Use the pastels to color in the face on the acetate, but leave all the black lines uncovered.

3. Remove the acetate from the original drawing and tape it over the construction paper. Add more detail with the pastels if desired, but be sure to leave some places where the color of the construction paper can show through.

Tips:

If your child is reluctant to draw freehand, let her use an image from a photo, magazine, or coloring book. Just outline the details of the face with the marker before taping the acetate over it. For more of a challenge, give your child a handheld mirror and let her try sketching a self-portrait.

Source: Family Fun

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

Craft of the Week – Charm Bags

 

Family Fun
August 22, 2009
These rustic-looking pouches are inspired by those used by Native Americans to carry good-luck trinkets. (They make great carriers for portable music players too!)

 

 CRAFT MATERIALS

Shrink art (available at craft stores)

Colored pencils

Hole punch

4- by 11-inch piece of felt

Embroidery floss and needle

Small stick, about the size of a pencil

Decorative beads (optional)

1 yard of twine

Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours

 

1. With colored pencils and following the directions on the package, help your child design a piece of shrink art that will be roughly 1 1/2 inches wide after it’s baked down to size. Before baking, punch 4 holes in it.

2. Form the pouch by folding up the bottom 4 inches of the felt. Sew the sides together.

3. Lay the stick where the flap folds over the pouch and sew the stick in place.

4. If you like, string a few beads on the twine and tie off the ends. Tie the twine onto the stick as shown.

5. Sew the shrink art onto the flap or the front of the pouch.

 

Tips:
Instead of using shrink art, you can decorate the bag with beads or buttons.

 Source: Family Fun

 

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

Rooms for Preteens – They Grow Up So Fast

By Better Homes
August 14, 2009

It seems to happen overnight — one moment your child is just a tiny swaddle of blankets and diapers, and the next he’s listening to crashingly loud music and talking in unrecognizable lingo. Just as suddenly, the bedroom decor he loved as an 8-year-old has become completely uncool by the time he’s 10 — a horror for any preteen.

The Robson family, in Westport, Connecticut, had a similar dilemma but with an added complication: Thomas, 14, and Sam, 11, shared a room and they’d never quite figured out how to make the most of the space.

With two of everything — beds, desks, and dressers — the room was cramped, and the white walls and bland wood furniture did nothing to reflect the young boys’ vivacious personalities.

Athena Diaconis, 14, of Hatboro, Pennsylvania, can hardly believe she ever liked her room’s formerly pale-peach walls and the daintily painted flowers on her furniture. An active kid involved in several after-school activities, Athena felt that her room no longer matched her personality.

It had become merely a pit stop for sleeping and a holding pen for her stuff. Indeed, mounds of clothes and textbooks were piled in the corners of the room. In addition to the unhip furnishings, lack of storage was a major problem.

What was the solution for both spaces? Updating the furnishings so they reflect teen sensibilities and adding some much-needed storage.

 

A Place for Everything

 

Ikea’s Stora loft/desk combo ($399 for the full bed, $150 for the desk) is a great space saver for the Robson boys. “I actually feel more organized doing homework at my desk,” says Thomas.

The far wall, painted in a rich red from Ralph Lauren paints (about $23 to $35 a gallon, available at Home Depot) gives the room a much-needed jolt of color, and The Container Store’s nifty hanging CD holder ($7.99) lends its own visual punch.

Ikea’s cube bookshelf ($149) is the perfect storage solution; the boys can divide the cubbies equally and each have his own space for treasured books and games. Land of Nod’s red, white, and blue seersucker bedding (about $78 for a twin set) warms up Ikea’s metal-framed bed ($99).

A nook in the corner of the room was the perfect spot for Sam’s new desk, which was easily constructed from a one-inch piece of plywood covered in durable denim, attached to simple wooden legs. But Sam’s favorite touch is the Art Clip Racks ($34) from Pottery Barn Kids. “I love having a spot to show off all my favorite artwork,” he says.

 

Bold and Beautiful

 

Athena fell in love with Bombay Kids’ Betsy bedding collection ($69 for a twin sheet set), which made choosing the rest of the room’s colors easy. Her old furniture was updated with two coats of white paint, and bold prints from Artivise look great against the pale lilac and mint green walls.

A shelf from The Container Store ($7.99 for an 8-x-24-inch model) runs the length of the wall and provides a showcase for some of Athena’s favorite things, including her trophies and colorful Rio vases ($11 each from Uncommon Goods). All paint from Glidden (about $15 to $21 a gallon, available at Home Depot).

The Morgan Storage desk ($449) from Bombay Kids is the perfect spot for Athena to tackle homework, and the attached hutch ($399) offers additional storage. The built-in bulletin board is ideal for invitations and to-do lists.

The closet was outfitted with The Container Store’s Elfa closet system (starting at $100), which provides plenty of space to hang or fold her clothes, and neatly stack her shoes. Bombay Kids’ freestanding Mirror Turn Around ($449) unit adds extra shelf space.

Copyright 2009 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

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

Make Musical Instruments

 

by Emily Miranda
July 25, 2009

Have fun assembling and decorating instruments, then see what beautiful music you can make together.

 

For Toddlers and Preschoolers:

 

 

MARACAS

 

Make your own maracas to shake and dance to!

 

Materials:

• 2 empty yogurt cups, plastic cups, or Styrofoam cups
• Dried beans or dried peas
• Duct tape
• Wrapping paper
• Clear tape
• Decorations: paint, stickers, glitter, ribbons, and more 

 

Instructions:

1. Put a small handful of beans in one cup. 
2. Place the second cup on top, upside down, so the two openings meet.
3. Use duct tape to firmly secure the seam where the two cups meet.
4. Have fun decorating! Toddlers can choose colorful paper to wrap around their maracas; secure the paper with clear tape. For more fun, they can add stickers, paint polka-dots, tie ribbons around it, spread with glue and sprinkle with glitter, or do anything they wish.
5. Shake, shake, shake!  Dance, dance, dance!

 

 

For Grade-Schoolers:

 

 

DRUM SET

 

Create a complete drum set with drumsticks out of everyday household items!

 

Materials:

• An assortment of empty containers of different sizes: dry oatmeal containers, tin cans with rough edges smoothed, Tupperware containers, large-size clean cottage cheese or deli salad containers, clean paint cans, etc.
• 2 pencils, chopsticks or other wooden sticks or dowels, 8 to 10 inches long
• Wine-bottle cork
• Small, sharp kitchen or utility knife
• Yarn or colorful string
• Glue
• Paint, colorful paper, and other decorations

 

Instructions:

For the drums

1. Put lids on  the containers, and stand them lid side up. Place containers without lids (like tin cans) with the open side down.
2. Decorate! Paint the containers, wrap them in colorful paper, or use whatever decorations you have. Be sure to leave the tops clear for drumming!

 

For the drumsticks

1. Use the sharp knife to cut the cork in half. Then cut a tiny hole in each half, large enough for the chopstick or wooden dowel to stick into the cork less than 1/4 inch.
2. Put a drop of glue in the hole, and insert the chopstick or dowel firmly. Let it dry.
3. When the glue has dried, and the cork is snug on the stick, tie one end of the yarn below the cork. Wind the yarn around and around the cork, always at a different angle, so you create a ball of yarn, and can no longer see the cork.
4. When you are finished winding, cut the yarn and tie it off below the ball, where you tied it at the beginning.
5. Group the drums together, and discover the different sound each container makes when the drumsticks strike it.

 

For Older Grandchildren:

 

 

WATER GLASS XYLOPHONE

 

A new twist on an old favorite!

 

Materials:

• 6 to 8 water glasses, preferably the same type and size (pint glasses or those in a similar size because they are large and sturdy)
• Food coloring
• Tap water and water pitcher
• Light wooden or plastic kitchen spoon (Not metal: It might break the glass.)

 

Instructions:

1. Set the glasses in a straight line.
2. Fill the pitcher with tap water.
3. Pour water into each glass. The first glass should be almost empty and the last glass should be almost full. The middle glasses should be filled with increasing amounts.
4. Add drops of food coloring to each glass. Choose different colors, or select one color and have it progress from dark to light (as in the photo). Add about 12 drops to make a very dark color and just 2 drops for a very light one. Don’t be afraid to mix colors. Remember, blue and red make purple, red and yellow make orange, and yellow and blue make green.
5. Now play the xylophone. When you gently tap the glasses, each one will produce a different musical note. Tap each at once to play a song, or glide over the tops for a lovely harp-like sound!

Source: Grand Parents

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

Fish Swivel Bracelet

 

By Family Fun
July 21, 2009

 

This jingly bracelet is literally a snap for kids to put together.

 

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	# 10 brass fishing swivels
	Seed beads
	Small (6 mm) jingle bells
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

 

 

1. Unclasp a swivel and bend the prong to straighten it. Slide on a few seed beads, then slip the circular end of a second swivel over the end of the straightened prong.

2. Now bend the prong back to its curved shape, slide on a bell and close the clasp.

3. Unclasp the second swivel and repeat the previous steps until the bracelet is the desired length.

4. Leave the last swivel clasp free of beads and bells, and use this link to put on and take off the bracelet.

Source: Family Fun 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? This is for kids 9-12. dan@youngchronicle.com

Classic Camp Craft: “Leather” Pouch

By Family Fun
July 11, 2009

Gear up for future wilderness explorations with this versatile belt pouch based on a classic camp project.

 

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Template
	Scissors
	Stiff brown felt
	1/16-inch hole punch
	Embroidery needle and embroidery thread
	Glue
	Button
	Adhesive Velcro dots
Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours

 

1. Print our template  and use it to cut the three pouch pieces from stiff brown felt.

2.   For the belt loop, use a 1/16-inch hole punch to make guide holes for the thread along the short ends of the rectangle. With an embroidery needle and embroidery thread, sew two ends of the rectangle to the full oval, lining it up to match the height of the partial oval as shown.

3. Place the partial oval on the other side of the full oval. Punch guide holes along the curved edge of the two pieces, then whipstitch the pieces together.

4. Whipstitch around the edge of the flap.

5.  Glue or sew a button on the flap. Keep the pouch closed with adhesive Velcro dots.

 

 

Source: Family Fun

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

How to Make Friendship Bracelet

By Family Fun
July 11, 2009

To prove to each other that their bond will last, your child and her pal can fill up their arms with a batch of best friend bracelets.

 

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Colored embroidery thread
	Tape
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

 

1. To make each bracelet, gather six 24-inch strands of embroidery thread. Hold the strands together with the ends matched up, then tie an overhand knot one inch from an end.

2. Tape the knot to a tabletop (or anchor it in a closed drawer). Holding the free end, twist the bunch repeatedly in the same direction until it is tightly wound.

3. Pinch the twisted band in the center and fold it in half so that the free end matches up with the knotted end. Release the center, and the band will automatically twist back on itself.

4. Slip the ends through the loop (the pinch point) at the opposite end of the band, tie a knot to secure the bracelet, knot again and trim the ends.

Source: Jas Family Fun

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

4 of July Patriotic Punch Cups

by Family Fun
July 4, 2009

Look-alike plastic cups have a way of losing themselves in a crowd. Reduce mix-ups (and waste) with guest-decorated designs.

 

 

 

 

 

CRAFT MATERIALS:

	Plastic cups
	Large and small star stickers (red, white, and blue)
	Placard
	Marker
Time needed: 30 Minutes or Less

 

1. Add a large red, white, or blue star sticker to each cup, along with a few smaller stars for decoration.
2. Next to an assortment of markers, set up a placard directing guests to choose a cup for the event and write their name on it.
 
Source: Family Fun

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

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