Crafts Kids Rainy Days
Painted Pebbles
Is it raining outside, are the kids bored? Why not try these crafts kids can make on rainy days. Try your hand at painted pebbles that make wacky paperweights, pompom animals, sock puppets or even play dough and finger paint.
Materials:
- Smooth pebbles
- Acrylic or poster paint
- PVA glue
- Paintbrushes
Method:
- Collect a few smooth, round pebbles.
- Clean off any grit and dirt.
- Mix two dollops paint to every one dollop PVA glue. This will ensure that your pebble is waterproof and shiny.
- Now decorate to your hearts content and leave to dry.
Woolly Pompoms Animals
Materials:
- Pair of scissors
- Pencil
- Compass
- Card
- Colored wool
- Pipe-cleaners
- Bits of felt
Method:
- For the card rings, draw two circles, each 3.2inches (8cm) across.
- Draw a hole ( about 1.2inches (3cm) across) in each one, then cut them out.
- Place the rings together and wind the wool around them.
- Keep on winding until the hole in the middle is nearly full.
- Push a point of the pair of scissors between the rings. Adult supervision might be needed if very small children are involved.
- Ease the rings slightly apart, and tie a long piece of wool firmly around the middle and make a knot.
- Pull off the rings. This pompom is now the body.
- Make another pompom - for the head - using rings about 1.6inches (4cm) wide.
- Sew or glue a diamond of red felt to the chick's head for the beak.
- Add two black felt eyes. You could make legs, by winding a pipe-cleaner once around the body before tying on the head.
- Tie the pompoms together with another piece of wool.
- Make two brown or gray pompoms as described above.
- Glue on two floppy felt ears and a felt nose.
- Sew on small beads or buttons for the eyes.
- Make a lamb from two white pompoms.
- Add floppy black felt ears and a tail. Use two black pipe-cleaners for the legs.
Play Dough
Ingredients:
- 2 cups plain flour
- 4 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 cup salt
- Food coloring
- Essence
- 2 1/2 cups boiling water
Method:
- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Put oil, food coloring and essence into a jug, add 1 cup boiling water.
- Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add the other cup of boiling water and stir well to make a soft, pliable dough.
- The dough needs to be kneaded well before use, while it is still warm.
- To prevent the dough from drying out, store in a sealed container or plastic bag.
- Use an old tray or bread board to work on.
- Keep a variety of cookie cutters, shapes, straws, small rolling pin, buttons etc. to use with the dough.
Finger Paint
Materials:
- Corn flour
- Water
- Pots or small containers
- Food coloring or powder paint
Method:
Mix 2 tablespoons of corn flour in water to make a paste.
- Add 1 cup of water to the mixture.
- Heat slowly until the mixture resembles custard.
- Separate into different pots and add food coloring or powder paint.
- Use fingers, finger nails, sticks, screws, hair clips etc. to scrape away a picture or design.
Sock Puppet
Materials:
- Old sock
- Newspaper for stuffing
- Material scraps, wool, buttons, beads etc
Method:
- Stuff the sock with the newspaper.
- Glue or sew on a face using the scrap materials, buttons, wool etc.
- Take out the newspaper and put it on your hand and use your thumb and fingers to open and close the mouth.
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