bookhoucraftprojects

Project #86: Button Matching Game

Button Matching Game by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

My four-year-old daughter loves playing with the colorful buttons she finds in my desk, so I came up with a little game she could do with them.  This is a fun activity for preschool-aged children.

The materials you will need:
*A variety of colorful buttons
*Color photocopier
*Paper
*Pen or Marker

Step 1:
Place a variety of different color and size buttons face down on the copying plate of a color photocopier.  If you have a picture in mind that you want to make with the buttons you can arrange them accordingly.  I planned a simple flower picture, but you can do a train, robot, tree, etc.
Step 2:
Make a color photocopy of the buttons.
Step 3: 
Complete your picture with a pen or marker.
Step 4:
Place the buttons that you used to create your picture in a small dish.  Now your child is ready to play the matching game.
Step 5:
Play by placing the buttons from the dish onto the matching buttons in the picture.

..New House Project..

Project #85: CD Case fimo Labyrinth

CD Case Labyrinth by Teri from Giddy Giddy

My girls and I often draw mazes for each other. So when I was purging some old cd's, the idea came instantly to make 3- dimensional mazes.  I recalled those beautiful and large wooden labyrinth toys I've seen many times. This proved to be a  great project for adults and kids alike!
 
Materials needed:
*Fimo/sculpey bakeable clay
*Wax covered string called Bendaroos (found in craft stores)
*Recyled cd jewel cases
*Scissors & paper

step 1
Find a old unwanted CD case and remove the center CD holder.
step 2
Now you can take your bendaroos (wax covered strings) and cut and bend and create your maze The wax will stick to the plastic by pressing firmly.
step 3
You can then make tiny little round balls by rolling in your fingers. Then bake to harden. (follow instructions on the package)
step 4
I taped colored paper to back of the CD HOLDER.

 
Voila!
Super fun AND super easy. It’s a great project for kids to make themselves and then afterwards, to play with  their creations! It could be as easy or as challenging as you want. Use several balls in one maze to up the level of difficulty

.. Giddy Giddy..

Project #84: Hot Air Balloon

Hot Air Balloon by Helen Bird from Curly Birds

Although this craft only lasts a day, it is well worth doing – it provides HOURS of fun and is really quite magical. By using a really big balloon and adding a weight (or toy) to the basket you are able to control the balloon so it rises ever so slowly and always comes back down. Even a slight wind will make this balloon take off on an adventure…

What You’ll Need:
*36” helium-filled balloon – available from party supply stores or on-line
*Light basket
*Netted bag – often used to package produce like onions, avocados or oranges
*Ribbon – 5 yards
*Toy
*Scissors

Step 1:
Cut the handles off the basket.
Step 2:
Put the basket under your balloon. Anchor the balloon 6 or 7 inches above the basket by taping a string (tied to the balloon) to a table or floor.
Step 3:
Cut the netted bag to make as big of a rectangle as you can. Place on top of the balloon.
Step 4:
Thread the ribbon through a hole at the top of the basket and extend the ribbon to the nearest corner of the netting - tie to the netting. Repeat 5 more times to even distribute 6 lines around the balloon.
Step 5:
Experiment with light weight toys to see what weight balances the buoyancy of the balloon.  You want the toy to be just heavy enough to make the balloon come down ever so slowly. Tape the toy to the bottom of the basket.
Step 6:
Cut the balloon’s string close to the floor or table.
Step 7:
Rotate the balloon so the knot points up and is in the middle of the netting. Use the balloon’s string to attach the balloon to the netting.

Let the fun begin!!

..Curly Birds..
..Curly Birds etsy shop..

Project #83: Twirly Toy

Twirly Toy by Teri from Giddy Giddy

A little experimentation with wire, one of my favorite mediums,  had my children in awe. I've made a number of things for them, but this simple toy impresses them most because it is set in motion by a little nudge. This twirly toy is quite simple, but so magical for young kids to watch. I hope you and yours enjoy it as much as we did!

The materials you need are:
*wire (18 gauge is best but 19 gauge is easier for kids to work with because it is easier to bend)
*pencil
*wire cutter/plyers
*cork
*paper
(nail and hammer)

Step 1
Wrap wire around a pencil. Two inches around the pencil is sufficient.
Step 2
After you remove the spiral wire from the pencil, you can start to pull and stretch the wire so that each coil is about 1 cm apart. Although it is necessary to experiment with the distance in order to make it work for you.
Step 3
Cut  a piece of wire (approximately 3 1/2 inches long) and loop ends into small circles, then bend wire into a semicircle.
Step 4
Insert the spiral into the looped ends of the newly formed semi-circle.
Step 5
Insert one end of the spiral into a cork base. Tip: Create a pilot hole in cork with hammer and nail first.
Step 6
Now you can create a little character out of paper to twirl around the spiral. I also thought of monkeys, acrobats or spacemen for this project.  And then you use a glue gun to sandwich the semi-circle with your paper character.
Step 7
Bring the character to the very top, give it a little nudge and watch it twirl down!
Final tip: If character does not twirl down, slightly spread coils apart. If character slips down without twirling, slightly squeeze coils together

..Giddy Giddy..