SUMMER BLOG CHALLENGE

DIY SUNCATCHERS

Looking through project ideas on Pinterest  my youngest niece picked out a really cool sun catcher craft. Thanks to A Little Craft In Your Day for their DIY Suncatcher, we decided to give it a try! We actually started this project after we had already made Homemade Play Dough; two projects in one day - crazy! Nonetheless, the girls were geared up and ready for this.

It was a long process ~ but they loved it!!

What You'll Need:

Plastic Pony Beads

6" Cake Pans

Muffin Tin

Drill/Tiny Bit

Jewelry Wire/Fishing Line

Step 1:

Place the plastic beads within the tins as desired. I decided to make a rainbow design as the main part of my suncatcher, with my deceased son's name KALEB within the muffin tins. My eldest niece loves peacocks, so to go with her room design she decided to use dark blue, light blue, light purple, green, and clear within her design (I helped her with the middle design of her peacock feather). My youngest niece decided to do a peace sign. This is the longest process - picking out the beads and placing them within the tins.

Translucent Plastic Pony Beads

Step 2:

Preheat the oven to 440 degrees (Fahrenheit) and placed finished designs in the oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until just melted. Remove tins carefully and place aside to completely cool.

When cooling they'll make cracking and popping noises...

Step 3:

This is where an adult will be needed. After the plastic is finished cooling, have an adult drill holes (carefully) into your suncatchers. If you are having someone else drill for you, make sure to mark where you would like the holes to be drilled using a marker (permanent). 

Make sure to have a block of wood underneath when drilling...

Step 4:

Using the jewelry or fishing line, put your catcher together. We used fishing line and everyone seemed to use different knotting techniques. Last, but certainly not the least ~ hang your catcher where it will best be manipulated by the sun and enjoy!

FLAG DAY ACTIVITY

 Make Your Own Wind Sock:

Materials Pictured Here: Ribbon, Tissue Paper, Tape, Scissors, Construction Paper, Streamers, and Flags

The first project for the summer kicks off on Flag Day! I was able to round up most of the materials here from items we already had around the house. The only items I had to purchase were the red, white, and blue streamers and the small American Flags. Each streamer was only .97 cents and the flags came as a set of four for under $3.00. If you don't have money for streamers you can cut long strips of tissue paper or use the string or ribbon for the tail of the Wind Sock. We also used toothpicks and a stapler - not pictured. You can also have crayons, markers, stickers, and anything else that your child(ren) like to decorate with. 

We connected the flag to the paper using tape. If you use glue make sure you leave time to set aside the project for adequate drying time. Another alternative would be to use a stapler too.

First, we removed the flags from the little poles that they came on. Second, we measured them on the construction paper leaving space so that decorations can be visible. We also learned to leave a lip on the side of the construction paper (as seen above on the right side). This way when you close them together you have enough to connect the sides together without overlapping of their decorations. This can be a great activity for little ones to practice writing their name, you can also talk about how many stripes and stars there are on the flag and their significance. To get the facts visit here. 

My oldest niece wrote "FLAG DAY" on the bottom
Here is a pic after we connected the sides together and made the cylinder

My youngest niece opted for less decorative space on the bottom
She measured a wider piece of paper resulting - the upper sock (blue) is slender
where this one (red) is wider.

In the next step we connected the sides of the construction paper together to make a cylinder. We opted to use tape, you can also use a stapler to connect the sides together.  We then used toothpicks to poke through and connect the string for easy hanging (this part the kids needed a lot of assistance). You don't have to use toothpicks, you could use a hole punch and then just knot the ribbon or string so it is secure and doesn't slip out of the holes.

In the last step we cut the streamers to create the tail of the Wind Sock. Here you can also add
string, ribbon or cut long strips of tissue paper. The materials wouldn't last long outside with the elements, but they are cute to hand inside the house. Kids love these activities because it gives them a change to unleash their creativity. I like to make sure the kids can follow the rules, while also expressing their own individualism. Also, expressing that everyone is different so it's o.k. if one wind sock looks different from others. We connected the tails with the stapler, which depending on the maturity of the child, they'll need assistance with. Once you have finished - hang them in the house and enjoy!

What is great about making your own wind socks is that you can utilize materials around the house. You could also use empty paper towel or toilet paper containers (cylinders). It's great to get the kids involved too, you can tell them that you're going on an treasure hunt and start hunting around the house for red, white and blue items. This is a great opportunity for kids to ask questions (if they can use one item over other material). Younger children will need more assistance. My nieces are 9 and 10 and only needed minimum assistance. Afterword they began to manipulate pieces of construction paper to make other things (such as a castle and a fort).

After arts and crafts died down, we played Disney's Sorry and my eldest niece kicked my butt!