1) Rain Sticks Rain Sticks from Doodles and Oodles of Art by Iris Siegler and Kim Torgerson MATERIALS: · Heavy tubes (For example, the ones that postal supply places have for posters. They have lids that come off at each end. You can use heavy gift wrap tubes and tape the ends shut. The true test of durability is whether the tube can withstand hammering small nails into it. Make sure the tube is a length that can be easily maneuvered by whoever will be using it.) · Sack full of nails (A good choice: drywall nails that are about 3 1/2" [8.87 cm] long. The size and number you will need will depend upon how wide and how long your tube is. Nails should not poke through the opposite side.) · Small hammer · Sack of aquarium gravel, rice or split peas · Markers, tempera paints, watercolors, acrylic paints · Optional: Large roll of clear tape (used for packing) PROCESS: Decorate your tube with markers, paints or any other art medium you would like to use. When dry, begin to hammer nails into the tube covering it top to bottom in random patterning. Tape one end of your tube if it doesn't have a lid. Fill with 1/2 cup (125 ml) aquarium gravel, rice or split peas. Cup the other end with your hand and roll back and forth. Do you want to add more gravel? Do you need more nails? If you are satisfied with your sounds of rain, then seal the tube at the other end with tape or the lid. You may want to tape around the tube with the clear tape so the nails will not come out and the design will be protected. And now, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain . . . 2) More Rain Sticks Close one end of a heavy cardboard tube or mailing tube. Pound 1 pound of 1 1/2 inch nails using a spiral pattern. Pour in rice, sand, gravel, dried beans, or shells till 1/4 of the way full. Close the remaining end & cover outside of the tube with contact paper. For individual tubes: Paint paper- towel roll by sponge painting & cover other end with cardboard circle taped on. Add 2 spoons rice & cover with another circle. Wrap ends with yarn to help keep closed. To simulate rain have kids turn tube slowly. 3) Animal Cracker Art Animal Cracker Art is a great project and requires very little prep time. Supplies needed: * Light Blue Construction paper * Animal Crackers * Glue * Crayons or markers (Crayons work better) Give each child a sheet of light blue construction paper and let them create a scene for their animal crackers to appear in. (They have a much easier time if you prepare an example for them to look at). After each child has completed their scene just glue the animal crackers to their picture. This is a great project for the children to do,and we finished off the box of Animal Crackers when we completed the project. 4) Apple Idea red strips of paper about 1 1/2 inches wide green strip about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide brown strip about 2 inches long 1 inch wide Take the red strip of paper and bend the ends together. Should resemble an apple. Bend the green strip and add to the apple. DO NOT FOLD PAPER. Stick the brown strip in the top. Stick a stapler inside the apple and staple. These make a great welcome back to school gift. 5) Fingerpainting Instead of painting on the paper use the table and let the children smear the paint on the table then place paper on top of their design and peel off they will love their creation. 6) Frig Magnet We used fun foam cut it into the shape of a hand, put ribbon on one of the fingers a magnetic strip on the back and for the younger kids I wrote Dont Forget! Its a cute fridgie magnet for parents to put on fridge at home or even file cabinet at work. 7) PAPER BAG KITE Decorate the bag and attach a string. When the child runs, air goes into the bag and holds it in the air. 8) FLOWERS Cut petal shapes and circles out of various colors of construction paper. Give each child a circle and several petal shapes. Have the children glue their petal shapes to their circles. Let them draw faces on the circles. Use popsicle stick for the stem. 9) HAND FLOWERS Trace outline of the childs hand on paper, cut out hand shapes, using a pencil roll the fingers up so they curl up, curl the handshape vertically into a lilly shaped cylinder with the finger curls outwards. Glue or staple flower to a straw. 10) CLOTHESPIN SAILBOAT *Clothespins *Toothpicks *White paper *Glue Scissors *Markers Remove hinges from the clothespins. Cut a 2 1/2 square of paper. Glue the flat pieces of the clothespins together, leaving a hole at one end. Insert a toothpick into the paper forming a "Sail". Put glue into the hole and insert toothpick. 11) LION AND LAMB PUPPETS LION Glue 2 in yellow yarn to the edges of paper plate, using popsicle stick handle. Let children draw face of lion. LAMB Have children glue cotton balls wool around the rims of the paper plate, attach popsicle stick handle. Let children draw face of lamb. 12) EGG CUP BLUEBELLS Cut the cups out of carboard egg cartons. Cut into bluebell shapes and let the children paint them blue. Insert green pipe cleaners for stem (shaped like a candy cane). 13) RAINDROP MAN Cut out tear shaped raindrop out of light blue construction paper and attach white accordian legs with little light blue raindrops as feet and hands. 14) TOILETPAPER TUBE FLOWER VASE Take a tp tube and paint it. Decorate it with glitter. Cut cardboard circle glue this to bottom as a base. Can put the hand flowers in it. 15) TOILETPAPER TUBE BIRD Cut two pieces of tp tube, one 4 inches and one 2 inches. Paint them both the same color (we used blue). Cut out a beak and glue to smaller tube. Staple the tubes together so small tube makes the head. Staple a tail in the center of larger piece for the tail. Add eyes. Staple bird to a base (you can use an index card colored green). 16) TOILETPAPER TUBE TREE Paint tube brown. Make several holes in upper half (can use a hole punch) insert brown pipe cleaners. Twist inside end to keep it in place. Cut out green leaves and glue on to branches. Cut a circle from brown paper to represent the top of the tree. 17) Alligator Photocopy a picture of an alligator twice. Have children color or paint and then cut them out. Glue one alligator's mouth to the top of a clothspin and glue the other alligator's mouth to the bottom part of clothespin. Makes a cut alligator with a snapping mouth. 18) Egg Shell Art Save the egg shells from a number of hard-boiled eggs and dye them with food coloring. Let dry. (1teaspoon vinegar and a few drops of food coloring to 1/2 cup hot water). Have children paint glue on to a small piece of posterboard and sprinkle egg shells on. Let dry. Makes a cute project to do the day after easter party. 19) CLOTHESLINE Draw two posts on a paper and paste a piece of string or yarn across. Children paste pieces of cloth on this line to look like clothes hanging on a clothesline, blowing in the wind. 20) CLOUD COLLAGES Color a picture on blue paper and glue cotton balls for clouds, glue on rick rack for lightning or cut with zig zag scissors. 21) Bottle-top Flowers Cover bottle tops and caps with one layer of pasted paper. Paint them when dry. Glue them to a peice of paper glue on yarn for stems and leaves. 22) Egg Carton Lion Cut a peaked divider from an egg carton for the body. Cut out ears, feet and nose and glue them in place . Paint the body tan and the nose brown. Glue on wiggle blue eyes. Draw the mouth with felt pen, glue yellow yarn around face and add a yarn tail and fringed at the end. 23) Paper Plate Fish Cut triangle from a plate, glue the triangle to the plate to form a tail. Have children color or paint the scales and glue on a large wiggle eyes or paint one on. 24) Glitter Shakers Baby food jars make great glitter shakers for all occassions. Basic directions: Supplies needed: glue gun baby food jar goodies for inside the jar glitter water ribbon or trim about 15 inches felt for bottom of jar Remove label, hot glue goodie (plastic flower, little toy, plastic fish, your choice!) to inside of lid. Fill jar with water (leave room for water level to rise when the goodie lid is added) Add glitter, about a tablespoon Put on lid checking water level Hot glue lid in place Glue ribbbon around the edge of the lid, tie in bow Cut a circle to fit the bottom of felt and glue in place. Shake and watch it sparkle! 25) Cute Chicks A Cute stick puppet or decoration for Easter. Start by glueing a yellow cottonball onto a tongue depressor or popsicle stick. Punch hole with a hole punch out of black paper for eyes, and a diamond shape of orange for a beak. Fold the diamond in half. Glue on eyes and beak. EASY! Make a bunch of them to fill a basket and read the little red hen. 26) Frogs Green paper plate folded in half Inside bottom glue strip with half circle for legs On top glue white with black ovals inside for eyes 27) Prehistoric Dinosaur Puppets(easy) Supplies: markers or crayons 1 strip of 4 paper egg carton cups ATTACHED 1 strip of 2 paper egg carto sups attached 1 sock 2 rubber bands tape Step 1- Use markers to decorate the 4 egg cups *any* way the children want. Draw eggs on the 2 egg cups Step 2- Slip your hand inside the sock. Place the four egg cups on the top of the sock. With adult help, put the rubber band on each end of the cups. The rubber bands help keep the egg cups on your arm Step 3- with adult help, tape the eyes to the sock near the toe area of the sock. Now open and close your hand to make the puppet look like its talking 28) Pine Cone Craft Still have some pine cones left over from Christmas? Make a cute Easter chick. You will need, for each child: a pine cone (short and round is best) about 5 yellow cotton balls a popsicle stick glue 2 eyes some yellow consturction paper for wings and orange for a beak Optional: 6" paper plate Easter grass tiny plastic eggs or flowers for decoration. Pull apart a cotton ball, trying to get as few "chunks" as possible. Lay a piece of it on the pine cone. With the popsicle stick, poke the cotton deep in to the pine cone. Continue until the pine cone is covered. You will want the tips of the pine cone to show through. Glue on eyes. Cut the orange paper into a diamond shape, fold in half and glue in for the beak. Cut ovals from the yellow paper and glue in for wings. If desired, glue some Easter grass on the paper plate, glue the chick in the center. Decorate with eggs or flowers. Variations: Using the same technique but different colors of cotton balls (or quilt batting), you could make an owl, a lamb, a bunny or whatever the imagination thinks of. 29) Sidewalk Chalk 2 C. Water, 2 C. plus 2 heaping tablespoons Plaster of Paris, 2 Tbl Tempera Paint (Wet or Dry), Toilet Paper Tubes with duct tape over one end (I prefer to use dixie cups...much less messy) or you can get creative and use muffin tins, cookie cutters, etc. Combine and stir together. Let stand a few minutes. Place tubes on cookie sheet lined with foil or wax paper. Pour mixture into holders, let stand until semi-firm. Remove holders and let dry completely - ready to use in about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. (reminder, never pour plaster down sink) 30) Umbrella Pictures Supplies: Paper Baking Cups Scissors Glue Crayons or Paint Pipe Cleaners Cut several baking cups in half, these will be the umbrellas. Glue them on a sheet of paper. For the handles, use pipe cleaners or you can draw them. Draw or paint rain drops. 31) UMBRELLA PICTURE AND POEM Children color an umbrella and add this poem. Rain on the green grass and on the tree. Rain on the house-top but not on me. Why not? Because I have an umbrella. 32) Stained Glass Pictures Glue tissue paper squares onto waxpaper, or have younger ones stick in on contact paper. Finish by surrounding with a decorative frame. Hang in a window. * For older kids...cut tissue paper up into 1x1 inch squares. Take a square and fold it over the end of a pencil. Dip the tissue paper lightly in glue. Stick on paper, poster board, etc and make a collage. 33) Butterflies!! Have the kids crumple up only the middle of the tissue paper and twist a pipe cleaner around the middle. Attach some yarn or fishing wire and hang from the ceiling or lights. 34) Stained Glass Idea Cut scraps of tissue paper into tiny pieces, about 1/2 inch. Brush Mod Podge or white glue onto a baby food jar. Stick the pieces of tissue paper on the glue, press down. Cover with another coat of Mod Podge or glue until the entire jar is covered. Hot glue a voltive candle inside. When lit, looks like stained glass. 35) 3-D Picture Print out simple pictures on heavy paper, or use a marker book with tear-out pages. Cut tissue paper into 1 - 2 inch pieces. Put glue on a part of the picture. Crumple a piece of tissue paper and stick it on the picture. Continue until you have a 3-D picture. 36) Suncatcher Print out a simple outline shape (e.g. butterfly or heart) about 3 or 4 inches. Tape a piece of clear vinyl over it. Brush on Mod Podge or white glue. Put pieces of different colored tissue paper over the glue. Apply another coat of glue, continuing until the the design is covered. (It is OK to go over the outline). Let it dry completly. This might take a day or two, depending on how thick they apply the glue. Peel the dried paper off of the vinyl, then cut out the shape. If desired, put some braid or trim along the edges. Punch a hole in the top to hang for a suncatcher. 37) Create Your Own Stained Glass Picture Give the kids some pieces of tissue paper, scissors, regular paper or paper plates, glue, assorted trims, and just let them create whatever they want. 38) Tracings Use white tissue paper as tracing paper. Trace pictures from coloring books or story books. 39) Colored Tissue Paper If you have the kind of tissue paper that "bleeds" when wet, you can give the kids scraps of different colored tisse paper to put on white paper. Brush over it with water, let sit. Remove the tisse paper and it should have stained the white paper the various colors used. Depending on the ages of the children, they could make stained glass windows using the tissue paper and black construction paper as an outline.