Directions:

FIGURE B FIGURE A 1. Lay construction paper outside in a dry, sunny place. 2. Arrange items on the paper so their silhouettes will look nice. (SEE FIGURE A) 3. Wait about an hour and remove the items. You will see the paper has faded around the objects. (SEE FIGURE B)

    Directions:

FIGURE A 1. In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup of shortening with the cornmeal or uncooked oats until well blended. 2. Continue adding shortening until mixture is slightly sticky. Set aside. Optional: add chopped dried fruit, chopped nuts, seeds (especially sunflower and millet), and/or suet, which are high-energy bird foods. 3. Tie a few feet of string to the top of a pine cone. 4. Cover the pine cone with the mixture above. (SEE FIGURE A) FIGURE B 5. Roll the pine cone in birdseed (SEE FIGURE B) and suspend from a tree branch outside.

    Directions:

Tambourine: Let your child decorate the non-eating surface of two heavy paper plates (such as Chinet brand).  Fill with dried peas or beans. Glue or staple together with the eating surfaces facing each other. Voila! You have a tambourine. Maracas: Fill a 20-ounce plastic soda bottle with beans, pasta, or rice. Glue a dowel to the bottle cap, and you're ready to shake. Drums: Oatmeal containers or other cylindrical cereal boxes make great drums. Cover the outsides with paper and let your little drummer boy or girl express some creativity. Hands and spoons make great drumsticks. (Inspired by ToyTips.com)

    Directions:

FIGURE B FIGURE A 1. Add few drops of food coloring to alcohol in quart-size jar. You could also use a plastic zipper bag. 2. Add rice to jar using a funnel and shake. (SEE FIGURE A) 3. Spread out on waxed paper and let dry. Setting the rice in the sun will dry it in about 30 minutes. (SEE FIGURE B) 4. Put glue on piece of paper and sprinkle rice onto it. (SEE FIGURES C & D) If you have noodles, beans, split peas or other dry goods in the cupboard, you have the makings for a fun and interesting collage.  You can use this recipe for dying any type pasta noodle. FIGURE C FIGURE D

    Directions:

FIGURE A 1. Combine Mixture A in one bowl and set aside. 2. Combine Mixture B in a separate bowl and set aside. (Mommy Chic Note: Make sure the bowls are good sized, or you will have slime all over your kitchen counter.) 3. Slowly pour Mixture A into Mixture B. Do not mix or stir. (SEE FIGURE A) 4. Reach your hands into the bowl and carefully pull out a giant wad of slime. You can store your yukky mukky gukky in plastic zipper bags or plastic containers. (Inspired by Toytips.com)

    Directions:

FIGURE A 1. Make a straight slit in the center of paper plate, leaving about an inch at the edges of the plate. (SEE FIGURE A)  Cut three more slits.  2. Bend the triangles formed by the cuts upward, forming leaf-like shapes. (SEE FIGURE B)  3. Cut out some construction paper or tissue paper flowers for your hat.  (We used precut foam flowers.)  Any shape will do.  4. Glue flowers to the crown. (SEE FIGURE C)  Optional: decorate it with glitter and/or staple two long ribbons of crepe paper to the back. (Inspired by Enchanted Learning) FIGURE B FIGURE C

    Directions:

This project is best done outside where spray mess will not be a problem. 1. Lay T-shirt on a flat surface and place stickers to spell a word or make a design.   2. Press stickers firmly in place.   3. Hang shirt from a fence or tree.   4. Dilute one part of each color paint with 18 parts water in a spray bottle. You'll need a spray bottle for each color or you can wash a bottle out between colors. Shake until evenly mixed.  5. Stand about 4 to 6 feet from the shirt and spray. Experiment with the spray bottle nozzle to get a fine spray or a more concentrated spray. Make sure to get a lot of color around the stickers but leave other areas white for a more interesting effect.   6. Let hang dry for a few hours. Before washing, set the paint by drying tee shirt in a hot dryer for ten minutes. (Mommy Chic Note: When my sister did this craft with her kids, they spiced things up even more by turning the dying into a competition. This is her description:   “Our craft involved cutting a handle in a paper plate for a shield for me and each child. Then we made two flags by cutting a triangle out of a paper plate, decorating it and stapling it onto a stick. We each wore a white shirt and had a water gun filled with paint. We divided into teams—it was the boys against me and Jasmyn. Each team hid their flag somewhere in the yard. The object of the game was to get the flag with as little paint squirted on you as possible from the opponent. We ended up with some colorful shirts.”)

    Directions:

FIGURE A 1. Stir water and flour together until mixture is smooth and creamy.  (Mommy Chic Note: Having the paste a little on the runny side is good.) Set aside. 2. Blow up balloon.  3. Cut paper into strips. 4. Dip each piece of paper in the liquid mixture so it gets pretty soggy. 5. Apply the strips one at a time to the balloon. (SEE FIGURE A) Once the balloon is covered to your liking, let dry. 6. Once the paper is dry, pop the balloon by sticking a pin through the paper mache. Now you can paint the paper mache or tape it to another piece to form more intricate shapes.  If you are making a piñata, fill the dried, painted shape with candy, tie to a tree, and have the children try to break it by hitting it with a stick.

    Directions:

1. Place a smaller jar or tube inside a larger glass container. (Mommy Chic Note: Using a small jar will encourage the ants to build their tunnels on the outside of the jar where your child can see them instead of tunneling in the middle.) 2. Find an ant pile and using a shovel carefully dig enough ants and dirt to fill your jar within 2-3 inches from the top. Pack the dirt firmly. You can use other dirt to fill your jar, but it is easy to use just transplant the anthill into its new home. If ants are not readily available in your area, craft and hobby stores can generally give you information on where to mail order them. (3) Wrap the jar in dark paper for a week or two to encourage the ants to build their tunnels right up against the glass. Feeding Your Ants Ants like to eat small bread crumbs, or bread dipped in sugar water or with a drop of honey. They can also eat tiny bits of fruit and vegetables, but don't feed them too much or their tank can get cluttered before they can remove it to their underground storage space. Watering Your Ants To water your new pets, let your child drop a water soaked cotton ball into the farm. Most of the liquid ants need they can get from their food but it is a good idea to add a new wet cotton ball every few days as needed. Your ants probably will not be able to climb up the glass walls of the jar, but if there is a chance the jar could be knocked over it is safer to include a top with holes punched for adequate air supply. The added darkness can also trick ants into feeling they are underground. After a week or two, uncover the jar and watch the ants work in their new home.