#383: Make a Puppet

Make a puppet! Making a puppet can be as simple or as hard as you want it to be!

Here are instructions on how to make different kinds of puppets:


Paper Bag Puppets: Take a paper lunch bag and where the bottom of the bag folds, create a face. The fold will be the puppet’s mouth. Decorate your puppet by colouring, drawing, painting or gluing things to the bag to give your puppet character as well as face.

Sock Puppets: Take an old sock that you can fit your hand into. The toe of the sock will be the mouth and nose area of the puppet. Glue or sew scrap material to the sock to make a mouth, nose and eyes. Buttons make great eyes, and yarn or string makes excellent hair.

Finger Puppets: Take a piece of cardboard and cut it out into the shape of a person or an animal—but without legs. Your fingers will be the puppet’s legs. To do this, cut holes in the bottom of the puppet for your fingers to fit through. Decorate your puppet. If you would like a template (something you can print off and cut out) look for ‘finger puppet templates’ online.

For instructions on how to make more elaborate puppets, check out the arts and crafts section of your public library.

Once you are done making your puppet, put on a puppet show!


Make this a family activity: Make puppets together and put on a little show.

This activity promotes creativity and storytelling skills.

#280: Build a Project

Build a project. Use scrap wood or get your parents to take you to the hardware store to buy a kit or the materials you will need to build your project.


What to build? A shelf, a box, a small table, a bird house, a bird feeder... the ideas are endless!


Make this a family activity: Get mom or dad to help you plan and build your project. You might also need their help with some of the tools.

This activity promotes math skills, and spatial skills.

#197: Build a Raft

Rafting can be a lot of fun. If you have the supplies and adult help, you can make a raft big enough for you and a friend. Or, make a small one by gluing popsicle sticks together to make a toy raft for the bathtub.




Safety First: Don’t forget to check for water hazards (rocks, rapids, waterfalls), your lifejacket and a paddle! Also make sure an adult knows where you are going.


Make this a family activity: Get your family to work together to build a raft and test it out.

This activity promotes learning about buoyancy as well as math and carpentry skills.

#164: Make a Birdhouse

To make a birdhouse, you will need some building supplies. You can find these at a hardware store. Sometimes hardware stores also have birdhouse kits that include all the pieces you need to make a birdhouse--already cut--along with instructions.



If you are feeling creative and want to build a birdhouse without a kit, you can create your own birdhouse plans or use the ones on this free website.

When placing your birdhouse, try and find a place where cats won't pester the birds. Birds prefer to build their nests in areas that are not really busy. That means a quieter corner of your yard is better than a place where you walk by a lot. As well, make sure the birdhouse is secured to the place you choose to hang it so a strong wind doesn't knock it down.

I hope the birds enjoy your birdhouse for many years to come.


Make this a family activity: Have the whole family work together to select the birdhouse plan, build the birdhouse as well as find a good location for the birdhouse.

This activity promotes construction skills as well as caring for the Earth's creatures.

#112: Build a car, truck or submarine

Using a cardboard box, build yourself a vehicle (a car, truck, submarine or even something else). To make your vehicle bigger, tape two boxes together or use a large fridge box.

To make your box look like the vehicle you want, draw or paint the outside. You can use paper plates to make a steering wheel or wheels. Smaller plates or muffin papers taped or glued on will make great headlights. Draw a speedometer and gauges inside the box. For smaller vehicles, cut leg holes in the bottom of the box so you can walk and staple straps onto your vehicle to help hold it up. Cut out a door...be creative and have fun!


This activity promotes creativity.

#73: Make a Grass Head

Materials needed:
An old knee-high stocking (or the leg cut off an old pair of nylons)
15 mL (1 tablespoon) grass seed
750 mL (3 cups) sawdust or peat moss
Bowl
Saucer or plate
Water
Markers, white glue, goggly eyes (or buttons)

Place grass seed in the toe of the stocking. Fill the foot of the stocking with sawdust or peat moss. Add just enough to make a nice round ‘head’. Make sure you don’t mix the grass seed into the stocking too much. Tie a knot in the stocking right above the level of sawdust/peat moss. You may have to squeeze the material down to make a tight round ball.

Soak your grass head in a bowl of water until it gets wet (you'll know as it will get heavier). Once it is a bit wet, place the head on a saucer so it doesn’t drip everywhere. Once the head is dried out (about a day) you can give your grass head a face with markers. If you have wiggly eyes you can glue them on. You can also glue yarn or pipe cleaners on the face to make ears, mouth, nose, etc.

HINTS: Keep your grass head on a plate or saucer and in the sun, but don’t let him get too dry. To keep him damp, dip the top of his head (the toe of the stocking where the seeds are) in water every day. In about a week, hair (grass) should start sprouting. (Be patient!) Once it starts growing you can give him funky haircuts! Don’t forget to keep watering him!


This activity promotes creativity (and delayed gratification).

#47: Make Clay

To make your own clay, you will need:
250 mL (1 cup) flour
75 mL (1/3 cup) warm water
60 mL (1/4 cup) salt
Bowl
Spoon
Baking sheet
Food colouring (for coloured clay)

Mix the ingredients. (If the dough is too dry add more water.) Create a hand print or use a mould (something that you put the clay into to make a shape or form). You can also sculpt something from the clay using your hands or sculpting tools.

Once you are done, have an adult bake your clay creation at 65 C (150F) for 1-2 hours on a cookie sheet to harden it. Let the oven dry the clay completely. Once your creation has cooled, you can paint it.


This activity promotes kinesthetic (touch) development as well as shape manipulation.

#32: Tin Can Shoes

Tin can shoes were popular during the 1940s. Why? Because they are easy to make and totally cool.

Materials needed: 2 large coffee or tomato cans, 2 pieces of long, tough string or cord (over 1 metre (3 feet) long for each can), something sharp to make holes in the cans (a nail carefully hammered through the can works well), and an adult to help you out.

Have an adult make one small hole on either side of one can. (Two holes, one across the can from the other.) Make the holes as close to the can bottom as possible. Thread the long string through the holes and tie the ends together, making a large loop. The string loop needs to be long enough that you can hold onto it while standing on the can.

Do the same with the other can.

Turn the cans upside down and carefully place your feet on the can bottoms. Hold onto the strings and pull up lightly to keep the cans tight to your feet as you walk. Start by taking very small steps and keep your feet close together. These shoes sound great on sidewalks. (They are tough to use on plush carpet.)

NOTE: Because my daughter is light (40lbs), I was able to use the tough cardboard cans from hot chocolate instead of tin cans.)


This activity promotes coordination and balance.