Not every Sproutlet goes to school in September. For the little ones who stay at home, or for the half day preschoolers who want something to do in their off hours, here are some great craft ideas. The best part--most of the materials are things you already have at home!  Heather and Lori at Evergreen Moms provided these creative crafts.  Enjoy!

RAIN STICK

 Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I love the sound of rain!  I guess you could say it comes with the territory.  You can create that comforting sound and recycle a paper towel roll or a wrapping paper roll in this craft.

What you need:

• Paper towel or wrapping paper roll

• Dried beans or popcorn kernels

• Cardboard

• Scissors

• Tape

• Markers, crayons and/or stickers for decorating

 

Instructions:

1. Decorate the recycled tube using your imagination and anything you have around the house from markers to stickers to tinfoil. This is your rain stick so you can decorate it however you like!
2. Trace the end of the tube onto a piece of cardboard two times.
3. Have a grown-up cut out two cardboard circles about 1/2 inch bigger than the end of the tube.  
4. Cut small slits in the circles to the tracing of the tube to make tabs.  
5. Now place one of the circles on the end of the tube and fold the tabs around the tube.  
6. Tape all the tabs securely to the tube.  This is the end cap for your rain stick.  
7. Now place about 1/2 cup of dried beans or popcorn kernels in the open end of the tube.  
8. Place the other cardboard circle on the open end of the tube, fold the tabs and tape into place.  
9. Your rain stick is complete!  Simply tip it gently from side to side to hear the sound of light rain. Or tip it quickly to hear the hard rain fall.  Turn on some music and you also have a shaker to keep the beat.

 

RAINBOW CRAYONS

Back-to-school means new boxes of fresh, pointy crayons. But what to do with the old, broken ones? Turn them into rainbow crayons, of course! The bulky crayons are sized just right for little hands.

 

What you need:

• Old crayons

• Muffin tin

• Cupcake liners

 

Instructions:

Peel the papers off of the crayons (this is often kids' favorite part!). Line the muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill the cups with broken bits of crayon, putting a rainbow of colors in each cup. Have a grown-up place the muffin tin in a 250 degree oven, removing as soon as the crayons melt. Let your new crayons cool completely. Remove them from the pans, peel away the liners, and give them a try!

 

HOMEMADE POPSICLES 

 Popsicles practically scream summer!  That's probably because they are the perfect treat on a hot summer day.  You can make your own popsicles easily and inexpensively and the best part is that you get to control what goes in them.  This activity also recycles yogurt containers for the molds and uses the lid to catch the drips.

 

What you need:

• Clean, recycled yogurt containers with lids

• Popsicle stick, chopstick or spoon

• Knife

• Favorite juice

 

Instructions:

Pour your favorite juice into the yogurt cup, about 3/4 full.   Have a grown-up cut a slit in the lid big enough to fit your handle through.  Secure the lid to the container and press in your handle until it reaches the bottom.  Place the containers in the freezer and freeze until hard.  To remove the popsicle from the container, let it sit at room temperature or run the container under warm water.  Just don't forget to leave the lid on the handle as a drip catcher!

 Try adding some berries to your juice before freezing.  Or mix in some yogurt.  Or use your favorite flavor of pudding instead of juice.  The sky's the limit!

 

TIN CAN STILTS

I have enormously fond memories of wandering around on my tin can stilts as a child. We called them foot stompers, for the satisfying thumping sounds we made while wearing them.

 

What you need:

• Two clean, empty cans of equal size (Formula containers, coffee cans, large soup cans, etc. Dull or tape over any sharp edges for safety.)

• Can/bottle opener with a triangular point, awl or drill

• String, yarn or rope

• Scissors

• Paint and/or stickers (optional)

 

Instructions:

1. Flip the can so that the open end is touching the ground.
2. Have a grown-up use the bottle/can opener to punch two holes on either side of the can, near the top.
3. Now have a grown-up cut two pieces of string long enough to run from the top of the can to your waist.
4. Thread the string through the holes and tie the ends together.
5. If you'd like, decorate the cans with paint or stickers.

 

Now for the fun part! By climbing up on the cans and pulling the yarn loop taut, you've made a pair of easy-to-use stilts. Once you've had some practice stomping around on your new stilts, you can create a simple obstacle course or put on some music and try stilt dancing.

 

HIDDEN TREASURE IN A BOTTLE

 An empty bottle turns into a treasure hunt in hardly any time at all. This is a handy way to reuse those broken toy car wheels and solo doll shoes floating around the bottom of the toy box.

 What you need:

• Empty plastic bottle with its lid (water and soda bottles work well)

• Small, lightweight trinkets like beads, buttons, plastic bugs, charms, Lego blocks, doll accessories and colorful beans

• Uncooked rice

Remove the label from the bottle. Drop in the trinkets and fill about 2/3 full with rice. Cap and shake to hide the treasures. Let your little one roll it around and around to see what she can find!

 

Tips:

• Heavier objects like marbles and coins tend to hide in the middle of the bottle, and may be harder for little kids to find.

• Make a list of the objects (add illustrations for pre-readers) and challenge your kiddo to find them all.

 

DIY PLAYDOUGH

Homemade playdough is inexpensive and easy to make. Best of all, you don't need worry if they pop some in their mouth, thanks to the recipe's perfectly edible ingredients.

What you need:

• 1 c. flour

• 1/2 c. salt

• 1 T cream of tartar

• 1 T cooking oil

• 1 C boiling water

• Food coloring (a few drops for pale color, more for vibrant color)

Measure all ingredients except the water into a bowl. Have a grown-up add the boiling water and stir to combine. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's the consistency you want. (Kids can help knead, but grown-ups should make sure the dough has cooled down enough first.) Voila--playdough! Store in an airtight container when you're done playing.

 

Fun additions:

• Mix in glitter to add a little sparkle.

• Add a dash of lemon, peppermint or almond extract--or a few drops of essential oil--for scented dough.

• Use a package of unsweetened Kool-Aid in place of the food coloring for playdough with color and scent.

 Have you ever added Kool Aid to playdough? What a great idea!

 What are some of your favorite crafts to make with your kids? 

 

 

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