Friday, July 27, 2012

Snowman Making with/for Kids


This is just a quick blog to do with/for kids. I picked snowman; because, they are very popular with the children.

Pom-pom Snowmen
Craft a crew of mini snow folk.
 








Materials Needed:  Needle, Thread, White pom-poms in 2 sizes: 1-1/2 inches and 1 inch, Colored felt, 1/4-inch jump rings, Glue, Orange felt, Black fabric paint, Yarn, and String.

Instructions:
For each one, thread a needle with a 2-foot length of thread, then double it and knot the end. For the snowman's body and head, pass the needle through the centers of 3 white pom-poms: first a 1-1⁄2-inch pom-pom, then two 1-inch pom-poms. 
To add a hat, sew through the centers of a 1-1⁄2-inch circle of colored felt and a matching 1-inch pom-pom. Slip the needle through a 1⁄4-inch jump ring (found in the beading aisle of craft stores), then secure the snowman by scrunching the parts together slightly and sewing back through the hat and the head. Tie the thread to it between the two 1-inch white pom-poms and trim any excess.
Glue on a small orange felt triangle for a nose and add dots of black fabric paint for a face and buttons. Finally, tie on a yarn scarf and a loop of string for a hanger.

Sparkly Snowman
 
Materials Needed: Egg carton, Uncooked rice, Masking tape, White paint, Clear glitter, Glue, Pushpin, Brown pipe cleaners, Felt, Pom-pom, Cardboard, White cotton, Orange felt, and Mini black pom-poms.

Instructions:
Make 2 basic egg carton body shapes as described for the Petite Penguin (omit the rice in one of them). Paint them white and sprinkle on clear glitter. When they have dried, glue the empty body part a top the rice-filled one.
Use a pushpin to create a small armhole on each side of the bottom segment, and then push through two 31⁄2-inch lengths of brown pipe cleaner for arms, bending the ends for hands.
Glue a 1- by 41⁄2-inch piece of felt around the top of the head for a hat. Glue closed the top, then glue on a pom-pom.
Glue the snowman to a white snowdrift (cotton glued to a 3-inch cardboard circle).
Glue on an orange felt nose, mini black pom-poms for a mouth, eyes, and buttons, and a 1- by 7-inch strip of felt for a scarf.

Dangling Snowman
 
Materials Needed:  3 round objects (we used a spice jar lid, the bottom of a yogurt container, and a mason jar lid), Scissors, Craft foam, white and orange, Glue dots, Mono-filament, Buttons, Permanent marker, and Ribbon.

Instructions:
Using the round objects as patterns, cut out 2 white foam circles in each size.

 
Place one set of the circles on a flat surface, spacing them 1/4 inch apart. With glue dots, glue a 12-inch piece of mono-filament across the circles as shown, and then firmly press the matching circles on top.
Use more glue dots to attach buttons and an orange craft foam nose. With a permanent marker, draw on eyes and a mouth. Finally, tie a ribbon scarf around the monofilament at the neck, and then knot the line above the head to create a loop for hanging.

Stack a Snowman
 
Your family can turn 3 round boxes into a frosty-looking indoor friend that will last long after any traces of a winter wonderland have melted away. At the end of the season, the snowman parts nest inside the largest box for storage.

Materials Needed: 3 plain round boxes in successive sizes (ask for paper-mâché boxes at the craft store; ours were 5, 7, and 9 inches in diameter), White acrylic paint, Hot glue or tacky glue, Buttons, Orange bumpy pipe cleaner, Child-size mittens,  2-1/2-foot string, Infant-size hat,  and Cloth scrap.

Instructions:
Use the white acrylic paint to coat the 3 boxes. Let the paint dry, then use hot glue or tacky glue to attach a button mouth and eyes to the smallest box and a row of large buttons to each of the 2 larger boxes, leaving room for the box tops.
Cut a tapered section from an orange bumpy pipe cleaner and glue it in place for a nose.
For hands, tape the mittens to the ends of a 21⁄2-foot string and tuck the center portion of the string inside the medium-size box before putting on the lid.
Stack the boxes, and then dress your snowman with the hat and a scarf made from a scrap of cloth.

Again, this website is get to get ideas for crafts to do with children http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/.

Share your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at stipple@verizon.net.   I look forward to hearing from you!

Sandi