I try to post summer kid craft activities that require materials you already have on hand. I'm taking a leap here with the Plaster of Paris, you probably don't have any lying around but it's easily and cheaply found at places like Walmart--usually in the craft section--for under $3 a box and a box would keep you in business for months.Mix up the plaster powder (two parts powder to one part water) and use a disposable plastic tub so you don't have to worry about the clean up on your good mixing bowls. Once it's thick take a batch of plastic spoons and scoop the liquid up, setting them on a paper plate to dry for about 30 minutes.
Once the plaster dries, pop the newly-formed beetle shapes out of the spoons and they're ready to paint with regular poster paint or craft paint. A coat of color, a few pipe cleaners for antennae and you've got yourself happiness for an hour and a fleet of beetles.
Check in with Rocks in My Dryer every Wednesday for other good tips.
Technorati tags: WFMW, crafts, children, summer vacation
16 comments:
You must be the most creatively-minded person I know. Thanks for the fabulous suggestions!
Here in NZ I buy plaster of paris at home handyman / hardware type shops, as you can get big quantities a lot cheaper than from the craft shop and it works just fine.
I use it with my guides for fridge magnets (that would work with the bugs if you glued magnets on the back), christmas or other ornaments (with paperclips bent and put into the plaster or glued on later), and to take prints of animal tracks or make 'dinosaur bones'.
Just be careful when cleaning out and don't tip _any_ leftover stuff down drains as it will block them up.
AH...I remember seeing this craft in Family Fun once. I meant to try it and then of course I forgot about it. I will have to pick up some plaster of paris and get messy with the boys!
another cool idea!
Cute! I showed the picture to my son, age 9, and commented, "Look! Do you know what these are?" His response, "Easter Eggs!" What beautiful beetles!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing. My 5 year old will love those!
:)Smiles!
Fun! You can do a similar project with rounded stones. Acrylic paint works best.
HOW COOL!!! MY kids are still making all kinds of paper houses from the castle idea weeks ago! They will love this one!
SO - who won the contest???
Very cute and easy! Hope you have a Happy 4th!
Oh my gosh! I messed up announcing the winner! Oh no!
Sorry, I had it all ready to go, stuck at the bottom of my Tuesday post like normal, and then I remembered about the Write-Away Contest and put that up, pushing the original Tuesday post back without remembering about mentioning the winner.
I've republished Tuesday's post to include the winner.
Anyone want to apply for the job as editor? I could use one apparently.
Brilliant! Those are gorgeous - I am going to have to start storing these ideas up for when Wombat is old enough to play...
Cute. An even easier project is to collect some nicely shaped rocks and paint them. Course you can't stick stuff into the rock like with the plaster.
True about the rocks, but the plaster bugs are perfectly shaped and the paint sticks to them easily where rocks don't take the color as well.
What an awesomely fun idea! :)
Thanks for the tip.
Heather mentioned: "MY kids are still making all kinds of paper houses from the castle idea weeks ago!" Could anyone post the castle idea again? I missed it, but would love to have it since I work with parents and children making arts & crafts together. Thanks a lot!
Cruesa:
Oh it's still available, you just have to know where to look. Here's
the permalink:
http://scribbit.blogspot.com/2007/06/construction-paper-castles-fit-for-king.html
and if you click on the link that says "crafts" at the bottom of the
post it will take you to all my posts in that category. Thanks for
the interest.
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