Thread Spool Dolls

Turn thread spools into quick, kooky characters.

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Plastic thread spool
Yarn
Pipe cleaners
Buttons
Glue

1. Peel away the labels from the top and bottom of a plastic thread spool.

2. Cut yarn into 2 dozen 6-inch lengths and divide them into four groups of six. Sandwich each group in a pipe cleaner bent in half. Then fit each set of the pipe cleaner ends into a separate hole in the center of the spool, pulling the ends through just far enough to secure the yarn in place.

3. When all of the yarn hair is attached, trim 4 of the pipe cleaner ends protruding from the bottom of the spool so that they are flush with the plastic (a parent's job). Pose the remaining 4 ends to resemble arms and legs.

4. Glue button eyes and a nose to the thread-covered spool for a face.

Sandals

Froot Loops flip-flops, Cheerios slippers, Kix sandals. Really now, who can resist this footwear of champions? Have your child cut or rip open an empty cereal box, stand on it, and draw around each shoe.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Empty cereal box
Scissors
Pencil
Duct (or packing) tape

Time needed: About 1 Hour
1. Cut out the shoe shapes plus as many straps as your child wants. Tape the straps in place using masking, duct, or packing tape. For the best fit, wrap and tape the straps and soles together around the child's bare feet. Kids can leave the sandals au naturel or decorate them with whatever their feet desire. Note: these sandals are best as loungewear as they may be slippery on certain surfaces.

Farmer

Crossing the neighborhood can be a long haul for little farmhands. So here we've used a wagonpulled by a plow-momto make the harvesting of treats an easy job.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

wagon
overalls
plaid shirt
work boots
straw hat
bandana
stuffed animals
hay

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Have your farmer (or farm family!) put on a pair of overalls, a plaid flannel shirt, a pair of work boots, and a straw hat.

2. Loosely tie a bandanna around her hat and add some freckles on her cheeks with orange face paint.

3. Have the farmer gather some furry friends from her stuffed animal collection and climb into a wagon filled with hay.

4. Hand her a bucket for collecting candy and take her on a Halloween hayride.

Bug Attack

Don't let the intricacy of these ants, centipedes, beetles and spiders deter you from trying your hand at this creepy design. All you need is an insect guide from your local library for reference. Besides, the shapes needn't be exact, just suggestive -- your mind will fill in the rest.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

black, white, orange, blue and red face paint
temporary silver hair color spray
bobby-pins
assorted plastic bugs

Time needed: Afternoon or Evening
1. To make these critters look three-dimensional, you'll want to paint them on in layers. Begin by mixing orange, blue and red face paint to create a beige shade that's just a little darker or lighter than your child's complexion. Then use the mixed hue to paint a shadow for each bug. (Note: The shadows should be a little bigger than the insects you plan to paint on top of them.) For an extra-creepy effect, you can even add bug bite marks near a couple of the shadows -- mix together white and red face paint and use a fingertip to dab it onto your child's skin.

2. Now use green, orange, red, blue and black face paint to paint the bugs on top of their shadows. A narrow margin of the beige undercoat should remain visible along the edges.

3. Top each bug with a dab of white face paint. This will make the bugs look like they have shiny shells.

4. For a finishing "cobweb" effect, you can spray your child's hair with temporary silver hair color and then bobby-pin on assorted plastic bugs. (Both the hair spray and the bugs are available at many pharmacies and novelty stores.)

Sunflower

This glorious costume, featuring petals made from yellow craft foam, will have your child positively blooming. The directions below are for one sunflower costume. For detailed illustrations of the various parts of this costume.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

9- by 12-inch sheets of craft foam (3 yellow, 4 green, and 1 orange)
Scissors
Low-temperature hot glue gun
Cloth tape
Velcro fasteners
Pen
Sewing elastic
Red and black face paints

Time needed: Afternoon or Evening
1. For the flower petal headband, cut out 12 yellow craft foam petals that measure approximately 7 inches high and 3 inches wide, tapering to 1 1/4 inches at the base. Snip a 1/2-inch slit in the bottom center of each one. Glue together 1 1/2-inch-wide strips of orange craft foam, overlapping the ends a half inch to create a 23-inch-long headband. Starting 1 1/4 inches in from one end of the headband, cut 12 1 1/4-inch slits spaced a half inch apart.

2. Push the base of each petal through a slit, then bend each petal's tabs in opposite directions and secure them to the headband with cloth tape. Glue a Velcro fastener to the ends of the headband. To help hold the headband on your child's head, have her try it on and use a pen to mark a point above each ear. Make holes at the marks. Thread through the ends of a long piece of sewing elastic, adjust the length to fit around the back of your child's head, and knot the ends so they won't slip back through.

3. To make the leafy bib, cut out 10 green craft foam leaves that measure about 3 inches wide and 5 inches long. Hot-glue them by their tips, as shown, to a 1/2- by 18-inch strip of green craft foam. Glue a Velcro fastener to the ends. Use the same method to make leafy wrist and ankle cuffs.

4. Paint a ladybug on your little flower's cheek for good luck.

Pizza Slice

This crafty pizza costume is one a parent and child can "cook" up together. Kids just love making the felt "toppings"!


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Sheet of 1/2-inch-thick foam (approximately twice your child's height by 2 feet wide)
6 large paper fasteners
Marker
Scissors
Clothespins
Hot glue gun
Spray paint
2 sponges
Acrylic paint
Paintbrushes
Felt
White sweatshirt
White tights
Pizza box
Red shoelaces (optional)

Time needed: Afternoon or Evening
1. To make the crust, fold over about 10 inches of foam at one of the narrow ends and attach it with evenly spaced paper fasteners. Fold the entire sheet of foam in half lengthwise. With a marker, draw a wide triangle rising from the crust to the top of the foam.

2. Cut out the triangle shape through both pieces of foam, using clothespins to connect the sheets. Apply a line of hot glue, about 6 inches at a time, approximately 1 inch from the outside edge. Press the layers together firmly for a few seconds after gluing.

3. When finished, slip the pizza over your child's head, and mark where her forehead and chin are on the front and where her shoulders are on the back. Cut out a circle for her face in the front layer and two circles for her arms in the back layer.

4. In a ventilated area, spray-paint the front of the pizza red, and the back and crust yellow. When dry, sponge-paint on white cheese and brown grill marks.

5. Together with your child, decide what "toppings" you want. Trace on felt, cut out, and attach with hot glue.

6. For the candy bag, tape closed a clean pizza box, cut out one flap, and tie on red shoelace handles.

Movie Stars

Fashion trends may come and go, but as any movie star knows, true glamour is never out of style. The centerpiece of this costume is a natty wrapping paper hat, oversized enough for any Hollywood ego. A dress-up box or trip to the thrift store can provide the rest: sunglasses, a killer dress and sparkling faux gems. And don't forget the most important accessory of all: a pack of equally glamorous pals.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

glue stick
three 25- to 30-inch square sheets of wrapping paper or tissue paper
masking tape
scissors
assorted hat decorations (crepe paper, ribbon, fake flowers, gift bows, pipe cleaners, fabric and feathers)
assorted dress-up clothes (including fake jewelry, sunglasses and fancy shoes)

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Create the hats by gluing three sheets of paper together in the center. Have the print side of the bottom sheet face down, so the underside of the hat will be patterned too.

2. To form the hat's crown, center the paper on top of your child's head and gently press the edges of the paper down around the sides of her head. Wrap masking tape around the crown (at eyebrow level) two to three times. For a taller hat, place a ball of newspaper on top of your child's head before forming the hat.

3. Create the brim by rolling the paper edges up or under and taping in place, or by trimming the edges.

4. Decorate with flowers, bows, ribbons, crepe paper, pipe cleaners, fabric scraps, feathers or plastic tiaras -- whatever accessorizes your child's party dress best!

5. After putting on her party dress, jewelry, sunglasses, and shoes, your child can don her new chapeau and get ready for the rave reviews. To dress up plain shoes, stick colored gift bows or tissue paper flowers to the tops of the toes with a loop of tape.

Boxers

If your child really wants to look like a knockout , here's the perfect getup. With a foil champ's belt and sock boxing gloves, all your pugilist needs to complete his look is a gym bag for collecting trick-or-treat candy.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

One pair of red adult sport socks
fiberfill
needle and thread or 2 safety pins
black yarn
1 sheet of poster board
child's belt
corrugated cardboard
aluminum foil
duct tape
black permanent marker
athletic shorts
socks
sneakers
bathrobe
athletic tape and black face paint (optional)

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Start with the gloves: Form the socks into the shape of boxing gloves, using the heel of the sock for the thumb and the toe of the socks for the fingers. Stuff with fiberfill, then tuck the ends of the socks inside the gloves to cover the stuffing and form cuffs.

2. Sew or pin the thumb and fingers together. Attach the gloves together with enough black yarn to drape around your child's shoulders (either by sewing or with stripes of black tape).

3. Next, create the belt. From the poster board, cut a rectangle with rounded ends that fits most of the way around your child's waist (the ones here are 5 by 17 inches).

4. Cut a vertical slit on each end of the poster board and slide his belt through (he'll wear the buckle in back).

5. Cut a 6-inch circle out of corrugated cardboard, wrap with foil, and secure on the back with duct tape.

6. Write "Champ" on the front of the circle with the marker. Duct-tape the circle to the poster board belt.

7. Have your child put on the shorts, socks, sneakers, robe and champ belt. Drape the gloves around his shoulders, then wrap athletic tape around his hands. For the Rocky Balboa look, add a black eye with face paint.

Chef Hat

Nothing says "chef" like a poofy white hat, and these are especially easy to make.

CRAFT MATERIALS:

White poster board
White tissue paper
Tape
Paper clips

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Start with a band of white poster board 26 inches long and 3 1/2 inches high, and 3 sheets of 20- by 30-inch white tissue paper. Fold each sheet in half the long way.

2. Gather and tape one of the short sides of each sheet along the hat band, overlapping the sheets slightly.

3. Curl the band tape side out, place it around a child's head, and paper clip the ends. Gather the tissue at the top, taping it tightly together, as shown at right. Cut off the extra tissue, remove the paper clips, and turn right-side out. Reattach the paper clips, puff up the tissue, and start cooking!

Bottle Buds

These cute dolls are made from plastic bottles, yarn and a whole lot of creativity!


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Clean plastic bottle
Double-sided tape
Yarn (we used 24 yards to cover a 10-inch-tall bottle)
Scissors
Wooden spoon
Paint, markers, or crayons
Optional Materials
Accessories such as googly eyes, ribbon, beads, and tacky glue

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Place 4 equally spaced strips of double-sided tape vertically up the sides of the bottle. Wrap double-sided tape horizontally around the bottom and top edges of the bottle and around any contours where the yarn might slip.

2. Attach one end of the yarn near the bottom edge of the bottle with a small piece of double-sided tape. Then, working from the bottom up, wrap the entire bottle with the yarn. Make your rows tight enough that you no longer see the plastic, but not so snug that the yarn is stretched thin.

3. To switch to a different color, simply knot the new shade to the old and snip off any dangling threads. Once the entire bottle is covered, tie off the yarn at the neck.

4. Draw facial features on the bowl of the spoon with paint, markers, or crayons. Decorate the rest of the doll any way you like. You might glue on yarn hair, tie on a pretty necklace, or add clothing, such as a doily skirt. Once you're finished, drop the handle of the spoon into the bottle. (If yours is top-heavy, put some dry lentils or rice in the bottom.)

Mini Dolls

Use your sense of style and a few spare craft supplies to whip up a collection of these colorfully clothed dolls.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Pipe cleaners in 6-inch and 5-inch lengths
Embroidery floss
Wooden beads (3/4-inch plus smaller sizes)
Felt
Markers

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours

1. For the basic doll, bend a 6-inch pipe cleaner in half around the middle of 20 pieces of embroidery floss, as shown. (The strands should be of equal length and twice as long as you'd like your doll's hair to be; ours ranged from about 4 to 8 inches.) Slide a 3/4-inch wooden bead onto the pipe cleaner and up to the fold so that the floss pokes out the top like hair.

2. Wrap a 5-inch pipe cleaner just below the bead for arms. For legs, bend up the ends of the first pipe cleaner, as shown, then wrap them completely around a folded 5-inch pipe cleaner.




3. Now you can explore different clothing options for your doll. Pants: Cut out a 6- by 1 1/2-inch felt rectangle. Mark and cut a 4-inch line down the middle, 2 centered legholes, and a waist hole on one end, as shown. Fold the pants in half and thread the doll's legs first through the waist hole, then through the 2 legholes. Secure the pants in place by wrapping a 3-inch pipe cleaner around the waist and folding a 2-inch pipe cleaner around each of the doll's knees.


4. Shirt: Cut a 2-inch felt square. Mark and cut 2 small holes 1/2 inch apart and 1/4 inch from the edge, as shown. Slip the doll's arms through the holes, then cinch the shirt closed with a 3-inch pipe cleaner belt.

5. Dress: Follow the shirt directions above using a 2 1/2- by 3-inch felt rectangle, then secure the dress with a 3-inch pipe cleaner belt.

6. Once your doll is dressed, use markers to draw on a face, and attach small wooden beads to the ends of the pipe cleaners for hands and feet.

Japan Doll

One holiday that Japanese girls look forward to is Hina Matsuri (March 3rd), a day dedicated entirely to dolls. Create your own collection of kimono-wrapped ladies in five easy steps.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Poster board
Construction paper
Colored markers or pencils
Tape

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. From a piece of poster board, cut out a simple doll's body that measures about 7 inches tall (it should resemble a large, roundheaded clothespin). Trim below the head to create sloping shoulders.

2. For the kimono, cut out a 6-inch square from colored construction paper. From a sheet of black paper, cut out a 6- by 3/8-inch sash and a wig. In the center of the wig, cut a horizontal opening that's wide enough to accommodate the doll's head.

3. With colored markers or pencils, draw on a face. Next, fold down the top of the kimono 3/8 inch from the edge to form a collar. Now, color the collar.

4. Lay the kimono flat so that the folded collar is facedown. Fit the wig onto the doll's head and then center the body on top of the kimono. Fold a top corner of the kimono down over the doll's shoulder.

5. Working on the same side of the kimono, fold the paper vertically to cover the doll's body. Use the same method to fold the opposite side of the kimono. Finally, wrap the sash around the doll from front to back and tape together the ends.

Puppets with Socks

Looking for something to do with those mysterious single socks? Turn them into animal puppets (they're easier to make than they look).


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Adult-size socks
Styrofoam balls
3/8-inch dowels
Paper or plastic cups
Googly eyes
Felt
Yarn
Pipe cleaners
Craft glue
Cotton balls or batting

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. RABBIT: Push the dowel into the ball at a slight angle. Next, cut two ears out of white felt and two inner ears out of pink felt. Bend a pipe cleaner in half, sandwich it between the felt pieces, and glue them together with the pipe cleaner ends protruding an inch. Then pull a white sock over the ball and glue on googly eyes and a pink pom-pom nose with cotton balls on each side. Cut slits in the sock on the "head" and push the ears into the ball. Finally, stuff the "neck" with batting, poke a hole in the cup and slide it, upside down, onto the dowel.

2. DRAGON: Start by pulling a green sock over the ball and stick, leaving 4 inches at the toe. Then cut flames out of felt, sandwich a popsicle stick between them and glue them together with the stick jutting out an inch. Next, poke a hole in the sock tip and push the stick into the ball. Cut two jagged spines out of green felt, glue the straight edges down the puppet's back, then glue the spines together. Glue on eyes, a cone-shaped felt horn and two felt nostrils. Finally, stuff the neck with batting and slip the cup on the stick.

3. ELEPHANT: Stuff batting into the toe of a blue sock and pull the sock over the ball and stick, leaving 5 inches for the trunk. Tie five 3-inch pieces of yarn around the trunk and poke holes on each side for two pipe-cleaner tusks. Glue on the eyes. Next, cut two ears out of felt, punch holes around the edges and weave a pipe cleaner through the holes. Poke two holes in the sock, and slip in the ears, pushing the pipe cleaners into the ball. Finish by stuffing the neck and sliding the cup on the stick.

4. HORSE: Push a cup into the toe of a yellow sock and pull the sock over the ball and stick. Cut two oval ears out of felt, a blaze for the face out of white felt and nostrils out of pink felt, and glue them in place. Make a mane out of a rectangle of brown felt; fringe the edges and glue to the neck. To make the bridle, tie a loop of yarn around the nose; tie a second loop around the forehead. Use two pipe-cleaner rings for the bit. Then tie a piece of yarn to one ring and loop it over the head to the other ring. Lastly, tie yarn reins to the rings, stuff the sock with batting and slip over another cup.

Tips:
For more designs, pick up McCall's pattern No. 14114 in your local craft supply or fabric store.

Juice Can Puppet

Kids love making these puppets for two reasons: one, the juice cans fit so well on their hands; and two, there are no rules for how the puppets are supposed to look.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Clean frozen juice cans
Construction paper
Glue
Felt
Goggley eyes
Assorted decorations (buttons, feathers, sequins, etc.)

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Cover the juice can by gluing on construction paper or fabric, then place the can upright on a table (with the opening at the bottom).

2. Glue felt arm strips midway down both sides of the can and leg strips to the front of the lower edge.

3. Set out the rest of your decorations and watch as your children create some interesting characters.

Dinner Plate Puppet

Invite kids to create plates that are part craft, part instant autobiography with this mask-making project.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Paint stirrers
Heavy-duty paper
Dinner plates
Scissors
White glue
Glue sticks
Old magazines and catalogs
Markers and crayons
Colored construction
Paper or card stock
Yarn and/or fun fur

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Attach a wooden paint stirrer as a handle to the bottom of each plate. To help the handle lie flat over the plate rim, cut a tab in the plate that?s the same width as the stirrer. Then glue the handle to the tab and the back of the mask.

2. Set out magazines, markers, crayons, and other decorating supplies along with glue sticks and scissors.

3. Hand each child a mask and ask her to pair up with a pal. Have the paired-up kids sit face-to-face so they can do a portrait of each other using the supplies set out for hair, eyes, lips, noses, freckles, and other features. If your crowd isn?t big enough to pair everyone up, let the kids make self-portraits.

4. Use sharp scissors to make eyeholes for those artists desiring real ?vision? in their portraits.

Carrot Candy

Here's a bunch of carrots kids will definitely want to nibble on.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Disposable clear plastic icing bags
Orange jelly beans or any sort of candy in orange color
Scissors
Green tissue paper
Twist ties

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Fill an icing bag with orange jelly beans, leaving at least 3 inches unfilled at the top.

2. Cut out two 8-inch squares of green tissue paper and lay one on top of the other.

3. Pick up the squares from the center and give them a little twist so you have a cone-shaped carrot top.

4. Place the tissue, twisted end down, into the bag.

5. Gather the bag at the top of the jelly beans and secure with a twist tie, wrapping the tie around the "stem" of the tissue paper, so the greenery sticks out of the top.

Chicken in Basket

Putting all your eggs in one basket is a bad idea, of course, but put all these chicks in a basket, and you've got one very cute centerpiece.

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Kitchen shears
Small basket
Yellow work glove
Craft glue
Scissors
Felt
Small googly eyes
Easter grass
Ribbon or flat braid (optional)

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Use the kitchen shears to cut a whole in the bottom of your basket that's big enough for your child to fit her hand through.

2. Stick the work glove up through the hole, leaving the cuff out.

3. Secure the cuff to the bottom with craft glue.

4. Tuck the thumb of the glove into the basket and glue it out of sight.

5. Cut four small triangular beaks out of the orange felt and four small combs out of the yellow felt.

6. Glue the combs to the tops of each gloved finger; glue the beaks -- slightly curved -- onto each "face."

7. Complete each face by gluing on a pair of googly eyes.

8. Add a small handful of Easter grass around the chicks in the basket.

Variations:
If desired, decorate the handle by wrapping it with pretty ribbon or braid.

Fairy Tooth Box

Make the Tooth Fairy's job a cinch with this clever container made out of a large matchbox. The box's inside tray sports a handy pocket perfect for placing a tooth -- or a special surprise!


CRAFT MATERIALS:

1 large empty matchbox
Several sheets of colored felt -- enough to wrap the box and line the inner tray
Tacky glue
Ribbon
Thin red pen or marker
White, pink, and blue felt for decoration
Scissors

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. Pull the inner tray out of the box and line the inside with glue and felt as shown. Wrap the outside of the box with felt and glue it in place.



2. Glue a 20-inch ribbon to the outside of the box to make a hanging loop. Fold a 4-inch ribbon in half and glue it to the bottom of the inner tray to create a handle for sliding it in and out.

3. Draw a tooth shape on paper, cut it out, and trace it onto the white felt twice. Cut out the teeth and face details.


4. Decorate the teeth with the eyes and cheeks and draw on a mouth. Glue one tooth to the outside of the box.



5. Create a tooth pocket by applying glue to the sides and bottom of the remaining tooth as shown, leaving an opening at the top. Glue the pocket to the inside tray. Once the glue dries, the box is Tooth Fairy-ready. Have your child put his tooth inside the inner pocket and hang it outside his door before he goes to bed!

Spring Bouquet

Jump-start the season by making your own colorful blooms with this flower-dyeing project.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

White flowers
Food coloring
Vase

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Start with white flowers. We found that roses, carnations, and daisies work well. If none are growing in your area, pick some up at your local florist.

2. Prepare a colored solution: we used 20 drops of food coloring for each 1/2 cup of warm water.

3. Cut the stems to fit your vase, removing at least 2 inches, then set them in the tinted water. You'll start to see results in less than 24 hours.

How it works. Freshly cut flowers continuously draw water up through their stems, as through a straw. When the water reaches the petals, it evaporates through tiny pores, leaving the dye behind (dye cannot evaporate). Over time, it builds up, coloring the tips of the petals.

Pet Rocks

Part of the fun with this '70s-inspired craft is hunting for the perfect rocks to decorate, making it a fitting project for after a nature hike or during a birthday party.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Rocks and pebbles
Glue (hot glue lasts longest, but white glue and glue sticks work well and are easier with a crowd of kids)
Googly eyes and pom-poms
Fun fur
Scissors
Acrylic paints and paintbrushes

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Set out the rocks and decorating supplies on a big table.

2. Look for natural features in the rocks that resemble noses, chins, ears, and so on.

3. Stick pebbles, googly eyes, and pom-poms in place with the glue. Kids can also use fun fur for hair, mustaches, and beards or apply additional features with acrylic paint.

Variations:
Try making Pet Shells, an easy adaptation of the basic design and a good way to get rid of all those shells from last summer?s beach vacation.

Flower Printed Fabrics

Pound out natural pigments to make pretty floral- and leaf-patterned fabric.


CRAFT MATERIALS:

Fresh flowers and leaves
Unbleached muslin cloth
Paper bags
Hammer

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Cover a smooth, hard surface with paper bags and spread out the fabric. Arrange a leaf and flower design on one half of the fabric, then fold the other half over the design.

2. Feel where the outlines of the leaves or flowers lie. Using a hammer, pound on top of the leaves or flowers, being sure to go all the way to the edges. When the color has bled through the fabric, open it up and scrape off the plant residue. You'll have a mirror image of the leaves and flowers.

Tips:
Pansies don't work very well, but blue lobelia print just fine; red impatiens may be too bright, but pink ones leave a delicate color. You can play with what works best for your tastes.

Variations:
The fabric pieces make great pillow fronts or quilt squares. Use the same method to pound leaves and flowers onto paper to make floral stationery, gift tags or notecards.

Mosaic Flower Pot

Preserve old treasures and create a useful gift in the process.

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Newspaper
Pieces of broken pottery, tiles, beads, marbles, beach glass, shells or charms
Ceramic tile grout (available at hardware stores)
Plastic knife
Terra-cotta flowerpot
Sponge

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Cover the work area with newspaper. Before starting to decorate the pot, sort through the pottery pieces and discard any that have sharp edges (a parent's job).

2. Spread a heavy layer of tile grout onto the flowerpot with the plastic knife. Then press the tile pieces into the wet grout. When finished, spread a little more grout between the pieces so that most of the broken edges are covered.

3. After the pot is dry, wipe off any grout film with a damp sponge.

Tips:
If you don't have broken pottery, place chipped, leftover tiles in a clear plastic bag (this way you can see what you're smashing) and break them with a hammer. Another good source for broken tiles is your local tile or hardware store; many will give you broken display tiles for free.

Lion and Lamb Notepad

Teach your kids the art of quilling, a decorative paper-rolling technique, then round up a set of these message-bearing spring icons.

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Colored paper
Toothpick
Card stock
Glue
Googly eyes
Clothes pins (2 per note holder)
Magnetic strip (optional)

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. For each, start by cutting a few dozen 1/8-inch-wide strips of colored paper, each at least 4 inches long. Curl each strip tightly around a toothpick.

2. Next, cover a rounded, 3-inch card stock body with glue and attach the curls. Cut out a card stock face and ears, adding googly eyes and other facial features, and glue them all in place. Allow the glue to dry.

3. For the legs, which also serve as note holders, glue 2 clothespins to the back of the body. Stand the critter on a table or attach magnetic strips to the back and stick it to your fridge, then post your message in the clips.

The Foil Family

Unlike your average tin men, these foil characters have plenty of heart. All it takes is a pinch here and there to make them strike any pose your child likes. CRAFT

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Tinfoil

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Tear a rectangular sheet (about 10 by 15 inches) from a roll of aluminum foil. Then make two cuts down from the top of the sheet and one cut up from the bottom. (For a pet, make two cuts up from the bottom.)

2. Scrunch together the center of the sheet to form a torso. Pinch and mold the upper corners into arms, and the lower corners into legs and feet. Shape the upper midsection into a head and neck. (The lower midsection makes the tail of the pet.)

Colored Sand Vase

Here's a super-simple way to recycle assorted jars and bottles into colorful vases that'll look great lined up on a sunny windowsill.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Newspaper
Tacky glue
Plastic cup
Paintbrush
Clean glass bottle or jar
Spoon
Colored sand (sold at most craft supply stores)

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Cover your workspace with newspaper (this will make it easier to clean up later). Pour 1/4 cup or so of tacky glue into a plastic cup and dilute it slightly with a teaspoon of water.

2. Show your kids how to use a paintbrush to coat the outside of a clean bottle or jar with the glue solution and then sprinkle spoonfuls of colored sand over the glued surface, rotating the bottle to spread the sand evenly.

3. Allow the glue to dry completely. Once your kids get the hang of it, encourage them to experiment with multicolored designs. Or they might apply the glue in swirls or other shapes to create interesting patterns.

Village People

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Scissors
Cardboard tissue tubes
Colored paper
Fine-tipped markers
Glue

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. For each figure, wrap a cardboard tissue tube with a 4- by 6-inch rectangle of colored paper and glue the paper in place.

2. Draw the facial features on a 2- by 3-inch piece of paper with markers. Glue the face onto the tube.

3. For the hair, cut fringe along one side of a small paper rectangle. Roll the hair around a pen to make curls, trim it, and glue it into place.

4. Cut and decorate headbands and feathers for the Native Americans and collars for the Pilgrims.

5. For the Pilgrim girl's bonnet, wrap a 2- by 5-inch paper rectangle around the top of the tube with the ends overlapping and glue at the back.

6. For the Pilgrim boy's hat, cut out a black circle 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll and glue a black, 2- by 5-inch paper rectangle into a tube shape. Cut slits along one end, fold in the tabs, and glue them to the center of the paper circle. Add a 1/2-inch band and square buckle and glue the hat to the boy's head.

Corn Husk Dolls

Next time you're shucking corn for dinner, don't throw away the husks -- dry them in the sun for one to three days, and you'll have the makings for a corn-husk doll.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Dried corn husks or tamale wrappers (available at grocery stores)
Twine or string
Scissors
Pipecleaners

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Soak the dried corn husks (approximately 20 per doll) in warm water for about 10 minutes to soften them, then blot them dry. Next, gather twenty 10-inch lengths of twine and tie an overhand knot at one end.

2. Trim the husks so that they are each about 8 inches long. Then sandwich the knotted twine between 4 or so husks and tightly tie another piece of twine around the bundle just above the overhand knot.

3. Make the doll's arms by rolling up a pipe cleaner in a husk (this will make the arms posable). Roll up 2 more husks (without pipe cleaners). Then braid the three together and tie the ends with twine.

4. Take the bundle from Step 2 and peel down the husks (as you would a banana) to create a head and expose the hair. Tightly tie the bundle where the neck should be, then insert the arms.

5. Braid together 3 rolled husks (without a pipecleaner) for each leg. Then use 2 of the inner husk ends to tie the tops of the legs to the dolls. Trim the remaining husk ends an inch below where the legs are attached.

6. Snugly wrap a single husk around the doll's hips, tying the ends together to secure it. Trim the knot tails.

7. Now it's time to dress the doll. If making a girl, go right to Step 8. For a boy, create leggings by wrapping a single husk around each leg and tightly tying twine around the very top. Then fringe the leggings by making a series of short snips along the outer sides.

8. For a skirt, sandwich the doll's body from the hips up with a few husks and secure them to the waist with twine. Then peel down the husks. For a girl doll, leave the skirt long; for a boy, trim 1 1/2 inches from the waist. Finally, drape husks over the shoulders. Crisscross the ends in front and in back of the doll and sash them around the waist with twine.

Stick Vase

Sticks gathered during a nature walk decorate a woodsy vase that even young children can make in minutes.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Sticks (1/4 inch in diameter)
Garden clippers
Empty plastic jar
Thick rubber bands
Raffia or ribbon
Glue and pinecones (optional)

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Break or snip sticks to about an inch longer than the jar.

2. Put two rubber bands around the jar, one inch from the top and bottom. Now begin tucking the sticks under both rubber bands, placing them as close as possible to each other.

3. Once the jar is surrounded with sticks, slide the rubber bands together at the jar's middle and cover them with a decorative bow.

4. Glue on a few pinecones, then fill the vase with flowers. For campers uninterested in flower arrangements, this vessel also makes a fine pencil holder.