| ISSUE 21 • 31 DECEMBER 2006 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
|
| 1. Editorial: Five ways to support Kids Craft Weekly in 2007 Can you believe it's the end of the year already? I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of Kids Craft Weekly in 2006. I've had a great time watching this little project grow and am looking forward to what the new year has to offer. Here are five ways that you can support Kids Craft Weekly in 2007 and none of them involve sending money! Kudos to Asha from the wonderful parent hacks website, whose list of ten ways you can support parent hacks has inspired me to write my own. 1. Subscribe If you're not a subscriber yet, take this opportunity to add your name to the growing list of people who are on the lookout for great crafty ideas for kids. Subscribing to the free newsletter is the easiest way to get your regular dose of Kids Craft Weekly. You don't have to worry about spam because I don't and I never will. Read my privacy policy for reassurance. 2. Link to the website There's nothing like a personal recommendation. If you have your own blog or website, please consider writing a post about Kids Craft Weekly or adding us to your list of links. If you like graphic buttons you can get one from here. If it's appropriate, post about Kids Craft Weekly to any forums that you frequent, and add us to your bookmarks on digg and del.icio.us. 3. Tell your friends If you enjoy Kids Craft Weekly, spread the word to other people that you know. Tell your mother's group, your brothers and sisters, your work colleagues, the lady with young kids who runs the corner store and that crazy cousin who works for some parenting magazine in Germany. The more the merrier! 4. Contribute your own ideas/photos Send in your own craft ideas as well as suggestions for future themes. Also, contribute any photographs of your finished craft projects to the brand new Kids Craft Weekly photo gallery. 5. Give me feedback I love to get feedback (positive and negative) and I use it to help guide my decisions. Let me know what you like and what you don't like, what works for you and what doesn't. Also, let me know if you have any ideas about the website or other more general suggestions. Have a great new year and I'll see you on January 14 for the next issue.  Amber Carvan editor@kidscraftweekly.com |
You'll never look at a paper plate in quite the same way after you've done this activity. This stegosaurus and brontosaurus are great fun to make and involve remarkably little fuss – I know that we'll definitely be making these guys again. You will need • paper plates (one plate makes one dinosaur) • split pins • acrylic paint and brush • hole punch for the stegosaurus • mini foil chocolate cases or cupcake cases • stapler for the brontosaurus • foam spots and glue or stickers Directions 1. Paint the plate and let it dry.  2. Cut out the pieces to construct your dinosaur. Start by cutting the plate in half, then put one half aside (this will be the body) and cut legs, tail and head from the other half. Here is how I cut up our plates for this activity. For the stegosaurus:  For the brontosaurus:  3. Punch holes in appropriate places and attach head, legs and tail to the body using split pins.  4. Apply finishing touches. For the brontosaurus, we glued on foam spots for a bit of fun. You could use any kind of embellishment that you wanted.  For the stegosaurus, flatten foil cases and staple them along the top ridge of the dinosaur, starting from the head and finishing at the tail.  NOTE: This craft idea is available as a printable project sheet. Download a copy of the PDF file (1.4 MB).
We have a whole box of packing peanuts in the house at the moment so I was thrilled to put some of them to good use with this brilliantly scary box puppet. If you don't have any on hand you can glue on screwed up balls of crepe paper or even uncooked macaroni for a fabulously toothy looking t-rex. You will need • cardboard box • paint and brushes • knife • egg carton • cotton reel (or alternative) • tape • packing peanuts • white glue • felt or coloured paper for tongue Directions 1. Select a long solid cardboard box that can be sealed closed at both ends. Paint box a suitable colour for a dinosaur. For extra effect, paint one side red (this will be the inside of the mouth).  2. Cut box in half along three sides and fold in half to form a box puppet.  3. Attach segments from an egg carton to form eyes, and a cotton reel to make a nose.  4. Glue packing peanuts around the mouth to form teeth. It's a good idea to let these dry before you embark on the finishing touches.  5. Glue on a felt or cardboard tongue.  6. Paint on some reptilian eyes and your box puppet will be ready to rampage! 
This simple activity is great fun for kids of all ages. Young ones will enjoy pressing a range of different objects in the clay while older kids and fossil nuts will revel in the challenge of making the perfect imprint. These pretend fossils can buff up really nicely and make great paper weights so keep them in mind for a fun father's day gift. You will need • clay • a shell or leaf, or toy dinosaurs from which to make an imprint • shoe polish • varnish (optional) Directions 1. Flatten clay and make some imprints in the clay using various objects.  2. When you've made an imprint that you're happy with, set it aside and allow it to air dry. This may take several days, depending on the weather. Once it's dry, rub on a bit of shoe polish.  3. Allow the polish to set and then give your fossil a good buff. If you want to give it as a gift, or intend to keep it for a long time you might like to paint on some clear varnish.  |
|
5.
This issue's featured subscriber's blog
Praiseworthy Things "This is a place for me to share things I find that I feel are worthy of praise. I hope that you will find something useful here." To have your blog featured in this section just send in your web address – there are no hidden catches! |
 For
a regular dose of inspiring craft ideas and fun activities subscribe to
my free email newsletter. Please note that my privacy
policy ensures that your email address will not be given to
anyone, ever.
|
