| ISSUE 88 • 23 MARCH 2010 | |
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Editorial Hello and welcome to another issue of Kids Craft Weekly! It would appear that time has been moving in strange ways at our place. One moment it was lunar new year and now, all of a sudden, it's almost Easter! I do like the routine of the school term but, gosh, all the rushing about from place to place can quickly become exhausting. At the moment the kids are pretty tired, I'm having difficulty focusing on the myriad things I need to do and the days are getting ever shorter. We're in seasonal shift. We're all looking forward to the short holiday break in early April. In fact, our dinner table discussions have lately been focused on our holiday plans. We have decided that there will be chocolate (of course!), train rides, visits to the city, house guests, and some much needed do-nothing-much-at-home time. Here are some links that I've bookmarked for inspiration: • Copy pages from books! A lovely idea for older children from the always inspirational Amy Karol. • Set up a running race track! If I could go to Kristin's preschool I would happily be a four-year-old again. • Make a cardboard box house! Blair and her kids have the knack for making the most simple projects, simply irresistible. I hope you enjoy this selection of simple Easter crafts that I've put together for you in this newsletter. If you're after some more Easter ideas you might want to check out this all-new Tissue Paper Egg Craft that I recently put together for the fabulous Essential Baby website. And before I go I want to shout out to all the fans of Kids Craft Weekly over on Facebook – all 5000 of them! Your support and wonderful comments are such a delight. Thank you! Happy crafting and I'll see you next time!  Amber Carvan editor@kidscraftweekly.com |
These painted foil eggs are great fun for all ages. If you're not into the idea of making egg shapes you can cut the cardboard into any shape you dream of. For a super no-fuss version of this craft just wrap some foil around a paper plate. You will need • card • aluminium foil • scissors • paint and brushes • cotton buds (q-tips), matchsticks and/or wooden skewers Directions 1. Cut some egg shapes from card.  2. Wrap cardboard egg shapes in pieces of aluminium foil.  3. Paint over the top using regular acrylic paint.  4. While the paint is still wet, scratch out some designs into the paint using a cotton bud or matchstick. If these aren't available simply turn your paintbrush upside down and use that!  5. Allow to dry. 
I find the process of sitting down to make confetti very therapeutic – but then again, I also enjoy colouring-in! If you don't have the patience to make your own you can always buy a fancy ready-made batch from your local newsagent or craft supply shop. You will need • colourful paper and hole punch • coloured card • scissors • white glue • paint brush • glitter • string Directions 1. Make confetti by punching holes into colourful paper – it's time consuming but fun!  2. Cut egg shapes from firm and colourful card, then smother with white glue.  3. Sprinkle on some confetti...  4. ...and add some glitter for good measure, and more glitter, and more glitter! My kids *really* like glitter, much more than confetti it turns out.  5. When one side is dry, confetti/glitter the other and punch a hole in the top. Then hang from a window (or wrist) or leave one side blank so that you can use it as an easter gift tag. 
This easy rabbit is a quick and appealling craft for young kids. Have plenty of bags handy as your enthusiastic crafter may not want to stop at one! You will need • a white plastic bag with handles • stuffing (we used more plastic bags, you could also use shredded paper) • rubber bands • a permanent marker and/or dot stickers • pipecleaners • tape Directions 1. Stuff a plastic bag with something soft and tie the handles together at the top. For stuffing, we used a whole heap of other plastic bags. You could also use shredded paper, polyfill or old clothes.  2. Put a rubber band over the bag to make a bunny head.  3. Draw or stick on facial features. We used black dot stickers for eyes and we taped on some pipecleaners for whiskers.  4. If you have another rubber band handy, consider popping one on the bunny's backside to make a tail.  5. And here's the finished product! What a cutie – both of them! 
Children as young as three can help to make these adorable little Easter buckets. Filled up with chocolate eggs, they make great Easter gifts for friends and family. You will need • paper cups • non-toxic acrylic paint • paint brush • coloured cardboard • hole punch • split pins • spot stickers Directions 1. After taking all the appropriate precautions that one needs to take before exposing a small child to paint (smock, newspaper, drop sheets etc), squirt out a good glob of the stuff and start painting the outside of the paper cups.  2. Once the cups are dry, start sticking the spot stickers all over the outside of the cups. If you're concerned with aesthetics, you may wish to provide some direction here to ensure that all the stickers aren't grouped together in a big clump!  3. While little hands are busy stickering, big hands can cut some strips of coloured cardboard to make handles. Use a hole punch to put holes in each end of the handles, and on either side of the paper cups. Then attach the handles to the cups using split pins.  4. Four-year-old Arky loved the painting and stickering, but his favourite part of this craft was counting the chocolate eggs into the buckets!  5. And now can we eat them?  |
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