May Day: share a basket with a friend!

Tomorrow is May 1st, which is often celebrated as May Day.  One tradition is to make a small basket, fill it with flowers or candy, and then leave it at the door for a friend.  Ring the doorbell or give a loud knock, then run and hide.  If your friend catches you, you have to get a kiss!  Make this basket tonight so that it's ready for the morning.

Making a May basket is very easy to do.  What you'll need:
construction paper
scissors (optional)
tape
stickers, stamps, or other decoration (optional)
flowers or candy

1. Draw a big triangle onto a piece of construction paper, then cut out along the lines.  (Optional: instead of cutting out a triangle, just roll the piece of paper so it looks like a big waffle cone!)

2. Tape the edges of the triangle or cone together.

3. Using a long, thin piece of construction paper, tape it to the open end of the cone, making a handle for your basket.

4. Decorate!  Stickers, stamps, crayons, and glitter all make great decorations.

5. Fill the basket with flowers from the yard or with candy.

6. Pick a friend, a brother or sister, a grandparent or anyone else whom you like.  Very quietly leave the basket on the doorknob or in front of the door.  Then, ring the doorbell or knock loudly.  Run away!  If you get caught, your friend gets to kiss you!

When you're all finished, go enjoy the sunshine and warm weather tomorrow.  Happy May Day!

Printing: A Very Fun Craft

Once upon a time, no one had computers or printers.  If you wanted to put words or pictures onto a piece of paper, you had to make it by hand.  You can still print by hand today!  In fact, your hands are some of the best tools for printing. 

Just think about it.  What is it called when you put ink on your finger and then press that finger onto a piece of paper?  A fingerprint.  Or what about when you step into wet cement?  That's a footprint.  When you put your dirty hands on your clean shirt?  Yep, that's a handprint.  Printing is as easy as that!

First things first.  This will be messy.  Wear old clothes that are meant for getty dirty.  Then, spread out some newspapers or a plastic sheet.  Make sure your mess stays in that area!

Hand printing and finger painting requires no tools--just paint and hands.  Pour a little paint onto a paper plate to cover the palm of your hand, or dip your fingertips into a small bowl.  On a piece of blank paper, press the paint from your hand to the paper.  Try patting, squishing, dragging, or swirling for a different look.

If you're comfortable with finger painting, try making a stamp out of a potato!  Scrub a raw potato clean, cut it in half, then draw a shape or a letter onto the cut side.  If you're old enough, use a knife to cut away the potato from the outside of the lines to the edge, leaving a raised surface in the middle.  An adult should always help when knives are involved.  You could use a cookie cutter, too--just stick it in the potato and cut around the edges!  When you like the shape, dip it in a little bit of paint, and stamp all over a blank piece of paper.  You can make pictures, cards, or even wrapping paper this way.

If you really really like printing, then you should learn about a man named Johann Gutenberg, who can claim most of the credit for inventing the tools to print books quickly and inexpensively.  You know what's amazing?  He invented those tools almost 600 years ago, and people still use them today!

Koscielniak, Bruce (2003).  Johann Gutenberg and the Amazing Printing Press (Gr. 2-5)

This is a history of books and history of printing, all in one.  From the earliest days when making a book meant writing each word by hand--all the way to the first book ever printed from moveable type.

Crafts for Keeps: Thankful Turkeys

Thanksgiving is almost here!  You can start the celebration early by making a Thankful Turkey to show all of the things you're thankful for.  Click here for easy instructions.  You'll need some colorful construction paper, scissors, glue, and a pencil or marker.

Once you've made your turkey, use the feathers to write in everything you're thankful for this year.  The more thanks you give, the more feathers your turkey can have!  You can glue your turkey to an empty toilet paper tube to help it stand up on a dresser or table.  Put it somewhere special to remind you of all the good things around you.

Halloween Treats

Enjoy this Halloween with yummy, homemade treats to share with your friends and family!  Here are a few book picks for crafts and recipes to get your holiday going in truly spooky style.

Maggipinto, Donata (1998). Halloween Treats.

Make your own trick-or-treat bag, design a candy cauldron, or munch on some black cat cookies.  You can enjoy crafts, treats, and more with this family-friendly Halloween recipe collection.  Parents, there are great Halloween-themed meals for adults, too!  The curried pumpkin soup and autumn salad with tangerines, avocado, and pumpkin seeds look particularly delicious, as do the baked maccaroni shells stuffed with cheddar.

Bowers, Sharon (2009). Ghoulish Goodies (Gr. 3-8)

Monster Eyeballs, Spiderweb Cookies, and Screaming Red Punch are just a few of the creepy treats included in this cookbook.  Beware: these recipes are a project for the whole family!  Unless you're a whiz-kid in the kitchen (and even if you are), you'll probably need some extra help from an adult.  Even so, who could resist a cupcake with tentacles?

Crafts for Keeps: Make your own book

You can make a book out of just about anything!  The best part of making is a book is that you get to choose what to put in it.  So make yourself a coloring book, a sketch book, or a journal--it's easier than you think, and it won't require any special tools.

The links below use materials that you can find around the house: paper, cardboard, cereal boxes, glue sticks, and maybe some ribbon or sticks.  If you want to get fancy, find some wrapping paper or a fun magazine cover to add decoration.  An adult should be involved in the whole process, especially if scissors and needles come into play!

Ages 3+
Make an alphabet book

• There's no cover on this book, but you could create one from a manila folder.  Just punch holes into both the folder and the pages, then tie with ribbon or string.  Use markers, crayons, or pictures from magazines to decorate the cover.
• Make different coloring books by printing out free designs online.  Crayola has lots of coloring pages!

Ages 5+
Make a book with a stick and a rubber band

• A small stick from the yard will work well, or you can experiment with Tinkertoys, chopsticks, or anything else stick-like around the house.
• Try a piece of ribbon or some yarn if you can't find a rubber band.

Ages 7+
Sew a small book with a needle and string

• Have an adult help with this one!  You'll need to poke holes with a big needle and sew with a smaller needle.  (Dull needles are best for this kind of book binding.)
• Even though this book won't have many pages, the paper will lay flat when you open it--great for writing or drawing!

Ages 9+
Make a book with a hard cover

• This one needs a knife and sharp scissors, so let an adult handle the cutting.
• Find some cool paper for the front and back covers.