Friday, July 7, 2017

Build a Better World Summer 2017

Now that it's summer, let's build a better world!  There is camping to do outside, stargazing, swimming, golf, bridge building and more fun in the sun!

Summer is a nice time to camp outside! Let's build a campfire to roast marshmallows!

Paper Campfires!




Supplies:  One paper plate, fake grass, small strips of card board, card stock, red tissue paper, orange tissue paper and yellow tissue paper, one small cotton ball or white pom pom, glue/tape, crayons/markers and scissors.  

Instructions:

1. Cover a paper plate with fake grass.  

2.  Roll a few strips of card board into tubes and attach them on top of the fake grass.  Now you have your logs.  

3.  Crumple up pieces of tissue paper in the colors of red, orange and yellow and layer them on top of the each other on top of the logs.  

4. Cut out a paper doll figure from construction paper or card stock and color in a face and outfit on it.  

5.  Attach the paper doll onto the side edge of the plate and make sure it is attached in a standing position.  You can fold the feet under it and attach the feet to the plate to make it stand. Attach a small strip of cardboard on one of the hands.  Attach a small piece of cotton ball or white pom pom on the end of the stick.  Now the doll resembles a person roasting a marshmallow by the fire.  


Enjoy the campfires below created by the children at the library!












After a night full of camping and roasting marshmallows, it's time to take a nice walk over the bridge!  Perhaps we can build bridges to make getting around easier!

Building a Bridge Craft!




Supplies:  2 short cardboard tubes, construction paper, half of a paper plate, cut outs of paper dolls or stick figure people, glue/tape, crayons/markers, scissors and stickers.  

Instructions:

1.  Wrap both cardboard tubes in construction paper of any color.  Cut a vertical slit down the half of each one from the top of each tube down to the middle.  

2.  Color a design on the half of the paper plate.  Color in stick figures or paper dolls of people and attach onto the half plate.  This should resemble people walking on the bridge. 

3.  Adorn the half plate and tubes with stickers.  

4.  Push each end of the half plate into the slits on the tops of the tubes.  The tubes are the support for the bridge and the half plate is the span of the bridge.  

Enjoy the bridges below created by the children at the library!

















Today is a new day!  It's time for miniature golf!


Supplies:  One letter-sized piece of card stock, smaller pieces of card stock in different colors, green paper, one paper doll cut out, 2 small white pom poms, crayons/markers, scissors, glue/tape and foam stickers. 

Instructions:

1.  Lay a letter-sized piece of card stock down on a flat surface.  Attach strips of card stock along the edges for borders.

2.  Attach a green piece of paper in the middle so that the green barely touches the borders.  This will be the golf course.

3.  Color a face and clothes on a paper doll and attach the doll onto a strip of card stock.  Bend the bottom part of the strip of card stock and attach the bottom bent part onto the green paper.  This will be the person playing miniature golf.

4.  Cut out a golf club from card stock and attach onto one of the hands of the paper doll.

5.  Bend some small pieces or strips of card stock in different shapes (circles or squiggles) and attach them onto the green paper golf course.  These will be the obstacles for miniature golf.

6.  Attach a few small white pom poms onto the paper course.  These will be the golf balls.

7. Draw some small dark circles onto the course.  These will be the holes for the golf balls.

8.  Adorn the golf course and obstacles with foam stickers or any other stickers that are available to use for decoration.

Enjoy the mini golf courses below created by the children at the library!


















Wow!  Hot air balloons are flying near the golf course!  How exciting!  They are so colorful! 

3 D Hot Air Balloons!






Supplies:  One small cardboard tube, five pieces of brightly colored card stock, one small piece of light colored or brown card stock, yarn, glue/tape, crayons/markers and stickers.  

Instructions:  

1.  Cut five pieces of brightly colored card stock into hot air balloon shapes.  Fold them in half and attach them together by the sides.  Follow the directions on the web site below:

http://www.craftymorning.com/spinning-3d-hot-air-balloon-craft-for-kids-to-make/

2.  Attach one end of each yarn or string onto the bottom of the balloon.  Attach the other opposite ends onto the top of the cardboard tube.  The cardboard tube will be the basket.

3.  If you wish, cut out a small paper doll shape from paper (neutral colored paper) and draw a face, hair and clothes on it.  Attach the paper doll inside the basket with most of the doll sticking up from the basket.  Now you have a little person in the hot air balloon.

4.  Feel free to adorn the hot air balloon and basket with stickers and paper.

Enjoy the 3 D hot air balloons below designed by the children at the library!













The people in the hot air balloons look like little Lego figurines!

Lego Book








Supplies Used:  One sheet of letter-sized construction paper, card stock, yarn, glue/tape, scissors, crayons/markers and stickers.  

Instructions:  

1.  Fold a letter-sized piece of construction paper into a book form.  

2.  Cut out 6-8 circles from construction paper of the same color and attach the circles in neat rows or columns on the outside covers of the book.  Using a dark crayon/marker, draw a border on the edge of each circle.  Now it looks as if the covers of the book have Lego holes or round grooves.  

3.  Open the book and now you'll design a paper Lego figurine to place inside the book.  

4.  Print out a Lego figurine shape from online and cut out the figurine shape.  

5.  Cut out different parts of the figurine from card stock pieces of different colors.  For example, the head of the figurine can be cut from yellow card stock as well as the hands.  The other body parts or clothes of the figurine can be cut from card stock of other colors.  
6.  Put together your figurine onto the inside of the book.  

7.  Adorn your figurine with yarn for hair and stickers.  Draw a face on the figurine's head and any other design of your choice.  

8.  Cut out small squares and rectangles from card stock of different colors and place them in a pattern on the inside of the book near the figurine.  These will be Lego pieces.  

Now you have a Lego book with Lego pieces and a figuring inside.  


Enjoy the Lego books below created by the children at the library!















Wow, Lego figurines and blocks make me want to build more!  There's a Build-A-Bear workshop nearby!

Build a Rocking Bear!





Supplies:  One green sheet of construction paper, brown construction paper, scissors, crayons/markers, glue/tape, fake grass, googly eyes, a pom pom and anything else of your preference. 

Instructions:

1.  Lay down the green sheet of paper on a flat surface.

2.  Cut out one larger circle from brown paper and 2 smaller circles from brown paper.  The large circle will be the bear's face and the 2 smaller circles will be the ears for the bear.  Attach the ears onto the bear's face.

3.  Draw a face on the bear with crayons/markers and attach googly eyes if you wish.  Attach a pom pom for the nose if you wish to make it soft.

4.  Cut out 2 large horse shoe shapes or U shapes from brown paper.  These will be the bear's legs.

5.  Cut out a large strip of brown paper and fold into an accordion.  This will be the bear's body.

6.  Attach the head/face onto one set of legs (forelegs).  (Make sure the U shape is upside down so that the ends are on the bottom and the ends become the feet).  Attach one end of the accordion strip onto the back of the forelegs and head.  Attach the other pair of legs or U shape onto the other end of the accordion strip.

7. Attach all four of the bear's feet onto the green paper.  Glue/tape fake grass around the feet.  If you push or pull the bear gently, the bear should be rocking back and forth.

Enjoy the rocking bears below created by the children at the library!












It's hot out.  Can we go to the beach?  How about building sand castles?

Paper Sand Castles!



Supplies:  One letter-sized sheet of card stock, blue tissue paper, art sand, smaller pieces of card stock, geometric shapes cut from paper, stickers, glue/tape, and scissors.