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You will need help gathering supplies for this one.

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Introduction: Build a Simple Circuit From a Pizza Box (No Soldering)

I learn best through tactile teaching methods. Teaching and learning basic circuits, electronics, and electricity from books is good, but why not build a simple circuit from scratch and learn from doing. This is a great way to get hands on and teach/learn the basics of electricity. With this project you can change the path of the electric current to run through different sensors. With this design you can switch between lighting a Blue LED or activating a Buzzer. You also have the choice of using a Light Dependent Resistor with the LED or Buzzer. You can be creative and design your own circuit and add different sensors (other LEDs...).

2 People Made This Project!

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Step 1: Parts

Here is a list of the parts needed for this project:

1 - Pizza Box/Cardboard (I used the bottom of a pizza box. Make sure it is clean.)

1 - White or Blue LED (I would stay with those 2 colors because they can handle 3 volts, other colors would need a resistor.)

1 - Piezoelectric Buzzer

1 - LDR (Light Dependent Resistor)

1 - 3 Volt Button Cell Battery

~ 25 Metal Brads (I used large brads, small would work too.)

~ 20 Paperclips

Small Nail (or something to poke holes in the cardboard)

Tape (I used black electrical tape on the underside and white tape to hold it closed.)

Step 2: Lets Get Started

You can feel free to change this design and make it bigger or smaller, with more parts or less, but I am going to explain how I made mine.

First, prep the Pizza Box. I had a clean pizza box and cut out the bottom square. Then you can use the edge of a table to fold it in half.

The idea here is to use brads and paperclips as your wire.

Power! Pick the place on your board where you want the battery. Place a paperclip on that spot and with the nail poke holes just inside the ends of the clip. Then rotate the paperclip 90 degrees and poke 2 more holes. (see pic) Push a brad through the left hole and another brad through a paperclip and through the right hole. Now flip the board over.

Now on the back side place a paperclip over the 2 brads and secure it by flattening them out. This is your negative connection. (see pic) Place tape over the brad pins.

Put brads in the top and bottom holes. The top needs a paperclip on the front. on the back you are going to sandwich the battery between the clip going left right and one going top bottom. Make sure the battery is in the right way (positive is facing you and touching the top and bottom pins.

Now secure it by spreading the brad pins and applying tape. (see pic)

Your battery is now set

Flip over the board so you see the front and test the clips with the LED. (The longer LED leg is positive)

If the LED lights you can move on.

Step 3: The Switch

The first paperclip coming off the positive pin (the top brad) can be used as a ON/OFF switch. So with that clip pointing up the board poke a hole through the end of it. Move it to the side and place a brad through another paperclip in the hole you just made.

Now extend the "wire" continuing this process of lining up the paperclips, poking holes with the nail, adding another paperclip and brad. (see pic)

By now you should have gotten the idea of how to extend the "wire" by fastening the paperclips down with the brads. If not, the pictures should help.

You have just made a SPST switch. (Single Pole Single Throw)

Step 4: Choose the LDR?

Now you can make another switch to let you decide to use the LDR or not.

This is a SPDT switch. (Single Pole Double Throw)

With your last paperclip pointing up the board poke holes on both side of it and place in brads with paperclips. The clip on the left should be pointed up with a brad in the end with no other paperclip.

Just after the last brad poke 2 holes for the LDR, then 1 more hole beyond that for another brad and paperclip. Install the leads of the LDR in the holes between the brads and flip over. (see pic)

Before you lay down the brad pins, wrap a lead from the LDR around each brad so they connect. (see pic)

Then connect that top paperclip with another brad and paperclip to the other side of the switch. (see pic)

So this 3rd paperclip sticking out will be yet another switch.

Step 5: Choose LED or Buzzer

This is another SPDT switch.

Each side will have a sensor. The left will be a LED and the right a buzzer.

This is constructed much like the last step.

Place a brad on ether side of the paperclip switch.

Poke a larger hole for the LED above the left brad and from the bottom stick the lens in the cardboard.

The LED needs to be installed the right way. The positive lead/wire is longer than the negative wire. Now wrap the positive lead around the brad leg below it and the negative lead gets wrapped around the brad leg above it. (see pic)

The other side of the switch has the same thing happen, but with the buzzer. Poke 1 hole near the right side switch brad and pull both wires from the buzzer through it. You may need to strip a bit more off the wire ends. Wrap the red wire end around that "switch" brad and the black wire can go around any brad that is beyond the LED. (see pic)

Use a bit of tape folded over to stick the buzzer to the board.

It should look something like the pictures.

Step 6: Now Connect and Test

Almost Done!

Now the negative side the LED and Buzzer should be connected to the top of the last "wire chain."

Just add more "wire" to connect the sensors negative side down to the negative side of the battery. (see pic)

You are going to want to add tape to the legs of the brads on the underside to make sure nothing shorts out. (see pic)

To use the switches move them over and pick it up a bit to place on the connecting brad.

Test and make sure it works. Connect the first switch "ON." Then connect the "No LDR" side. Then choose the LED. It should light. Now choose the Buzzer and it should make noise. Leave that there and now choose the LDR and wave your hand over it or shine a light at it. The pitch of the buzzer should go up and down.

Great Job!!!

Now that it is working. With the cardboard folded, tape the edges together.

Step 7: Coloring Time

If you like you can add electrical symbols to your board, add arrows to the switches, and label the parts you used. (see pic)

I used colored Sharpie markers.

Step 8: Troubleshooting/Questions/More Info

If you can't seem to get it to work, it could be one of these things...

The battery is dead. Get a new one.

The battery came loose. Tape it in there good.

There is a short. Look on the back and make sure there is no metal tabs or pins that have rotated and are touching anything else metal that it should not be. That is why I taped all the brads on the inside.

There is a loose connection between the paperclip and the brad. Make sure the brads are bent down hard and tight.

There is a loose connection on the switch. It may help to make the moving paperclip be below the other paperclip it's connected too.

Wrong polarity. This could be that the battery, LED, or the Buzzer are in backwards.

What is a LDR?
LDR stands for Light Dependent Resistor. It resists the flow of electricity depending on how much light is shined on it. The more light the more it allows electricity to pass through. The darker it is by the sensor, the less electricity is passed through. This is why you can use this to dim the LED and change the pitch of the Buzzer.
What is a LED?
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. It is a diode meaning it only allows electricity to pass through in one direction. There are normally 2 ways to tell the positive and negative side of a LED. The positive side has a longer lead/wire and the negative side has a small flat notch on the edge on the lens, It also glows one wavelength of light. The different color LEDs have different elements in them that make them glow their color. It is not the color of the lens that colors the light. This is why you can have clear lens LEDs.
What is a SPST Switch?
SPST stands for Single Pole Single Throw. This is a common "On/Off" only switch. It can connect the electricty from one wire to only one other wire. There is one SPST switch in this project.
What is a SPDT Switch?
SPDT stands for Single Pole Double Throw. This type of switch can connect one wire to one of two other wires. It can connect the electricty from one wire to only one other wire. There are two SPDT switches in this project.
Do you want more Geeks Videos or want ideas for projects? Questions?
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Build a Simple Circuit From a Pizza Box (No Soldering)

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I learn best through tactile teaching methods. Teaching and learning basic circuits, electronics, and electricity from books is good, but why not build a simple circuit from scratch and learn from doing. This is a great way to get hands on and teach/learn the basics of electricity.

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This will take a few days to complete.

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DIY Ready | Projects | Crafts | Home Decor

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By Lauren J

This balloon bowl is guaranteed to make the hours fly by. It'll be a great way to teach your kids all about recycling paper too!

Making A Balloon Bowl From Scratch

Sometimes a little DIY is the trick to keep the kids busy on a tiring afternoon. This balloon bowl is tried and tested, and it never fails. Kids can go a whole afternoon just making this project all on their own.

Here's what you'll need for the balloon bowl:

Step 1: Prep The Confetti

If you're choosing this project to keep your kids preoccupied, give them sheets of paper and have them cut this into tiny squares to make them look like confetti. If you'd like, you can also give them a hole punch instead of a pair of scissors.

Baketivity Kids Baking Set, Meal Cooking Party Supply Kit for Teens, Real Fun Little Junior Chef Essential Kitchen Lessons, Includes Pre-Measured Ingredients, Funfetti Muffins

WELCOME IN YOUR HOUSE A MEAL COOKING SET THAT HAS IT ALL: A fantastic kit that not only includes precise cooking instructions, but also contains all the necessary ingredients necessary for our delicious recipes. This is a baking kitchen set that stands out, allowing you to appreciate and enjoy your moments with your loved ones

PRE-MEASURED INGREDIENTS FOR MINIMUM FUSS: Coming with carefully calculated portions for optimum results and clear step by step instructions with pictures that can be followed easily, building your kid's self-esteem and sense of accomplishment

IDEAL PARTY SUPPLY: A super fun activity that a whole group of kids can do together. They will enjoy themselves, improve their communication skills and most importantly learn valuable lessons in the process

ENJOY QUALITY FAMILY TIME THROUGH VALUABLE EXPERIENCES: Families who cook together and eat together, spend quality time together. The best of times are spent around the supper table, the holiday table and the talks cleaning up

AN ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE BAKING SET FOR KIDS AND TEENS: Experimenting in the kitchen can be an extremely fun activity as there is a natural curiosity and creativity in kids that fits perfectly in the kitchen. On top of that, you will find inside science and word games that you can solve together while enjoying the fruit of your labour. BOX DIMENSIONS: 8.00 x 8.00 x 2.4 Inch

Step 2: Make The First Layer

Inflate a balloon and set this on a pie pan to keep it from moving all over the table. Make sure to have the end with the knot away from you. Then, place glue on top of the balloon. Spread the glue using a paint brush, and sprinkle the confetti on the glue.

Step 3: Add More Layers

Once the first layer has dried, add more layers of glue and confetti. Doing so will create a sturdier bowl. By the way, if you want the bowl to have a flatter bottom, simply press down on it lightly with a book.

MOWO Glitter Paper Garland Circle Dots with Glitter Powder Hanging Decor 2.5'' in Diameter 20-feet(gold glitter,2pc)

PAPER GARLAND.Glitter sparkle 10 feet 30 dots each one stand,2pc,20 feet in total,each dots 2.5'' in diameter,high quality craft paper dots with sewing thread,much shine

GARLAND DECORATION.Ideal to use as backdrop or banners,kids party supplies,wall decor, decorative hanging ornaments, light up your party or for daily life decoration for room

CIRCLE GARLAND.Hang from the ceiling,above a table,under the verandah,from branches in trees,or in a doorway, window, archway,delicate and romantic fluff up your festival celebration and event party

PARTY BANNER.Perfect for wedding/ birthday/ baby shower/ tea party/ Christmas/ Thanks giving party/ bridal shower/ dots party

PAPER CONFETTI.Due to delicate nature of thread, unroll carefully,can tangle

Step 4: Pop The Balloon

Here comes one of the fun (yet scary) parts of this tutorial: popping the balloon. You can use either a pin or even the tip of the pen for this step.

Step 5: Trim The Edges

Clean up the bowl by trimming away the excess pieces. Doing so will also ensure there are no rough edges on the sides of the bowl.

36" Jumbo Confetti Balloons AOSTAR 5 Pack Clear Balloons with Multicolor Confetti for Wedding, Proposal, Birthday Party Decorations

CONFETTI FILLED BALLOON -- Each Jumbo balloon comes with multi-colored confetti inside (red, blue, green, gold, silver, bronze, purple, etc.), you don't have to put them in on your own. Save your time!

MAKE YOUR PARTY SPECIAL -- The best party supplies for adding romantic and festive atmosphere to holiday, wedding, birthday party, baby shower, Christmas Party, New Year's Eve and etc.

SUPER SIZE -- The Max. diameter of balloon when fully inflated is 36 inches / 90cm, and 13 inches / 33cm when uninflated. Confetti measures 0.6 inches/ 1.5cm in diameter.

PACKAGE -- 5 giant confetti balloons are included in each pack. Note: These balloons are all packed flat to be shipped. Made from high quality latex, durable & reusable.

IMPORTANT -- Shake balloons or rub on a carpeted surface to let confetti cling to the sides, then you will get a balloon like pictures. Be aware of safety in use & Have fun!

And there you have it!
Want to see another balloon bowl design? The video below has zebra stripes in its confetti. Check it out here: Will you be making a balloon bowl this weekend? Let us know in the comments below. Want to see more crafts for kids? Check out these DIY slime recipes!
This balloon bowl is one of my favorites because it makes me feel like I'm hitting 2 birds with 1 stone. I get some peace and quiet in the house, while the kids learn to do one of the things I love best: DIY Projects!

Don't be shy in using your kid's balloon bowl all around the house. Turn it into a jewelry holder or a spare key or coins tray. You could also scoop a handful of candy inside and place this on top of your coffee table for your guests.

Feature image via So Craftastic

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Balloon Bowl: A Kids Craft To Try This Week | DIY Projects

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By Lauren J This balloon bowl is guaranteed to make the hours fly by. It'll be a great way to teach your kids all about recycling paper too! Sometimes a little DIY is the trick to keep the kids busy on a tiring afternoon. This balloon bowl is tried and tested, and it never fails.

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We love LEGO here at Science Sparks and are thrilled to be collaborating on a series of LEGO based posts this Summer with the rather lovely Twinkl Resources. We'll be providing you with step by step instructions for super fun LEGO Science ideas while Twinkl have kindly created printables for each activity.
How to make a LEGO Catapult
First think about how to build your catapult, what features does it need to have? You could use this is fun FREE printable design sheet from Twinkl to draw your ideas.

We went through several iterations of our design before finally settling on this.

The base is wide and has extra bricks on the sides to stop it falling over.

The arc brick above the catapult arm helps to keep the arm in place.

Extra bricks around the LEGO girl stop her slipping.

The loom band was a last minute addition which stops the catapult arm flying off and gives it an extra springy boost.

Can you think of any other ways we can improve our design? How would you improve your design?
Extension Ideas
Can you measure how far different sized loads travel?

What happens if you use a longer or shorter arm?

Don't forget Twinkl have a fantastic range of LEGO printables, we especially love this dress the LEGO man activity.

Do pop back for our next LEGO post coming very soon.
Related Posts 15 LEGO science activities

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We love LEGO here at Science Sparks and are thrilled to be collaborating on a series of LEGO based posts this Summer with the rather lovely Twinkl Resources. We'll be providing you with step by step instructions for super fun LEGO Science ideas while Twinkl have kindly created printables for each activity.

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As The Babe and I were driving across the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco the other day, she said "look at all the poles!" I said that those are actually cables that are holding the bridge up. And she said "How does that work?" And I said, "uhhh, hmmm... ahh, let me check on that and get back to you." This post is my public service announcement for all parents crossing a bridge with an inquisitive child.
A suspension bridge is a bridge in which the deck (the part that you drive across) is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspender cables. Typically, suspension bridges are built with two tall towers and a cable that travels from one shore, through the two towers and to the other shore. Vertical suspender cables hang from the main horizontal cable and hold the weight of the deck.
How can one cable hold the weight of the deck?
The weight of the deck is supported by carefully balanced forces on the two towers. The force pulling inwards on the towers is equal to the force pulling outwards on the towers towards land. Because the forces are balanced, the weight pulls straight down into the towers and into the ground.
What are the cables made of?
Each cable is made up of thousands of individual steel wires that are bound together. Steel's tensile strength improves as it is stretched into wires, so these flexible cables are stronger than a solid piece of steel of the same size.
Why are suspension bridges used instead of other kinds of bridges?
Suspension style design allows for longer spans, reduced construction costs because of reduced materials, and improved flexibility and structural integrity during earthquakes (especially important here in San Francisco!).
What are some of the most famous suspension bridges in the world?

Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, CA USA) as seen above with The Babe has been named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. It takes a team of 34 painters to maintain its characteristic "International Orange" color.

Akashi-Kaikyo (Pearl) Bridge (Kobe-Naruto, Japan) is the longest at nearly 2.5 miles long and the most expensive suspension bridge in the world.

Tsing-Ma Bridge (Hong Kong, China) is the longest two deck suspension bridge in the world and carries both rail and road traffic. It's main span is 4,518 ft. long.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma, WA, USA) is a suspension bridge nicknamed Galloping Gertie that collapsed due to aeroelastic flutter. The bridge design failed to allow wind to pass through and the deck began oscillating in high winds, ultimately causing it's collapse. Check out this for a fascinating look at the collapse.

Now it's time to make your own suspension bridge! I've seen a lot of these masking tape Hot Wheel race tracks out there. We've even done a basic one at home ourselves, too. This time, I wanted to do something a little more special....

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This is at no additional cost to you.

Supplies needed:

1. Cut a strip of cardboard out of a flattened cereal box to make your bridge. You can tape on extra sections if you want to make a really long bridge.

2. Punch holes along the sides of the cardboard leaving a few inches on each end without holes. The un-holed section serves as the ramp to the "ground". Try to approximately line up the holes across the cardboard to help increase stability in the bridge.

3. Thread a rubber band through each hole and loop back through itself to hold in place

4. Create bridge towers by cutting two 1/2″ slits in one end of the each tube. The slits should be slightly off the center and across from each other. See the blue lines in the picture above for guidance.

1. Start taping your race track and river. Your river should be a bit narrower than the length of your bridge so the bridge ends can touch the "ground."

2. Tape down your towers. This was the trickiest part because these towers support all the weight on the bridge just like a real suspension bridge. Also be sure that the slits line up with the direction of the bridge. All I have to say is thank you for repositionable tape!

3. Cut your cables out of a length of baker's twine. Cut them about twice as long as your bridge because you can always cut the extra off later.

4. Feed each piece first through the slits in the towers and then through each of the rubber bands. Then pull the twine taught until the rubber bands stretch some and the bridge feels secure. Tape the ends of the twine to the floor.

5. Tape your road connectors over the bridge. Since I often seem to be stuck in traffic at bridges in the San Francisco area, I made a toll plaza where cars can line up.

Now... PLAY! We had fun testing to see how strong the bridge was. We had to buy more cars, it was so strong!! By the way, I don't recommend leaving the tape on the floor for extended periods of time. Tape breaks down over time and with continued pressure as you walk on it, so it might become difficult to remove cleanly.

Want to learn more about bridges of all kinds? Check out David Blockley's Bridges: The Science and Art of the World's Most Inspiring Structures . {affiliate}

This project was just made a finalist in the Scotch Products Make Amazing Contest. Like it? Please come VOTE for me! The prize is $5,000!!! Just think how much tape that would buy!!!

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Engineering 201: DIY Recycled Suspension Bridge - Left Brain Craft Brain

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As The Babe and I were driving across the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco the other day, she said 'look at all the poles!' I said that those are actually cables that are holding the bridge up. And she said 'How does that work?' And I said, 'uhhh, hmmm...

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Most paper crafts revolve around creating something fancy out of paper, but did you know that you could use paper as a structural material? Our simple paper building blocks are a great way to demonstrate engineering for kids. Take a material that is weak in and of itself, fold it into a robust shape, like a triangle, and viola, you are now building with paper!

How strong is it? Well, make a few blocks, build a paper structure, and put it to the test! You'll never guess what we tested ours with......check out the results below.
Note: This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend to my readers.
I originally spotted the idea for paper blocks in one of our favorite books Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do. Simple, colorful, and educational, the best type of project to do!

If you love paper toys, check out our Play Pack:

Age Appropriateness: 6+, Adult help with cutting and scoring

Materials

Notes:

Our building blocks are based on a 1-inch module, increase the size proportionally to make bigger blocks

Adults should be in charge of Steps One-Four

Kids can take over at Step Five

Instructions:

Step One Select your first piece of paper and place it on your cutting mat. Score your paper vertically at the 1-inch and 2-inch marks and trim your paper completely at the 3-inch mark. To score paper, lightly drag your Exacto blade along your straightedge, making a light line in the paper. This will make folding easier.

Step Two Repeat the scoring and trimming process with each color of paper.

Step Three Trim the lengths of scored paper crosswise into 1-inch strips. If you have a paper cutter this would be the fastest method for cutting. I don't have a paper cutter (I know, can you believe it, a paper lover like me without a paper cutter?) so I trimmed it the old fashioned way with an Exacto and a straightedge.

Step Four Cut some paper "planks," 1-inch strips of paper that are not scored. They can be 3 to 6 inches long.

Step Five Fold your 1-inch strips into thirds along the scored lines.

Step Six Tape the open edges together to form a triangle.

Step Seven Repeat folding and cutting until you have a bunch of blocks assembled.

You're done! Now it's time to build!

Start positioning the triangles in a row alternating between triangles that are right side up and upside down. Add a plank or two on top of each layer. When you have a few layers you can test how strong your paper structure is by balancing objects on top of it!

Our heavy metal straightedge was the first test and....it passed! But the piece de la resistance was my son's desire to balance Oreos on top of the structure. His paper structure definitely passed the "Two Oreo Test!"

Looks Like

Shigeru Ban, one of my all time favorite architects. He actually builds out of paper, not just furniture or objects but BUILDINGS! Check out his paper Church here: Takatori Catholic Church

He typically uses paper tubes as structural elements in many innovative, sometimes temporary, often permanent structures. His recent Cardboard Cathedral in New Zealand is a great example of the versatility of paper Cardboard Cathedral

Paper Structures

I think I had the most fun building with these simple paper blocks! Using multicolored paper definitely glammed up this simple science project for kids that illustrates basic engineering principles. Have fun with selecting objects to test the strength of your finished structure. Just be sure to pick objects that are easy to balance otherwise your paper structure might topple over due to balance issues rather than "folding" under the pressure of weight, no pun intended!

Who would have thought paper crafts for kids could be used to teach engineering?

It includes 7 paper toys you can download, print, and play with today!

Fill your child's life with more art, design, science, and engineering!
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Science & Engineering for Kids: Paper Building Blocks

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Most paper crafts revolve around creating something fancy out of paper, but did you know that you could use paper as a structural material? Our simple paper building blocks are a great way to demonstrate engineering for kids.

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You will need a little help with this.

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Today I have another great baking soda and vinegar activity for you. We are going to make a baking soda powered boat.
Materials

Empty water bottle - small

Baking Soda

Kitchen roll or tissue

Scissors

Straw

Vinegar

Tape

Bath or large container

Water

Method

Pierce a hole in the non lid end of the water bottle and poke the straw through, I trimmed mine so only used about one third of the length. Tape around the gap to prevent air escaping and keep the straw in place.

Carefully pour some vinegar into the bottle and replace the lid.

Pour some baking soda onto a small piece of kitchen roll and roll it up.

Stand over your water, stuff the tissue wrapped baking soda into the bottle and quickly add the lid.

Place in the water and watch it go.

Can you see the bubbles coming out of the end?
The Science bit
Vinegar (an acid ) and bicarbonate of soda ( an alkali ) react together to neutralise each other. This reaction releases carbon dioxide a gas which is the bubbles you see.

The force of the movement of the carbon dioxide backwards causes a reaction force which pushes the boat forwards.

Can you think of any other forces which might affect the movement of the boat? How about wind? Or movement of the water if it was disturbed as the boat was placed onto it.

For lots more Baking Soda science ideas, check out our round up and Challenge.
Related posts Monster Tea Party Baking Soda powered boat Baking Soda Volcano Baking Soda Popper Fizzing rocks with baking soda We'd love you join our Science Sparks community on G+ and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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Today I have another great baking soda and vinegar activity for you. We are going to make a baking soda powered boat. Materials Empty water bottle - small Baking Soda Kitchen roll or tissue Scissors Straw Vinegar Tape Bath or large container Water Method Pierce a hole in the non lid end of the water bottle and poke the straw through, I trimmed mine so only used about one third of the length.

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We have a little magnet set that we play with frequently, the magnets in the cars repel each other and the children are always so surprised that they can feel the force pushing the cars apart.

To try and explain magnetism, we did a fun little activity.

First we had a play to see which type of objects a big magnet stuck to, once we'd decided metals were the key, we made some predictions about other objects and then tested them. You could even draw a table to make this activity a bit more formal.
Remember - not all metals are attracted to magnets, but iron and steel ( steel is mostly iron ) are.
To make the mini maze ( and you could make a large version of this ) you'll need:

Thick cardboard or a paper plate

A Magnet

Metal Paperclip

Cardboard

Pens

How to make a mini magnet maze

Draw a maze on the cardboard or paper plate

Draw a cardboard bug or any shape you like.

Place a paperclip over the bug.

Place the paperclip at the start of your maze and the magnet underneath the cardboard.

As you move the magnet, the bug should move too.

All about Magnetism

Magnets attract some objects but not others and can be different strengths.

Magnets have two poles, we call one the north pole and one the south. Depending on which poles you place together they can either attract each other or repel. Opposite poles attract.

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We have a little magnet set that we play with frequently, the magnets in the cars repel each other and the children are always so surprised that they can feel the force pushing the cars apart. To try and explain magnetism, we did a fun little activity.

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Ask the kids get bigger, they become more demanding.. they wanted a MOVING self propelled Boat Craft. Yep a self propelled one. Making self propelled "things" I think are great fun for kids and very exciting indeed. So we had a go. Using old margarine tubs, a yogurt pot and some craft sticks.... Pop over to Life At The Zoo to discuss the Science element of this craft!
Materials: margarine tube, yoghurt pot, 2 craft sticks, super glue (!), duct tape, acrylic paint, elastic band and another piece of plastic (lid of an ice cream tub)
RED TED ART TV

1) The first challenge is to secure your craft sticks to the side of your margarine tub. PVA glue is actually very good, but often not that water resistant. A hot glue gun, can't grip the surface of the tub very well and may come off. So I opted for superglue, which is also not ideal, as wood absorbs the glue. But it worked well enough. I did the superglue-ing over night, so the kids were well away from it all. And then I secured it with some strong duct tape.

I repeated the same for the yoghurt pot stuck down on the lid - a little bit of superglue and then some duct tape to secure it.

2) The kids then painted the boats in chosen colours. I was amazed that for once, Pip Squeak did NOT choose pink (though it was a close call).

3) Once dry the kids chose some tape as decoration and I added some windows for them. They did have the choice to do the windows, but they wanted me to do them.

4) Then cut a piece of plastic from your extra lid for the paddle. Make it fit the width of your craft, but not too wide, so that it gets stuck as it goes round. You may want to trim it. Cut slits through and then put ONE piece of the elastic through it. By trial and error we found if ONE elastic is woven through, it spins better than if you do both.

5) Wind your craft up and let it swim!

Just so you know - the boats DO work. But the "wind" in the elastic means that it will probably only go about 50-100cm before it stops and needs "winding up again". But you can experiment with different elastics (some with more tension) and sized pedals and see how well they all do!

Watch it move (and I know it is moving in the wrong direction.. we quickly learnt that you have to wind the elastic band in a certain direction!):
Disclaimer: by joining the Kids Get Crafty linky - you give us permission to highlight any projects on Red Ted Art or share your craft ideas on Pinterest - I will always link to your site! If you have been crafty with your kid's be it at home, in the kitchen or outdoors, please link up! Join the Kids Get Crafty linky party!
Have you made any self propelled boat crafts? Would love to hear about them!

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Margarine Tub Tug Boat Craft - Red Ted Art's Blog

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Ask the kids get bigger, they become more demanding.. they wanted a MOVING self propelled Boat Craft. Yep a self propelled one. Making self propelled "things" I think are great fun for kids and very exciting indeed. So we had a go. Using old margarine tubs, a yogurt pot and some craft sticks....

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The other day my son won a little parachute guy at a carnival. When I saw it, I knew it would be easy to recreate. So, I decided to make a few parachutes for his LEGO mini-figures. The only thing I did different was make the parachute so it could attach/detach to different toys (much more fun that way). I also made it a little more sturdier which you will see in the instructions.

These little toy parachutes would be great for party favors or to chase away the boredom blues.

Supplies:
Paperclip
Plastic bag cut into a 10" by 10" square
4 Pieces of thread cut to 24" each
Scissors
Sewing needle
Tape
Rubber band - for harness

Add tape in all four corners on the top side and bottom side of plastic ( 8 pieces total). This will reinforce the plastic where the thread is. The first time I made the parachute without the tape it ripped in the corners after a few uses.

Double thread needle and tie a knot at the end. Insert needle through the top of the parachute in the corner. Bring needle all the way down until knot catches. Tie end with needle onto paper clip. Trim ends. Repeat this with all four corners. Try not to twist thread when tying knots.

To prevent the thread from sliding off the paper clip or getting tangled, wrap tape around all thread where it meets the paperclip (refer to picture).

How to make the harness: Wrap rubber band around figure. The rubber band should go under the arms. Now take the bottom part of the rubber band and pull it under the top part of rubber band (refer to pictures). This allows you to attach the parachute to any figure.

Attach paperclip to the harness and you're ready to launch your parachute. Drop them from high places or throw them up in the air and watch the parachute open. Make sure to untwist with each use. Sometimes they get a little tangled.

*The LEGO mini-figs will drop down much quicker compared to the plastic army men. Experiment with different toys and have fun!

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The other day my son won a little parachute guy at a carnival. When I saw it, I knew it would be easy to recreate. So, I decided to make a few parachutes for his LEGO mini-figures. The only thing I did different was make the parachute so it could attach/detach to different toys (much more fun that way).

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Click HERE for the direct link to curious kangaroos, with instructions.

The girls & I used a piece of paper that was 3" x 5 3/4".

But you can experiment with your own sizes too.

Zoey got quite ambitious, ready to double-launch her rockets!

I found it helpful to wrap the paper around the pencil BEFORE drawing on it, & then mark it with a different pencil, to get an idea of what actual space would be seen.

I used a red marker to scribble in the surface area that would be seen once your rocket is finished. (I used a red marker because the pencil markings were too light in the photo.) This step is not necessary of course. The girls & I had fun sketching all over the whole piece of paper. But if you have a specific design that you want to be centered & seen, then do this step first. Just a little tip.

We had races to see who could launch theirs the farthest.

I also made a smaller one, but it didn't fly as far as the larger (heavier) rockets.

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Click HERE for the direct link to curious kangaroos, with instructions. The girls & I used a piece of paper that was 3" x 5 3/4". But you can experiment with your own sizes too. Zoey got quite ambitious, ready to double-launch her rockets!

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While we make a lot of art in our home, I cherish any project that develops creative and critical thinking skills. I'm attracted to fun activities with an experiential twist, and I've noticed lately that we've been dabbling in the worlds of science, literature, and dramatic play, as much as we have in that of art. For this simple experiment, we explored how magnets can travel through water and glass, speculated on how we could get the magnets out of the jar, exercised fine motor skills, had to problem-solve in order to figure out how to get the paper clips out of the water, and experienced moments deep concentration (my favorite!). And if you look closely, you'll notice that N had to put her treasured lollipop down in order to play. A sure sign of child approval!

First, N picked up some paper clips...

And dropped them into a jar full of water. Then she used a strong magnet to pull each of the paper clips up the side of the jar.

Got it!

I'm learning that my daughter likes to try new things, figure them out, and then move on to the next thing. So she was highly engaged with this for the first three of four paper clips, and that was it. While I would have loved to see some sustained attention, it's always nice when these short-lived activities are also incredibly easy to set up. In this case, set up was a snap (jar + water + paper clips + magnet) and clean up was next-to-nothing.

And we learned that magnets can travel through water and glass!

Two thumbs up from the child and the mom!

Special thanks to Amy at The Wonder Years for the inspiration!

What magnet games do you like to play?

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While we make a lot of art in our home, I cherish any project that develops creative and critical thinking skills. I'm attracted to fun activities with an experiential twist, and I've noticed lately that we've been dabbling in the worlds of science, literature, and dramatic play, as much as we have in that of ...

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I'm a huge fan of breathing new life into long-lost materials, and I've been making found object art pieces like these since I was a kid.

Last weekend my friend, Danielle, and were in Napa to lead a fun, fast-paced Maker Session at the California Association of Museums annual conference.

For our workshop we brought these cool hands-on mystery boxes that my kids oohed and ahhhed over before I headed off to play in wine country.

The tinkering kits carried similar materials, but the nature of collecting found objects meant that each maker box was unique. I'll share images from the workshop with a close-up on how adults interpreted these materials shortly, but I thought you might be interested in seeing what kids made of these.

My kids were my prototype testers, after all.

Before the boxes were even filled, we experimented with some basic materials like ribbon, wood scraps, fabric swatches, paper baking cups, markers, and plastic party beads.
You'll need:

1. Junk

2. Something to cut the junk (scissors)

3. Something to attach the junk (glue gun - Amazon link to our favorite one)

There are always people who gasp when they see kids handling hot glue guns (maybe that was you...no worries) and I'm here to tell you that kids are capable of using glue guns.
Here are a few glue gun tips for kids:

Use a low-heat glue gun like the Cool Shot (Amazon link). I've been using this model for years, and it's fabulous. If you spend more than a few seconds touching the tip you could theoretically burn yourself, but I have yet to see this happen.

Explain the glue gun rules to your child ahead of time: don't touch the tip, try not to touch the hot glue with your bare hands

My 3-year old worked on this one. She added goggly eyes to make it come alive, but of course you could draw eyes on or cut eyes from paper. Googly eyes are an awesome invention, and truly animate anything they're stuck to. We have a pair on our stapler, and "he" looks like a little alligator.

We foraged the recycling bin for more objects and had some fun with building blocks and pom-poms: all stuck on with the miraculous glue gun.

When you're all done creating, put your critters on display, play with them, take photos of them, carry them on a walk and take photos of them in different places. The options are endless. More sharing ideas:
Share on Facebook
And if you're really brave, snap a photo and share it with me on my Facebook page!
Instagram
When I was at the conference we asked participants to take a photo of their critter and tag it with #tinkercritter. Here's on example. I love it! Go check out their critters and upload your own to Instagram. Don't forget to tag it with #tinkercritter!

This cool Pinterest board from Mary Briden

Louise Nevelson painted on assemblages made from wood scraps in the 1950's.

Joseph Cornell made these gorgeous diorama boxes that were filled with all sorts of curious ephemera.

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Found Object Art | Junk Critters | Art and Science Experiments

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I'm a huge fan of breathing new life into long-lost materials, and I've been making found object art pieces like these since I was a kid. Last weekend my friend, Danielle, and were in Napa to lead a fun, fast-paced Maker Session at the California Association of Museums annual conference.

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Did you learn how to make it from a book? Or maybe it was from the kid you shared a desk with in the third grade?

We tested a few designs, and one of them really stood out as a winner (I'll share it below). You'll have to test some, too, and see which one flies the furthest.

Well guess what? Today I'm sharing links to instructions for making paper airplanes that go far and actually work, along with some ideas on how to help kids invent their own paper airplane designs.

So let's get started with How to Make Paper Airplanes while building Design Skills...

A few sets of instructions for making paper airplanes. You can get these from a book or download instructions from the internet (see recommended links below)

Copy paper. Thinner paper is easier for children to fold.

Markers (optional)

Scissors (optional)

A clear table

Step One: Select a Design

We looked through all of our designs, picked one to start with, and my daughter and I sat down and followed the directions for the first airplane. If you've ever made origami, it's the same approach. Most of the steps were easy enough for her four-year old hands and mind, but I had to help her with a few of the trickier folds.

If you find instructions that are too complicated for you, then skip them and find another plane to make.

Step Two: Teach someone else how to make a plane

Once we got the hang of it, N thought our six-year old neighbor would enjoy this project and we invited him over to join us. Either that or misery loves company.

We each started with another sheet of paper and while we folded, the kids educated each other on hamburger and hot dog folds. If you don't have a neighbor to teach, teach a parent, babysitter, or grandparent. This step does wonders for building confidence.

Step Three: Iterate and Invent New Planes

Once that first airplane was complete, it was interesting to see where the kids took the project next. My daughter, a designer to the core, got busy decorating her plane with markers. Her friend, a tinkerer at heart who has a soft spot for Legos, began iterating on the design to improve it!

As we folded, he asked me questions like, "On your Eagle, how did you make the wing tips?" And then he proceeded to invent his own series of planes with pointed noses, flat noses, and wing tips.

When my daughter jumped in to help him, I commented that they were iterating. I actually said, "Hey you guys are iterating! Do you know that word? It means that you're building a lot of planes to test new ideas and in order to figure out how to make it better. Can you say 'iterate?'" And then of course, they obliged me.

I swear, the teacher thing will probably never leave my soul! Do you ever find yourself in that mode?

Step Four: Take it outdoors

They tested their planes in the house and once they amassed a small fleet of planes, I heard, "Let's have an airplane show!!" So we took it outdoors to see what the planes could do.

Our friend guessed that the pointy-nosed planes would get more distance and said he was "amazed that the flat-nosed Eagle flew the best."

All in all, we spent a good hour on this project, and in the end not only did these kids have fun bonding and playing together, but they came away with some new design skills, tools for developing an innovator's mindset, and good ol' fine motor skill practice.

A question for you...

Did you ever make paper airplanes as a child? Where did you learn how to make them? And how did they fly?

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How to Make Paper Airplanes That Go Far | TinkerLab

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Have you ever made a paper airplane? Did you learn how to make it from a book? Or maybe it was from the kid you shared a desk with in the third grade? We tested a few designs, and one of them really stood out as a winner (I'll share it below).

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Toilet Paper Roll Craft

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The best Love bug craft for kids! I'm Kate and I blog over at The Craft Train, where we share crafty ideas for kids and parents. We are thrilled to be taking part in Red Ted Art's ' 31 Days of Love' series once again. Do browse the rest of the series for Valentine's Day Cards, Valentine's Day Decorations, Valentine's Day Treats or Valentine's Day Gifts... LOTS of ideas to inspire you.. and now to these adorable Toilet Paper Roll Love bugs! Too cute! We adore this Toilet Roll Craft for kids and these make a wonderful addition to all the TP Roll Crafts here on Red Ted Art.

Kids love hearts, glitter, flowers and being creative so it is understandable that they are attracted to making Valentines Day crafts. They don't really get the concept of 'true love' at this age, but that doesn't mean that they can't join in the fun and make some cool stuff. These Love Bugs are very simple to put together and the sky is the limit to how they can be designed and decorated. My five and six year old girls had a blast making these.

RED TED ART TV

You will need a few basic supplies to form the base of these bugs, but when you get to the decorating part you can use whatever you fancy (or whatever you happen to have in the cupboard).

For your TP Roll Love Bugs, you will need:

- Toilet rolls or paper towel rolls cut to size.
- Paint
- Googly eyes
- Pipe cleaners
- Beads
- Construction paper
- Tacky craft glue
- Marker pens
- Scissors
- Skewer
Optional extras:
- Pom poms
- Glitter or glitter glue pens
- stickers
- Washi tape

How to make TP Roll Love Bugs for Valentine's Day:

Paint some toilet rolls and allow them to dry. You can cut them down to a shorter length to get some smaller bugs if you like. We happened to have some ready-painted rolls stashed away in the craft box so we could get straight to the decorating.

First, an adult needs to poke six holes with a kitchen skewer for the pipe cleaner legs to go through - that's three down each side. Simply poke the skewer in one side and out the other three times.

Cut two pipe cleaners in half to get four pieces. Use three of the pieces to thread through the holes to make six legs, then attach a small bead to each end of the pipe cleaners to create hands and feet. You are now ready to add the details. You can also add some washi-tape stripes or decorate the body with stickers, markers, glitter glue etc.

To create the wings and antennae fold your piece of construction paper in half and draw a medium-sized heart for the wing shape and a small heart with a stem coming from the bottom for the antennae. Cut these out while the paper is folded in half so that you get two of each shape. Use tacky craft glue to attach the googly eyes and heart shapes last of all and leave to dry.

Aren't these little love bugs cute? Such a fun little TP Roll craft for Valentine's Day!

We made lots of them. As TP Rolls are so ready available, how could we resist to make more and more of these for Valentine's Day!

For loads more adorable Valentine-themed ideas why not visit our Be My Valentine board on Pinterest?

If you liked this craft you might also like...

Sparkly Paper Plate Dinosaurs Borax Crystal Ornaments Rock Cakes for Pretend Play
Fancy some Valentine's Day Treats?ideas, take a look at these -

or browse the 31 Days of Love posts here! Be warned, there are A LOT!!

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Toilet Roll Love Bugs for Valentine's Day - Red Ted Art's Blog

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Love bug craft - so cute and easy! You will want to make this Toilet roll craft for preschoolers today. Easy Valentine toilet paper roll crafts. We adore this Valentine love bugs!! The best Love bug art for kids. This Luv bug is so cute! Our favourite Loo roll crafts for Valentines!

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Pipe Cleaner People (5) - Red Ted Art's Blog

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If you want to introduce your child to stop motion animation, this post is written for you. I'll show you how to do this with an iPad or similar device, and you'll be making your first movie in minutes.

While my girls have been in a little bit of camp this summer, it's mainly been Camp Mom for our family: local adventures, crafts, and lots and lots of unstructured play. We're lucky to have some great neighbors with kids, and our girls have been lost in imaginative play that expands beyond the reach of anything I could possibly fabricate for them.

However, we've had a few mornings filled with creative projects and this stop motion animation project is a winner.

If you're looking for a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) project, this is for YOU!

Stop Motion Animation, explained

For the uninitiated, stop motion animation is a film making technique that makes inanimate objects appear to move on their own. Think Gumby or Wallace and Gromit.

To make it work, you place an object in front of a camera and snap a photo. You then move the object a tiny bit and snap another photo. Repeat this process twenty to ten thousand times, play back the sequence in rapid progression, and the object appears to move fluidly across the screen.

While my older daughter, age six, really flew with this project, her little sister who's just two months shy of four also got in on the stop motion animation action. I'll share their finished projects in just a moment. But first, let me show you just how simple this set up can be. Take this as a starting point and feel free to add your own flourishes.

Supplies for Stop Motion Animation
This list contains affiliate links for your convenience
Method

1. Set up a backdrop. This could be a wall or pice of foam core.

2. Gather toys to include in your animation.

3. Set up your touch pad or smart phone on a stand or tripod, across from the foam core.

4. Start the Stop Motion Animation App and make your movie!

The Stop Motion Animation Set Up

As you can see, there's nothing too fancy about the set up. While you could certainly add some elaborate lighting, we set this up by a window to keep it simple. I added the trash can behind the piece of foam core to keep it from falling over during filming. I know, super glamorous, right? Any heavy object should do the trick.

The kids had fun sorting through what we call the Character Basket for their just-right objects. My six-year old was up first, and my little one took it as an opportunity to play with cars and mini sheep while she waited her turn.

Using the stop motion app was really easy and intuitive. I did a demo run to show the kids how it worked, and then my six-year old took over and worked on her video for a solid half hour. When she was done, her little sister took over. I was surprised at how easy it was for her too.

Easy Stop Motion Ideas

My kids jumped in on this with tons of enthusiasm. Here are a few easy stop motion ideas that you can show to your children.

From three-year old R...

From six-year old N...

Benefits of Stop Motion Animation

Offers children ownership and autonomy in the film making process

Teaches children how stop motion animation works

Debunks the mechanics of how movie-making happens

The creative constraint of the medium encourages problem solving

It's a simple, hands-on technology that young children can achieve

Encourages children to project and plan out where a story is heading

Fosters iteration and experimentation through trying and testing

Supports storytelling

So, are you ready to give it a try?

More Stop Motion Resources

You can't really beat the classic stop motion animation of Gumby! Gumby on the Moon, YouTube. This would be an inspiring thing to show a child as an intro to stop motion animation.

Best Stop Motion Videos from Short of the Week. Lots of good inspiration here.

How to make things fly in Stop Motion Animation, using PhotoShop: YouTube. This is for the super-advanced students, and worth checking out if you're curious about how these things work.

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Easy Stop Motion Animation for Beginners | TinkerLab

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If you want to introduce your child to stop motion animation, this post is written for you. I'll show you how to do this with an iPad or similar device, and you'll be making your first movie in minutes.

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Aidan and I saw this idea on Pinterest from Crafts Ideas for Kids and decided to give it a try. He ended up modifying the design quite a bit, and this ended up being a fun building challenge that had him working for a long time!

To build a pinball machine, simply construct a "wall" of bricks. Use plenty of bricks with holes in them in your wall.

The moving pieces in the pinball machine depend on these two types of bricks:

Aidan put a row of flat bricks across the bottom and built compartments for the marble to fall into. He assigned each compartment point values based on how hard it was to get the marble in that one.

Aidan also wanted a way to launch the pinball. He made a lever for launching and built a path for the marble to travel up and over. It works really well!

In order to give the pinball game a slant, he put these pieces through some of the bricks with holes:

Then the game is propped up like this:

You don't really want the game slanted any higher than that because then it's hard to control the marble.

Check out this video demo of the pinball machine in action!
LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO® group of companies which does not sponsor. authorize, or endorse this site.

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Here's a fun LEGO® building challenge - build a LEGO® pinball game! Aidan and I saw this idea on Pinterest from Crafts Ideas for Kids and decided to give it a try. He ended up modifying the design quite a bit, and this ended up being a fun building challenge that had him working for a long time!

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You will need yarn.

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You need to ask for help with cutting the straws.

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As we continue our journey through Apologia Anatomy & Physiology, I have found lots of cool projects to keep us busy and to reinforce the lessons we are learning.

From my review of Supercharged Science in Spring of 2013, I remembered seeing a lesson with this project, and thought it would align perfectly with the unit that was studying all the muscles and tendons.

From this project, we learned that hands function because of the way the tendons are aligned. We found the tendon in our wrist that, when pressed, causes the fingers to twitch and curl. It is pretty amazing to study the handiwork of God and realize all that a hand is capable of performing.

We went to the Supercharged Science website and watched the lesson on how to build the robotic hand:

Then we gathered our supplies:

Supplies include:

cardboard

scissors

utility knife

bendable straws

string or yarn

thick rubber bands

hot glue gun and glue sticks

pencil

We traced an adult sized hand on cardboard and carefully cut it out:

We glued the bendable straws on each finger, so that the bendy part was on the hand and the long part of the straw was on the fingers. We trimmed the edges of the straw to align with the edge of the fingers.﻿

We took our pencil and marked on the fingers of the cardboard hand the location of the joints and knuckles from the real-life hand. Then we took the utility knife and carefully scored the back side of the hand on those lines, so that the fingers would curl and bend properly.

Using our pencil marks as a guide, we carefully sliced a section of the straw off (at 45 degree angles) where the joints are located. This helps the 'fingers' to bend properly as well.﻿

When we are done with all the joint cuts, it looks like this:

We took string and ran it through each straw, leaving a long tail out both the top and bottom of the straw. We cut the rubber bands so that ﻿they would be a long strip instead of a circle. At the top of each finger, we tied the string and rubber band ends together in a small knot.

Turning the hand over, and with fingers straightened out and laid flat, we hot glued the loose ends of the rubber band down to the back of the hand. The glue should only be right at the end of the rubber band. The rest of it needs to stay loose so that it can freely move and guide the fingers. The rubber bands help the fingers to return to their natural state after being curled up. ﻿

Once the hand was completed, we had lots of opportunity to 'play' with it and see how the tendons in a hand function, by pulling downward on the strings.

One of the favorite things to do with the hand was to make sign language letters and spell out words and phrases....or to say "I love you"!

This was a great project and we were very happy with the outcome. Everyone who has seen it is fascinated by it, and it clearly demonstrates the movements of a hand. I highly recommend this project!

Copyright 2012-2013 - "Be The One" - www.aclassofone.blogspot.com All rights are reserved. No text, photos, or content may be reproduced without direct permission from the author.

This post is linked with Apologia's Homeschool Science Share & Tell

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Apologia Anatomy & Physiology Unit Three: Build A Model Robotic Hand

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As we continue our journey through Apologia Anatomy & Physiology, I have found lots of cool projects to keep us busy and to reinforce the lessons we are learning. From my review of Supercharged Science in Spring of 2013, I remembered seeing a lesson with this project, and thought it would align perfectly with the unit that was studying all the muscles and tendons.

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We love our water colour paint sets. I mean, we really love them.

I don't think a week ever goes by when someone doesn't get out the water colours for a little painting. One of the big kids got them out on the weekend, and before long all four kids were busy filling the paper with colour.

With so much painting, there is always a pile of artwork in my study and recently I remembered a fun way to use it. Cleaning out some paperwork I came across an ancient photocopied sheet of instructions for making folded paper bracelets. I remember making these as a teenager, and I knew my kids would love to transform their paintings into wearable art so we got out the pile of paintings got to work!

To make a folded paper bracelet you need to begin by cutting lots of strips of paper. The strips need to be 12cms x 3cms (bigger or smaller as long as the size ratio is 1:4). We worked on our math skills counting by threes to rule up the paper and then I cut the strips with a paper cutter to make quick because you need a lot of strips! For each bracelet you'll need between 16 and 22 strips, depending on how big a braclet you want to make. We used 18 strips to make one big enough to fit over my ten year old's hands.

Begin by folding your strips into the basic shape, my six year old was good at this process.

Then you need to learn the basic construction technique. This is a little tricky but with help and supervision my girls (aged ten) were able to master the process after some learning time.

Once you've got the hang of it, keep adding strips. I suggest making the loop part of each strip a little on the large size when working with kids, it will look a little less neat and symmetrical when finished but it makes it much easier for kids to insert the next strip.

Keep adding strips...

And eventually you will have enough to make a bracelet, remember it needs to fit over your hand when it is done, so don't make it too small!

Our folded paper bracelets turned out even better than I remembered! The colours of the kid's paintings looked fabulous all folded together.

They would make an unusual and one of a kind gift don't you think!? We are working on folding a really big one to make a crown!

What do you do with your kid's artwork?

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How to Make Folded Paper Bracelets - Picklebums

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We love our water colour paint sets. I mean, we really love them. I don't think a week ever goes by when someone doesn't get out the water colours for a little painting. One of the big kids got them out on the weekend, and before long all four kids were busy filling the paper with colour.