Kids Projects for home

Badger Encounters in the Wild book
Superb book of Jim Crumley's encounters with badgers in the wild in Scotland. The quality of the writing is superb. A great  read. Click here to buy: Encounters in the wild

When the kids get home from school, recycle some of your waste materials from around the house and try out these projects.

Milk Carton Bird Feeders		Juice Carton Crayon Box
Rinse out an empty plastic milk carton with a lid. Cut a window in the front of the jug, and make two small holes for the perches. Insert old pencils (or dowels) for perches and fill the bottom of the jug with bird seed.		Wash and dry an empty cardboard juice carton and cut off the top. Using bits and pieces of masking tape, have the children tape up the entire carton, covering all sides, the more tape the better. Use crayons to colour the masking tape box. The tape makes the box sturdier and will make a great crayon holder for their desk.
Birthday "Wish" Bank		Magazine House
To encourage your kids to save money for a particular item, help them make a "Wish" Bank. Rinse out an old coffee jar and cut a narrow slot in the top (for coins). Drill a medium-sized hole in the top (for bank notes!). From an old catalogue, cut out what the kids want, and stick the pictures round the jar leaving enough room so they can see their savings. Each time they add money to the can, they are contributing a little bit more to the "wish" item. A great way to teach kids to save money!		Using an old catalogue or magazine, cut out pictures of chairs, tables, curtains, bathroom fixtures and other furnishings. Spread out a newspaper or large sheet of drawing paper or the back of an old sheet of wallpaper. Sketch an "open sided" house. Have children place the pictures of the furnishings in the rooms of their choice. They can cut out more pictures to redecorate their house, cut out pictures of people, toys, pets, anything they like!
Alphabet Catalogue Collage		Paper Towel Rain Makers
Using old toys, clothing, and plant catalogues, have the kids cut out colourful pictures that begin with a specific letter of the alphabet. Assign different letters to each child. Have them glue the pictures onto a piece of card. Discuss the pictures afterward.		Young kids love noise makers. Colour, paint, and decorate paper towel rolls. Cover one end of a paper towel roll with waxed paper and close it off with a tight rubber band. Pour a handful or two of dried beans (split peas work well) in the open end, close open end the same as the other. Poke grids of toothpicks through the rolls at different intervals to add a "rain shaker" sound.
Paper Towel Tube Holders		Paper Plate Holders
Decorate a paper towel tube with paint, markers, glitter, stickers, card and crayons. This becomes a colourful carrying tube. Roll their pictures up and put inside to take to their teacher, grandparents, friends, or relatives. Some special pictures could be for their Grandparents, a special aunt or uncle, or even for a brother or sister.		Using two paper plates, cut one plate in half and place on top of the other plate (turn the half plate to form a pocket over the whole plate). Use a paper punch to make holes going around the outside of the plate. Use scraps of wool and "sew" through the holes of the plate. Start and end at the top of the plate so that it can be extended about six inches and tied. Have your children colour, paint or decorate their plates. Now they have their very own place to put prized possessions, notes from Mum and Dad, special pictures and more.
Treasure Shoe Box		Shadowboxes
Decorate an old shoe box and lid with card, markers, paint, glue and glitter, crayons, goggly eyes, stickers, lace, doilies, or whatever else you can find. Be sure to put the child's name inside the lid. This box make a great box for treasures found out in the yard, on the way home from school, or anywhere else your children "hunt".		Either paint the inside of a shoebox with black or dark blue poster or acrylic paint; or, glue black card inside the box. Using white crayons or stickers, make a night scene with stars and the moon on the black background. Use small plastic toys to create a scene inside your shadowbox, or make your own with card and glue. Cut out small pictures from colouring books and colour and stick to your scene. Hang a spaceship or shooting star with a piece of string and glue.
Create a Story		Number Fun
If you have several children together, this can be great fun. Give each child two or three pieces of paper. Have them each draw a picture and write a sentence. When finished, see if they can put it together to form a story. New pages can be created as you go along. A book cover can be made from two pieces of card, a hole punch, and wool yarn. Look at our Colour Me In page for examples of things to colour in		Pick a number from one to ten. Write it on a piece of paper. Ask the children to draw sets of things in that number. If the child get number four, have them draw four apples, four trees, four dogs, and so on. Have them colour their pictures with crayons and markers.
Animal Jumble		Pet Rocks
Using card or white paper, ask each child to drawn a different body part of an animal, but to have their animal be a secret. For example, have one child draw the head, another draw the tail, another the legs and so on. let the children pick the animal they want to draw. When they are done have then put the animal together with tape or glue. Have fun coming up with a name for the animal (monk-dog-lion-potamus).		Find smooth, flat or round stones or rocks. Be sure to clean off any dirt or sand and dry completely before starting. Paint with acrylic paints. Decorate faces by using goggle eyes, yarn for hair, markers, glitter, and any other bits you like. You can then use them as nice-looking paperweights to keep all your homework or paperwork in place.