A clown, a dragon, a pumpkin, or a pirate. You can be any of these things by making yourself a paper-mache mask.
Model a face out of clay. If you’d like a clown mask, give your clay face a large nose and big ears. Then make a pan of homemade paste by mixing together ¼ cup of flour and 1 cup of water. Cook the mixture over low heat for a few minutes, or until the paste becomes glossy. If you are going to use the paste right away, leave it in the pan. Otherwise put it in a jar and store it in the refrigerator so that it won’t spoil. A teaspoon of alum also helps to keep the paste from spoiling, but you wont need it if you make the mask right away.

Next, tear sheets of newspaper into strips about an inch wide and several inches long. Soak the strips in a bowl of water. Then cover the entire clay face with overlapping strips of wet paper. For the other layers, dip each piece of newspaper into the pan of paste before putting it onto the mask. Cover the entire mask with about six layers of newspaper. Be sure that you have put the strips of paper in different directions so that the layers are criss-crossed, and that you have given the entire mask its full six layers. If you miss any area, your mask will have a thin spot that may tear. Allow the mask to dry for several days and then lift it off the clay model.

Cut the eyeholes with a sharp knife. You can also cut a little hole for breathing. And a slit in the mouth if you wish. After removing the mask, allow the inside layers to dry for another day or two. Then paint the mask with poster paints. If you want the mask to have a shiny surface, paint or spray it with clear shellac.

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Make some thumbprint art!

Kids will love making their thumbprints, and what’s more, they can make little creatures with them, like a spider, a ladybug, frog, caterpillar, etc! They will love it. There are tons of things you can do with thumbprints.

What you need:

Washable stamp pads – they come in a wide variety of colors, get them at a craft store
Markers, thin permanent markers will work best
Wipes for your Child’s thumb, so that the print does not get everywhere.

You can make many different things, but we will show you how to make a spider, a butterfly, and a ladybug

Start off with the black ink pad, and place the child’s thumb onto the pad. Then place the print onto the paper. Use the marker to make the leg come out from the sides of the print. You should make four legs from each side. Now, most spiders have eight eyes, but for this spider we shall make two eyes. Then we shall add a smile. You can also make a line coming out of the spider for a web.

Butterfly

Take some pink inkpads, or orange, or whichever you choose. Place your thumb onto the inkpad, and them place it onto the sheet. Then use your pinky, and place it onto the inkpad. Then make 2 wings on each side with the pinky. Then use the marker to make some antenna. Use the marker to make eyes and a big goofy smile. Also use the marker to decorate the wings. You can then sue the marker to make some dotted lines below the butterfly to show where it has been flying.

Now for a ladybug

Take the red inkpads, and use your thumb to place the print onto the paper. Then draw the feet with the marker. Make three on each side. Then draw a straight line across from where the first food is. Then from the middle of that line, draw a straight line down. Then draw the ladybug dots in the two wings you have just made, they are symmetrical dots. Then draw the antenna, and some eyes and a smile.

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Predict the future for your friends! This is a very fun activity that may allow for hours of enjoyment and fun.

You will need

• 1 square piece of paper

1. Fold each corner to the middle of the paper.
2. Turn the paper over and again fold the corners to the middle of the paper
3. Turn the paper over again so that you are looking a four flaps of paper. Color each flap a different color or write the name of a different color on each flap
4. Turn over the fortune-teller again and write a number on each of the eight triangles on the four flaps.
5. Lift each flap and write a fortune for each triangle

How to use you fortune teller

1. Fold your fortune-teller in half, as shown, and insert your fingers. The flaps with the colors should appear on top. Pinch you index finger and thumb together on each hand and pull to open your fortune-teller one way. Press your two index fingers together and your thumbs together and push them apart to open your fortune teller the other way
2. Ask a friend to pick a color. Spell the color out loud, opening your fortune-teller in alternating directions with each letter
3. On the last letter, leave your fingers together so that the fortune-teller is open. Ask your friend to pick one of the numbers shown. Count to that number opening your fortune-teller in alternating directions with each number.
4. On the last number, leave your fortune-teller open and ask your friend to pick another number that is shown. Lift up the flap and your friends fortune will be revealed.

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Potato printing – how to make your own handmade stamps

You will need:

• Several small dishes
• Paper towels
• Ink tempera paint or food coloring
• Potato
• Knife
• Paper

1. First you will need to make the ink pads for your stamp. Line the bottoms of several small dishes with a few layers of paper towels, trimming the parts of the towels that hang over the edge
2. Soak the towels with ink, tempera pain t, or food coloring, using a different dish for each color you want to use.
3. To make your stamps, cut a potato in half and carve a design into the flat end of the potato. You will need to cut away the parts you don’t want to print, and you will need to carve letters backwards.
4. Press your design into one of the colored inks and stamp the potato onto gift wrap, stationary, book jackets, greeting cards, shelf paper, or anything that you think deserves your special stamp.

How to make a boomerang

You will need:

• Tracing paper or thin white paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Stiff cardboard
• 2 books

1. Carefully copy the boomerang shape shown here onto tracing paper and cut it out. Transfer the shape onto the cardboard by tracing around this thin paper pattern. Cut out your boomerang from the cardboard.
2. 
3. To launch your boomerang, put it on the back of your hand with the long end hanging over the edge. Snap it sharply with your index finger, and it should curve away from you and then return.
4. If you have trouble with this method, create a launching pad with two books. Put your boomerang on one end of the books with the long end hanging over the edge. Lift up the end of the book opposite to the boomerang and put the second book underneath this end. The book on top should form a ramp that slopes gently toward the boomerang. Snap the boomerang off the book by flicking its tip with the eraser end of a pencil.

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Everyone loves messing around with play dough! It’s so fun to create interesting looking sculptures. Moreover, its even more fun if its homemade play dough!

Here we have both a non-edible version of play dough and an edible version! Do not confuse the two.

Nonedible play dough

You will need:

• Bowl
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• ¾ cups water
• Food coloring

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl
2. Add the oil and a few drops of the food coloring to the water
3. Pour the water mixture slowly into the flour mixture, kneading with your hands until it becomes soft and doughy
4. Make anything you want with your play dough! Use this time to make some fun projects with family and friends
5. You can dry your projects in a 250 degree oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Or you can let them air dry. When the play dough is dry, decorate the clay with poster or acrylic paints.

Edible Play dough

Who wouldn’t want to have their cake and eat it too. In this case, you can make a fun and cool looking play dough sculpture and then eat it!

You will need:

• Bowl
• 2 cups powdered dry milk
• 2 cups sooth peanut butter
• 1 cup homey

1. mix the ingredients together in a bowl and stir until well blended.
2. make projects for your family and friends or create interesting edible party favors
3. projects can be decorated with raisons, shredded coconut, or other treats. These projects cannot be saved. They are made to be eaten! So don’t get to attached to the creation

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A simple way to make hundreds of craft projects.

You will need:

• Rectangle of thick cardboard, 9×12 inches
• Scissors
• Safety pin
• Strips of cloth, ¼ to ½ inch thick

1. Cut notches ¼ inch apart into the 9-inch sides of the cardboard. Tie a strip of cloth to one corner of the cardboard, and then wrap it back and forth between the notches. Tie the other end of the strip at the corner of the rectangle that is diagonally across from the one you began with. You have now made you loom
2. Attach another strip of cloth to the safety pin and close the pin. Begin weaving by threading the pin under the first strip at the top of your loom. Push the pin over the next strip, then under the one after it. Continue in this way, over and under, all the way across the loom
3. When you reach the end of your loom, weave back the way you came, looping the cloth strips. This time, however, go under each strip you went over the first time, and over each strip you went under
4. Continue this for each row you want to weave, pulling the cloth strip over and under the loom. Make sure not to pull the strip too tight, or the edges of your final product will not be even
5. Once you have woven few rows, push the rows snugly together. If you come to the end of a strip of your weaving material and want to keep weaving, tie on a new strip with a strong double knot.
6. When you have finished weaving, be sure you are at the end of a row. Tie each end of your cloth to the loom strip next to it and lift both strip ends off the loom. To remove your work from the loom, bend down the tabs between the notches and slide the loom out.
7. You can also break the loom by cutting it in half and removing the pieces.

Some fun ideas for weaving projects:

Pot holder: weave 2 squares of the same size out of a candle wicking. Sew the two squares together and tie a loop to one corner of your pot holder so that it can be hung up

Place mat: make the notches on your loom 1/8 inch apart so that the weave will be finer. Use soft cotton string for both the loom and your weaving material.

Pocketbook: use thick cloth strips in a rectangular loom. When you have finished weaving, fold the rectangle and sew the sides of the pocketbook up. Add a snap so that your pocketbook will stay closed.

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Liven a handmade card with a surprise, by making it pop up! Instead of going to the store and buying one, you can make your own! A cheaper and more heart felt solution to cards.

You will need:

• 2 pieces of paper, 8 ½ by 11 inches each
• Scissors
• Pens, pencils, markers, crayons, etc
• Glue

Directions

1. Fold both pieces of paper in half but put one piece aside
2. Cut two straight lines about 1 inch apart into the folded edge of the paper, make the cut in the middle
3. Fold the flaps you have just cut and make a crease, then unfold it
4. Unfold the folded paper and press the strip in the middle down until it pops through to the other side. Turn over the paper and refold it in the middle. Make sure that the pop up strip remains on the inside of the car.
5. Draw and cut out a small figure to attach to the pop up strip in your card. Glue it to the bottom half of the flap on the inside. You can make a witch for Halloween, or a present for a birthday, or a clown, a present, your choice.
6. Glue the other folded paper to the back of your card with the pop up strip. Be careful not to put glue on the strip itself
7. Now add drawings and words to the inside and outside of your card to complete it.

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Here is a fun fact, did you know that in 2007 Ontario, Canada created the worlds biggest snow globe to promote tourism? It was a two-story 20 foot wide snow globe!

Building a snow globe is a fun activity for a cold winter day.

• You will need:
• A jar (glass) with a lid
• Select a small ornament/figure (make sure it is rust proof) that you want to use – you
• may also choose to make your own with clay
• Some glitter (white)
• Some aquarium silicone sealant
• One-eighth of a teaspoon of glycerin
• A small bowl or wood block for the base
• Some water (distilled) - you may also boil regular water to make distilled water

Optional :

• -you can make glitter by breaking up the shell of a hard boiled egg
• -Some food coloring

How to make it:

1. Take either the white glitter or the eggshell glitter and measure the amount by pouring it into the jar.
2. Then use the silicone sealant to glue the figure or clay figure to the inside of the jars lid. Let this dry for a little over 12 hours.
3. Take the distilled water and slowly pour it into the jar until it almost touches the top.
4. Then add in the glitter you have measured and the glycerin to the jar.
5. Then screw the lid onto the jar, turn the jar over and shake it. You may add more glitter if you need too or add in a drop of food coloring.
6. Then take and squeeze a very thin layer of silicon sealant onto the threads of the lid before you screw it on.
7. Lastly, glue the snow globe you have just made to the base. Tadaaaa, you have just made a snow globe.

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