Arts & Craft Ideas
A Happy Mess
for the Entire Family
Just make sure you clean up everything afterwards 🙂
Homemade Flubber
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup cold water
- 1 cup Elmer’s glue
- Liquid food colouring
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon borax
- Two mixing bowls
Directions:
- In bowl 1: mix the cold water, glue, and food colouring. Set aside.
- In bowl 2: mix the hot water and borax, until the borax dissolves.
- Slowly add the borax mixture to the glue mixture and mix well. Pour off any excess water.
- Have fun!
Easy Homemade Playdough
Ingredients per colour:
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 tbsp cream of tartar
- ¼ cup salt
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 packet drink mix (kool-aid)
- Food colouring (optional to make brighter)
Directions:
- Mix flour, cream of tartar and salt in a bowl
- In a mixing cup, add warm water and drink mix, stir until dissolved
- Add water to flour mixture and stir well. Let sit for 5 minutes
- Knead on a floured surface until it is no longer sticky
- Lasts in airtight container for up to two weeks!
Floating Popsicle Stick Boat
Supplies:
- Popsicle sticks
- Paper straws
- Scrapbook paper
- Hot glue gun
Directions:
- Line six popsicle sticks vertically in a row for the bottom of the boat
- Cut two popsicle sticks in half and glue three of them to the top, center and bottom of the boat base (horizontally).
- Add two more popsicle sticks vertically to the bottom of the boat
- For the sail, cut a paper straw in half. Then, cut out a triangle shape from the scrapbook paper.
- Punch holes in two corners of the triangle and then slide the straw through both of the holes – this creates the sail.
- Then, glue the sail to the boat by using the hot glue on the bottom of the straw and gluing it to the base of the boat.
Air Dry Clay
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 1 cup baking soda
- ¾ cup warm water
- Wax paper
- Small cooking pot
Directions:
- Combine corn starch, baking soda, and warm water in a small cooking pot and bring it to a boil while stirring consistently. Once boiling, turn stove to medium and keep stirring until it becomes thick.
- Remove from stove and let cool in a bowl. Cover bowl with saran wrap as it dries quickly.
- Once you have made your shapes, let dry on a floured surface overnight, flipping them once in the morning.
Paper Bag Monster Puppet
Supplies
- Paper lunch bag
- Colored paper
- Markers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Googly eyes (optional)
Directions:
- Use your colored paper, markers, and googly eyes to design a unique monster
- Let your creativity take over! Think eyeballs, teeth, pointy ears, and fun patterns.
- Once your monster is complete, put on a cute puppet show!
Pop Bottle Firefly
Supplies:
- Water Bottles or Pop Bottles
- Glow sticks
- Tissue paper
- Pipe cleaners
- Foam sheets
- White glue
- Googly eyes
Directions:
- Cut the tissue paper into strips and brush a layer of white glue onto the center of your bottle
- Put the tissue paper onto the glue, then brush on another layer of white glue
- Once it’s dry, wrap three pipe cleaners around the bottle and twist to form legs
- Cut two wings out of the foam and glue it to the top
- Place the glow sticks inside the bottle
- Attach googly eyes on the lid and twist another pipe cleaner around the neck of the bottle to form antennas
Popsicle Stick Airplane
Supplies:
- Popsicle sticks
- Clothespins
- Hot glue
- Markers and/or paint
Directions:
- Design two popsicle sticks for the wings of the plane using paint or markers, then design half a popsicle stick for the rudder of the plane.
- Design the body of the plane with the clothespin using markers and/or paint
- Glue one popsicle stick to the top of the plane, and one to the bottom of the plane, so they are lined up together.
- Glue half a popsicle stick to the back of the plane
Soup Can Flower Pot
Supplies:
- Empty label-less soup cans
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Plant/flower
- Soil
Directions:
- Paint the outside of the soup can to desired design and let dry
- Add soil to the inside, along with flower or plant
Cardboard Jet Pack
Supplies:
- Cereal boxes
- Paint and/or construction paper
- Toilet paper rolls
- Tissue paper (optional for wake of jetpack)
Directions:
- Glue construction paper on, or paint the cereal box to desired colour
- Add details to the “jet pack” (i.e. stripes)
- Glue or tape toilet paper roles to bottom for exhaust pipes
- Optional: add tissue paper for the wake of jetpack out of the exhaust pipes
Cardboard Bowling
Supplies:
- 10 toilet paper rolls
- Red marker or paper
- Ball to bowl with
Instructions:
- Optional: paint the toilet paper rolls white
- Add two red stripes on the top of each “pin” using either red marker or red paint
- Find a small ball to bowl with (i.e. tennis ball)
- Line up the pins and have fun!
Egg Carton Helicopter
Supplies:
- One egg carton
- Card stock
- Acrylic paint & paint brush
- Brad clips
- Glue
Instructions:
- Cut out shapes to make a helicopter. You will need a round cup for the body, a pointy piece cut in half for the tail, and a rounded piece for the top to attach the blades to. Paint the pieces all one colour except for the windscreen that will be in white. Set aside to dry.
- For the blades, cut our strips from cardstock approximately 1/3 inch x 2 1/3 inch.
- Glue the blades into a cross shape and cut a tiny slit in the top using a craft knife. Then poke a hole in the top piece of the egg carton. Secure the blades to the top with a brad clip
- Glue the helicopter body to the tail and you’re all done!
Milk Carton Village
Supplies:
- Milk cartons
- Toilet paper rolls
- Construction Paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers
Directions:
- Create a village out of cartons (police station, hospital, housing, schools)
- Using glue sticks to glue together
Glove Monster
Supplies:
- Old or unused gloves
- Buttons
- Markers or fabric markers
- Cotton (for stuffing) or spare paper
Directions:
- Use buttons or other household items for the eyes of the monsters
- Add a mouth with household items
- Stuff the glove with cotton or spare paper to create the “body” of the monster