There it is again…that buzzword, STEAM. Or STEM. In case you haven’t heard of this term, it stands for Science Technology Engineering Art and Math. It basically encompasses all the things that parents want their kids to excel in academically, minus the humanities (still waiting for that acronym).
I crafted these STEAM-inspired projects, invented by some of my fave STEAM experts out there, for Family Fun magazine. For the most part, you’ll likely have most of the materials, but for anything that you don’t have, I’ve included links below!
(Above) ThisBalance Sculpture by Babble Dabble Do is as beautiful as it is educational. Design yours with lots of colors or keep it monochromatic like this green one.
Generally, if I can use one upcycled material per craft, it’s a win. When I can nail down three upcycled materials, I feel like a magician! This upcycled lighthouse that doubles both as a nightlight and a bookend is one of the projects. All of the recycled materials are used relatively in tact, and they piece together beautifully to make this multi-purpose, satisfying craft.
If you have a kid that dreams of the ocean. loves boats, or has a thing for lighthouses of course, then this is your project.
What you’ll need:
One 10-ounce plastic bottle, empty and dry (mine was a Method Home hand-soap bottle, but you could also use a vegetable oil bottle)
To create the lighthouse’s gallery ledge, center the opening of the empty bottle on the tennis ball can lid and trace. Cut a slit into the plastic and cut out the circle. Set this aside.
Use the funnel to pour alternating layers of red and white sand into the bottle. (You can measure out even stripes or just eyeball it.) Fill all the way to the top and seal the opening with electrical tape.
Wrap electrical tape around the threaded part of the baby food jar, and color the bottom of the outside of the jar with the black permanent marker. Slip the gallery ledge around the mouth of the bottle.
To create the lighthouse’s lantern room, stand a tea light on top of the bottle and cover it with the baby food jar. (My jar lid sat perfectly atop the bottle and tea light, but if you find yours is less steady, use glue dots to keep it in place.)
The USPS is something that most of us have never questioned. It just exists and that’s the end of it. We all have a love/hate relationship with the mailbox…it brings holiday cards and party invitations, but also bills, IRS statements, and junk mail. But in all seriousness, we have to remember that the Post Office delivers medicine, food, stimulus checks, tax refunds, and, of course, mail-in ballots. The fact that this institution has existed since 1775 (Did you know that Ben Franklin was the first Postmaster General?) and serves every citizen equally and equitably, we need to do all that we can to make sure that it exists for all people, and for all reasons.
So here are some action items you can take to help keep the USPS alive and well!
Buy stamps! They say if just half the US bought a sheet of stamps ($11), the USPS would raise $1.5 billion immediately. Amazing.
Email, call or tweet your representatives! Ask them to speak out publicly on the issue and why the USPS is important.
Text USPS to 50409. After texting this number, Resistbot will send letters to your senators in support of the postal service. (I did it. So quick and easy!)
Teach your kids about Snail Mail...we did a post about it! Make postcards and send them to your friends and relatives!
Make a dental floss mailbox (instructions below) for your kids’ dollhouse! Ok, maybe it won’t do anything to help but it’s dang cute!
How to make your dollhouse mailbox: Just pull out and discard the empty floss wheel, paint the outer box blue, and attach small white letter stickers to the front. Use glue dots to attach to the side of the dollhouse.
Of all camp crafts that exist, I think none are more universal than the lanyard…or gimp…or boondoggle…or scoubidou! It was the first craft that we included in the Camp Wannabee kit and the most essential to learn if you want to call yourself a true camper!
Summer camp memories are full of loud cheers, splashing in the lake, and, let’s not forget…s’mores! The love of s’mores is timeless…I love making them as much today as I did when I was a kid.
My daughter and I did a fun little DIY Instagram Live last night, showing friends how to make these happy little s’mores. Check it out!
And if you LOVE camp crafts as much as we do, head over to the Project Kid shop page and take a look at Camp Wannabee…it’s a crafty summer camp that comes home to you!
Here are the materials that you need to make your s’more:
Cut two cardboard squares, about 2 1/2 inches square. Cut one 2-by-2-inch cardboard square.
Use a pencil to poke holes on the top of one piece of cardboard to resemble graham crackers. Draw a line down the center. (If you want to make it into a hanging ornament, poke a hole up through the center of the “graham cracker” and make a little loop.)
Thread needle and knot the end. Stitch eyes and mouth onto felt (or other white fabric). To make the eyes, we made tiny asterisk shapes (*) and we did the backstitch to create the mouth.
Wrap white fabric around the pom-pom (or cotton balls), and glue it in the back.
Wrap brown thread or yarn around the small piece of cardboard to make the chocolate. If you don’t have brown thread or yarn, you can cover it with brown felt, or even just paint it brown.
Glue the chocolate to the bottom cardboard, then the marshmallow on top, and finally the top graham cracker.
As part of Project Kid’s collaboration with the Museum of the City of New York, we focused on fun “Summer in the City” craft activities that would keep kids busy with materials that they could find around the house.
The fourth and final video in this series will go live on August 5, 2020, celebrating the 100th birthday of Brooklyn’s most famous ferris wheel…Deno’s Wonder Wheel! Using upcycled materials kids can learn to make their very own model of the Wonder Wheel and also learn about its interesting history.
Click here to register for the streaming event, and don’t forget to post your final projects on Instagram, tagging #ProjectKid!
Tie-dye is back in a big way! With camps closed and parents playing camp-counselor in the backyard, tie-dye is a great activity on a hot summer day.
Here are three easy and fun tie-dye techniques that I developed for Parents magazine. (Click on the link to see more!)
1.Rosette Tie-Dye
Start by laying a T-shirt flat. Pinch a 2-inch section through both layers and rubber-band it. Push your finger down through the rubber band to make a donut shape, and repeat as many times as you want. Submerge in tie-dye bath.
2. Diagonal Striped Tie-Dye
To make it, lay the T-shirt flat and fold it accordion-style from the bottom corner. Once folded, wrap with rubber bands every 1 to 2 inches. Dip in all one color or in two bowls of different colors.
3. Bulls-Eye Tie-Dye
Lay the T-shirt flat. Pinch center of the garment and rubber-band both layers, about 1 to 2 inches from center. Continue applying rubber bands in this pattern about 1 inch apart from each other. To make it 2-toned, dip one end in one color dye, and the other end in another color dye.
Friends! I am so excited to announce a new partnership that has been in the works for a while with our friends at the Museum of the City of New York. If you have been to this institution, then you know how special it is. From street photography to activism to urban planning and everything in between (I’m looking at you, Basketball!), MCNY displays the most beautiful and comprehensive exhibitions about the most interesting, compelling aspects of New York City.
In an effort to attract families with younger kids to the museum, MCNY came to me looking for engaging ways to do it. As much of the country is on hold right now, so are the major initiatives of the partnership, but there was one thing we could do remotely…produce videos to entertain your kiddos at home!
The first video in the series, launching July 15th, is called Frozen Treats, City Streets, and it’s about exactly that…the history of ice cream and New York City! I’ll be showing you how to make three ice-cream crafts, and the education department from the museum will join in with some facts and info that will most definitively entertain your kids! It’s free but registration is encouraged!
The following three will launch on July 22, 29, and August 5th. Stay tuned for more details about those coming soon!
Summer 2020 is shaping up to look a lot different than any summer we have ever seen. Kids all over the country are mourning the loss of their beloved weeks at summer camp. (And let’s not kid ourselves, parents are pretty bummed too!)
Introducing Camp Wannabee: The Cure for Cabin Fever! The Project Kid team has been hard at work, developing this care package that is sure to cure even the most severe cases of camp-sickness! It will transport your kids to the place where they want to be, Camp Wannabee!
Each lovingly assembled kit includes:
6 individually packaged craft kits
Lanyard keychains
Gods’ eye materials
Cute bug magnet
DIY campfire nightlight
Miniature wheat grass wooden planter
Tie-dye bandana project
3 Stamped postcards to send to your CFFs (camp friends forever)
Canteen Cash coin-pouch keychain
Bug Juice collapsible cup
3 Button pins
1 Crafting tray
1 Miniature clipboard
Click HEREto place your order today! The kits are available for pre-order NOW over on Projectkid.com, and will be ready to ship the week of July 6th.
If left to their own devices, we know what devices our kids will use! These crafts will keep them busy, unplugged, and feeling sweet nostalgia for their summer place.
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word cactus? Ouch, is right. Cacti are not the type of plants you want to cuddle up with at night…unless of course they are made from soft and friendly pom-poms!
These mini cacti make for a great craft that your kids can make on their own…no tools that would hurt them (hi hot-glue guns!) and the instructions are so easy.
Head over to Oriental Trading’s Fun 365 and get all the steps to this cute craft that will have your windowsill lined with a cactus collection in no time!
To make it, lay the T-shirt flat and fold it accordion-style from the bottom corner. Once folded, wrap with rubber bands every 1 to 2 inches. Dip in all one color or in two bowls of different colors.
