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Let’s Save the USPS!

August 17, 2020
Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Older Elementary, Upcycled

diy mailbox craft

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!
  1. Buy stamps! They say if just half the US bought a sheet of stamps ($11), the USPS would raise $1.5 billion immediately.  Amazing.
  2. Email, call or tweet your representatives! Ask them to speak out publicly on the issue and why the USPS is important.
  3. 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!)
  4. Teach your kids about Snail Mail...we did a post about it! Make postcards and send them to your friends and relatives!
  5. Diversify your lemonade stand offerings and sell stamps like these kids in San Francisco!
  6. 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 a dollhouse mailbox
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.

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DIY Crafty S’more

August 7, 2020
Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Older Elementary, Summer, Tween to Teen, Upcycled, Yarn & Fabric

smore diy craft camp kids

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.

cardboard and felt s'more craft for kids

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:

s'more craft materials

  1. Cut two cardboard squares, about 2 1/2 inches square. Cut one 2-by-2-inch cardboard square.
  2. 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.)
  3. 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.
  4. Wrap white fabric around the pom-pom (or cotton balls), and glue it in the back.
  5. 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.
  6. Glue the chocolate to the bottom cardboard, then the marshmallow on top, and finally the top graham cracker.

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DIY Ferris Wheel Craft

August 3, 2020
Activities, Everyday Crafts, Older Elementary, STEM, Summer, Toys, Tween to Teen, Unplugged Time

diy ferris wheel craft project kids

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.

how to make a ferris wheel upcycled materials

Click here to register for the streaming event, and don’t forget to post your final projects on Instagram, tagging #ProjectKid!

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Easy Tie-Dye Techniques

July 23, 2020
Activities, Early Elementary, Family Bonding, Grown-Up, Jewelry and Fashion, Older Elementary, Outdoor Fun, Summer, Tween to Teen

heart tie dye kids project summer

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

easy tie dye for kids

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

easy tie dye for kidsTo 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

easy tie dye for kids

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.

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