Colouring and crafts

The colourful parrot

Give new life to all those empty toilet paper rolls that end up in your recycling bin! Not only will you have fun crafting it, but you'll also add a nice splash of colour to your table by decorating your water bottles with this beautiful feathery creature.

Materials required

1. Materials required
2. Red card stock (for the parrot's body and tail)
3. Yellow card stock (for the beak)
4. Scissors
5. Felt markers
6. Feathers of different colours (green, blue, yellow, white and orange)
7. White glue and rubber cement

Steps

1. Using red card stock, cut out a 10 cm (H) x 15 cm (W) rectangle for the body and a 9 cm (H) x 3 cm (W) rectangle for the tail.
   
2. Using felt markers, draw eyes on the larger rectangle (in the centre and about 1.5 cm from the top).
   
3. Fold the yellow card stock in half and draw a triangle 4 cm high and with a 3 cm base, with the base along the fold.
   
4. Cut out your triangle, then open it: it's the parrot's beak.
   
   Using white glue:
5. Apply glue to the back of the red card stock and wrap it around the toilet paper roll. Hold it in place until it sticks properly.
   
   
6. Glue the fold of the beak under the eyes and let it dry.
   
7. Glue the tail to the back of the parrot about 3 cm from the bottom and let it dry. Your parrot should have a train about 6 cm long.
   
   Using rubber cement:
8. Glue feathers around the head on the inside of the toilet paper roll.
9. Glue feathers on each side to form wings.
10. Glue feathers on the tail for a nice decorative touch.

Rubber cement will give you better results and make the feathers last longer. If, however, your child is younger than 6 years old, it's preferable to apply the glue yourself. Plain white glue will do the job, but your parrot will eventually end up losing its feathers!

Valentine gift: Quilt-style frame

For a nice change from ho-hum greeting cards, help your kids make this heart-shaped frame with a traditional quilt look. All you need is a metal coat hanger and a few ends of coloured fabric from old clothing, curtains or sheets. You can also recycle ribbons saved from Christmas presents. It’s a real original gift to express our love and affection for others ... and our planet!

1. Start by preparing the armature for the kids to work with. Using a pair of pliers with a wire-cutter edge, cut off the hook of the metal coat hanger below the spiral twist (figures 1 and 2), and attach the ends with duct tape (figure 3). Bend the rod into the shape of a heart. A plastic drinking glass will help you shape the rounded parts. The heart shape doesn’t have to be perfect. The cloth will hide any imperfections.
   
2. Cut strips of cloth in different colours and textures. Strips should be about 15 x 5 cm (6 x 2 inches – figure 4). The size can vary, depending on the effect you want. Try a few and see what works best for you. Don’t forget, the more types of cloth you have, the more striking the quilt effect will be!
   

3. To decorate the armature:

   1. Fold a cloth strip in two.
   2. Lay the strip on the armature, at right angles (perpendicular) to the rod, leaving a loop (the folded centre) outside the heart shape and the two ends pointing inward (figure 5).
      
   3. Hold the two ends together and fold them under the rod (figure 6).
      
   4. Slip the ends through the loop (figure 7), and pull tight to make a bow.
      

   It’s a good dexterity exercise for small children!

4. Attach enough strips, tying them next to each other, to cover the armature thoroughly.
5. To finish, add one longer strip of cloth at the centre of the heart to hang a photo of your child.
   Hang on the wall, and feel your heart swell with pride!
   

The magic of Christmas at your fingertips

Get your little elves to help you prepare for Christmas by crafting some pretty ornaments for the tree. As a bonus, you can recycle the rest of your wrapping paper or those old Christmas cards sitting at the bottom your drawer.

Materials required

1. Cardboard
2. Wrapping paper or Christmas cards
3. Scissors and white glue
4. Colouring pencils, paint, stickers, glitter and other decorative elements
   (if desired)
5. Mod Podge glue (if desired)
6. A hole punch
7. Some ribbon or a hook

Steps

1. Draw the shape of your ornament (circle, star, tree, etc.) on the cardboard and cut it out. For more complex shapes, use cookie cutters or pre-existing models.
2. Reproduce the shape twice on wrapping paper or Christmas cards, making sure to centre the pattern or image within the shape, then cut out the two shapes. These don't need to display the same pattern: you can just as easily use two different cards or pieces of wrapping paper.
3. Glue the two cut-outs to each side of the cardboard.
   Variation: You can cut out only one pattern or image from your wrapping paper or card, glue it to the centre of your cardboard, and decorate the outline as you see fit. Another option would be to use a picture of Igor that's been coloured by your children.
4. For a glossier, more durable finish, coat each side of the decoration with a layer of Mod Podge glue and let dry.
5. Make a hole at the top of the decoration with a hole punch, slide a ribbon or hook into the opening, and hang it from the tree!

Besides brightening up your tree, these decorations make original labels for gifts (leave a blank space on one of the sides to write the person's name) or cute napkin rings (attach a ribbon to each side of the decoration and tie it around the napkin).

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most terrible of all!

On Halloween night, hang this "mirror" near your front door or in your hallway. Chills are guaranteed for all the little monsters who dare to look at their reflection! And if you’re planning to throw a children’s birthday party with a "strange creatures" theme, here’s a project you can use to decorate the room where the activities will take place:

Materials required

1. Stiff cardboard
2. Red cardstock
3. Black cardstock
4. Aluminum foil
5. Scissors, glue, a white pencil and adhesive tape

Steps

1. Cut a rectangle measuring 30.5 cm x 60 cm out of stiff cardboard. A discarded box from your recycling bin will do.
2. Cut a sheet of aluminum foil of the same size.
3. Apply some glue throughout the cardboard’s surface and stick the foil to it. Let dry.
4. To frame your mirror, cut four narrow strips out of red cardstock:
   • two measuring 30.5 cm x 3 cm (for the top and bottom of the frame)
   • two measuring 54 cm x 3 cm (for the left and right sides of the frame)
5. Glue the four red strips onto your mirror.
6. With a white pencil, trace some Halloween shapes* on the black cardstock which you’ll cut out and stick to each corner of the mirror using adhesive tape. This way, they can be removed later and replaced with other shapes after Halloween, if you wish

*If you lack inspiration, these patterns depicting witches, ghosts and pumpkins can help you out. You could also substitute a picture of Igor that’s already been coloured by your little one.

Origami: Hopper the frog

Once completed, Hopper the frog jumps around, delighting kids. This easy origami project requires only a rectangular piece of paper, preferably green for greater realism. For best "hopping" results, use thick paper.

A dotted line indicates where to fold. An arrow indicates the direction of folding.

1. Fold the sheet in two inward along the length, then reopen it.
   
2. Fold the upper-left corner (point A) down onto point B, then the upper right corner (point C) down onto point D. Unfold the sheet again. When held flat, it should have three folds.
   
3. At point E, where the three folds intersect, fold the paper outward and away from you. Make sure the fold is even, then open the paper again.
   
4. Hold the sheet of paper at points F and G and bring the two sides toward the centre at point H. Flatten the top of the triangle. You’ll see that the folds automatically do the work!
   
5. Your origami project now resembles a small house. Lift the two triangles of the roof (points I and J) and fold them up to join point K.
   
6. Fold each side into the centre, in the way you would close cupboard doors.
   
7. Bring the bottom half of the sheet up to the top, so that the edge lines up with the centre of the diamond.
   
8. Now, fold the flap down and in half.
   
9. Place the origami frog upright and make it jump by pressing down on its back and releasing.
   

Papier-mâché: Turn old news into works of art!

Do you have lots of old newspapers lying around? Why not put them to creative use by making papier-mâché? Your children will love this fun and earth-friendly activity! Other than newspaper, all you need is some flour and water:

Non-toxic glue

1. In a bowl, whisk together 1 cup of cold water and ½ cup of flour. Add more water for a thinner glue and more flour for a thicker glue.
2. In a saucepan, heat 5 cups of water.
3. When the water begins to boil, reduce heat and add the flour and water mixture. Simmer on low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Build your shape

1. Cut or tear the newspaper into strips or pieces.
2. Soak each strip or piece in the glue mixture, then remove excess glue by pulling the paper between your fingers.
3. Place the strips or pieces on top of one another to build your desired shape.

Once the papier-mâché is ready, the possibilities are endless! Your children can create masks, jewellery boxes, hats and treasure chests, to name a few ideas. You can even make figurines. Add shredded newspaper to the glue mixture, then sculpt the paste into any form you like!