Now that we are in the month of May, let's enjoy some time outdoors. There are picnics, gardens, amusement parks, museums, houses being built, farms and petting zoos! There are Cinco De Mayo and Mother's Day to celebrate as well!
Mother's Day Vase Card!
Let's build a magic tree house!
After catching some fish or relaxing at the pond, perhaps it's time to travel to the beach with sand!
Let's visit the botanical gardens! The flowers are pretty and you may seem some live creatures in the gardens, such as earthworms and frogs!
Botanical Gardens!
Happy Cinco De Mayo! After all the planting and gardening, it's time to enjoy some tacos!
Paper Tacos!
Paper Maracas
It's so nice outside! It's a nice day to go bird watching! Let's see if we can observe birds in the trees with their nests!
Birds in Their Nests!
Supplies: One paper plate, blue tissue paper, brown tissue paper, card stock, scissors, hole puncher, construction paper (white and yellow), one cotton ball, fake grass, feathers, crayons/markers and glue/tape.
Directions:
1. Cover one half of the paper plate in blue tissue paper. This will resemble the sky. Cover the other half in brown tissue paper and this will resemble the bird's nest.
2. Attach brown and some green fake grass onto the brown part of the plate. This will become the bird's nest.
3. Cut out a few egg shapes from white paper and attach them onto the top of the nest.
4. Cut out a bird shape from card stock and punch a hole onto the top with a hole puncher for the eye. (If you wish, you can just draw in an eye or attach a googly eye instead of punching a hole).
5. Using crayons/markers, draw in a face onto the bird or just color in a beak.
6. Attach feathers onto the bird.
7. Attach the bird onto the blue half of the plate on top of the paper eggs to make it seem as if the bird is laying eggs in the nest.
8. Cut out a small yellow piece of paper in the shape of a sun and if you wish, draw a face onto the sun. Attach the sun onto the top of the blue part of the plate.
9. Attach a cotton ball onto the top of the blue part of the plate to resemble a cloud.
Enjoy bird watching!
Let's go on a picnic!
Supplies Needed: One paper plate, tissue paper, construction paper, tin foil, one pipe cleaner, cut outs of a dinosaur and other creatures from online or drawn by hand, crayons/markers, glue/tape and scissors.
Directions:
1. Fold a paper plate in half and then stand it up vertically.
2. Cover the inside front of the paper plate with tissue paper of any colors of your choice.
3. Using scissors and construction paper, cut out shapes of bones, dinosaurs, a whale, a butterfly, fossils, a planet, rocks and anything else you like to see at a museum of natural history.
4. Using crayons or markers, color and decorate the creatures, planet and anything else on the display in any color or pattern of your choice. If you would like a butterfly in your exhibit, then take a half of a pipe cleaner, fold it and twirl it into a swirly strip and glue/tape it onto the middle of the butterfly.
5. Take pieces of tin foil the size of your hand and crush each one into a ball. These can resemble glittery rocks.
6. Once you have colored and decorated all of the objects, glue or tape them onto the front of the paper plate in any way you wish. Now you have your exhibit!
7. If you wish, you may type up or write up little rectangular labels of the names of everything in your exhibit, such as "Blue Whale", "Silver Rocks", "Planet", "Dinosaur", etc.
8. If you wish to embellish your exhibit with anything else, feel free to do so!
Supplies Needed: A paper plate, green tissue paper, blue/aqua tissue paper, green construction paper, computer printouts or outlines of images of pond creatures, such as a frog, duck, tadpole, turtle and a person walking a dog by the pond (if you wish), crayons/markers, glue/tape, scissors and Easter grass.
Directions:
1. Cover the paper plate with tissue paper. Preferably, the green tissue paper should be glued/taped around the edges of the plate to resemble grass and the blue paper should cover the center to resemble water of the pond.
2. Color the cut outs or outlines of creatures found in or around a pond, such as a turtle, frog, tadpole, duck, etc. You may also add a human figure walking a dog on a leash if you wish.
3. Glue/tape green Easter grass around the edges of the plate to resemble tall grass.
4. Glue/tape the cut outs onto the center (blue tissue paper) or around the edges of the plate depending on your preference and the type of creature.
5. If you wish to make any of the cut outs stand up, you may glue/tape a small folded "L" shaped piece of card stock against the back of the picture to make a support and then glue/tape the bottom of the "L" support onto the plate so that the picture stands up.
Enjoy the paper ponds below created by the children at the library!
Mother's Day Vase Card!
Supplies: Card Stock, Scissors, Green Pipe Cleaner, Crayons/Markers, Tissue Paper, Glue/Tape and anything else of your preference.
Instructions:
1. Fold a letter-sized sheet of card stock in half. The card stock can be in any color you would want.
2. Cut out an outline of a vase from both sides of the folded card stock and make sure the two vase shapes stay attached together on one end. If you can, stand up the vase shape and it should stand up like a card.
3. Cut out flower shapes from card stock. Cut out pieces of green pipe cleaner. Attach each flower shape on one end of a green pipe cleaner. Cut out leaf shapes from green card stock and attach leaves onto each pipe cleaner below each flower shape. You now have flowers.
4. Attach the flowers onto the top inside of the vase card. The flowers should look as if they are blooming from the vase.
5. You may decorate your vase and flowers with stickers and pieces of Tissue Paper.
6. If you wish, open the card and write a Mother's Day message.
Enjoy the Mother's Day cards below created by the children at the library!
Let's build a magic tree house!
Supplies: One rectangular box, blue tissue paper, green tissue paper, brown construction paper, a cardboard square, string, one small strip of card stock, crayons/markers, glue/tape, scissors, 2 images or stick figures of children (one boy/one girl) and a small print out of the words, "Magic Tree House."
Directions:
1. Cover the inside of the box with blue tissue paper. This will be your background of the sky.
2. Cut out a square piece of card board into the shape of a tree house and cover it with brown construction paper. Draw any design that you wish on the tree house.
3. Attach the tree house shape into the top of the box.
4. Cut out small strips of brown construction paper and glue/tape pieces of green tissue paper onto the brown strips. This will be the tree branches with the leaves.
5. Attach the tree branches onto and around the tree house to make it seem as if there are tree branches around the tree house.
6. Cut out a rectangle out of brown construction paper and color a ladder design on it. Attach one end of the rectangle at the bottom of the tree house and the other end at the bottom of the box to make it seem as if there is a step ladder to climb up to the tree house.
7. Cut out a small piece of string. Cut out a strip of card stock and attach the ends of the card stock together so that a circle is formed. Tie one end of the string onto the circle and then attach the other end of the string onto the bottom of the tree house so that it looks like a hanging tire swing.
8. Download or draw 2 stick figures resembling children and attach them onto the top and/or bottom of the tree house to make it seem as if they are playing in or around the tree house.
Enjoy the magic tree houses pictured below created by the children in the library!
Wow, the tree house came out nice! It feels like a magic tree house! There is a nice view of the pond from the tree house! Let's go fishing and swimming!
Fishing in a Pond Craft!
Supplies: One paper plate, blue tissue paper, green tissue paper, card stock, one small piece of pipe cleaner, cardboard, 2 stick figure people images, glue/tape, scissors, one hole puncher and crayons/markers.
Instructions:
1. Glue/tape blue tissue paper in the middle of the plate. Make sure the blue tissue paper covers most of the center of the plate. This will resemble your water in the pond.
2. Attach smaller pieces of green tissue paper around the edge of the plate to resemble bushes, grass or plants around the pond.
3. Cut out a rectangle shape from cardboard and color any design on it. Attach the piece of cardboard onto the center of the plate. This will be your raft/boat.
4. Cut out 5 small fish shapes from card stock of any color. Color in and decorate your fish shapes. Punch one hole in one of the fish. Make sure the hole is at the front of the fish where the mouth would be.
5. Attach 4 of the fish shapes onto the plate in the blue part. Now you have fish swimming in the pond.
6. Cut out 2 stick figures of people and color them in. Attach them onto the raft/boat. You may need to attach each of them to a small strip of card stock or cardboard so that they can stand or sit up vertically in the raft. The strip will be the support. Attach each stick figure onto each strip and then attach the bottom of each strip onto the raft.
7. Take a piece of pipe cleaner and slide it through the hole in the last remaining fish. Attach the pipe cleaner with the fish onto the hand of one of the stick figures. This will make it seem as if the people on the raft/boat are fishing in the pond!
Enjoy the paper ponds below created by the children at the library!
After catching some fish or relaxing at the pond, perhaps it's time to travel to the beach with sand!
Botanical Gardens!
Supplies: One paper plate, fake grass, tissue paper, construction paper, pom pom, glue/tape and crayons/markers.
Directions:
1. Cover a paper plate with brown tissue paper. This will resemble your dirt/soil.
2. Glue/tape some fake grass around the edges of the plate.
3. Cut out flower shapes from construction paper.
4. Cut out green small rectangle shapes for the leaves and stems. Attach the rectangles together to resemble stems with leaves. (One in a vertical direction for the stem and one horizontally for the leaves).
5. Attach each flower head to a stem with leaves.
6. You may draw in a decoration onto a flower head or attach a pom pom to a flower head to make it more lively.
7. Bend the bottoms of the paper flowers and attach the bottoms of the flowers onto the center of the plate onto the paper soil. You may bend the stems in any way to make the flowers stand up. (Pop-up flowers.)
8. Cut out small, slender shapes from pink paper and draw faces on one end of them. These will be your earthworms. Attach the worms onto the plate in between the flowers.
9. Cut out a small rectangle from green paper. Bend the paper 3 times and then draw a face on top. Attach a small, slender piece of red/pink paper onto the top under the face. This will be your frog with a tongue sticking out. Attach the paper frog onto the plate next to a flower.
10. If you wish, crumple pieces of green tissue paper and attach around the edges of the garden to resemble small bushes.
Enjoy the gardens below created by the children at the library!
3. Cut out flower shapes from construction paper.
4. Cut out green small rectangle shapes for the leaves and stems. Attach the rectangles together to resemble stems with leaves. (One in a vertical direction for the stem and one horizontally for the leaves).
5. Attach each flower head to a stem with leaves.
6. You may draw in a decoration onto a flower head or attach a pom pom to a flower head to make it more lively.
7. Bend the bottoms of the paper flowers and attach the bottoms of the flowers onto the center of the plate onto the paper soil. You may bend the stems in any way to make the flowers stand up. (Pop-up flowers.)
8. Cut out small, slender shapes from pink paper and draw faces on one end of them. These will be your earthworms. Attach the worms onto the plate in between the flowers.
9. Cut out a small rectangle from green paper. Bend the paper 3 times and then draw a face on top. Attach a small, slender piece of red/pink paper onto the top under the face. This will be your frog with a tongue sticking out. Attach the paper frog onto the plate next to a flower.
10. If you wish, crumple pieces of green tissue paper and attach around the edges of the garden to resemble small bushes.
Enjoy the gardens below created by the children at the library!
Happy Cinco De Mayo! After all the planting and gardening, it's time to enjoy some tacos!
Paper Tacos!
Supplies: One paper plate, construction paper (yellow/orange), small shredded pieces of scrap construction paper (the colors brown, red, green, yellow and orange are preferred), crayons/markers, glue/tape, scissors, green tissue paper and one cotton ball.
Directions:
1. Using crayons/markers, color in a design onto a paper plate.
2. Using scissors, cut out 3 circles from yellow or orange construction paper. Fold each circle. These will resemble your folded taco shells.
3. Color in designs or faces onto your paper taco shells.
4. Glue/tape the paper shells next to each other onto the plate.
5. Stuff each shell with shreds of scrap construction paper. Red shreds can resemble tomatoes, brown shreds can resemble meat, green shreds can resemble lettuce, yellow/orange shreds can resemble cheese, etc.
6. Cut out a small piece of construction paper into the shape of a rectangle or square. (Any shape of your choice is fine.) This will resemble a smaller dish or tray.
7. Crumble up a small piece of green tissue paper and attach it onto the smaller dish. Attach a cotton ball onto the small dish as well. This will be your small side dish of guacamole and sour cream.
8. Attach the small side dish onto the side of the plate next to the tacos.
Enjoy the paper tacos below created by the children at the library!
Paper Maracas
Supplies: Toilet paper tubes, popsicle sticks, construction paper, fake grass, pompoms, small pieces of old broken crayons, scissors, crayons/markers and glue/tape.
Directions:
1. Wrap a toilet paper tube in construction paper but leave the top open.
2. Decorate the tube by drawing a face or design on it. Attach pompoms or stickers for more decorations.
3. Place some broken crayon pieces into the tube and close up the top of the tube by folding up the top and taping over it. (The broken crayon pieces will make noise when you shake the tube, just like a maraca.)
4. Attach some fake grass onto the top of the tube for more decorations or hair for the face.
5. Attach a popsicle stick onto the back of the tube but make sure enough of the tube is sticking down at the bottom so that you can hold the stick with the tube in your hand.
6. Shake the maraca tube and have fun on Cinco De Mayo!
Enjoy the maracas below created by the children at the library!
It's so nice outside! It's a nice day to go bird watching! Let's see if we can observe birds in the trees with their nests!
Birds in Their Nests!
Supplies: One paper plate, blue tissue paper, brown tissue paper, card stock, scissors, hole puncher, construction paper (white and yellow), one cotton ball, fake grass, feathers, crayons/markers and glue/tape.
Directions:
1. Cover one half of the paper plate in blue tissue paper. This will resemble the sky. Cover the other half in brown tissue paper and this will resemble the bird's nest.
2. Attach brown and some green fake grass onto the brown part of the plate. This will become the bird's nest.
3. Cut out a few egg shapes from white paper and attach them onto the top of the nest.
4. Cut out a bird shape from card stock and punch a hole onto the top with a hole puncher for the eye. (If you wish, you can just draw in an eye or attach a googly eye instead of punching a hole).
5. Using crayons/markers, draw in a face onto the bird or just color in a beak.
6. Attach feathers onto the bird.
7. Attach the bird onto the blue half of the plate on top of the paper eggs to make it seem as if the bird is laying eggs in the nest.
8. Cut out a small yellow piece of paper in the shape of a sun and if you wish, draw a face onto the sun. Attach the sun onto the top of the blue part of the plate.
9. Attach a cotton ball onto the top of the blue part of the plate to resemble a cloud.
Enjoy bird watching!
Let's go on a picnic!
Paper Picnic
Supplies Used: One toilet paper tube, construction paper, card stock, fabric, pipe cleaner, scissors, glue/tape and crayons/markers.
Instructions:
1. Wrap a toilet paper tube in construction paper in any color of your choosing.
2. Using scissors, cut out wing shapes from card stock or construction paper. Cut out 6 strips of paper for the legs as well.
3. Glue/tape the wings and legs all along the top of the tube.
4. Cut out a piece of fabric in the shape of a triangle and glue/tape the fabric onto the wings to resemble a cape.
5. Cut out a small piece of pipe cleaner and bend it into a "V". Glue/tape the "V" onto the top front of the tube to resemble antennae for the bug.
6. Draw a face onto a small piece of paper and attach it to the front of the tube to resemble the bug's face.
7. Adorn your super bug with any other decorations of your preference.
8. Enjoy the super bugs below created by the children at the library!
Let's visit a farm and pet the animals in the petting zoo!
Paper Petting Zoo!
Paper Bag Houses
Let's visit the Museum of Natural History and build an exhibit!
Museum of Natural History Diorama
Supplies Used: Card Stock, Fabric, Pictures of Ants, Crayons/Markers, Glue/Tape and anything else you wish to use to embellish the picnic.
Instructions:
1. Glue a large piece of fabric onto a letter sized sheet of card stock. The fabric will resemble a picnic blanket on the ground.
2. Using a green crayon or marker, draw green lines or swirls on the edges around the blanket to make to seem as if there is grass on the ground.
3. Cut out 2 circles from card stock and glue or tape them onto the blanket. The circles will be your plates.
4. Cut out small square pieces of fabric and either roll them up or just fold them up. Use glue/tape to make them stay folded or rolled.
5. Glue/tape the folded or rolled fabrics onto the blanket next to the plates to resemble napkins.
6. Cut out small pieces of brown or tan fabric. Cut out smaller pieces of red, green, yellow and other colors of your choice to resemble condiments on a sandwich. Place all of the smaller pieces of fabric onto the brown or tan piece of fabric and fold up the brown or tan fabric around the other pieces to create a sandwich. Do all of this again if you want more sandwiches.
7. After holding the sandwiches together with glue/tape, glue or tape the sandwiches onto the plates.
8. Fold a piece of brown paper and glue/tape the paper onto the blanket to resemble a picnic basket.
9. Cut out small utensils such as a knife and fork from card stock or construction paper. Glue/tape the utensils onto the blanket next to the plates.
10. Download images of ants from online, print them and cut them out. Glue/tape the paper ants on the blanket to resemble ants at a picnic.
1. Glue a large piece of fabric onto a letter sized sheet of card stock. The fabric will resemble a picnic blanket on the ground.
2. Using a green crayon or marker, draw green lines or swirls on the edges around the blanket to make to seem as if there is grass on the ground.
3. Cut out 2 circles from card stock and glue or tape them onto the blanket. The circles will be your plates.
4. Cut out small square pieces of fabric and either roll them up or just fold them up. Use glue/tape to make them stay folded or rolled.
5. Glue/tape the folded or rolled fabrics onto the blanket next to the plates to resemble napkins.
6. Cut out small pieces of brown or tan fabric. Cut out smaller pieces of red, green, yellow and other colors of your choice to resemble condiments on a sandwich. Place all of the smaller pieces of fabric onto the brown or tan piece of fabric and fold up the brown or tan fabric around the other pieces to create a sandwich. Do all of this again if you want more sandwiches.
7. After holding the sandwiches together with glue/tape, glue or tape the sandwiches onto the plates.
8. Fold a piece of brown paper and glue/tape the paper onto the blanket to resemble a picnic basket.
9. Cut out small utensils such as a knife and fork from card stock or construction paper. Glue/tape the utensils onto the blanket next to the plates.
10. Download images of ants from online, print them and cut them out. Glue/tape the paper ants on the blanket to resemble ants at a picnic.
Enjoy the paper picnics below created by the children at the library!
Let's observe the super bugs flying around!
Super Bug!
Supplies Used: One toilet paper tube, construction paper, card stock, fabric, pipe cleaner, scissors, glue/tape and crayons/markers.
Instructions:
1. Wrap a toilet paper tube in construction paper in any color of your choosing.
2. Using scissors, cut out wing shapes from card stock or construction paper. Cut out 6 strips of paper for the legs as well.
3. Glue/tape the wings and legs all along the top of the tube.
4. Cut out a piece of fabric in the shape of a triangle and glue/tape the fabric onto the wings to resemble a cape.
5. Cut out a small piece of pipe cleaner and bend it into a "V". Glue/tape the "V" onto the top front of the tube to resemble antennae for the bug.
6. Draw a face onto a small piece of paper and attach it to the front of the tube to resemble the bug's face.
7. Adorn your super bug with any other decorations of your preference.
8. Enjoy the super bugs below created by the children at the library!
Let's visit a farm and pet the animals in the petting zoo!
Paper Petting Zoo!
Supplies Needed: Construction Paper, Card Stock, Printouts of Animals, Fake Grass, One Paper Plate, Cotton, Fabric, a feather, Scissors, Glue/Tape and Crayons/Markers.
Directions:
1. Color in the printouts of the animals or if you wish, you can print out pictures of animals using a colored printer.
2. If you wish, you may adorn the animals with fur or feathers by using a small piece of fabric or a fake feather or cotton. (For example, you may use a small piece of tan fabric and place it on the horse to make it seem as if the horse has real hair/fur. You may use cotton to place on the sheep to make the paper sheep feel soft to the touch. You may attach a feather onto a hen/rooster for more of a touch and feel texture.)
3. Attach each animal onto a piece of card stock.
4. Bend the bottom of each piece of card stock and attach the bottom of it onto the paper plate. This should make each animal appear as if they are standing up.
5. Attach fake grass onto the plate around the paper animals.
6. Cut out a longer piece of card stock into the shape of a rectangle. Write or print the words, "Petting Zoo" onto the top of the rectangle.
7. Bend the bottom of the rectangle and attach the bottom onto the plate. (This will be your petting zoo sign).
8. Cut out or download an outline of a human hand. Color in the hand and attach it onto the front edge of the plate. This will resemble a hand petting the animals.
1. Color in the printouts of the animals or if you wish, you can print out pictures of animals using a colored printer.
2. If you wish, you may adorn the animals with fur or feathers by using a small piece of fabric or a fake feather or cotton. (For example, you may use a small piece of tan fabric and place it on the horse to make it seem as if the horse has real hair/fur. You may use cotton to place on the sheep to make the paper sheep feel soft to the touch. You may attach a feather onto a hen/rooster for more of a touch and feel texture.)
3. Attach each animal onto a piece of card stock.
4. Bend the bottom of each piece of card stock and attach the bottom of it onto the paper plate. This should make each animal appear as if they are standing up.
5. Attach fake grass onto the plate around the paper animals.
6. Cut out a longer piece of card stock into the shape of a rectangle. Write or print the words, "Petting Zoo" onto the top of the rectangle.
7. Bend the bottom of the rectangle and attach the bottom onto the plate. (This will be your petting zoo sign).
8. Cut out or download an outline of a human hand. Color in the hand and attach it onto the front edge of the plate. This will resemble a hand petting the animals.
Enjoy the Petting Zoos below created by the children at the library!
Let's browse some new houses that were just built
on our way home from the petting zoo!
Paper Bag Houses
Supplies Needed: One Paper Bag, Card Stock, Crayons/Markers, Scissors, Glue/Tape and stickers.
Instructions to be posted later:
Enjoy the paper bag houses below built and decorated by the children at the library!
Let's visit the Museum of Natural History and build an exhibit!
Museum of Natural History Diorama
Supplies Needed: One paper plate, tissue paper, construction paper, tin foil, one pipe cleaner, cut outs of a dinosaur and other creatures from online or drawn by hand, crayons/markers, glue/tape and scissors.
Directions:
1. Fold a paper plate in half and then stand it up vertically.
2. Cover the inside front of the paper plate with tissue paper of any colors of your choice.
3. Using scissors and construction paper, cut out shapes of bones, dinosaurs, a whale, a butterfly, fossils, a planet, rocks and anything else you like to see at a museum of natural history.
4. Using crayons or markers, color and decorate the creatures, planet and anything else on the display in any color or pattern of your choice. If you would like a butterfly in your exhibit, then take a half of a pipe cleaner, fold it and twirl it into a swirly strip and glue/tape it onto the middle of the butterfly.
5. Take pieces of tin foil the size of your hand and crush each one into a ball. These can resemble glittery rocks.
6. Once you have colored and decorated all of the objects, glue or tape them onto the front of the paper plate in any way you wish. Now you have your exhibit!
7. If you wish, you may type up or write up little rectangular labels of the names of everything in your exhibit, such as "Blue Whale", "Silver Rocks", "Planet", "Dinosaur", etc.
8. If you wish to embellish your exhibit with anything else, feel free to do so!
Enjoy the museums of natural history exhibits created
by the children at the library!
Now that we built our exhibits at the Museum of Natural History, it is now time to step outside, take a walk and relax by a colorful pond!
Paper Pond Creation
Supplies Needed: A paper plate, green tissue paper, blue/aqua tissue paper, green construction paper, computer printouts or outlines of images of pond creatures, such as a frog, duck, tadpole, turtle and a person walking a dog by the pond (if you wish), crayons/markers, glue/tape, scissors and Easter grass.
Directions:
1. Cover the paper plate with tissue paper. Preferably, the green tissue paper should be glued/taped around the edges of the plate to resemble grass and the blue paper should cover the center to resemble water of the pond.
2. Color the cut outs or outlines of creatures found in or around a pond, such as a turtle, frog, tadpole, duck, etc. You may also add a human figure walking a dog on a leash if you wish.
3. Glue/tape green Easter grass around the edges of the plate to resemble tall grass.
4. Glue/tape the cut outs onto the center (blue tissue paper) or around the edges of the plate depending on your preference and the type of creature.
5. If you wish to make any of the cut outs stand up, you may glue/tape a small folded "L" shaped piece of card stock against the back of the picture to make a support and then glue/tape the bottom of the "L" support onto the plate so that the picture stands up.
Enjoy the paper ponds below created by the children at the library!
After visiting the creatures at the pond, it is now time to visit the botanical gardens that look like palaces with plants! It's time to smell the roses!
Plant Palaces
This post first appeared on Deanna's Delightful Library Crafts And Activities, please read the originial post: here
