This article was originally published by LAParent.com
If your child’s school is closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, you’ll be looking for some boredom busters. These fun kid crafts from our friends at Lakeshore are all available in the Free Resources section at LakeshoreLearning.com.
Ladybug Rocks Children
ages 4-8 can create these little critters that make any space a happy place!
You will need:
- Smooth stones, washed and dried
- Acrylic paint: black, red and a variety of other colors All-purpose paintbrush assortment
- 2 wiggly eyes for each ladybug
- Washable fine-tip markers
- Acrylic matte sealer spray
- Glue
Directions:
1. Wash and dry the stones.
2. Paint the stones red for realistic ladybugs or any other color for fantasy bugs. Put aside to dry.
3. Use black paint to make a half-moon shape along the top of the stone for the head.
4. Use a fine-tip black marker to draw a line from the midpoint of the head down the center of the bug.
5. Use the black paint again to add spots on both sides of the center line.
6. When the paint dries, an adult should spray the stones with acrylic sealer spray. Set aside to dry.
7. Attach wiggly eyes to each bug with white craft glue.
Fish in the Sea Counting Game
Little ones ages 3-7 make and decorate their own game board, then play a fast-paced game that helps reinforce counting skills.
You will need:
- Egg carton
- 1 pint blue washable liquid tempera paint
- 9-by-12-inch blue construction
- Fish-shaped crackers
- Markers
- Sea life stickers
- Scissors
Directions:
1. Cut the lid off of your egg carton.
2. Paint the egg carton blue. Set it aside to dry.
3. Once the paint is dry, decorate the outside of the egg carton with sea life stickers. If you don’t have stickers, you can cut sea animals out of construction paper and glue them to the carton.
4. Write the numbers 1-12 on the inside bottom of each egg cup.
Use the carton to practice counting with your child! Count out the correct number of fish crackers for each egg cup. For example, count out one fish and place it in the cup labeled “1,” two fish for the “2” cup, and so on.
To practice addition, play this simple game:
- Start with your egg carton empty.]
- Roll two dice. Place that number of fish in the egg cups. (For example, if you roll a 4 and a 2, place 4 fish in the “4” cup and 2 fish in the “2” cup.)
- Count your fish to see how many you have in all.
- Clear out your egg carton “ocean” and roll again.
Recycled Robots
Celebrate National Robotics Week (April 4–12) and Earth Day with these fun-to-make robots for ages 5-10!
You will need:
- Recycled boxes of varying sizes (empty macaroni boxes, toaster pastry boxes, small cereal boxes, etc.)
- Colored foil sheets
- Colored wiggly eyes
- Fancy pipe stems
- Glue
- Glitter glue painters
- 9-by-12-inch Construction Paper in a variety of colors
- Scissors
- Collage buttons, collage beads or other collage materials
Directions:
1. Have your child select a recycled box to use for the robot.
2. Invite your child to cover the front, back, top and sides of their boxes by gluing on the colored foil sheets. (You may want to complete this step in advance for younger children.)
3. Encourage children to decorate the robot using the glitter painters, construction paper (cut into shapes they choose), wiggly eyes and a variety of collage materials (buttons, beads, bolts, gems, etc.).
4. Have your child glue pipe stems to the top of the box robot for antennae and to the bottom for legs.
Spring Wind Socks
Children ages 5-8 can welcome the breezy days of spring with whimsical wind socks they make themselves.
You will need:
- 12-by-18-inch construction paper
- Safety Scissors
- Washable broad-tip markers
- Crayons
- Art tissue paper
- Stapler
- Yarn
- Paper streamers
- Hole punch Directions
1. Invite children to pick out their favorite color of construction paper and decorate it using
markers, crayons, tissue paper and other collage materials.
2. Roll the paper into a cylinder and staple it shut. Next, staple long strips of paper streamers around the bottom edge.
3. Punch three holes around the top of the cylinder and tie a piece of yarn through each hole. Tie the three strands of yarn together.
4. Encourage children to hang their wind socks outdoors—and watch them “fly”!
Brilliant Butterfly
Children ages 5-8 make and decorate their own colorful butterfly friend using all sorts of fun craft materials.
You will need:
- 12-by-18-inch white and brown construction paper Washable liquid tempera paint
- Scissors
- Washable glitter tempera paint
- Stapler
- Glue
- Wiggly eyes
- Spangles and sequins
- Yarn laces with tips
- Butterfly Template
- Hole punch
- Recycled paper
Directions:
1. Fold a sheet of white construction paper in half so it measures 9- by-12 inches.
2. Unfold and drip several different colors of tempera paint on one half of the paper. Then fold the paper along the original crease and press down so that you smear the paint between the two halves. Unfold and set aside to dry.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with a second sheet of white construction paper.
4. Use the Butterfly Template to trace and cut out butterfly wings from each piece of painted construction paper. Paint the edges of the wings silver. Allow to dry.
5. Place the wings back-to-back and staple together around the edges, leaving a small opening.
6. Stuff your butterfly with recycled paper, then finish stapling the two sides together.
7. Trace and cut out the butterfly body and two antennae from brown construction paper.
8. Glue the antennae to the body and glue the body to the wings.
9. Embellish with spangles and sequins. Glue on wiggly eyes.
10. Punch a hole near the top of the butterfly and tie a loop of yarn through to make a hanger. Display your butterfly anywhere!
Caterpillar Garden Critters
Introduce your children ages 3-6 to the fun of reusing and recycling with this creative project.
You will need:
- Empty egg cartons (cut into strips of five cups each) Puffy pipe stems
- Colored wiggly eyes
- Flexible foam shapes
- Glue
Directions:
1. Give each child an egg-carton strip.
2. Invite them to select a pair of wiggly eyes, two pipe stems and some flexible shapes to decorate their caterpillars.
3. Instruct your child to glue the pair of wiggly eyes onto the front of the caterpillar.
4. Help them stick the pipe stems into the carton strip above the eyes. (You may need to use scissors to poke holes in the carton strip first. Pull the pipe stem through the hole and bend the end of the pipe stem to secure it.) Invite your child to twist, bend or curl the pipe stems to form antennae.
5. Encourage children to use the flexible shapes to decorate the caterpillar.