Craft
Let It Snow
Difficulty: Medium
Preparation Time: 1-2 hours
Materials
A label-free, clear yogurt cup
Playdoh
Toothpicks
White cotton balls
Iridescent candy wrappers
Thin string
A few small beads
Scissors
Glue
A round chopstick
When Life Gives You Lemons
Materials:
1 cup sugar
Pot
1lt cold water
6 lemons
Knife
Measuring cup
Ice cubes
Pitcher
Wooden spoon
Sprig of mint and slice of lemon for garnish.
To Dye For
DIY Tips:
• Protect your clothes and hands by wearing a smock (a plastic garbage bag will do) and thick rubber gloves.
• Most dyes found in Beijing are not typically used for tie-dye, so the colors will run after the first wash.
• Teach your kids about mixing colors: combine red and blue dyes to create purple.
• When dosing the white shirt with color, be sure the dye fills the creases. More is better here; the whites of the shirt should not be visible.
It's Hip to Be Square
Science Snapshot:
Water and oil are not good friends - they don't mix. Oil is less dense (meaning lighter) than water, so it floats on top. When the effervescent tablet or bicarb soda drops into the colored water, a chemical reaction begins - producing carbon dioxide bubbles. These bubbles surround droplets of colored water making them momentarily less dense than the oil. They rise up through the oil, until they hit the surface and the bubbles pop. The heavier water then drops back down through the oil to the bottom of the jar. Real lava lamps use two liquids that are very close in density, or weigh about the same, but don't mix. The heavier liquid down the bottom is heated, which causes it to become less dense and to rise to the top of the lamp. As the heated liquid rises, it cools down, becomes more dense and starts to sink.
Friction Action
Time: 30 minutes plus decorating time
Difficulty: Easy
Materials
20cm x 20cm piece of cardboard
Two 5cm lengths of drinking straw
String (natural fibers work best)
Scotch tape
Scissors
Colored pens, pencils, crayons or paints
Gingerbread Men
Making this simple paper chain is a wonderful way to spend time with the kids. After the finishing touches have been added to your happy gingerbread men, hang them anywhere you like, then just sit back and admire your handy work.
Materials:
Long length of construction or craft paper
Scissors
Pen
Markers, glitter and stickers to decorate
Difficulty Level: Easy
Time: 15 minutes
Decorative Delights
Why brave the throngs of holiday shoppers and fight over the last of the Christmas tree ornaments, when you can spend an afternoon making your own with the kids? These fun decorations make for great Christmas presents, perfect for sending home to Grandma.
Get Pressed
Making your own paper is a fun way to recycle all of that scrap paper lying around the house. Thick, homemade paper is perfect for birthday or Christmas cards and is a great way to spend a cold winter's day with the kids.
Secret Agent Man
Ever since kids first started raiding wardrobes for dress-up costumes, there's been a market for fake mustaches. Whether your little ones are secret agents, cops or cowboys, a good set of whiskers will always come in handy.
Materials:
Newspaper
Scissors
Scotch tape
Plain heavy stock paper
Heavy black paper
Exacto knife
Glue
Chopstick
Colored scrubbers
Double-sided tape
