EASTER CRAFTS
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Paper Mache Eggs
paper mache paste
balloon
tape
1-inch pieces newspaper, newsprint or paper toweling
pie tin
paint brushes
colored tissue paper (optional)
shellac
Paper mache recipe
1 cup water
Mix in 1/4 cup flour until thin and runny
Stir this mixture into 5 cups lightly boiling water. Gently boil for 2-3 minutes. Cool until you can dip paper into mixture without burning yourself.
Eggs
Make paper mache paste as above. When cool pour into pie tin. Blow up a balloon and tape to a table. Dip strips of newspaper in paste and place carefully on balloon. Continue overlapping pieces of newspaper on balloon. Cover balloon completely and let dry. It may take overnight to dry, particularly if you've used lots of paste. Once dry, decorate the dried balloon with paint or colored tissue in pretty pastel Easter colors. Finish with shellac for a shiny, glazed effect.
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Easter Grass
1 large Easter basket
1 lb. wheat seed
1 lb. vermiculite
plastic wrap or clear plastic bag
Grow a miniature meadow in an Easter basket - it's real simple. One week before Easter, line a large Easter basket with plastic wrap and fill with vermiculite (about 2-inches deep). Sprinkle wheat seed on top of the vermiculite. Put the basket in the sink and add water until the seed bed is damp. You shouldn't have to water it again before Easter.
Set the basket in a pan and place in filtered sunlight. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clear plastic bag to keep moist. Remove the plastic after two days. The wheat should begin to sprout during the next few days. By Easter morning you would have real Easter grass to hide your eggs in.
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Bunny Mask
paper plate
pink construction paper
pink and/or white pipe cleaners
yarn
Using the paper plate, cut out eyes and nose in the plate. Cut out bunny ears from pink paper and glue to the plate. Use pipe cleaners to make whiskers, attach to plate by poking through and knotting at back, or glue on. Use yarn to tie to either side of plate to tie on head.
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Chicks in a Basket
egg carton
cotton balls
yellow food dye
shredded paper (optional)
bits of orange paper
marker
Dip one large cotton ball in yellow dye diluted with water. Let dry. Cut egg carton so you have one section. Place a bit of shredded paper (color optional) in bottom of section. When yellow cotton ball is dry draw eyes on top to make eyes. Cut out very small triangle of orange paper and glue on yellow cotton ball to make chicks beak. Sit chick in carton section to make the chick in the basket.
Great Tips!! The best way to dye cotton balls is to put them in a Zip lock bag with dry tempera paint. Place the cotton balls in the Zip-lock bag with a few spoons of dry tempera paint. Shake the bag to coat the cotton balls. Remove the cotton balls from the zip lock bag and shake off the excess paint. This works great. I hope this tip will help.
For the cotton ball to be dyed yellow, wipe off some powdered yellow pastels/chalks with the cotton ball. See if this could work.
The people who are having trouble getting the dye to dry on their cotton balls are using synthetic (not really cotton) cotton balls. The real cotton, usually called cotton bolls (with an o) will dry perfectly. They should say 100% cotton on the bag. This is the kind I always buy because they are gentler on your skin.
Several people have let it be known that cotton balls now come in pastel colors and are much easier to use then making your own colored balls!! Thanks
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Bunny Bags
paper lunch bags
scissors
decorations of choice
Take a brown or white lunch bag. Cut a v out of the top with construction paper. Cut out ears and glue on to the top of bag. Make whiskers and draw a face. Put a handle at the top and instead of children carrying a big Easter basket they can carry around their homemade bag
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Easter Placemats
Old Easter cards
Easter pictures from magazines
your children's drawings
light weight cardboard or heavy construction paper
glue
contact paper
Gather up Easter cards from past years, pictures from magazines or your children's favorite drawings. Glue onto light cardboard or construction paper in decorative fashion the size of a placemat. Cover this collage with clear contact paper to seal the placemat. Be sure to have your child date and sign it. These make great gifts for grandparents.
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Woven Baskets
pastel colored construction paper two colors
scissors
glue or stapler
Using one piece of paper cut horizontal straight lines about one inch in from side to side across paper, about 1/2 inch a part from each other. The paper should be covered from top to bottom with these slits. Next take the other color of paper and cut 1/2 strips. Weave these strips in and out of the slits in the first paper.
When completed with all the strips glue the ends of the strips to the first paper to hold in place. Next fold up the sides to make a basket shape. Staple or glue in place. With a contrasting color make a handle on your basket and staple or glue.
Basket can then be filled with shredded paper to make a nest in the bottom.
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Paper Plate Bunny
large paper plate
small paper plate
glue
pink construction paper
cotton ball
crayons or markers
Using paper plates, glue small one to top of large one to form head and body. Cut out bunny ears from pink paper. Glue or staple to head. Draw eyes and nose on face of plate with crayons or markers. Glue a cotton ball on the back for a tail.
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Easter Bunny Ears
Construction paper (pink, white and/or brown)
Glue
Cut out bunny ears with the white and pink paper (pink should be slightly smaller) or use two tones of brown for a chocolate bunny. Glue the pink on white to make ears. (or brown). Make a 2-inch band long enough to go around your child's head. Staple in place. Attach bunny ears to band.
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Belly Bunny
Large Styrofoam Ball
A plastic or unbreakable jar with a screw on lid (ex. Mason Jar, Jelly jar, Peanut butter jar, etc.)
Construction Paper, White, Pink, and either Black, Blue, Brown, or Green
Cotton Balls
Toothpicks
A pink, blue or yellow ribbon (optional)
Glue
A grown-up should cut the bottom of the Styrofoam ball just enough so it will sit flat on the table. Then have the kids draw and cut out black, blue, brown, or green eyes, (if you want them to match your child's eyes), white bunny ears with pink ear insides (both ears should be cut so the bottom of the ear is cut straight across), and a pink nose.
Glue a cotton ball in the center of the Styrofoam ball (nose) then glue the small pink nose to the center of the cotton ball. Glue the eyes on to the Styrofoam ball. While the glue is drying take the white bunny ears and the slightly smaller (should be same shape) pink ear insides. Lay the white ears down and glue a tooth pick (or two for more stability) to the front side of the white ear with half of the toothpick/s on the ear and half hanging off the bottom of the ear. Then take and glue the back side of the pink ear on top of the toothpick and white ear. Do this for each ear.
Next glue the Styrofoam ball to the top of the jar lid which can be decorated with a paper doily, markers or whatever you may have. Screw the lid on and whichever way the bunny faces, on the other side glue a cotton ball at the bottom of the jar (tail). When the ears dry stick the toothpick, that is hanging out from the bottom of the ears, into the top of the Styrofoam ball. You can tie a ribbon around the edge of the jar lid.
Fill your bunny with jelly beans, or M&M's or a treat like raisin's or dried fruit. The child can take the bunny to school and share their treats with the class. It is really cute and if the child wants to get creative they can decorate the jar with stickers.
After Easter hold crayons, marbles, pencils, etc.
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Easter Parade Bonnet
Paper plate
construction paper
crayons or markers
glue
yarn
Children can decorate the paper plate any way they wish. Glue on pieces of pastel paper, color flowers on plate, use your imagination. Tie yard to each side of plate so it can be tied under child's chin.
Or
construction paper
crayons, markers or stickers
tape or stapler
scissors
elastic thread or ribbon
Let children decorate a piece of paper. Make hat by folding paper into a cone shape, tape or staple together. Cut bottom so it is even. Staple a length of elastic thread or ribbon on each side to hold hat on.
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No-Bake Craft Clay
1 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 cups baking soda
food coloring (optional)
paint (optional)
Add all ingredients in saucepan and stir over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Mixture should be consistency of moist mashed potatoes. Add food coloring if desired. Remove from heat, turn on a plate and cover with a damp cloth. Let cool. When cool knead like dough. At this point you may store in an airtight container. For Easter shape clay into egg shapes. Let dry and paint. You may also flatten one side and glue to brooch backs to make Easter jewelry.
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