Mariachis for Diez y Seis @WBCL

We talked a bit about the holiday and celebrations including music from the bands of mariachis.  I precut the paper and used tubes that were thinner (nearer 1") than TP ones from my foodsaver rolls. The kids were really into this with 2 tables making members of the mariachi band complete with a dancer and a microphone to sing into. Even though each person was given the same basic pieces each one got a bit of a personalization as they added touches here and there.  

The mariachis turned out SO good!!

Making sharks & whales @WBCL

Sharks and whales are certainly popular with the younger set! I got a donation of many 100s of small styrofoam cups so they were great to use for making this project. I glued 2 together and cut egg cartons up into strips so they could make fins and tales. the ends are easy to pierce with scissors to insert the tail and make teeth. a bit of gray paint and we were there. We had magazines that my helper Jolanda brought for inspiration too.

Create your own thing from recycled materials @WBCL

I never know what will appear on my doorstep to use in this class or what will strike the kids imagination but with several bags of goodies and a bit of glue we began. Milk cartons and spools were like gold tonight. Upper right corner--a cow complete with udders. there were games, a cart that rolled, a bird feeder, a pond with a waterfall and so many more cute ideas. I ask "who brought their imagination tonight?" and all hands went up. I think they are right.

Making kites @WBCL

Tonight we learned a bit about kites and then made and decorated one complete with tails. Some of the tails got quite long. I did discuss with the kids that this kite probably would not fly but they could put braces in it at home and try running it. Lots of plans going on there.

Making a Texas Star quilt square @WBCL

Quilting is all but a lost art for kids but a great way to discuss history for Texas's birthday and be creative too. I precut triangles before class and brought extra fabric for filler and examples of Texas Star quilts. This one is kind of a spinning star. I had the kids position the triangles first then glue them to a paper backing. They then selected other fabric in squares or triangles to fill the page. Some did borders too. Fun and easy way to get into this and I got tips from a mom who quilts when I flipped one of my triangles and got all tangled. We will try on sewing a square this summer I think.

Pinecone turkeys will be centerpieces at many Thanksgiving tables

Of all of the Thanksgiving projects we have done, I think I liked this one the best. We started by selecting our pinecone and making the head from salt clay. The kids and their parents made the wattle and beak and set them in with glue. They then painted the head and added wood stars to the bottom to make the turkey more balanced. We had all kinds of small feathers and they glued them on the pinecone--some onto a few of the heads too, a few even added wings. 

Castles, princesses and knights take center stage @WBCL

 This was an expanded project from one I did before with the summer group. We used a boutique kleenex box and 2 paper towel tubes to make the structure for the castle. I supplied paper and glue while they did all the imagination part. I also put out tp tubes to make either a knight with foil armor or princess. What a great variety we got by the end of the time. There were drawbridges, turrets, and a pair of the prettiest princesses yet with paper dresses and crowns. Another fantastic recyling project.

Old jeans become denim bags with lots of detail @WBCL

 A freind gave me a bag of blue jeans for an art project and this one  just grew into being. I had lots of felt and thought the kids could cut it up and make flowers to attach to the bags. I also had a large donation of buttons to add to the mix and plenty of squeeze bottles of fabric paint. They cut flowers and so much more--stars, houses, what looks like a dragon, cute stuff and slitted it so the brads would go through. Many fashion statements were worn out the door and the group seemed really pleased with this project.

 I still have the pockets to go for another project. Just thinking what to do with those….

Making fish masks from recycled containers @WBCL

 Masks are always fun to make because they take on a life of their own. I was given a large pile of squarish plastic tubs and thought they would make great fish. We started with a sheet of yellow paper and instructions to make eyes in a variety of ways. I also showed them how to make puffy lips and let them do their fish "their way." It always works. some added streamers for fins, most just worked on the face and had lots of opinions on the shape of things. It used up some of my stash of odd paper pieces but not a lot.
We meet every Wed. at 6pm for a family time creating crafts projects and art work.

Making TP tube animals @WBCL

 It is fun to look for ways to use household items more creatively and TP tubes have has no end of uses. I did up some examples to start the project and pulled up a couple of bags of scrap fun foam and tiny pompoms. I purposely left mine uncolored or decorated to get them to use their imaginations and they really did. Parents hot glue parts for the kids or with the kids and sometimes did cutting. A great group project.

Jeweled flower pots @WBCL

 "Not your same old painted flower pot." While the kids do not seem to mind doing the same projects many times, I get an urge to introduce them to other ideas and this flower pot project did that. I drilled holes in the plastic pots before class then had them make a hanger from 3 chenille stems and use string to loop around the top border with beads along it. Finally they were able to add a few gems to really put on the sparkle. Lots of smiling faces.

Tissue flowers for Cinco de Mayo

This is a fun class in old fashioned paper folding and cultures. the kids and parents always like the flowers and seems like it brings out memories for many of us. We talked a little about Spanish type festivals and paper flowers then got down to it. 

Recycled projects for Earth day

This is the second week of projects using recyclable materials and how creative this group is! Again I set out bags of items and let the kids go to town on them to create the project they wanted with what was available. Some got quite involved, some were tiny but well thought out.  Gives a new perspective on reuse for many parents. 

Egg carton art projects show imagination

The library has a book about making projects using egg cartons which I used as the basis for this class. I brought lots of paper egg cartons, a couple of boxes of other recyclable materials, glue and let the group go on their own to create things. A few gave a glance to the book being much more interested in what was on the table and in their imaginations. Some made one project and some made a few. All of them generated smiles. 

fun with cats and dogs

we were give a lot of small wood pieces by some of my painting friends. One of the assembled bits was a cat made of wood hearts so I thought " what a fun class for the group." we glued the pieces together and colored them, added details like tails and had a great time. 

Making Mardi gras masks @WBCL

 We were a little late with this one but Valentine's day won out last week and we created the best Valentine's Day cards complete with envelopes.

 I cut masks from fun foam in a variety of colors then gave the kids a selection of materials to decorate them with. We used sequins,  beads from Mardi Gras necklaces, feathers, glitter, and a few other things the kids found in their baskets. 
This is always fun because none of the masks ever turn out alike. The kids love wearing masks and cannot wait to put them on.

Making a non-traditional snow globe @WBCL

 I had a surplus of clear plastic plates from another project and decided to try a bit different way of making snow globes. The kids drew a scene on a strip of poster board and colored it, added a bit of glitter fuzz then we glued it near the botton of the plate. We added some snow and glued the 2 plates together so the scene could be seen from both sides. A couple of the youngest opted for a regular white plate as a backing to draw on. No matter the method the results brought lots of smiles.

Making birdseed hangers @WBCL

 We've made a variety of birdfeeders over the last couple of years but this one is my new favorite. I found the directions on Pinterest ( http://www.hometalk.com/687521/bird-seed-wreath/photo/140450 )and did it like a science experiment with the kids counting off the ingredients as they went into the bowl. We made them up in antique cookie pans and large open cookie cutters. It was easy to make the holes with straws. They were supposed to let them dry over night and put the ribbons in but no one wanted to wait and most did great. A couple had to be patted together again. No hungry birds in our neighborhood this month!

Annual ornament making at WBCL

Sparkle everywhere,  tables full of items to paint all grouped together so that everyone could use their imagination and create ornaments. There is a great appeal to making your own ornaments instead of picking out the stuff at the store. 

Every year families flock to the library to participate in this event. Having plentiful volunteers also helps during the event. 
This year was no different. There were small sleds and sleighs, CDs made into wonderful's sparkling hanging ornaments. Colorful plastic balls painted with a variety of items from snowmen to abstracts. And always glitter. There were snowmen and santas and candy canes. There were bears.  there were angels of every type that became decorated exactly the way that each person wanted them to be. 
No one went home with less than five ornaments. This was so much fun!

Painting Eco-pumpkins at WBCL

This is the first year the library has not had real pumpkins and the paper bag Eco-pumpkins were a hit.  Thanks especially to Katherine Sands, Angel Washington, Mary and Joe Petronis, and Scott Smith for coming out and helping me put this event on for the community.