Loom Art

Materials

A piece of cardboard about 6” x 8”, and two strips for the top and bottom.
Scissors
Ruler
Yarn
Plastic Needle
Masking Tape
Scotch Tape
Pony Beads
Twigs

Procedure

Take your ruler and put it across the top of your piece of cardboard, about 1/2” from the top. Draw a straight line with a pencil. Now measure in 1” and make a hash mark. Continue on and make 12 hash marks about 3/8” apart all across the top. Do the same at the bottom. You can space them out however you would like, but this is just what I did for my looms.

Using an exacto knife, or scissors, cut along each hash mark, stopping at the 1/2″ line.

Glue on the strips of cardboard so that the top of the strip aligns with the 1/2″ line (strips are about 1/2″ wide).

Cut 12 pieces of yarn and thread each notch, making sure to leave a tail of about 3” on the back. Tape these ends to the back with scotch tape. Make sure the threads are fairly tight (but not so tight that it’s stretching the yarn). These vertical threads are called the warp. You have your loom!

How to Weave

Cut a piece of yarn about 2 feet long. Thread it through the plastic needle and then tie a knot at the top of the needle.

Starting with the first warp thread, slide the needle underneath and then up over the next thread, and then back under the third thread, and so on. Use this under-over pattern until you get to the last warp thread. When you get to the end of your first row, pull it through all the way, leaving about a 3” tail. You can tie this tail in a knot around the first warp thread to secure it for the little kids, but after they weave two rows it won’t be in danger of coming out anymore.

For your next row, go back the other way by doing the opposite over-under pattern as you did for the first row. (If you go under and over in the same way as the first row you will be undoing what you just did. This mistake does happen with the littles so make sure to check on them before they begin each row in the beginning, Eventually they get the hang of it).

Once you have a few rows, use your fingers to push up the weft yarn so that it’s snug. Be careful not to pull too hard on the weft yarns after each pass through because your weaving will start to cinch in at the middle. Of course, this did happen to all of us, but I thought I should warn you anyway! First time weaving mistakes.

When you are done with your first color yarn, or if you decide you want to switch colors, simply end it with about a 3” tail remaining. It might start to look sloppy with lots of tails hanging out all over, but don’t worry ~ all of them will be taped to the back at the end.

Start the next colors in the same way you started the first, leaving a tail of about 3”.

When you get to the end, just cut off the yarn that you are working with. Not to sound too redundant…but don’t forget to leave that tail.

Taking Your Weaving Off the Loom

 When you are finished, undo the scotch tape in the back and carefully pull off the warp threads. I didn’t take any pictures of this process for some mysterious reason, but it’s fairly straightforward…it’s just that you have to be careful because the weft threads could come off easily.

When your entire weaving has been pulled off of the loom, tie all of the warp threads together at the ends. Tie 1 & 2 together, 3 & 4 together, and so on. You should have six knots at the top and bottom. Double knots.

At this point, it’s time to deal with the tails coming out of the sides. The reason to leave the tails on the longish side is so that you can thread them through the needle, and then gently weave them through the back a few times before trimming them. If you don’t want to take this extra step, you could just tape the tails to the back with masking tape.

Also use masking tape to tape down the top and  bottom warp threads to the back of your weaving. (If you don’t want a messy looking back, you can also weave the bits back through instead.)

Finishing Your Weaving

Technically, you are now done with your weaving. Hooray! But if you want to embellish with pom-poms and beads, and hang it on a twig, then read on. Just a note: The kids didn’t do any of the finishings, except for the pom-poms. I did all of the taping, beading (kids picked out their colors) and attaching it to the twig. They watched as I did it all, but it was too finicky for their little hands.

We made our pom-poms with a pom-pom maker (I highly recommend these things…they are good for life!). But you can also do it the old fashioned way: around your fingers.. Don’t forget to leave a longish tail with the piece of yarn that you use to tie the pom-pom. You will thread this tail through the needle and then attach it to your weaving by going through the bottom (front to back) and then taping it on the back. You can add beads to your pom-pom before you attach it to your weaving.

To attach the weaving to the twig, cut a piece of yarn, about a foot long, and string it through the needle. Starting on one end, loop the threaded needle through the top of the weaving and around the twig, wrapping the twig all the way until the end. Tie knots on either end, then trim and use masking tape to tape the ends to the back.

Lastly, to attach the hanger, simply cut a piece of yarn about 18” long (this will be trimmed, but better too long than too short), and fold it over. Loop the folded end around one side of the twig and make a knot. If you want to add beads, now is the time. To finish off the other side just tie it around the twig in a double knot and trim.

I know there are like a million steps, but the steps for the kids are pretty simple and fun. It’s the making of the loom and the finishing that involves some busy work on the part of the adult. I personally LOVE busy work…and I’m betting that if you’ve read this far, you do too.

They really did enjoy it. Our kids for the most part are different each month with some exceptions. But it was good because it took a while and kept them engaged. I bought the yarn at dollar tree, the plastic yarn needles are 2/$0.99 at Michaels, and I used cardboard from Amazon boxes to make the looms so it was very inexpensive too!

Summer S.T.E.A.M!

The Exploding Lunch Bag

Materials

• Zip sandwich bag – zip-lock freezer bags work the best
  • Baking soda
  • Warm water
  • Vinegar
  • Measuring cup
  • Tissue

Procedure

1. Go outside or to the kitchen sink.
2. Put ¼ cup warm water into the sandwich bag.
3. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the water in the sandwich bag.
4. Put 3 teaspoons of baking soda in the tissue then fold it up.
5. Work fast now- zip the sandwich bag close but leave a corner open, enough to fit the tissue full of baking soda in.
6. Slip the tissue in and step back
7. Watch the bag slowly expand then explode!

Rainbow Bubble Snakes

 Materials
 empty water bottle
 duct tape
a sock
dish soap
food coloring.

Procedure
Pour some dish soap into a shallow container with a little bit of water and gently mix.
 Dip the sock covered bubble blower into the solution and gently blow.

Pop Rocks Soda Experiment

Materials

• Pop Rocks (1 envelope per bottle of soda + 1 for placebo + one for the kids to taste) Note: We found it easier just to buy them from Amazon as many stores don’t have pop rocks in stock any more.
• Balloons (1 balloon for each bottle of soda)
• Soda (1 liter bottle – you may want to try several different ones and have kids hypothesize which one will work best)

Procedure

• , First you need to pour an entire envelope of pop rocks into each balloon being used. (We used 4 bottles, so 4 balloons). 
  We did this easily by having me spread the balloon open and my 9 year old pouring them in. For younger children you can use a funnel.

We carefully removed the lids from our four soda bottles and put the balloon over the opening being careful not to pour the pop rocks in until all the bottles were ready.

We then had the kids hypothesize which soda they thought would inflate the balloon the biggest, fastest, etc. 

Pour in the Pop Rocks

Record your observations on the sheet

Sunscreen Painting

Materials 

• Sunscreen
• Paint Brush
• Black Construction Paper (or other dark colored paper)

Procedure

Set this up just like a regular painting activity, only instead of paint put sunscreen out. You can squeeze a bit onto a paper plate, into a cup, or on your paint palate.

This activity does need a dark-colored piece of paper to be most effective. If you have black construction paper, use that. But blue, purple, brown, etc all work too.

Once your child has completed their painting take it outside. Place it in the sun, using rocks at the corners to make sure it doesn’t blow away.

Leave your picture in the sun for a bit. This is best in direct sunlight for a couple of hours. We left ours out for 2 hours. However, it works to put it out and leave it until our child remembers it is out there a few hours later.

After you have left your painting out to dry in the sun for a few hours, go and check it.

You will see that the paper that was covered in the sunscreen ‘paint’ is the same color it used to be, while the rest of the page has faded!

If sunscreen can protect the paper that well, do you think it can protect their skin?

Click here for the printable instructions

Pool Noodle S.T.E.A.M Workshop

There are 4 STEAM activities that you can do with your group.
All include pool noodles which are super cheap!
I hope you enjoy doing these activities with your kids!

POOL NOODLE POM POM SHOOTER

MATERIALS

Pool Noodles
Balloons (large enough so that the ends will fit around the size of your pool noodle)

Strong Tape like Duct Tape 

Small pom poms (About one inch. W like these stronger felt pom poms which are heavier and shot out better than puffy pom poms.)

Serrated knife

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1. Cut your pool noodles about two inches in length. (adults only)

Step 2. Make a knot on your ballon and then cut of the end. 

Step 3. Wrap the larger end around one end of your pool noodle. Secure the seams of your balloon around the pool noodle with strong tape. 

Step 4. On the other open end of your pool noodle add pom pom to the bottom, pull down the top of the balloon to create air and release to allow the pom pom to come out. You can do one pom pom at a time or stuff the opening. 

Marble Run Wall
Materials

• Painter’s tape
• Pool noodles
• Knife and scissors
• Marbles or other small round objects

Instructions:

STEP 1. To get started on your DIY marble run, an adult should safely cut up chunks of the pool noodle. I used a serrated knife to cut the pool noodle into different lengths.

STEP 2. Next slice the pool noodle pieces down the middle creating halves. You will also need a roll of painter’s tape and of course some marbles!

STEP 3. My best tip for creating the pool noodle marble run is to actually put the tape on the noodle pieces before you place them against the wall.

Make sure your tape piece covers the underside of the pool noodle right to the edges. This made it so much easier for us to accurately stick them to the wall.

Pool Noodle Airplanes

Materials

• A pool noodle – ours have a 2.5 inch diameter
• Cardboard from a cereal box
• Craft foam
• Scissors
• Hot glue
• Duct tape
• Coins for weight – we used nickels

Instructions

• Step 1:Start by cutting a 12 inch segment of pool noodle. A serrated knife works well for cutting them – it’s super easy. Try flying just the pool noodle and observe what happens. It… doesn’t fly. But it’s fun to observe this because it will really improve!
• Step 2:Cut out the wing pieces. You’ll need two cardboard wings and two foam wings. All four should be exactly the same size. The purpose of the cardboard is to make the wings stiff enough to fly well. The cardboard is too thin, however, to be very sturdy when you glue it to the pool noodle. The foam adds more thickness for gluing purposes, but it doesn’t add much weight. Plus it looks cool!
• Step 3:Use hot glue (or the glue of your choice) to attach the craft foam to the cardboard wing sections. Make sure that the wings are mirror images of each other.
• Step 4:Hot glue the wings to the sides of the pool noodle. Use plenty of hot glue, and they will stick well. You’ll need to hold them in place for a few minutes while the glue cools.
• Step 5: Once both wings are attached, try flying it. It will probably just make a loop when you throw it – not much control yet. Cut out a piece of craft foam to be the tail.
• Step 6:To make the plane glide, you’ll need to balance it by adding some weight to the nose. We used two nickels. I ended up adding a third nickel later to one of our planes, but I can’t decide which is better – two or three. So you can experiment with that!
• Step 7: Wrap the nickels in duct tape. This will allow you to be able to hot glue them inside the nose of the plane. Squirt some glue into the center of the pool noodle and attach the coins wrapped in duct tape.

• The second design is constructed the same way. Both sets of wings have a layer of cardboard and then a layer of craft foam.

Pool Noodle Sculptures

Materials

Straws
Pipe-cleaners
Beads
Pool Noodles
Scissors
Other colorful decorations
Glue
Tape

Procedure

Cut pool noodles into smaller disks.
Have children stick straws, pipe-cleaners, beads etc into the pool noodle. They should stick without glue or tape by sticking them into the foam, but you can use glue and tape as needed.

Click here for the printable instructions

Materials

Wellness Triangle Printables (link at bottom)

Cardstock

Crayons/Markers

Posterboard (half sheets)

Glue

Procedure

You can either show the Powerpoint slide show to your girls 
or you can print out each slide and glue it on to 1/2 sheet of posterboard. 

Each volunteer will have a posterboard/slide and will talk about their slide with the girls

Give the girls their own printable wellness triangle self assessment 

Discuss the results.

Then each girl will make her own wellness triangle included in the printables. 
They can color after completing the triangle. 

*Tip- you can print it on white card stock if you want the girls to be able to color their sheets
or you can print it on brightly colored card stock. 

Click here for the printable instructions and to go to the printables needed for the activity. 

Blindfolded Water Game

Materials
Buckets/cups/containers
Water
Blindfolds
Chairs (or you can sit on the grass)
Permanent marker/colored tape

Procedure

Divide the group into multiple teams and have them sit in a line one behind the other (in grass or in chairs).
Before you blindfold the members give them each a container. Everyone can have a different size container; that makes it more fun. 
Keep one water filled bucket at the front of the line and one empty bucket at the back of the line.
With a permanent marker or colored tape, mark a line on the bucket. 

Now what the players have to do is to – pass the water from the filled bucket to the empty bucket using the containers.
The first team to fill the bucket up to the line wins. 

Extend the Activity

Make this a full blown water day! 
Get water balloons, make sponge water balls, play “Duck, Duck, Splash”. 
Check out this website for even more ideas!

Click here for the printable instructions.

DIY Frisbee Golf!

Materials

Place your Dollar Tree laundry basket inside the center of the tomato cage.

Beaded DIY Wind Chimes

Materials

Driftwood Sticks

Paint

Glass Beads

Small Screw Eye Pins

Fishing Line

Jute Twine

Paint Brush

Washi tape

Procedure

Step 1 – Paint Stick.

Now this part is where the kids can get as creative as they want.  
We decide to paint our stick first, just giving it some extra detail.
 They can freehand or tape off, with decorative washi tape, whichever works best.

Once it’s dry they can add some more details with a fine paint brush.
 I also think adding some glitter paint would be a fun addition as well!
Since I used Patio Paint from DecoArt this wind chime will be long lasting outside!

Step 2 – Add Hooks.

Let’s add our hooks.  Now this is the part that an adult will have to help with.  The hooks actually go into the driftwood pretty easily.  Just mark the spots and start twisting them into place. For a younger child this might be hard to do, but you can always get it started for them and they can finish it.

Step 3 – Add Beads.

Now let’s add our beads!!  When adding the beads I had no rhyme or reason. I was just mixing them up as best as I could.

Once we were done adding our beads, we tied a knot at the end using a smaller bead to help keep it in place.

Step 4 – Add Hanger.

Now let’s hang it up! I added two more of the hooks at each end of the wind chime. Then used some jute to hang it up!

Printable instructions for this craft can be found here

Pressed flower Lanterns

Materials

Mod podge

Pressed flowers (buy at store or gather some on nature walk and press them)

Glass jar

Paintbrush

Twine

Tealight or Votive Candle

Procedure

Step 1: Add pressed flowers to jar

Paint a small area of the outside of the jar with a thin layer of Mod Podge.

 

It’s best to work in small areas, as the Mod Podge starts to dry very quickly.

Press a dried flower onto the mod podge.

Cover the flower with another layer of Mod Podge.

 

If the flower has layered petals, you may need to “glue” the top petal to the one beneath it with mod podge. This will ensure the flower sticks properly.

Repeat these steps, covering as much of the jar as you like with pressed flowers.

The printable instructions for this summer craft are here

Tree of Strength- Art Directive

Materials

Large sheets of construction paper of art paper (11 x 17 or similar would be a good size)

Pencil

Watercolor paint

Crayons/Markers

Procedure

Trace your arm and hand onto the paper, leaving your fingers open

At the end of the open fingertips, extend the drawing to create more branches.

At the end of the branches draw several large leaves, making sure they are large enough to write in.

On each leaf write one thing that helps you get through a difficult time.

This can include personal strengths, coping strategies, enjoyable activities, and supportive people.

Color, paint, and decorate your tree as you wish
(not too dark over the leaves so you can still see the words)

The steps of this art process and the tasks of listing strength and coping tools helps to activate more cognitive aspects of the brain.
It also helps people to feel they are able to some things to cope with their situation
and realize they are not completely helpless.

Click here for the printable instructions.

Mind Calming Watercolor Activity

Materials

Watercolor paper
Watercolor paints
Paintbrushes
Black pens/fine tip markers

Procedure

This is an activity to teach people how to relax their brain when they are overwhelmed with emotion.
Watercolors and paper are fairly inexpensive, so this is a great go to coping strategy.

Have your group choose colors that make them happy or colors that remind them of happy memories. 
Saturate the paint brush with paint and apply it to the paper, allowing it to bleed or run in all directions.

Fill the paper with color by adding splotches of paint all over the paper and allowing them to run.

Then, with a black pen or fine tip marker, trace the shapes that the paint has made.

By the time this project is complete, the brain has relaxed, the focus has been on happy colors or memories,

and the result is a beautiful piece of art!

Click here for the printable instructions

Rising Above it: Ocean in a Bottle Activity

Materials

Clean clear bottle with lid

Blue food coloring

Funnel

Vegetable oil or baby oil

Beads and stones of various sizes 
(make sure they will fit in the opening)

Procedure

Carefully fill half the bottle with water.

Add a few drops of blue food coloring.

After filling the bottle about 1/3 with water and adding blue food coloring,
pass around some large beads, or stones
(as big as will fit in the bottle opening. Make sure they sink!).

Tell the group, “They represent the broken places in our hearts.
Notice they sink to the bottom, much like our burdens drag us down.”

Slowly add the oil using the funnel, until the bottle is 2/3 full.
The oil won’t mix with the water but will rest on top!

Give the girls some tiny beads or pebbles to represent those smaller daily irritations
(nasty comments made by others, someone cutting you off in traffic… getting your period ).
They also sink and drag us down.

 And lastly give each girl a cork to put in the bottle and have them place the cork in the bottle.
You can even have the girls write a positive message on the cork.

It would be great if you could find some self sealing bottles, and once the caps were on, they lock in place.
But you could also use tape or glue to seal the bottles)

 The cork represents giving our burdens to God.

The girls could shake their bottles like waves on the oceans. But no matter how hard they shook them,
the cork always stayed on top of the waves.

Giving our burdens to God, large and small, helps us to rise above life’s storms.

Click here for the printable instructions for this activity.

Mixed Emotion Sand Art

Materials

Colored Sand

Transparent Glass or Plastic Container (With Lid)

Funnels

Small bowls to hold sand

Spoons 

Procedure

The idea is to think about the many different emotional experiences related to grief,
choose corresponding colors for these specific emotions, and fill the containers with these emotions.

This will help those who may be bottling up their emotions begin to express them in a nonverbal way.

Have the group think about grief and ask them to name an emotion that comes to mind (e.g., sadness).

Next, ask them: If this emotion were a color, what would it be?”

Pour some of that color of sand into the container (have each person do the pouring, if possible).
Tell them it’s up to them to decide how much of each color/emotion they want to add to their container.

Next, ask them to name another emotion that comes to mind (e.g., love).

Then, repeat your earlier question: “If this emotion were a color, what would it be?” 

Pour some of this color into the container. Again, let each person determine how much.

Repeat until the container is filled.

Talk to the group  about how the emotions all exist together.

If you prefer, leave a little space in the container and let them shake it up
because grief is messy and sometimes everything feels all mixed together.
(Just note that, if you shake the container up, the end product obviously
won’t look as neat and tidy as the one pictured above).

Give each person in the group an opportunity to share about the emotions they added to their container.

Click here for the printable instructions for the Mixed Emotions Sand Art Activity

Kitchen Utensil Flower Art

ART MATERIALS:

Black Paper

Crayola Fluorescent Tempera Paint

Construction Paper

Glue Stick

Scissors

Recommended Kitchen Utensils:

Potato Masher

Spoon

Fork

Large Slotted Spoon

Large Spatula

Plastic Bottle Recorker

Procedure

STAMP AND PRINT

I recommend black paper as a background for this project as it is unexpected
and will showcase the vibrant fluorescent paint colors.
Gather the kitchen utensils and dip them in paint to stamp the petals of each flower onto the black paper.
Stamp the center of the flower as well. 
Try combining and experimenting with different tools. Make sure to also paint a stem

CUT AND GLUE

Draw and cut different style leaves for each flower. Glue them to the stem of each flower.

Click here for the printable instructions for this flower art. 

Plastic Egg to Planter DIY

Materials

Plastic eggs
Gesso surface prep
Acrylic craft paints
Paintbrushes
Wooden skewers
Vase/tall containers
Craft varnish
Hot glue
Soil
Flowers/succulents (real or fake)

Procedure

Skewer your egg

Before you begin painting, push a wooden skewer into one of the holes in the egg.
This will prevent you from having to touch your egg when you’re painting it,
and it will allow you to stand your eggs up in a vase while they dry.

Prime your egg

Give your egg a coat of Gesso (primer) to ensure the paint will stick to the plastic.
Allow to dry before painting and decorating your egg.
A hairdryer is handy if you want to speed things up or you can do this the night before.
If at all possible, try to stay away from the line where the two egg pieces meet. 
This will keep them from sealing shut and will be easier if you are making planters.

Paint your egg

With a paintbrush, apply a layer of acrylic craft paint.
If your egg requires 2 coats, allow the first coat to dry before applying the second

Decorate your egg

With a fine liner brush, decorate your egg with squiggles and zigzags.
For perfectly round dots, use the handle end of a paintbrush dipped in paint.
Place the skewered egg in a vase or tall container and allow to dry before varnishing (the hair dryer can help here too).

Varnish your egg

When your egg is completely dry, brush on a coat of craft varnish
to add a glossy sheen to your egg and to protect the paint from chipping and scratching.

To Make the Planters:

When eggs dry, hot glue the side together (both sides facing out)

Fill the larger egg piece with soil and flowers or succulents.

Click here for the printable instructions for this “eggcelent” craft! 

Self Love Jar

Materials

Jars (plastic or glass)
Cardstock
Pens/Markers
Stickers, Scrapbook Paper, Things to Decorate the Jar With
Glue/Tape/Adhesives
Scissors
Prompts to Answer

Procedure

Decorate the jar with stickers, scrapbook paper, etc. 
Cut card stock into strips to fit into the jar or stick slightly out of jar
Have girls answer the questions below on the strips of paper.
Put the strips into the jar. 
They are to pull these strips out every week
and reflect on them as an act of self love.

What are 10 things you are really good at?

What are 5 physical features you love about yourself

What are 3 of your strongest qualities?

Write out 10 positive affirmations

What are 5 of your best personality traits

What do you love most about your life?

Write out 15 compliments you can give yourself

What are 5 things you have done that make you proud?

Describe yourself positively in 10 words

Alcohol Ink Picture

Frame with glass front/insert
Black acrylic paint or Black Glue
Glue 
Alcohol Ink
Cardboard/ Newspaper to cover Surface
Rubbing Alcohol 
Cotton Balls

Procedure

Remove glass from frame

Clean glass with rubbing alcohol and cotton ball

Draw design on glass with black glue or glue/black acrylic paint mixture

Allow design to dry

Drop alcohol ink onto glass to paint inside the design.

Click here for printable instructions. 

Tissue Paper Jar

Materials

Glass or Plastic Jars (mason jar size)
Tissue Paper/ Decorative Napkins
Scissors
Mod Podge Adhesive
Sponge Brush
Ribbon

Procedure

Roughly measure the jar on the tissue paper to determine how much tissue paper you will need. 
(Think about wrapping a present)

Use a sponge brush to apply modpodge to the jar. 
Do small sections at a time as you attach the tissue paper to the jar. 

Press the tissue paper or napkin onto the jar slowly, pulling tightly so as not to wrinkle the paper. 

Smooth out any creases. 

Apply another layer of modpodge. 

Tie a ribbon around the top to  add decorative flair 
(and to hide any imperfections) 

Click here for printable instructions.

Dollar Store Plant Hanger DIY

Materials

Pencil holder with suction cup back
Paint Brushes
Metallic Paint
Matte Paint
Plants, Flowers, Succulents (real or fake)

Procedure

You will need a pencil holder with a suction cup on the back. 
(the kind made for a locker)

Using mutli-surface metallic paint, paint the pencil holder, including the white part.

Using a matte, corresponding color, paint what used to be the white area and the inside of the holder.
(Paint the inside as far as seen from the outside. You don’t have to paint the entire inside)

Let the holder dry. Then fill with your favorite flower or plant
and attach to a surface with the suction cup back.

Click here for printable instructions.

 Boho Dollar Tree Wreath

Materials

Round Cookie Sheet
E6000
Glass Gems
Spray Paint
Mod Podge
Printable Quote
Nautical Rope
Round Wire Wreath
Command Hook
Ribbon
Scissors

Procedure

Start with a round cookie sheet

Use E6000 glue to put glue around the outside edge of the sheet. 

Then place glass colored gems on the glue around the outside edge.

Take the cookie sheet into a well ventilated area and pray paint the tray the color of your choice.
You may want to lay a tarp or newspaper on the ground to protect from paint.

Wait a few minutes for the paint to dry and then apply mod podge to the face of the cookie sheet.

Place your printable quote in the middle of the tray and cover it with modpodge.

You can stop here, attach a command hook and ribbon on the back, and hang or your can continue on to the next steps.

Cut nautical rope in short strands and tie in knots around the outside edge of  a round metal wire wreath.

Once finished, place the cookie sheet in the center of the wreath.

Attach a command hook and ribbon for hanging. 

Click Here for Printable Instructions

Materials Needed:
black t-shirts
bleach
spray bottle
hydrogen peroxide
bleach.

Instructions

Mix bleach/water (80/20 respectively) in the spray bottles.
Put cardboard between the front and back of the shirts so the bleach didn’t bleed through.
Then placed the stencils where we wanted them and sprayed with bleach.
Be careful not to soak, just spritz.
Let it sit for just a minute and then rinsed the shirt in a bowl
with peroxide and water to deactivate the bleach.
Once all the shirts were done, we put them in the washing machine.

Click here for printable instructions.

Materials

Round glass vases from Dollar Tree
Glass gems from Dollar Tree
E6000 (adhesive) and hot glue
Candleholders from Dollar Tree (optional)
Glass Tray from Dollar Tree (optional)
LED Candle from Dollar Tree

Procedure

Using hot glue and/or E6000, glue glass gems all over the round vase.

There will be spaces between the gems and that is OK. 

Put LED candle inside the vase and you are finished!

Optional Steps

If you would like to build a stand for your night light do the following:

Hot glue two candle stick holders together to build a base. 

Hot glue a glass tray on top of the base to build a stand. 

Here are the printable instructions for this craft!

Materials

Paper Plates
Craft Beads
Markers
Stickers
Feathers, sequins, or other decorative items
Ribbon/Twine/String
Hole Punch
Scissors
Glue & Tape
Circular object (vase, CD, bowl, etc.)

Procedure

Turn paper plate face down

Use circular object to trace a circle on the back of the plate. 
You could also freestyle draw the circle.
The circle should be smaller than the base of the plate. 

Leave enough width so that you can make small holes in the plate without the plate tearing. 

Cut out circle and then mark where you would like your small holes to be all over the plate. 

Mark the holes in a clock face type pattern. 

Use a hole punch or scissors to poke the holes that you have marked. Your holes will need to be large enough for ribbon to go through. 

Make 3 additional holes along the bottom edge of the plate. 

Cut long pieces of ribbon. Too long is better because you can always cut off the excess. 

Thread the long ribbon through one of the holes and secure the ribbon by knotting it and taping it down.

Continue threading the ribbon through all of the holes around the circle of your plate. 

While threading you can add beads to the ribbon for decoration. 

When all holes have been threaded, tie off the ribbon, cut off the excess, and tape it to the back of the plate. 

Cut 3 more pieces of ribbon. One ribbon should be slightly longer than the other two which should be the same size. 

Tie the longest string in the middle hole at the bottom of the plate. Tie the shorter strings on either side and secure the strings to the plate with tape. 

On the loose ends of the ribbon, add beads for decoration, and then tie off to secure. 

If desired, add feathers to the bottom ribbons by placing the end of the feathers in the last beads on the ribbon and securing with glue. 

While the glue is drying, decorate your plate with stickers, sequins, markers, etc. 

You are finished! While you are making the dream catchers, talk with the girls about what their dreams are.
This craft is a great conversation starter!

Here are the printable instructions for this incredible activity!

CD/DVD Mosiac Tray

Materials

CDs/DVDs
Trays

Spray Paint (if you want to paint tray first)
Clear Casting Resin (found at craft stores)
Rubber Gloves
Scissors
Mod Podge

Procedure

Spray paint tray if needed

Cut CDs/DVDs in small pieces with scissors
(you may want to have these precut for time sake)
The amount of CDs/DVDs needed depends on project size. 
For larger projects you may need up to 10 discs.

There are 2 layers to discs. Do not worry if they come apart. They will both be iridescent with different levels of transparency.

Cover bottom of tray in modpodge.  

Spread out with paint brush.

Place disk pieces in bottom.

Allow modpodge to dry and then pour resin over tiles.

Let it dry and you are finished!

Here are the printable instructions for this craft!

Materials

Towels
Spray Tie-Dye Kit
Masking Tape
Measuring Cup
Warm Water
Rubber Gloves

Procedure

Lay your towel out on a flat surface, smoothing it out. Using the tape and moving slowly, spell out your child’s name across the towel.

Next, on a covered surface or grass, put on your gloves and begin mixing up the tie-dye with the warm water. What colors are made from the primary colors? Working from the color wheel, which colors will look best near each other on the towel?

With those gloves on, let the spraying begin!

It’s perfectly fine to get spray on the tape.

Once the towel is fairly dry, flip it over to be sure to spray the backside! Flip back over and allow to dry completely. Wash the towels separately twice alone in the wash.

Voilà! Monogrammed beach towels!

Here are the printable instructions for this tye dye activity!

Materials

Chalkboard
Chalkology Chalk Paste
Stencils
Rags to Dap Paint

Procedure

1. Place stencil on chalkboard. Tape it on to make it to stay in place.2. Remove stencil and continue to next stencil until your design is complete.
   
   

3. Allow to dry.

Here are the printable instructions for this craft!

Materials

Canvas
Broccoli 
Paints
Paint Brushes
Paper to Cover Table
Paper Plate

Procedure

1. Paint the whole canvas the light sky blue color with an actual paintbrush. I even paint the sides of the canvas to give the piece a more finished look when it is done and hanging on the wall or sitting on a shelf. Allow a few minutes for the paint to dry before continuing. Put some paper down under the canvas to keep the paint off your table!
   
2. Now the fun Paint With Broccoli begins! Squirt some white paint out on a paper plate. Dip the head of the broccoli into the paint and then onto the top area of the canvas to make clouds. Dab the paint, don’t brush it around. Make the clouds light and airy with rounded edges. Try not to add more and more paint because they get too solid-looking. 
   
3. Using some of the brown paint and a paintbrush, paint a trunk to the tree that starts at the bottom edge of the canvas. The trunk will extend about one-third of the way up the canvas and get narrower as it goes up.

4. From the top of the trunk make 4-6 branches that reach out to about an inch from the edges of the canvas. These branches will keep dividing and branching out into smaller and smaller branches. 

It may be a good idea to practice this on some newspaper before beginning to paint on the canvas. It usually helps get a better idea of size and shape on the canvas.

5. NOW BACK TO THAT FUN PAINT WITH A BROCCOLI PAINTBRUSH!

Place four blobs of paint on a clean paper plate using the two different tones of pink, the red-violet and the green paint. Place the blobs fairly close together so the head of the broccoli will dip into all four blobs at once. Remember to dab and not to brush the broccoli and paint around.

6. Paint the Buds on the Redbud

With a second piece of fresh broccoli, dip into the four blobs of paint and then dab the paint onto the canvas. It will make a mottled grouping of the four colors. The idea is to get the paint to look like the multi-colored buds of the blooming redbud tree. Again, like with the clouds, the idea isn’t to get a solid mass of color but a lighter more airy look. You should be able to see some of the sky through the buds of the tree you are painting.

Here are the printable instructions for this creative artwork!

This is a four-part, in-depth workshop on the power of positive affirmations. 
Each part will be broken down with instructions. 
Most of the supplies can be purchased at Dollar Tree.

Opener

Materials
Strips of Paper
Cups
Writing Utensils

Procedure

At the start of the workshop, strips of paper were handed out to the girls to write down all the negative things that hold them down….only they would see the list. The girls were asked to fold the strips of paper and put them in a cup.

Ice Breaker

Materials

Hand-Held Mirror
List of Positive Affirmations

Procedures

Gather the papers and tell the girls to now focus on the reason Chicktime is there… to teach them about positive affirmations and how they can help them to move forward … dream big…and claim who they were called to be.  Share personal things that have weighed heavy on your heart and have kept you from reaching your dreams at times. Then explain how positive affirmations changed your heart and attitude. To help the girls practice making positive affirmations, pass a mirror around so the girls can look in the mirror and loudly proclaim affirmations they want to make. Have a list of positive affirmations to assist them if needed.

Positive Affirmations Craft

Materials
Scissors
Magazines
Stickers/Jewels (Dollar Tree has a ton, but Amazon has positive affirmation stickers)
Mod Podge
Sponge Brushes
Canvases
Polaroid Camera
Film

Procedure

Use a Polaroid Camera and have volunteers help take pictures of all the girls .
The craft of the day is to paste that picture in the middle of a canvas and use stickers above the picture to spell out – I AM… Then the girls will create a positive affirmation canvas with the picture as thecenter focus! The conversations between volunteers and girls during this activity can be amazingly FABULOUS and REAL!

Click here for a link to help with the discussion!

Positive Affirmation Snack

A homemade cookie cake with positive affirmations on it was shared with lemonade!

Closing

Then make a symbolic gesture of tearing up the strips of paper with the negative thoughts the girls wrote out to tell the girls those thoughts no longer have a hold on them.

Here are the printable directions to this uplifting workshop!

Materials

 Astrobrights cardstock
Paper cutter 
Stapler
Scissors.
Curtain Rod or Dowel Rod

Here are the specific Astrobrights colors I used to create the ombre effect:

Make a second chain using the same steps as above, but this time add one less chain. Repeat this step to create another matching chain. Continue making a set of two chains, with one less loop than the previous chains.

Once you have made 19 chains, hang them from a wood dowel or curtain rod that is long enough to hold the chains. Adjust the paper loops as needed to hide any staples.

Here are the printable instructions for this cool wall art!

Materials

• Canvas
• Washable glue OR a hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Spray paint or craft paint in the color of your choice
• Pencil
• Saying – you’ll either hand draw or print
• Transfer paper (optional)

Procedure

Step 1: Think of/find a pattern that inspires you, and draw/trace it on your canvas with a pencil. 
Now if you aren’t feeling very creative or you want to make it more exact, there is another option. You can print something from the internet and place the paper down on the canvas with a piece of carbon transfer paper in between. Trace with your pencil and the design will end up on the canvas!

Step 2: Go over your design with glue. Make sure you don’t press the glue down as you apply. If you find that your glue settles flatter than you want, go over your design one more time once it has dried. You could also use dimensional fabric paint for this project.

Step 3: Let the glue dry 

Step 4: Spray paint the canvas any color! I liked the clean look of white on white.

Here are the printable instructions to this gorgeous craft!

Materials

Scrapbook or Construction Paper Hearts

Mod Podge or White Glue

Styrofoam Cone

Heart Pick

Candle Holder

Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Procedure

Starting at the bottom, glue hearts to the styrofoam, changing colors as you go up.

Place the heart pin in the top of the styrofoam.

Hot glue the styrofoam cone to the candle holder.

Here are the printable instructions for this cute craft!

Materials:

You will need the following for each gnome:

One patterned crew style sock in an adult size: For the gnome’s hat you will need a sock that comes up past the heel like a crew sock or a knee high sock (ankle or no show socks will not work). You can buy a holiday specific sock, like one with hearts on it for Valentine’s, but be aware that the sock will be turned upside down once it’s on the gnome. That means stripes or polka dots or other geometric patterns work really well.

One solid sock in an adult size: You can use any type of sock is fine for gnome’s body. I got mine from the dollar store.

A 4×4 inch piece of faux fur: You can find this at a craft/fabric store. I used fur from Joann’s.

One wood bead, 1.25 inches

One 9 inch tall foam cone: You can find these at a craft store or in the craft section at Walmart. You can use either the white styrofoam cones or the green floral cones. They’ll be 9 inches tall and about 4 inches wide at the bottom.

Hot Glue Gun

Optional Supplies: You may also want a holiday specific decoration, like a heart shaped button. The cheapest way to add holiday flair is to buy a sheet of colored felt and just cut out a heart or shamrock, etc., then glue it on the hat.

You also may want to use your sewing machine to make the hat. You can either sew or glue the hat together, whichever you prefer.

Procedure

Step 1: Cut off the bottom (toe part) of a solid colored sock, just past the heel (as shown below). Pull the sock over the bottom of the cone and pull it up so it covers the lower 5 inches of the cone. Use hot glue to secure the top of the sock to the cone.

Step 2: Cut out a beard from fur. It’s easiest to draw the beard shape on the back of the fur as seen below. Cut the beard about 3.25 inches tall and 2.75 inches wide. When cutting fur, you DO NOT want to just use scissors and cut it out like you would any other fabric because then the fur along the edges of the beard will be very short. To make sure you get the long “beard” effect on the fur, you have two options. First, you can use a razor blade or exacto knife and cut from the back of the fur, cutting through the backing only. Second, you can use sharp scissors, but you’ll want to cut with the back of the fur facing you, and slide the bottom of your scissor through the fur very close to the backing. Your goal is to just cut the backing, not any of the fur itself.

Place the beard on the sock at the 4.5 inch mark, or halfway up the cone. Hot glue the beard to the sock.

Step 3: Hot glue a bead onto the beard as shown below. Note that the bead is only touching beard, not sock.

Step 4: Make the hat. Turn the patterned sock inside out. If sewing, pin a diagonal line as you see below, then sew along it and trim about 1/2 an inch away from the line you sewed. I used a serger here, but a regular sewing machine works just fine. Just set the stitch length a bit longer than normal and try not to stretch the sock as you sew.

Alternately, if you don’t want to sew, you can mark a diagonal line as you see below. Cut about 1/2 an inch to the right of it. Glue the right sides of the sock together along the cut line.

Step 5. Turn the sock right side out, then place it over top of the cone as a hat. The sock will stick to the cone as you place it on, so it will take a minute to pull it on. Watch the video to see the easiest way to do this.

All that’s left is to decorate the hat as desired. I purchased a 50 cent sheet of craft foam and cut out hearts, which I then glued onto the hats to make Valentine gnomes.

Here are the printable instructions for this adorable Valentine craft!

Materials

Canvas
Scrapbook Paper (large circles and leaf shapes of various sizes)
Mod Podge
Paint
Paint Brushes
Sponge Brushes
Cups of Water
Paper Towels
Frames are optional. You can just hang the canvas by itself.

Procedure

1. Paste solid color or very small print scrapbook paper to cover the entire canvas. Should be the same paper throughout. You could also paint the canvas or paint stripes, polka dots, etc. Another option is to leave the canvas blank.
   
2. Glue a large scrapbook circle just below the center toward the right. 
   
3. Now glue various sizes and colors of leaf-shaped scrapbook paper around the circle. 
   
4. Allow to dry! Done!

Here are the printable instructions for this project. 

Materials

Mason Jars

Fine Glitter
Tempera Paint

Cotton Balls (a ton)

Procedure

1)Fill 1/3 of the jar with water to begin!

2) Add several drops of acrylic or tempera paint to the water, put the lid on your mason jar, and shake to mix the paint and water.

3)Add a bit of fine glitter to the water and paint solution. These are your stars!

4)Stretch out and elongate your cotton balls, adding them to the water until the bottom is filled with cotton, pressing them down into the water with a stick, long-handled spoon, etc.

5.) Fill another 1/3 of the jar with water and add several drops of contrasting tempera paint. Repeat steps 2-4 so your colors start to mix and blend into each other.

6.) Fill the final 1/3 of the jar with water and repeat steps 2-4.

Here are the printable instructions for this out of this world activity!

An easy and fun activity to light up any holiday, event, party, or project!

Materials:

*Empty jars
* Water-based glue sealer
*Sponge brushes
*Colored tissue paper – choice for the project

Procedure:

*Cut tissue paper into pieces

*Cover jar in sections with glue – placing tissue paper on glue 

*Add any extra paper decorations

*Seal the whole jar with glue & dry

*Make sure no loose paper

*Used batteries LED string lights inside lantern

Here are the instructions for this stellar project!

Materials

Mugs

Aluminum Foil Casserole Pans

Nail Polish

Drying Rack or Skewers to sit jugs on to dry

Paper towels to catch dripping

Procedure

1. Fill  a disposable pan (or something you don’t mind getting permanently colored by nail polish) 2 – 3″ full with warm water.
   Add more or less depending on how high on your mug you’d like the color to reach.
2. Make a mark on the inside of your pan to indicate the water level so you can fill it to the same spot each time if you’re making multiple mugs.
3. Then, add your nail polish! Pour it onto the surface of the water, adding more or less depending on if you’d like more or less white to show through your marble pattern.
4. Working super quickly, use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the nail polish across the surface of the water to help create the marble effect, but don’t think too hard about it! You don’t want to drive yourself crazy overcomplicating a simple process and you want to move quick so the nail polish doesn’t set up on the water.
5. Moving equally as quick, the next step is to dunk your mug into the nail polish water. Go straight down and straight up to achieve the dipped look.
6. Move the mug to a protected surface to dry completely, avoiding rubbing the surface of the mug until completely dry. I prefer to sit mine on top of a something to elevate it a little bit (such as a couple skewers) so it doesn’t stick to the surface it’s drying on, and I let them sit and dry overnight before touching them again.
7. Once dry, a super light and thin coat of dishwasher safe ModPodge  and your mugs will be protected when washing, too! (But hand washing to be safe is never a bad idea.)

** Extra Notes
For each mug you’ll need to dump the water and start over, regardless of whether or not you’re changing color. Because the nail polish will start to set up on top of the water, it will be too thick and gloppy to get more than one dip at a time. Other than that it’s a simple process of swirling and dunking! 

Here are the printable instructions for this awesome art project!

No Sew T-Shirt Tote Bag

Materials

• Old t-shirt – The thicker the fabric, the sturdier the bag
• Sharp scissors, preferably fabric scissors
• Washable marker (optional)

Procedure

Step 1: Cut the sleeves off

If you’d like to fold the t-shirt in half you can cut both sleeves at once so that they are identical. Or, if your material is too thick to cut them both at once, you can cut one, then fold it in half and use the cut side as a guide for the next sleeve.

Step 2: Cut the neckline area

If you’d like, you can turn the shirt inside out and trace the outline of a bowl before cutting. I used both methods and personally, I like free-hand cutting better because I prefer a slightly oval shape to a perfectly round one. I ended up trimming this one a bit to make it more oval.

Step 3: Determine how deep you want the bag to be

If you haven’t already turned your t-shirt inside out, do it now. Determine where you want the bottom of the bag to be and trace a line across. Keep in mind that depending on the fabric used, your tote is likely to stretch and become longer when it’s filled with stuff.

Step 4: Cut fringe

Now grab your scissors and cut slits from the bottom of the shirt up to the line marking the bottom of your bag. You’ll want to cut both the front and back layers together because they need to match up for the next step.

I cut my slits about 3/4 to 1 inch apart.

Step 5: Tie Fringe

Okay, this is going to sound really complicated, but it’s NOT, promise. Take your first pair of fringe and tie it into a knot, then tie two more pairs. Now if you lift your bag you’ll see that although the pairs are pulling the bag together, there’s a hole between each pair. This next step will close those holes.

In the photo above you see three sets of fringe that have been tied in knots. What I do next is grab one strand from the middle set (the one with the arrow pointing left) and tie it in a knot with one of the strands on the left set. Then I take the other strand from the middle set (the one with the arrow pointing right) and tie it in a knot with one of the strands on the right set.

Then I take the remaining strand on the right set and tie it to the next set of strands, and so on and so forth until all the strands are tied. Now turn your t-shirt right side out again and voila, you’re done!

A Couple Of Fun Variations . . .

Turn the bag right side out when tying the fringe.

Tie the straps in knots, or tie bits of t-shirt scrap to the top as embellishments

Here are the printable instructions for your no sew fun project!

Materials

Long roll of butcher paper
Tempera or acrylic paints
Tape or something to hold the paper down
Baby wipes or large bowl or hose for washing off paint
Paper towels or rags for clean up

Procedure

Roll out a long piece of white butcher paper and cut rectangle sheets for each person.

Tape sheets to floor or concrete. If inside, make sure there is a tarp or something under the paper to prevent staining the floor.

Drizzle paint on sheets

Paint with feet

Rinse and wipe feet afterward with baby wipes

Let painting dry before moving.

Here are the printable instructions for this fabulous feet art!

Materials:

1-Pizza Pan

2-Yellow, Gold, White, and Black Paint

3-Hot Glue Gun (Not Sold at Dollar Tree)

4-Hot Glue Sticks

5-Stencil

6-Faux Yellow Florals Faux Greenery

7-Use black paint (and a stencil if needed) to write “Welcome” or “Hello” or “your name” along the rim of the lemon slice. Allow paint to dry completely.

8- if used for a door hanger you can hot glue ribbon or rope on the back to hang.

Procedure

1-Paint the entire pizza pan yellow and allow it to dry completely.

2-Use gold to outline the rim and sections of the slice and allow it to dry completely.

3-Use white paint to outline the sections and segments of the lemon, creating a realistic look. Allow paint to dry completely.

4-Use hot glue to apply faux flowers and greenery to the edge of the lemon slice.

There are two different projects in this post, so scroll the way to the bottom!

Project 1

Rock Painting Free Design

Materials

You could purchase a rock painting kit (at local craft stores and Five Below)
and it will come with everything you need. The kit is not necessary, however.

Below is what to purchase if you do not have a kit.

Rocks (river rocks are very smooth and great for painting)

Paintbrushes

Cups for Water

Tempera Paint

Stickers

Glitter

Paper Towels

Plates for Paint

Procedure

Squeeze various colors of tempera paint on a plate.

Make a plate of paint colors for each person.

Give each person a paintbrush, cup of water to clean brushes, and a paper towel on which to wipe brushes

Give each person a rock and have them start painting.

After they are finished painting their rock they can decorate with glitter, stickers, ribbon, or any other decorative items you have provided.

Lay rocks on paper towel to dry.

Project 2

Rock Cacti in Pot

Materials

 

River Rocks

Paint Brush

White Marble Accent Stones

Clay Pots

Dark Green, Light Green, and White Acrylic Paint

Procedure

1-Get a few different sized river rocks to make a varied size cactus arrangement. Paint each rock in light or dark green paint and allow to dry completely.

2-Use the handle end of the paintbrush or a paint pen to add dots of white or green to create the spikes on each cactus.

3-Fill the clay pots with small white pebbles, then wedge the rock “cactus” in place.

4-Place on your desk, table, or windowsill for a fun pop of (low maintenance) greenery.

Materials

• Roll of paper
• Spray bottles (empty window cleaner bottles work well)
• Thin paint. (This can be water-based paint of any kind. If you use tempera or acrylic, make sure to add lots of water so the paint is very, very thin.)
• Masking tape
• Aprons or old shirts to protect clothing

Procedure

1. Tape a long section of paper to a fence or a wall. Or unroll it on an easel.
2. Make sure students wear aprons as this activity can get a little messy.
3. Fill spray bottles with different colors of paint.
4. Students can then spray different colors of paint onto the paper.
5. Encourage overlapping of colors so that blending and mixing occurs.
6. Once complete, let the paint dry and hang!

Here are the instructions for this great project!

Supplies Needed

Oversized black construction paper
Card stock
Watercolors
Oil pastel crayons 
Markers
Glue sticks

The construction paper can be any color I suggest black for the background because it makes the art pop

Procedure:

Cut the card stock into 4 squares or rectangles

Let your inner artist flow

I recommend drawing your picture with oil pastels.

Then add accents with marker.

Finally, go over the picture with watercolor. It will fill in the rest of the space.

Paste all four pieces and

Bam! Enjoy your masterpiece!

Here are the printable instructions to this art project!

Butterfly Mobile

Materials

• One bamboo wood ring
• 4-5 pieces of nylon string (2 feet)
• Fake butterflies, flowers, and insects that you can purchase at a craft store.
• Glue gun/ tape/ glue dots

Instructions

First Step

1. Take the ring and tie the first nylon string to the ring in the middle of the string. This leaves a foot above the ring (to hang from the ceiling) and a foot below the ring (to add butterflies, insects, flowers, etc.)
2. Continue tying the other 3-3 strings around the ring, spacing them evenly apart.
3. Tie all of the top strings together so that the mobile can hang.

Final Step

1. Begin to decorate your mobile.
2. Start at the end of each string placing a butterfly or flower, working your way up the string placing decorations at various intervals.
3. Place the decorations on the string using either a glue gun, glue dots, or tape.

Hint: You can bend the butterfly wings to give them extra dimension.

Here are the printable instructions: Butterfly Mobile Instructions

Materials

Borax (found in laundry section)

pipe cleaners in rainbow colors

water

twine

a pencil or stick that is longer than the glass/jar’s opening

cotton balls

glue

Tools

wide-mouth jar or a glass bowl

adult supervision

Instructions

1. Using one pipe cleaner as the anchor, tie one end of the rainbow-colored pipe cleaners onto it.
2. Bend them into a half-circle.
   
3. Tie the other end of the pipe cleaners onto the anchor pipe cleaner. Cut the excess.
   
4. Fill the bowl with water to around three-quarters full. Then using a measuring cup, measure the amount of water used.
5. Boil the water in a pan under adult supervision.
6. Carefully pour the boiling water into the bowl.
7. Dissolve plenty of Borax into the hot water. For each cup of water, I used 3 tablespoons of Borax.
8. Stir the water until all the powder has dissolved or the powder left at the bottom cannot dissolve further. This phenomenon is called saturation.
9. Tie the rainbow you’ve made onto a twine. I tied it on the anchor pipe cleaner and hanged the rainbow upside down.
10. Tie the other end of the twin onto a pencil or stick and submerge it into the Borax solution. Make sure the rainbow is fully submerged and not touching the side of the bowl.
    
11. Put the bowl in an area where it won’t be disturbed for the next few hours.
12. Crystals should start forming immediately and a layer of crystals will cover the pipe cleaner completely within 3 hours. Wait another hour or two if you want a thicker rainbow.
13. When it’s grown to the desired size, take it out to dry.
14. Glue cotton balls onto the bottom.
15. Unlike growing crystals using sugar or salt, crystallization using Borax is relatively fast. Crystals can be seen forming as early as two hours after the glass is set aside.

Here are the Rainbow Crystal Project Instructions

Materials

Printable Escape Room Packets

Scissors

Prizes/Treats for Completing Escape Room

Cardstock

Process

Print out the escape room master packet and game packet on card stock or copy paper.
Cardstock is more durable and can be laminated if you like, but printer paper will work too.

You could possibly set up the room at your charity partner and then leave or you can print and cut out the clues and give them to the staff at your charity partner. Give the staff at your charity partner the instructions and the answer key. They can set up the room if needed and help those who get stuck on certain puzzles.

As ladies finish the escape room, they can be given a prize or certificate rewarding them for their perseverance.

The files to the escape room are below.

Escape Room Master Guide with Answer Key

Game Materials

Printable Instructions

No Sew Fleece Pillow

Materials

2 yards of fleece divided into 1-yard pieces

16-inch pillow insert or stuffing for the pillow

Ruler

Fabric marker

Ballpoint pins

Fabric scissors

Process

Step 1 : Measure and cut the fabric

Place one yard of fleece on top of another yard. The patterned sides should be facing out on both top and bottom so that you can see them.

To determine the size to cut the fabrics take the dimensions of your pillow and add 4 inches to all four sides. That way your pillow will fit inside the case.

If you have pillow stuffing, determine the size that you want the pillow and add 4 inches to all four sides.

Pin in place if needed to keep the fabric from moving.

Step 2: Measure and cut 4-inch squares out of the four corners

Cut one inch wide strips, 4 inches long,  around the edges

You can mark them to keep it more consistent

Step 3: Tie the knots and insert the pillow or stuffing.

Only tie knots on three sides. That way you will have an opening for your pillow stuffing or pillow to go in.

Once your pillow/stuffing is in go ahead and tie the final side.

Here is a video tutorial if needed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPqwPcyVYZc&t=151s

New Sew Fleece Pillow Printable Instructions

Manis and Bananis Workshop

Materials

Nail polish

Nail Polish Remover

Cotton Balls

Emery Boards

Clippers

Cuticle Trimmer

Bowls

Bananas

Ice Cream

Ice Cream Toppings

Whipped Cream

Spoons

Process

The girls will be able to paint their own nails or have another girl at your charity partner pain them. Polish remover will need to be used if the girls already have a paint color on their nails. They may also want to file /shape their nails and trim the cuticles. You may want to check with your charity partner to make sure items like clippers  and cuticle trimmers are allowed.

After they remove their polish, shape and file their nails, and trim the cuticles, it is time to paint!

After the girls have completed their manicures, they can make their own banana splits!

They will grab a bowl, put a banana in the bottom (may need to be cut in half), add ice cream and their favorite toppings!
Voila! Manis and Bananis!

Below are printable instructions!

Manis and Bananis Workshop

“Snowball” Fight with Snowman Treat

Materials

For Snowballs

Paper crumpled into balls with positive messages on the inside

Basket to put snowballs in

For Snowman Treat

2 round cakes

White icing

Coconut

Candy for face

Fruit roll-up for scarf

OR

Cupcakes with white frosting

Large Marshmallows

M & Ms

Black and orange writing gel for face and arms

Procedure

Create two teams on opposite sides of the room.

Designate the line that divides the room in half.

Each team should have half of the snowballs.

You are racing against the clock to clear all the snowballs off your side.

You do this by throwing the paper snowballs which are on your side of the room on to your opponent’s side.

To make this a little trickier, you can only throw snowballs with the opposite hand you write with. Keep your other hand behind your back.

No pushing large piles of snowballs over the line. All snowballs must be thrown across the designated line.

Give a certain amount of time for the snowball battle to last. Once that time is up, the game is over.

No more throwing after the game is over.

Count the number of snowballs that your team has. The team with the fewest amount of snowballs wins.

Do not throw out the snowballs.

There are messages on each snowball that should be read after the game is over.

Divide up the snowballs so that each person has the same amount. After they have read the messages in their snowballs, it is time to have snowman dessert.

Snowman Cake

For the snowman cake, bake two round cakes. Cover each round cake with white icing. Then topped with coconut. Add candies for the face.

Snowman Cupcakes

For the snowman cupcakes, purchase or bake cupcakes and Frost them with white icing. Then add a large marshmallow for the head. Add 3M and M’s for the buttons. Then draw their face and hands with the writing gel.

Here are printable directions for this really “cool” activity!

Poetry Workshop

Materials Needed

Paper/Notebook

Pencils/Pens

Process

Before you jump into writing poems with your group, it is a good idea to talk about the benefits of writing poetry. These are just a few,

Why  Write Poetry

1. It’s more than just lines of rhyming words. (This is so important for them to know)

2. It’s very therapeutic.
3. It challenges you to acknowledge your feelings
4. It is a fun and creative way to communicate- it’s art!

Then communicate the following: “Poetry is a really great art form to explore, but so many people don’t feel that they are qualified or talented enough to write poetry. And that’s sad because poetry is something that can be practically anything. A stream of thoughts, a rearrangement of words, a paragraph with different lines crossed out–poetry has endless possibilities!”

Next, go over the steps for writing a poem.

1. Pick your form.

There are hundreds of ways to write a poem. Do you want to rhyme, or not rhyme? Do you want your poetry to follow a beat or flow on its own? You could write a limerick, a sonnet, a Haiku, a quatrain, free verse–seriously, there are so many options. But don’t let that overwhelm you. Start by experimenting with as many (or as few) as you want. You don’t have to know about all of these types of poems or any of them really. Just write what you want and how you want.

2. Pick your subject.

What are you just dying to write about? Nature? Animals? People? Emotions? You can write about anything you want, but often the best kinds of poetry comes from deep within. Some poets like to write emotional poetry about their deepest feelings. I’ve often found that times of grief, heartbreak, loneliness, anxiety, and insecurity fuel my best poems–but it’s different for everyone. The next time you feel emotional, try writing a poem to release your feelings.
Or, if you prefer other poetry forms, look around you for things that inspire you. Nature is another popular subject that many poets craft beautiful poems around. I personally love writing poems about sunsets and water, simply because there are so many wonderful words I can use to describe them. Find what inspires you, and write about it!

3. Let your heart write.

The beautiful part about poetry is that you practically can’t do it wrong. And in a world where there is so much negativity and criticism, this is amazing. No one can tell you that your poem is right or wrong because it is yours and no one else’s. You may not like what you write at first, but just like stories, poetry can be edited as much as you want. Some people like to use literary devices like metaphors in their poems, others like to keep things simple. Some like to use big words, and others don’t.

While I can give you ideas about what form to pick or what subject to write about, in reality, poetry is something that comes from within. It’s an art form that comes in many different shapes and sizes, and it’s something that every single person writes differently. So take some time and let your heart write! You may be surprised at what you end up with.

Finally, invite the girls to write their own poems.

Today’s invitation is simple. Write from the place of mental and emotional wide-open space; be vulnerable with yourself. Let your mind quiet. And then see what lines form in your mind, your heart.

Share a poem with the girls before they get started.

I will give you an example of a poem that I wrote about overcoming the dysfunctional family I was adopted into. This is my poem, so you may want to use your own that you have written or find one that you like. It is good to share a poem that means something to you personally.  Loop Poetry Project has some amazing poems and resources available. It is where I got a lot of my information for doing a poetry class.

Technicolor

By: Heather Bowman

Memories. Fuzzy, black and white.

Fragments of them popping into my mind.

Then disappearing as quickly as they came.

Why can’t I remember?

Pain, suffocating me

Bound by the pain of my past

How do I break free?

Will these scabs ever heal?

Forgive, but how.

It’s so hard.

They’re not sorry.

They’re free, & I’m in the prison of my mind.

I have to try, but it is so hard.

My white knuckles are no longer gripping my past.

I am beginning to let go

the weight from my shoulders is lifting.

The chains have been broken.

I am free;

No longer prisoner to my past.

Forgiveness wasn’t for them; it was for me.

I know myself now.

I am smart. I am beautiful.

I have purpose. I have value.

The lies have been shattered; the truth sets me free.

The world was gray, with a cold rain

Blurry, out of focus, confusing

Now it is beautiful, full of color

I have overcome.

Once you have finished sharing the poem, it is time for the girls to write. They can write whatever is on their heart and/or you can also give them a topic to write about. Chicktime leaders and volunteers should share what they are writing with the girls so the girls will be comfortable in sharing their poems as well. Talk about the meaning behind the poem and why writing this poem is important to you.  Allow the girls to come up and share their poems. One girl sharing her poem leads to many girls sharing!

Toward the end, communicate the following about the poems the girls have written:

There are some things that you might want to change because this is your first draft.. You may want to review and edit it., but you don’t have to. It’s your poem. If you like it that way you can just leave it. It’s yours. There is no right or wrong and you don’t need anyone’s approval. That is the beauty of poetry.

DO NOT SEEK APPROVAL  FROM OTHER PEOPLE WHEN WRITING POETRY!

THE POEMS ARE FOR YOU; NOT THEM!

Finish by thanking the girls for being brave and sharing their work. Encourage them to keep writing so that they can share more poetry with you next time.

Here is a link to printable instructions and what to do if you are unable to do this through a Zoom conference.

No-Bake Workshop

Materials

Naan Flatbread

Onion and Chive Cream Cheese (other kinds work well too)

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced

2 green onions, diced

1/2 cup broccoli, diced

3/4 cup shredded mild cheese

Bananas

Fruit of choice

Mini chocolate chips

Nut Butter

Sprinkles

Vanilla Wafers

Chocolate pudding

Graham crackers

Marshmallow creme

Mini marshmallows

Chocolate bar

Plates/bowls

Cups

Napkins

plasticware

Process

From the above ingredients you will be able to make the following snacks:

No-bake Veggie Pizza 

Banana Peanut Butter Halves With Fruit/Chocolate

Banana Cookies with Sprinkles

S’Mores Parfait

There are multiple ways to host this workshop. You could have the charity partner send the ladies or girls in small groups. You could have the girls work in pairs or teams. Also, you could choose just one recipe to do with the group or individual girls. Or you can do multiple.

Here is how I did it. For the no-bake veggie pizza and the banana cookies with sprinkles, I had the girls work in pairs.

For the banana peanut butter halves with fruit or chocolate, and the s’mores parfait, each girl had her own materials.

Most of the recipes are pretty self-explanatory just by looking at the picture. But I will include links to the recipe that I used so that you can make sure you know how to explain it to your girls. Also, if you Pinterest Or Google no-bake snacks, you will come up with hundreds of ideas. You don’t necessarily have to use these.

Make sure you check with your charity partner to determine what utensils the girls are not allowed to have and if there are any food allergies. Instead of peanut butter, I typically use almond butter.

As for the supplies of food and other materials, you could talk to your local grocery store. We have had grocery stores donate supplies to us before. Also, volunteers are a great resource. They will often happily donate plates, utensils, or food items for the workshop. If each volunteer donated one or two items, you would be able to host your workshop with minimal financial obligation.

Once you are ready for your workshop, make sure the girls have their required materials. And then choose one of the recipes and go over the recipes step by step with the girls. Make sure that they have completed the first step before moving on to the second. Once they finish, give them a few minutes too try their snack before moving on to the next recipe.

As you are making your snack with the girls, you could talk about the importance of healthy snacks and a balanced diet. You could also talk about ways you could change these recipes up. That way the girls will be able to make these recipes with options and have more variety. It’s also a great way to ask the girls what their favorite foods are. Or if they have a favorite snack. Is definitely a great conversation starter.

Between recipes, make sure the girls have time to clean up their mess so that they are ready for the next recipe.

End the workshop by thinking your charity partner for their time and also letting them know that they can Google or Pinterest no-bake snacks for many more ideas.

Printable directions and tips for those unable to have a Zoom conference. 

Vision Board Workshop

Materials

Poster Board- full or half sheet

Colorful Markers

Stickers

Glue Sticks

Glitter

Vision Board Pages

Magazines

Stencils

Process

In order to save time (and in order to save your girls from having to use scissors since many of them may have restrictions in place) go ahead and cut out the printables on the vision board printables (link below). Also, I did not use any magazines because it can be hard to find the words or ideas you are looking for, and so magazine flipping can make things take a lot longer. The printables I used worked really well and enabled me to make the most of my time.

I did not print out 20 of each page so that each girl had one of everything. That would take hundreds of sheets of paper. I printed 3-4 of each page so that the girls would have choices.

On the day of your workshop, each person that is participating (volunteers and those at your charity partner) should have supplies for a vision board. You may share the link to the printables if you would like.

Go over what you will be doing with the girls. Tell them about the supplies they have and the purpose of each item. Show them some of the printables that you like in order to give them some ideas. Then it is time to begin!

As you and your volunteers work on your own vision boards, show the girls what you are doing. Share ideas with each other. The more you share your work, the more comfortable the ladies you serve will feel in sharing their work.

I held up various quotes and pictures and talked about what each one meant to me and why I chose to put it on my board. I also encouraged the girls to draw or write their own ideas on the board and not just rely on the printables. I also told the girls that if they saw a quote they liked, but it was already taken, they could just write it on their board.

Toward the end of your time, ask if anyone wants to share. Overwhelmingly praise the ladies who are brave enough to share their board and describe what they put on the board and why. They are being brave and vulnerable in sharing their boards and that should be applauded.

Once everyone has had the opportunity to share, you can end your time by talking about the exciting things you will be doing next month!

Vision Board  Printable Directions and Materials

This is a workshop that can be easily completed through a Zoom conference or other online platform.

Bullet Journal Workshop

Materials

Bullet Journals/Composition Notebooks

Colorful Markers

Black pens

Folder/Binder

Bullet Journal Pages

Process

There are multiple ways to create a bullet journal. You could purchase the bullet journals that have dots on a page that you connect together to draw things. You could just use a composition notebook without dots and do free draw. Or you can print bullet Journal pages online and put them in a folder or binder. There are hundreds of free bullet Journal pages online. You would just have to print the pages or send them to your charity partner and ask them to print the pages.

On the day of your workshop, each person who is participating (volunteers and those at your charity partner) should have either a bullet journal, composition book, or bullet journal pages with a folder or binder.

You could go over the benefits of bullet journaling, which are below:

• Helps organize and prioritize life tasks, thoughts and feelings
• Helps identify stressors and then one can identify solutions to problems
• Can help process and release emotions and intrusive or avoidant thoughts
• Can help gain insight and confidence
• Help us see situation from other points of view, decrease our reactivity to others, and promote empathy
• Easier to track progress, feelings, habits than multiple journal pages- can fit all on one page
• It is a beautiful, artistic, and creative way to express yourself.

You Could also give tips for bullet journaling for beginners

• Try to write daily at least a few minutes.
• Be accepting and non-judgmental of your attempts, focusing more on getting words on paper.
• Journaling doesn’t have to follow a certain structure or format, just let the pencil flow!
• Some people prefer to keep a gratitude journal for one thing per day they are grateful for.
• Others write down negative thoughts to “throw away” & help clear our mind.
• Experiment with tying journaling into your daily routine at a certain time or after a certain daily activity – like eating breakfast, riding the train home or eating dinner.

Now that you have introduced your topic it is time to complete a few bullet journaling pages with your group. You could use the bullet journaling pages that are available on self-love. The link is posted below. I like to start with that because it is something I feel we all need to do on a regular basis. We need to identify the good things about us, acknowledge our gifts and talents, and overcome the negativity that a lot of these ladies (and many of us) have probably been exposed to.

As the ladies are filling out their journal pages, encourage them to share what they are writing. Encourage the volunteers to show their work so that the ladies at your charity partner will be vulnerable enough to share as well.

At first, people will not want to share. They will be too nervous. But as you share your work and your volunteers share, it will give those you are serving the confidence to share their work. By the time we ended our workshop, everyone wanted to share.

End the workshop by thanking your charity partner for their time and also letting them know that they can Google or Pinterest free bullet journal pages so that they can continue doing this.

Here is the link to the bullet journal pages that I used as well as printable directions.

Thank you to Amanda from the Kansas City chapter for this great idea!
We have free downloadable templates below!

Materials:

Blank Paper, Self Love Letter Templates, or Journals
Writing Utensils
Stickers, Stamps, or Other Accessories to Decorate Letter
A computer for Zoom Conference

Process: 

Using the “Guide to Self Love”, discuss the importance of loving yourself with your group.
Then use the “I Am Worthy Of Self Love” sheet with your ladies in order to get them brainstorming about what they love about themselves.
Next, use the “Love Letter to Me” template to have the women write letters to themselves based on what they came up with on their “I Am Worthy Of Self Love” sheet.
Finally, they can decorate their letter with stickers, stamps, washi tape, etc. Extra sheets could be given to the ladies so they have the opportunity to do this on a regular basis.

Download documents by clicking the links below.

“Guide to Self Love”

“I am Worthy of Self Love”

“Love Letter to Me”

test for heather

A great workshop to do via drop off is bullet journaling. This is something that you can do over zoom with the girls or ladies at your charity partner. If you don’t know what bullet journaling is, it is similar to regular journaling but is much more artistic. The only supplies needed are a bullet journal ( a composition Journal will work too), colorful pens and markers, and possibly some free bullet journal sheets. I recommend the printable bullet journal sheets because they are self-explanatory, and you can do those with your ladies over Zoom pretty easily. I am including a link to Pinterest that has hundreds of bullet Journal pages that you could print. Everything from habit trackers, to favorite movies, to books, to feelings. There are so many ideas that you could do. If you need more information, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will go over it with you in more detail. I am also open to leading a Zoom workshop with you in the area of bullet journaling. I know the women and ladies that you serve at your charity partner will love this activity! Who doesn’t like to color? And you can show them that there are free resources available online so they can continue to do it on their own.

Link to Free Journal Pages

<3 Heather

heather@chicktime.com
404-583-2179