Keeping kids busy over the summer breaks can be challenging for the budget-conscious. Going out everyday, even if it’s to the beach or to the park, can get costly. Driving back and forth, or even busing it, can add up.
Keeping kids busy over the summer breaks can be challenging for the budget-conscious. Going out everyday, even if it’s to the beach or to the park, can get costly.
Driving back and forth, or even busing it, can add up. You have to pack drinks and snacks, too.
Hearing whines of “I’m bored!” can get tiring. So, how do you keep your kids from watching too much TV and keep them busy at home?
Here is a creative project you can do with them at home with things you already have.
Create a puppet show. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate one. Create a simple and easy show that will keep their imaginations busy. Chances are if you have an elementary-school kid, you already have everything you need.
All you need is construction paper, scissors, craft sticks and glue. Sit down with your kids and talk about what they want to make. Show them books or pictures to help give them ideas. Because this project requires scissors, they will need your supervision.
It’s best to keep a variety of colors of paper and pens available for kids. It helps build creativity, and makes for a more-colorful scene. If you don’t have craft sticks, popsicle sticks are the same thing. They usually come in a pack of 150 for about $2.99 a pack for plain ones. There also are assorted-colored packs for about a dollar more.
Underwater scenes are relatively easy. Talk with your kids about what color the water is, and what creatures live there. Keep it familiar for kids, like going over things they saw while snorkeling or while watching “Finding Nemo.” It’s easier for kids to cut out creatures that they see often enough because they are familiar with the shapes.
Keep it simple. Kids can become restless if the project is too complicated. You can start with a simple backdrop first, like the basic sheet of blue for the water. Then add things to the scene, like green strips for seaweed or odd-shaped brown cutouts for rocks.
Cutouts instead of drawings with crayons or markers add a more three-dimensional effect, and to the making of the puppet-show experience. For a sturdier back drop, glue it on to cardboard.
Sometimes it’s easier to start with the backdrop, and build on that to create the scene, but see what your children want to start with. They may want to go straight to cutting out the animals. For the creatively-challenged, you can help them draw the animals first to get an idea of what they’re going to make. I go straight to cutting out the animals.
Cut out shapes of the animals. It might be easier to cut out shapes and glue the body parts together. This will keep your kids stimulated by practicing shapes exercises.
For an octopus, start out with a circle for the head and main body. Then cut out legs and glue them to the circle. Add two white circles for the eyes, and two smaller circles of any color to add to the color of the eyes. Add a happy smile. Glue the octopus onto a craft stick, and the puppet is good to go.
Cut out other small creatures like fish or urchins to fill out the scene. The more advanced can cut out monk seals or turtles. Glue them onto the craft sticks. If you want to get really creative, use things like puffy balls for eyes. Packs of those come in assorted colors, too, and usually don’t cost more than $2.
When puppets are finished, use the scissors or a razor-blade knife to make slits into the back drop. Make thin slits. This is where the puppets will slide into when telling the story. Looking at the paper, the slits will go unnoticed to the naked eye until the puppets slide into them.
Next up, creating the story. Let the kids make up a story to go with the pictures and creatures they’ve created. Give them a separate sheet of paper to write the story on. Remind them that the story doesn’t have to be long.
When it comes time for the show, the story doesn’t have to be memorized. Glue the story to the back of the back drop. They can read the story while holding up the backdrop.
Try using a song. Instead of a story, it could be entertaining to use any sealife song they might have learned in school. A song like The Beatles’ “Octopus’ Garden” can be fun.
- Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@pulitzer.net.
