More Summer Projects to do with Kids

This is project # 5 in my series on Fabulous Activities to do with Kids this summer!

Build a Water Wall
This wet and wonderful project is a gift that keeps on giving.  Build one today and your kids will play with it all summer long.  Appropriate for ages 5 and up but expect to be heavily involved in the process.

Today I am going to share a REALLY fun activity that I have been seeing all over Pinterest lately. However, when I clicked on those pins, they took me to blogs and sites that showed perfectly constructed projects, many with limited instructions on the actual assembly.  In this tutorial I will offer step by step instructions, construction tips and I will discuss the materials and safety issues that a parent should know so their kid's walls are a smashing success.  

Supplies

• Pegboard
• Zip ties, 8 inch
• Recycled containers
• Funnels, straws and/ or sections of hose(s)
• Box cutter
• Crop-o-dile hole punch, awl or other method for punching holes in heavy plastic (hammer with nails works too!)
• Scissors
• Duct/ plumbers tape and Metal file (optional)
• Watering can or pitcher

Supply Information 
Pegboard - you can use the standard press board pegboard but it will buckle quickly and eventually break with water use.  They sell industrial strength pegboard which would undoubtedly last longer but it gets a bit pricey and will also deteriorate before the summer is over.  We used plastic peg board which came in 16" x 16" squares for $5.69 at Home Depot.

We only used 2 squares stacked on top of each other because I was working with littler kids and I wanted them to be able to pour the water themselves. We used screws to connect the 2 squares together, but this was not sufficient for the two squares to stand erect.  There was a bit of bend between the 2 pieces; a small inverted fold if you will, which interfered with the flow of the water from one container to the next.

I had to lay the board against the fence at an angle because the inverted bend was significant when I tried to stand them up erect.

As you can imagine, some of the younger, less patient kiddos found this a bit frustrating. This bend altered the way the water flowed which meant we had to redo a lot of the initial designs.  The bend increased as the heat of the day made the plastic softer. I would recommend purchasing some PVC pipe to zip tie to the back so that the squares have adequate support to stay erect. You could then slightly lean the entire unit against a wall, fence or table so the wall stands almost verticle.

I would recommend using 3 squares if you are able.  This way you can attach more items to the chain for more pouring excitement. If you put a stool (with slip grip) next to the water wall, the smaller kids can still pour.

Zip ties - you will need a lot of them because they will misjudge placement more than you think.

Recycled containers- The more, the better so they have lots of options to build with. Both plastic and tin too.  Plastic is easier to cut and mold, but tin will hold its form so the water flow from it is predictable. Coated cardboard (like milk cartons) are ok, but not as durable.

She could predict where the water would flow using these cans.  The water flow from the plastic containers changed with the flow speed and weight of the water making it less reliable.

*IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ADULTS* -I highly recommend pre-cutting the entry and exit holes prior to putting out all of the materials.  Cutting became a real point of contention with my group of kids because they had to wait for me to do this step for them each time they wanted to add a new element.  Cutting takes a lot of time for safety reasons. You will need to wrestle with awkward, unsupported, pliable surfaces when slicing these holes and you will be using sharp razor knives or sheers to accomplish your task.  There will be sharp plastic edges, metal slivers and injury inducing "pokeys" immediately following these cuts that will need to be modified, covered with duct tape or filed to be kid-ready.  I don't know any water-wall-age-interested-kids that can master this process so by getting this step out of the way, the kids can get started on the fun, lickety split.

Funnels, straws and/ or sections of hoses - These items are not imperative but will pump up the excitement considerably!  You can get a set of 2 or 3 for a $1 at the Dollar Tree, and if you go into the automotive section, they even sell those oil change funnels (see below) with tubes which you can cut into 2 pieces if you want. You can hit the hardware store for all kinds of tubing or cut up an old garden hose if you have one.  You can straws too! Both the large slurpee sized and the bendy-at-the-neck kind will work.  The kids will just have to play with the connections to make sure water actually enters the smaller holes rather than running over the sides.

Box cutter, crop-o-dile hole punch, awl or other method for punching holes in heavy plastic (hammer with nails works too!), scissors, metal file and duct/ plumbers tape - These are all tools to cut water entrance and exit holes, to poke holes for the zip ties to attach to the walls and for protecting the cut edges so little ones don't get hurt.  I suggest that all of these items stay in the hands of adults.  I didn't even let my 11 year old poke the hanging holes because this kind of plastic and metal have sharp edges. Honestly, I cut myself several times.

Watering can or pitcher - The kids should use the largest container they are strong enough to pour.  The more water, the longer the fun lasts.

 Don't use a hose.  Using a hose takes a way from the wow factor. Watching the beginning when the water starts to run through the contraption, then the flow as it all works together, then the end when the last bit of water exits the last container is what makes the whole process fun.

 

A constant flow of water causes the activity to lose its novelty quickly.  Plus when you use a single watering can everybody gets a turn to watch, then a turn to pour, then they can make adjustments and additions and start pouring all over again.

To Do:
1. Lay the peg boards down flat on the ground and let the kids gather the items they want to put in their water fountain chain.  I let each child start their own chain with 1 or 2 containers, then they merged their chains together for 1 or 2 spills, then they would create split off fountains.  Most of the 2 square boards started with 2 different containers, but ended with 3 or more "faucets."

2. Let the kids put out two water pour steps before you attach the containers to the wall with zip ties.  Stand the wall up-right so they can see if the first containers exit hole will line up with the next containers entry hole. The way it looks laying down changes when you push the container to the wall flush as it will be when secured tightly with a zip tie. 

3. Lace the zip tie through the container and peg board holes and pull tightly so that the container will be able to support the weight of the water as intended.

4. Repeat this steps until you have a chain of containers, then test to see how it works.

5. Add, modify or recreate as desired.

A few more comments
Little fingers have a lot of trouble threading the zip ties so in most cases, you will be an active participant with this activity.  This is great if you have the time and interest, but if you were looking for a little break while the kids played or are running low on pacience, this may not be the activity for today.

Conceiving how the water pouring flow will change with gravity and the zip tie attachment angle can be frustrating for kids, BUT this is an awesome lesson on spacial recognition, influence of variables, and structural strength that will be invaluable to your child.  These are not concepts that can be grasped from a book. These are sensory abstractions that are learned with hands-on experience through trial and error. Through-out our childhood kids learn that objects, sequences, events are impacted, manipulated, altered by conditions, variables, forces.  Creating a water wall with a child is a magical way to watch a little human comprehend an assortment of truths you would otherwise need "a lot of words" to explain.

This may seem like loads of work with all of the prep time and hands on assistance required for the project to be successful and safe, but it is totally worth it!  Not only is it a ton of fun, very educational, a wonderful opportunity for bonding and a great way to stay cool with water play- you can redo your water wall over and over again!  Let us know any tips you have to improve the process and how it went with your kids!

Fun Projects To Do With Kids

These are number's 2 and 3 on my list of fun things to do with kids (this summer or anytime!)

Geometric Canvas Art:
I did this project with my Create and Innovate Home Edition kids and it was a huge hit.  It is a very tactile activity and one that the kids finish with great pride! Appropriate for ages 4 and up.

Supplies:

• Canvas of any size
• Painters tape
• Acrylic paint and brushes

To Do:
1. Have each child put painters tape on their canvas in their own design. If working with younger children, you should tear of the tape for them so they have long enough pieces to run across their canvas. For older kids, show them an example to they understand the length of tape they will need to go from one side to the other.

2. Secure the tape down firmly so that none of the edges are lifting off the canvas.  You won't have a sharp edge if paint sneaks under loose tape.

3. Paint each open section and let it dry.

4. Remove the tape. The kids love this part!

5. Encourage the kids to draw doodles like dots, scallops, circles in or around the sections.  Other ideas include writing words in the white spaces or gluing down buttons and other embellishments to add texture and dimension.

Garden Glove Flower Can 

• A large tin can.  I used bulk sized chili cans that I found in the trash at our church (Yes - I dumpster dive in the name of art.)
• Patterned or colored garden gloves - 1 glove per flower.  I bought mine at the dollar tree.
• A large faux Gerber Daisy.  You can get these at Michaels.
• Large buttons
• Glitter
• White glue
• Fabric and Ribbon
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Piece of cardstock cut into a circle the size of a large silver dollar.

To Make The Flowers:

1. Cut the fingers off of your gloves and set aside.

2. Pull 5 or 10 petals off of your Gerber Daisy. (This will depend on the width of the flower petals. You want the combined flowers petals to balance with the width as the glove fingers.)

3. Lay out your flower design on top of the cardstock circle by staggering the petals between the glove fingers and the faux flower pedals.  The cardstock circle will be the base in the center and you will glue the petals on to it. You may need to adjust your layering to make the flower proportionate. 

4. Hot glue all the the pedals in place.  Roll and glue glove finger pedals that are extra bulky at the open mouth.  Don't worry about the bunching in the middle; this will be covered by the buttons.

5. Put glue and glitter on one or more buttons and stack them to create your flower center.

6. Once the glue under the glitter is dry, hot glue the button center onto your flower.

To Cover The Can:
1. Measure the diameter of your can.  To do this you can take a piece of string, wrap it around, cut it where the tail meets the strand, then measure the string.

2. Select fabric scraps and ribbon to glue around your can like strips of old jeans, pieces of a t-shirt, fabric remnants and assorted ribbon from your stash.  Be sure to measure your strips to make sure they are long enough to cover the diameter of the can.  Our cans were 19 inches around so I pre-cut the material for the kids so they wouldn't end up with pieces that weren't long enough.

3. Glue one edge of each piece of fabric/ ribbon in the order you want it to go down the can.  If you are overlapping edges, be sure to glue the bottom pieces first.

4.  Now wrap each piece of fabric/ ribbon around the can, adding hot glue every few inches to make sure the piece stays in position. 

5.  Secure all of the ends so nothing hangs off the finished can. Cut off all loose strings to prevent unraveling or accidental pulls.

6. Hot glue the flower on your can.

Creating with Kids - Projects for Summer Break

I am writing a new blog series with a long list of fun projects to do with kids this summer.  There will be great photos and step by step instructions.  All of these projects will be kid tested and kids approved!

PROJECT 1- Make fairies and elves out of pipe cleaners, beads and faux flowers. - good for kids aged 5+ (Younger children will need adult help with the raw ends of the pipe cleaners, scissors and wire cutters.)

 

Supplies

• faux flowers from the dollar store
• Fine-tip black, red and pink markers
• Round wooden bead for the head (sold at Michaels)
• Pipe cleaners
• Wire cutters and scissors
• Embroidery floss 

1. Separate the flowers from the stem to use for the fairy's skirt.
2. Fold the pipe cleaner into thirds and cut one third off. Set this piece off to the side to use for the arms.
3. Wind the embroidery floss around your hand (or make a larger "loop" for longer hair) 4 or more times.  For shorter hair, wrap around 3 fingers. NOTE: Kid's hands are small so if they wrap around their own hand, their hair will be short.
4. Bend the long piece of the pipe cleaner in half and place the floss in the fold so that half of the embroidery thread "loop" sticks out on each side.
5. Thread both pipe cleaner ends through the top of the wooden bead and pull the ends almost all the way through so that the hair (embroidery thread) is secured on the top of the bead. (see photo above)
6. Snip the loops of thread on both sides of the head so you have hair.
7. Draw a face on the wooden bead.
8. Wrap the short piece of pipe cleaner 2 or 3 times around the waist just below the head to create arms. 
9. Slip the pipe cleaner ends through one or more flowers to create the skirt and twist the legs to keep the skirt in place. If the hole is large, tie a knot with the pipe cleaner legs to secure the flower in place just below the arms.
10. Loop the raw ends of the pipe cleaners to make hands and feet.
11. Embellish with leaves for pants or wings- use small flowers, beads and gems to make accessories.

Creative Blog Tour Questionnaire

I'm participating in a blog tour - I think I like that name better than "Blog Hop."  If you are following the tour than you have come to my site via Faith at Scrapbooker PhD.  These are the questions I have been asked to answer: 
1. What are you working on? 
Oh my goodness, so, so much!! Actually it has been bananas these last couple of weeks between VBS and summer camp.  I did some of the photography for Vacation Bible School and also helped out in the kitchen (not artsy - but believe me - we were definitely creative!)  Last Monday was the first day of camp and I was the first segment so I had a lot of prepping to do!  We started out with stations for the kids to roam freely.  I wanted to get a sense of their interests and abilities.  

Many of the girls hot glued flowers to floral wire to make crowns and jewelry while they boys flocked to the artist trading card station.  They  also created costumes out of fur scraps, feathers, tissue paper and fabric and did relief watercolor painting that we embellished with glitter and doodles. The next day we made giant marble runs using packing boxes, drain pipes and balls. 

Next week I am teaching Monday through Thursday for 2 different camps so I will have a lot of fun projects to share!

2. How does your work differ from others?
That is such a good question.  My work features a lot of color, impulsiveness and dimension.  Sometimes I aspire to clean, balanced, structured work but in the end my true voice wins.  I suppose it is balanced in an eclectic way but because I try to tell a story on a variety of levels, the balance is tiered.  I try to say something beyond the obvious with layering materials, varying styles and using a variety of techniques... kind of like a mix tape.  You know what I mean?

3. Why do you write/create?
If I don't create I feel emotionally constipated.  I'm sorry for the bathroom metaphor but it is the best way to describe the emotional bloating I feel when I am not accessing that part of myself.  Making things opens up my release valve. I love being creative - it is my soul's default state of being.   It is my resting place - my toll booth to joy.  I soar when I am creating.  I feel safe, authentic and alive.

4. How does your writing/creating process work.
Honestly, I look at my supplies.  My Cricut, my giant drawer of glue, a box of vintage buttons, a tub of modeling clay and the wheels start turning.  Say what you will about hoarding supplies- all I have to do is look at my stash and I start feeling the love.  And of course - if all else fails...Pinterest.

So now on to you!  I get to invite 3 fellow bloggers to join in the blog tour.  Please leave a comment or email me if you would like to join and I will get you all of the information!

List of Cricut Images and Cartridges included with Monthly or Annual Subscription

School is out, Summer camp is coming, SVGcuts at FCCB

Worst picture ever - darn florescent lighting!

My boy is a middle schooler, my baby is a 3rd grader and summer is here!  I am so relieved that the year is over and looking forward to camp which starts a week from Monday.  In the mean time we are going camping in our "new" (used) pop up camper and we have VBS.  as busy as that sounds, it feels like lazy summer days to me.

Of course my sister looks amazing but I was so busy getting everyone else ready, I'm disheveled and sweaty.

We are in the midst of the Celebrate Dad challenge at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog and this week's prize is

HUGE!

Our sponsor is svgcuts and they are giving away a $50 gift card and a Sizzix Big Shot.  This prize is valued at $125.  

 

Be sure to submit your Father's Day project here.  Remember to include at least 1 Cricut cut in your design.  If you are an Explore owner (or any die cut machine that works with svg files) and need some inspiration, visit svgcut's Father's Day section.  They have a bunch of collections specifically geared to celebrating Dad.  Use one of their projects as a starting point and customize it with a Cricut image!  Svgcuts is running an amazing promotion right now. Spend $9.98 or more and get this darling collection for free!

I know I sound like an ad for them, but I really am not on the payroll.  I am just addicted to their stuff and you know how I am... I get obsessed and I can't stop talking about it.

Last Days of School and General Mommyness

It is official.  I am formally declaring the end of the school year MORE stressful than the holidays.  I loathe being this busy, especially when I am burnt out, it is hot, and I am staring at summer like a deer in headlights.  I wish I could be like those mom's who have their summer plans sorted out in March.  I just have to remember the immortal words of the poet Popeye the Sailor Man; "I yam what I yam" and I need to re-discover that it is pretty good being me.

Last week my son's 5th grade teacher asked me to teach the class how to make art journals.  She wanted them to have something very special to take with them when they moved on from 5th grade.

 

I made this as a sample and she was thrilled with the design so the kids and I got artsy together last Tuesday.  I *LOVE*LOVE*LOVE* watching kids get their creative on!

I guess I had never really seen 5th graders in their "natural habitat" and I was shocked at the difference between the behavior I see on play-dates versus how they act when they forget grown-ups are in the room.  Their conversations were so different then they had been when they began 5th grade.  They are cynical!  How does that happen to an 11 year old? And boy - are they obsessed with video games.  Quite honestly, it was disturbing. My kids only play on the weekend - they get 2 hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and I worry that that is excessive. We also adhere to the age recommendations so all the chatter about Call of Duty was surprising.

I was really proud of my Aidan who was entrenched in his creative process.  I can only pray that the time we spend with him creating, playing games and camping is enough to keep him satisfied after he graduates from 5th grade and moves from a small Christian school of 140 kids to middle school with 700. I love him so much but I have to remember that God loves him even more than me.

As his graduation approaches, I am becoming more and more aware of this time in my own life.  Right here. Right now.

I am a creative soul that loves her husband and children and all the other stuff swirling around me are distractions.  It is time to get my hands dirty in the garden; to make some home-made vegetable soup; to play with Modge Podge; to turn on some music; to wear a skirt with my Chuck Taylor sneaker's...

...to put braids in my hair; to play on the swings with my daughter; to hold my husbands hand when we watch TV; to go for a walk with my son; to breath deeply.  I am here. Right now.