Playdough Texture Tools

I was a big fan of Play-Doh when I was a kid. Specifically, I liked the play sets. My favorites were the barbershop, the ice cream maker, and the barbecue set. (These affiliate links go to the modern versions of the 1970's toys I loved.) I still like playing with doughs and clays, but it's been years since we've had any Play-Doh in the house. (Trevor played with it occasionally when he was little, but it just wasn't his thing.) Now I use Model Magic, Sculpey, or homemade salt dough when I am in the mood to play with clay.

The last time I had my clay out, I made myself a set of texture tools using random items from the craft room. I'm really happy with how they turned out. 

 

The first step was gathering craft sticks and a bunch of random stuff. I wasn't sure what would print well on clay, so I tried a wide variety of things. 

Next, I attached each item (pony beads, buttons, a wooden swan, a rubber band, yarn, a chipboard tree, pipe cleaner, a shiny trim, Twisteezwire, pennies, and a feather) to craft sticks. I used hot glue for everything except the rubber band, pipe cleaner, and Twisteezwire, which I just wrapped around their craft sticks. 

I pressed each into the clay....

.... lifted them up to see the results. Most of them printed very well! The only total failure is the feather. The clay stuck to it and it didn't print well. The thin trim isn't great, but it was better than expected. 

I am most happy with the pony beads and the buttons. They give great texture to the clay. My second favorites are rubber band, pipe cleaner, and Twisteezwire. 

Make your own set of texture tools for playdough! Kids will love every step, from searching the house for items to use, to pressing their tools into dough to create textures. If you try anything that works particularly well (or particularly poorly!) let me know in the comments. 

Build Your Own Catapult

My next Little Passports writing assignment was about homemade catapults. Right up Trevor's alley!

Materials: 

plastic spoon, tongue depressor, cork, 2 rubber bands and pom poms

Use the rubber bands to connect the spoon to the tongue depressor. Slide the cork under the neck of the spoon. Put a pom pom in the bowl of the spoon and you're ready to go!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some important safety considerations. Never point a catapult at people or animals. Launch soft items, such as pom poms, cotton balls, or marshmallows. Choose a clear area, such as the backyard, where nothing will be broken or damaged. 

Trevor experimented with several different methods of launching pom poms, starting with the catapult on the ground. 

He discovered he improved his accuracy by holding the catapult upright. 

There are so many ways to use this catapult for family fun! Set up hoops or buckets with points for each pom pom that lands inside. Use the catapult and pom poms in place of bocce balls. Draw chalk targets on the garage door and try to storm the castle. What other games can you dream up?

Book Review: Rubber Band Mania

Last week, a package came in the mail from Amanda Formaro, my boss at Fun Family Crafts. Amanda is an extremely talented and prolific crafter who now can add author to her already-impressive resume! She was kind enough to send Trevor and me her first two books, Rubber Band Mania and Duct Tape Mania.

Let me assure you that I would not be posting a review of these books if I didn't love them. There were no strings attached when Amanda gave them to me; I'm reviewing them because they are great and I think many of you will love them too.

Trevor and I sat down with a stack of post-it notes and started marking the projects we wanted to try. He marked so many that he had to go get another stack of post-it notes! Both books have a wide variety of projects, suitable for both boys and girls of a wide range of ages. Some of the crafts are classics but there were an impressive number I'd never seen before (which is saying a lot, given my jobs past and present). We couldn't wait to dive in and try the crafts.

We invited Trevor's godmother, Jonna, to join us for a day of creative play. We had so much fun! Amanda's books are well-written, have clear instructions, and feature beautiful photography. There are all sorts of fun facts and tips sprinkled throughout. As we worked, I had Trevor read the directions and explain them to us to make sure that the books were as child-friendly as they seemed. No problem - the writing and pictures made the steps very easy for Trevor to understand.

All of us agreed that our favorite craft was Glitter Art from Rubber Band Mania. Check out what we made. Here is Trevor's pumpkin (labeled later with Wikki Stix, one of his latest favorite crafting materials):

Jonna made a Christmas tree. 

I started with a candy cane....

.... then made this gumball machine. I'm ridiculously proud of it. 

To make your own Glitter Art, you need an assortment of rubber bands, cardstock or construction paper for the background, craft glue, glitter or glitter glue, and cotton swabs. You might also want pens to create background elements.

Start by laying out the rubber bands to make a design. (If you want a background design, like with my gumball machine, draw and color it first.) Then lift each rubber band one at a time, add craft glue to it, and gently press it back into place. Set it aside to dry for at least 20 minutes.

Amanda's next step is to fill the rubber bands with glue and add glitter, tapping out any excess between colors. We simplified this step by filling in each rubber band with Stickles. Easier and much less mess! Let the Stickles dry for a really long time, like overnight. Let's just say that checking to see if they're dry 3 hours later isn't the best idea.

This is just one of several crafts that we tried from these two excellent books. It was all great fun. Thanks again to Amanda! I can already see many more hours of crafting fun inspired by these books. You can buy Rubber Band Mania and Duct Tape Mania on Amazon (affiliate links below) or in stores like Walmart or Target. These would make an excellent Christmas gift for the young crafter on your list.

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