Project CAT - Challenge #4: Baseball Game

Hello! Welcome back to Project CAT. This is Trevor again. Today we are going to make a baseball game. I like to play baseball in the summer, so I decided to make a baseball game craft.

This is what we are making:

Materials: red Sharpie, ping pong ball, 1 yard green felt, large scratch paper or newspaper, scissors, craft stick, brown marker, masking tape, Dixie cups (four each of two colors), black Sharpie

If you do not have felt, I'll give you some other ideas later!

Step 1: Use a red Sharpie to draw two circles on the ping pong ball. Then draw arrows coming off each circle in opposite directions to make it look like a ping pong ball baseball.

Step 2: Use the large scratch paper to make a pattern that's shaped like a baseball field. You might need to tape more than one piece together. Lay the pattern on the green piece of felt. Cut the felt and recycle the pattern.

Step 3: Use masking tape to mark the baselines of the baseball diamond. Then, fold masking tape pieces to make bases. Roll a different piece of tape to stick each base onto the taped baselines. 

Step 4: Use masking tape to make quarter circles around each base and a large circle for home plate and the pitcher's mound. Make a rectangular base for the pitcher's mound and attach it.

Step 5: Use the black Sharpie to make 8 Dixie cup people.

Step 6: Make a bat out of the craft stick. Color it with the marker. You can use other colors to make it more detailed.

Step 7: Arrange one team in the outfield and the other team as the batters. Now you're ready to play!

How to play:

• One person should arrange one Dixie cup player on the pitcher's mound and the other three beyond the baseball diamond. 
• The person who is batting should bring one of his Dixie cup players to home plate. Bat the ball using the popsicle stick bat.
• If the ball touches any of the fielders or leaves the felt field, you are out! Each team gets three outs per inning.
• If the ball doesn't make it past the pitcher, that is one strike. 
• If the ball gets past the pitcher but not to the outfield, the batter goes to first base.
• Once there is a batter on the bases, he advances each time the ball is hit correctly.
• If the ball goes outside the baseball diamond, the batter goes to second base.
• If the ball stops right at the edge of the felt without going off, the batter goes to third base. 
• To get a home run, the ball has to stop between the pitcher and second base (without touching the pitcher, because that is an out).

Or, you can make your own rules!

Don't worry if you don't have green felt. There are lots of other ways to make this craft. You can use paper that is taped together. You can put the masking tape directly on carpet. You can even put the tape on the lawn! Be creative! If you do not have the supplies I mentioned, you can use what you do have to make it work!

Now it's your turn! Make a baseball game craft that is like mine or make up your own. Take a picture of your craft and link it by Sunday, August 16 at noon Pacific for a chance to win.

An InLinkz Link-up

Project CAT - Challenge #3: Peekaboo Garden

Hello! This is Trevor again. Today is Day 3 of Project CAT! Today we are making a peekaboo garden.

Here is what we are going to make. This is what it looks like....

... until you pull the vegetables up!

Materials: cardstock or construction paper (blue, brown, orange, pinkish, purplish, green), scissors, glue, color pencils, craft knife, Sharpie/pen 

Step 1: Cut out vegetables that grow underground. We used carrot, radish and beet. We used the computer to remind us what their leaves look like. Cut out the leaves and the stems.

Step 2: Detail the vegetables and the leaves using colored pencils. For example, the beet leaves have purple lines in them for veins. Same with the radish. 

Step 3: Glue the vegetable pieces together and set them aside. We will use them later.

Step 4: Take your brown paper and turn it vertically. Cut a piece of blue paper to make the sky and glue it in place.

Step 5: Use a craft knife to cut slits in the brown paper where you want your vegetables to go. Remember to make the slits the same as the widest part of the vegetables or they won't go in. You might want help from a parent on this step. If you do not have a craft knife, you can use scissors. 

Step 6: Slide the vegetables in place. Turn your brown paper over and cut pockets for your vegetables to go in so that they don't slide all the way out. Put glue only on three sides of the pocket. Remove the vegetable once you have arranged the pocket so it doesn't get glue on it.

Step 7: Write a message on the front of the brown paper. I chose, "Who am I?" and my mom's says, "What is growing in my garden?" Then write on each vegetable to tell what they are. 

Step 8: Slide the vegetables back in. And you are done!

This is my mom's:

Now it's your turn! Make a peekaboo garden or something inspired by this garden. You have until Sunday, August 16 at 12:00 Pacific. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Project CAT - Challenge #2: Smiling Sun

Hello! It's Trevor again. Welcome back to Project CAT! It's Day 2 now. When I think of summer, I think of sun, so that's exactly what today's project is.

Materials: watercolor paper, pencil, crayons, black Sharpie, watercolor paints

This is what we are making!

Step 1: Draw a large circle in the middle of the paper. (We traced a roll of duct tape!) Then add the sun's rays. It needs to be an even number, around 20 or 22.

Step 2: With a yellow crayon, outline the sun and its rays. Draw designs inside of the sun's rays. We made a different pattern in each area! 

Step 3: Use the black Sharpie to draw sunglasses and a smile on the sun.

Step 4: Paint the sun and its rays yellow. Do not use too much water! You want the paint to be a bright yellow. Paint the areas in between the rays blue. The wax of the crayon should keep the paint in the proper area. 

Step 5: When the paint is dry, use the Sharpie to outline the sun and rays. Sharpie does not write well on crayon, so try to draw just outside the lines.

This is my mom's:

Now it's your turn! Make a smiling sun using my directions or your own ideas. Take a picture or scan it, then upload it below before Sunday, August 16 at noon Pacific for a chance to win! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Project CAT - Challenge #1: Name Art

Welcome to the first day of Project CAT! This is Trevor. If you missed my introduction about Project CAT, then you should go back and watch my video.

Today's project is Challenge #1, Name Art. Name Art is a good first project because then I can get to know all your names. For today's project, you will need: paper, pencil, black pen, and something to color with (preferably markers, colored pencils or crayons).

First, turn your paper to landscape. Start with the first letter in your name. Think of something that starts with that letter, that is also shaped like that letter. I used a TREE because tree is shaped like a T and starts with T, which is the first letter of my name. Continue with the other letters in your name, then carefully use your pencil to sketch your designs. When they look good, use a black pen to outline each letter. Finally, color in the rest of your letters with colored pencils, markers or crayons.

Here is mine:

T is for tree, R is for roller coaster, E is for elephant, V is for vulture, O is for orange, and R is for rabbit.

Here is my mom's. Her name is Cindy:

C is for cookie, I is for ice cream, N is for noodle, D is for donut, and Y is for yak. 

Now it's your turn! When you finish your project, take a picture or scan it and link it to this post. Remember, you don't need to follow my instructions exactly. Be creative! As long as your project is Name Art, you have a chance to win the prizes. You have until Sunday, August 16 at noon Pacific. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Introducing... Project CAT!

Happy August! Trevor and I have been working hard on something special. We're calling it Project CAT and we're really excited to finally share it with you.

Project CAT is a craft challenge for kids of all ages. Here's Trevor to tell you all the details:

We'll be back on Monday with the first of ten projects. It's going to be so much fun!


(Edited to add: This is Cindy. For some reason, the video is not showing up on mobile devices. I'm trying to figure out how to fix that, but in the meantime you can see the video on a computer. The primary information you need is that there will be 10 summer-themed challenges. Finish any or all by Sunday, August 16 for a chance to win a prize. There will be one random winner and one winner that Trevor chooses.)