200 Quick & easy experiments

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STEM Activities

750+ Quick & easy craft ideas

Recycled creations

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useful craft project

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Who doesn’t love The Lorax by Dr. Seuss? These adorable pencil toppers, inspired by Truffula Trees, are great for taking notes in style or brightening up your desk with fun pops of color.

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To make your tree trunk, wrap your pencil in colored washi tape. We wanted to make our trunks yellow and black, so we started with yellow as our base. 

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Then wrap your next color around the pencil as well. We wrapped black tape around the tree trunk, this time spacing the tape out to create yellow and black stripes.

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Now take your styrofoam ball and apply tacky glue to one half of the ball. Hold the ball by the side without glue and wrap the boa around the ball, over the glue. Cut the any excess boa, and do the same for the other side of the ball. This will make your tree top!

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Take your pencil and push the pointed end into the styrofoam ball. Remove the pencil, flip it around, and then insert the eraser end into the styrofoam ball to attach the topper. If you want to keep the topper secure, add some glue to the eraser before inserting it into the ball. If you like, create more pencil topper trees! We created a bunch and loved how all the colors looked together.

pencils

tacky glue

feather boa

washi tape (multiple colors)

small styrofoam balls

Fluffy Tree Pencil Toppers

science project

art-science projects

construction

at-home learning

sounds

Use a straw and water to experiment with sound.

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Use scissors to make angled cuts on a straw.&nbsp;

Make sure the straw is still intact and that you're not cutting all the way through the straw.

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Optional: To secure the straw, cut a piece of cardboard into a right triangle. Match the right angle to where the straw folds and tape the cardboard onto the straw. Make sure the tape doesn't cover the open slit on the straw!

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We worked with different-sized straws to test out unique whistle sounds. What sounds can you make with your whistle?

straws

clear cups

water

scissors

tape (optional)

cardboard (optional)

Water Whistle

building

recycled

craft

Use a drinking straw and string to create a mechanical finger, inspired by the way our finger joints work.&nbsp;

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Use your scissor to make angled cuts on a straw.&nbsp;

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Repeat step one two more times. Try spacing out the cuts to imitate the joints in your finger! 

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Cut the string just a bit longer than the straw and thread it through the straw. Tape one end of the string to the end of the straw. 

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On the other end, pull on the excess string and watch your straw finger curl! How many more fingers can you create? Challenge yourself by making a straw hand using cardboard - you might even be able to pick something up with your hand mechanism! 

string

tape

Straw Fingers

Easter crafts

bunny

spring

Use staples and felt and learn this no-fuss way to make a festive tote for all your goodies. Or, replace the staples with metal rivets for a sturdier version.

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Take your felt sheet (ours measured 12 in. x 12 in.), and fold it in thirds to create a 4 in. x 12 in. long rectangle.  Press firmly along the creases. Open the sheet and fold it into thirds the other way.  Press firmly along these creases as well.

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Following the crease lines, trim
 two 4-inch slits on opposite ends.  If you need help following the 
crease lines, use a pencil to lightly trace the lines so you can cut 
more easily.

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The felt sheet should now have 
three square flaps on opposite ends.  Align the three flaps on one end 
together to create three sides of the basket.  Staple the felt together 
neatly along the top.  Tuck the loose bottom flap in underneath.  Adult 
supervision may be required!

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Do the same for the opposite end.  You should now have the basic bottom of the basket.

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To make the handle, pick three pipe cleaners of different colors.  Braid these together.

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To attach the handle to the 
basket, pinch together the folded flap on the side of the basket. 
   Using scissors, make a small quarter-inch long cut about 1-inch below
 the edge of the basket.  Do the same for the opposite end.

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Take your pipe cleaner handle 
and insert one end into the hole and fold up the ends on the inside to 
secure it.  Do the same for the opposite end.

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You now have your basket!  Use 
extra felt or pipe cleaners to decorate your new basket.  Try adding 
ears, a nose, and a bunny tail.

felt sheets

pipe cleaners

wiggly eyes

stapler

ruler

pencil (optional)

permanent markers (e.g. sharpies)

No-Sew Basket

decorations

luminary

quick craft

indoor project

Use ping-pong balls to put your own creative spin on a simple light string. Go with simple glowing globes or add details with permanent markers for unique room decor.

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It is important to use LED lights because these do not get hot when used with the ping-pong balls.

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If you have multi-colored ping-pong balls, plan out a pattern for your light string before attaching your ping-pong balls to the LEDs. Make sure you have enough ping-pong balls for the project.

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Take a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife and carefully puncture a hole into the ping-pong ball. Be very careful not to hurt yourself here! You may need to puncture the hole multiple times to get the hole large enough for the LED to go through. I used scissors to make an "X" slit. My holes were about 1/4-inch, which worked well for attaching and detaching the ping-pong balls. Repeat this step for all the ping-pong balls you plan to use.

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If you'd like, take a permanent marker and draw designs on your ping-pong balls. Let the marker ink dry before you touch them again to avoid smudges.&nbsp;

Draw away from the punctured hole as this portion of the ping-pong ball will be covered by the wires of the LED light string and may cover your designs.

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Once all your ping-pong balls have been punctured, take one ping-pong ball and push the LED light through the hole on the ping-pong ball to attach them to the light string.

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Repeat step 5 for all the ping-pong balls that will go on your LED light string. As mentioned before, I would suggest planning your pattern before attaching the ping-pong balls. I didn't do this and spent extra time taking the ping-pong balls on and off.

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You are done! Now you can show off your glowing light string.

ping-pong balls (enough for the number of lights, and a few extra)

led string light

Ping Pong Glow Lights

food play

3 material crafts

household craft

recycled craft materials

Quickly “age” paper with tea bags to create a beautiful worn-looking texture, then use it to create maps, journals, posters, and more.

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Heat up a cup of water in the microwave or in a pot. Add a tea bag and allow it to steep for at least 10 minutes.  

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Take your paper and tear around the edges to make it look worn.  

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Allow tea bag to cool enough so it is safe (and comfortable) to handle. Do not ring out too much tea from the bag, but enough so you do not over saturate the paper. Use the tea bag as a paint brush and cover the entire piece of paper.  

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If desired, allow the first coat to dry and repeat for a darker color.

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You can also create the tea paper on paper that has not been torn along the edges. Here the student is creating tea paper to use to make a old-fashioned circus poster!

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Once the paper is dry, use it to make a map.

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Or to create a poster that looks weathered by time.

1 tea bag

white paper (construction or computer paper)

Making Tea Paper for Maps, Journals and More

nature crafts

nature walk

nature

leaves

summer crafts

summer fun

art project

Gather up some green leaves and use a roller or press to create natural stamp art. Follow these steps to stamp on canvas, or use the same technique to print lovely leafy cards.&nbsp;

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Gather the materials to make your DIY banner. 

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Start by collecting some of your favorite leaves. Look around your house or campsite to find some different shaped leaves. Remember not to pick them off of trees, only off the ground!

Don't pick the ones that are completely dried out as they will crumble as you try to paint them.

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Cut out several canvas squares, large enough to fit your leaves. You can also try different shapes, such as triangles or a flag shape like we did.

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You may want to cover your work surface for the next few steps. Squeeze some paint into your paint cups or paper plate. Using the spouncer, cover a leaf with an even layer of paint.

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Press the leaf, paint side down, onto the canvas. 

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Lay another piece of scrap canvas over the leaf and use the paint roller to roll over the leaf and transfer the paint. The extra layer of canvas helps to keep the leaf flat and in place as you roll over it.

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Carefully lift the canvas and the leaf. You should have a cool leaf imprint on the flag! If the imprint looks faint, you can experiment with adding a thicker layer of paint or pressing down harder with the roller. Getting the perfect imprint will take a couple tries.Repeat steps 4–6 until you finish all the flags for your banner.

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Once your paint is dry, use glue or tape to attach your flags onto a piece of ribbon. Now you can hang your leaf stamping art anywhere you and enjoy your nature-themed decoration! 

Panda Crate

Koala Crate

Kiwi Crate

Atlas Crate

Doodle Crate

Tinker Crate

Maker Crate

Eureka Crate

100 easy homemade craft projects for kids

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