Katie Potter

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katie potterFlag down the Knight Bus and tap the butter beer…Katie’s in London! There she is at the official Platform 9 3/4 in King’s Cross Station. Her family also took a tour of London’s Quiddich…uh, I mean SOCCER stadium. Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal!

emirates stadiumKatie also caught up with another familiar Pop Goes the Page face…Ian! When last we saw Ian, he was departing for Azerbaijan on a Fulbright scholarship. Now he’s working on his second master’s degree at the University of London, specializing in the history of the book at the institute of English studies. Smartypants.

katie and ian in londonKatie also headed to her old stomping grounds in Belgium, where she snapped another famous literary character…Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy! Fans of the swoosh-haired journalist might enjoy this event we hosted a few years back.

tintin buildingSo Katie’s traversing Europe. I’m in the office, blogging. However, I’ve been assured some fine Belgium chocolate is coming my way. In the meantime, those who yearn for Diagon Alley are welcome to check out our regularly updated Harry Potter post containing all our wizarding projects, programs, and fun!

Saddle Up, Partner!

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saddle up partner

Ya’ll ready to mosey? Deck yourself out in a big ‘ol hat and boots, then ride into the sunset with your faithful horse backpack!

We read Are you a Horse? by Andy Rash (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009). It’s Roy’s birthday and his buds give him an awesome present…a saddle! Now Roy just needs to find a horse. Thus begins his epic journey of asking every single living (and even not living) thing if it’s a horse. From cacti to sloths, Roy strikes out until…he meets a creature who fits the description exactly. Roy finally gets to enjoy that horseback ride, but as the hilarious final page reveals, it’s not quite what the reader expects!

You’ll need:

  • 1 large tissue box
  • Poster board
  • A selection of construction paper
  • Scissors, tape, and glue for construction
  • Markers for decorating

We’ll start with the hat! Trace a cowboy hat on poster board, making sure to leave the brim extra wide, as you’ll need to cut a slit in it later. Our hats were 9.75″ tall and 16.75″ long. The kids decorated them with markers, construction paper, and self-adhesive foam. To wear the hat, cut a slit in the brim that’s wide enough to slide onto your head:

cowboy hatNow for the boots! Trace the cowboy boot template on poster board, then decorate. Again, we offered markers and self-adhesive foam, but the champion of this rodeo was rickrack ribbon. It looked awesome.

cowboy bootTo wear the boot, attach a strip of poster board to the back of the boot, then loop it around your ankle and secure with tape.

cowboy boot ankle loopFinally, the horse backpack! It’s the same as the robot backpack we made here. Cut four, 1.5″ slits in a box, then use scissors to slightly enlarge the slits (it makes it easier to slide the straps through in the next step):

backpack box slits

Thread two, 1″ x 28″ poster board straps through the slits like so:

backpack straps

Curl the straps over your shoulders, adjust them, and secure with staples. Put pieces of masking tape over the staples (thus avoiding staple scratches or clothing snags). You can tie an (optional) piece of string, ribbon, or yarn around both straps to keep them from sliding off your shoulders if you like.

strap steps

Finally, decorate your box like a horse! Katie crafted the head and legs with with poster board, then used markers, self-adhesive foam, and construction paper to make this prancing pinto…

horse backpackWhen your project is done, suit up, saddle up, and riiiiiide partner!

El Esqueleto

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el esqueleto

Celebrate Día de Muertos with this jolly paper clip skeleton ornament! All it takes is 15 paperclips, paper, and a little glue!

You’ll need:

  • 15 paperclips
  • 1 rectangle of black poster board (approximately 4.75″ x 7.75″)
  • A number of yellow and gold tissue paper squares (approximately 3″ x 3″)
  • 1 snippet of ribbon (ours was 8″ long)
  • Scissors and squeeze glue for construction
  • Hole punch

The most important thing about this project is to use squeeze (i.e. liquid) glue. Glue sticks, alas, do not work! You’ll really have to glop the glue on to anchor the paper clips, but the good news is that everything dries clear and muy bueno!

First, punch a hole in the top of the black poster board rectangle. Next, glue crumbled yellow and gold tissue paper squares around the rectangle, making sure NOT to cover the hole you just punched.

Glop glue inside the rectangle, then arrange 14 paper clips to create your skeleton. The 15th paper clip gets unfolded and rounded to form the skeleton’s skull. Use hole punch remnants to make eyes, and a little snippet of paper to make the mouth.

Allow the frame to dry completely, then thread the ribbon through the hole. Done!