Tag Archives: easy

D is for Dragon

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d is for dragonDragons are always popular at our story times. Who doesn’t love a dragon? This dragon is simple to construct, but allows plenty of room for creativity.

We read East Dragon, West Dragon written by Robyn Eversole and illustrated by Scott Campbell (Atheneum Books, 2012). The East Dragon and the West Dragon lives on opposite sides of the earth, but both have heard of the others’ long tail, mighty wings, and massive fire power. So they stay away from each other. However, after a funny political mishap (involving dragon-paranoid knights and the introduction of the honorable court dragons of the East) the two dragons must meet to sort out the mess – and rescue each other in the process. They become great friends and throw the ultimate dragon party.

You’ll need:

  • 1 box (I used a 9” x 4 ½” X 4 ½” white craft box, but a large tissue box works too)
  • 1 dragon head template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ white card stock
  • 1 wings template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ white card stock
  • White poster board pieces for tail and legs
  • A selection of eye stickers
  • A selection of color masking tape
  • Pipe cleaners
  • A selection of construction paper
  • Gold heavy weight paper for wings (optional)
  • Markers for decoration
  • Scissors and scotch tape for construction

Since I was going to run this program without an assistant, I prepped the head, wings, legs, and tails in advance.

You can certainly use the head and wings templates as they are – meaning,  printed on card stock. However, since I knew I would be using color masking tape and other weighty art materials, I traced the head template onto poster board, and the wings onto gold faux leather paper I had left over from another program.

After you’ve cut the dragon’s head from them template, fold it along the little dotted line to create the “nose.”

little dotted lineThen fold the thicker dotted lines at the base of the neck outwards. This creates the tabs that allow you to tape the dragon’s head to its body. And don’t forget the sticker eyes!

fold tabs outCut the tail and legs from poster board. My tail was about 3.5″ x 14.5″ and the legs were 1.5″ x 5″

tail and legDuring the story time, we decorated the box first, then we decorated the head, tail, and legs before we taped them on the box. After all of those items were attached, we added pipe cleaner “horns,” construction paper spines, wings, and I brought out the Bling Bin for some extra touches (and, as always, the hot glue gun was ready and waiting)!

During story time, I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of this marvelous dragon, with its super-special mobility modification…

dragon feetWish I had thought of that!

Fly You High

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flying booksWe brought this flying book craft to a community event. It’s simple to prep, easy to make, and the smile you get when a finished book “flies” off the table is priceless!

You’ll need:

Start by cutting the construction paper into quarters, resulting in four, 4″ x 6″ rectangles. 1 rectangle = 1 book cover. Next, cut the standard white paper into quarters, resulting in four, 4.5″ x 5.5″ rectangles. The white paper rectangles will be the pages of your book. Fold two white paper rectangles into the construction paper cover and staple it to create a book.

Punch a hole in the top of the book, about 1″ away from the spine. Then run a piece of patterned tape (or color masking tape) down each side of the book to create a “spine.” Or, you can skip this step and simply use markers to decorate the spine and cover of the book.

book spine step 2One boy wanted to make a “monster” book, so I created a spiky spine on his book using color masking tape. To make a spiky spine, stick one piece of tape right on edge of the spine. Repeat on the other side. Press the tape together.

monster spine step 1Then cut out the monster spines!

monster spine step 2Use the markers to customize your wings, then attach a wing to each side of the book with glue dots. Finish by running a piece of elastic beading cord through the punched hole, loop the ends together, and knot. Dangle, flip, jiggle, and swoop your book at the end of the cord for full-on flying action!

book spine step 2

Fish in a Suitcase

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not normanWe read Not Norman: A Goldfish Story, written by Kelly Bennett, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones (Candlewick, 2008). A little boy is terribly disappointed when, instead of a dog or cat, he gets a goldfish for his birthday. However, Norman the fish’s goofiness, appreciation for the boy’s tuba playing, and his friendly presence when there is a scary noise at night wins the boy over. Now, he wouldn’t trade any pet in the world for Norman!

The boy pulls Norman around in a little red wagon, but I thought we’d go even more portable for our story time. Hence, a fish in a suitcase!

You’ll need:

  • 1 box with a window (I used a 7″ x 7″ x 3″ pastry box)
  • Blue construction paper
  • 2 green pipe cleaners
  • 4 pieces of green raffia
  • A selection of crepe paper streamers
  • Small shells (optional)
  • Orange poster board for fish
  • 1 piece of orange self-adhesive foam
  • 1 wiggle eye
  • Hot glue
  • 1 small piece of clear elastic beading cord
  • Markers, yellow cellophane, and golden paper for decorating
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • 1 tagboard strip for suitcase handle (mine was 12″ x 2″)
  • 1 luggage tag (optional)

The key to this project is finding a box with a window. I had a bunch of pastry boxes left over from another program, but you can find something similar in the bakery section of your local supermarket.

Cut the blue construction paper to fit the back of the box and secure with tape (or a glue stick). Draw in a few bubbles and waves with markers. The “water” is done…time to add some aquarium plants!

Plant #1: Cut two green pipe cleaners in half. Bunch the four pieces together and twist at the bottom. Give the pieces a little curl if you so desire. Then bend the twisted part into a “foot” and tape it to the bottom of the aquarium.

plant 1Plant #2: Knot four raffia pieces together. Tape to the bottom of the aquarium.

plant 2With the plants in place, it’s time for your “aquarium sand.” Crumple up some crepe paper streamers to give them a “sandy” texture, then hot glue them around the plants and the bottom of the aquarium. You can hot glue some little shells on the “sand” as well.

Now for the fish! Cut a fish shape out of orange poster board. To create fantastic fish lips, cut the piece of orange self-adhesive foam into an oval:

fish lips 1Then peel and stick it on the fish’s mouth:

fish lips 2Use scissors to cut a smile!

fish lips 3Secure a wiggle eye on with a dash of hot glue, then tape the elastic beading cord to the back of the fish. Decorate with yellow cellophane, gold paper, and markers. When the fish is complete, dangle it from the elastic cord, adjust for height, and tape the cord to the top/lid of your aquarium. Get the height just right, and your fish will wiggle and sway in a realistic way.

To turn the box into a suitcase, simply add a tagboard handle to the top. Originally, I used hot glue to attach the handles to the box, but they popped off pretty fast. So I would recommend using brass fasteners to really secure it.

With the handle in place, all your suitcase needs is a “luggage” tag. Write your new friend’s name on it and get ready for adventure!