Tag Archives: easy

Ice Cream for All

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truckBecome an ice cream entrepreneur! The lid of this fabulous pull toy opens to reveal a delicious variety of flavors to serve to your happy customers.

compositeIn addition to being simple, this project is highly portable. This summer, I brought it to a reading program hosted at the community pool and it was a big hit.

We read Issac the Ice Cream Truck by Scott Santoro (Henry Holt & Company, 1999). Issac is a relatively happy ice cream truck, but he can’t help fretting that other trucks seem to have more important jobs than him (lifting, hauling, moving, building). One day, a building fire traps Issac between several enormous fire trucks. After the fire is put out, the hardworking firemen (and firewoman!) are delighted to see a little ice cream truck waiting for them. Isaac realizes that he does have an important job after all…making people happy.

You’ll need:

  • 1 box. I used a 9” x 4 ½” X 4 ½” box
  • An ice cream truck template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ card stock.
  • 4 black poster board wheels
  • Hot glue
  • 1/2 pipe cleaner
  • 1 jingle bell
  • 1 long piece of curling ribbon
  • Markers for decorating
  • Scissors and tape for construction

For the ice cream:

  • 1 cone water cup
  • 1 sheet of tissue paper (mine was 20″ x 29″)
  • Masking tape
  • 1 small pom-pom (mine was 1/2″)
  • 3 toilet paper tubes
  • Construction paper and/or patterned paper
  • 3 medium-sized craft sticks
  • Hot glue
  • 1 small plastic cup (mine was a 3 ounces)
  • 2 jumbo pom-poms (mine were 2″)
  • 1 small plastic spoon (or mini craft stick)
  • Crayons for decorating
  • Scissors and tape for construction

Start by using markers to customize your ice cream truck template. Cut and tape to the box. Then add the wheels. You can tape the wheels, or use hot glue to make them extra secure.

Next, cut a small notch in the front of the truck, right at the top. Knot one end of the ribbon and slide the knot into the notch. Then tape the knot inside the truck. This might seem like overkill, but trust me, these trucks take a real beating from their enthusiastic “drivers.”

notchNow it’s time for the bell! Bend1/2 of a pipe cleaner into an upside-down L, thread the bell on one end, then curl the end to keep the bell from falling off.

threaded bellTape the straight end of the pipe cleaner on the back of the truck like so:

bellYour truck is done…it’s ice cream time! I’ve included instructions for multiple types of ice cream, but you can modify according to your needs. For example, when I took this project to the local pool, we just did ice cream cups and single Popsicles (and I hot glued the sticks on the Popsicles in advance).

To make a cone, use crayons to color the cone water cup (marker just smeared on the cup’s semi-waxed surface). Then, take a sheet of tissue paper and gently squish it into a ball shape. Gather the bottom of the ball together and secure masking tape around it. This creates the “ice cream plug” for your cone.

ice cream plugHot glue a small pom-pom on top & pop it in the cone for the perfect finish!

cone with cherry

To make a Popsicle, wrap a toilet paper tube with patterned paper or construction paper, then hot glue a craft stick on the inside edge of the tube. To make it a double, simply hot glue two finished pops together.

popsFor an ice cream cup, drop 2 pom-poms in a 3 oz. cup and add a small plastic spoon. If a spoon isn’t handy, use a mini craft stick.

two scoops in cupA few months after I did this project, a mom made a special trip to my library to see if there was any chance of getting another truck template and box. Apparently, the ice cream truck was her son’s favorite toy, and it had finally succumbed to his various adventures with it.  She was hoping to build a new one with him. I was delighted to set her up with some fresh supplies and very flattered. You really really can’t get a better compliment than that!

Tail Spin

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super stylish tailThis is an extremely simple project that, with a little prepping beforehand, a staff person can run by his or herself. And the results are fantastic!

We read Edna’s Tail by Lisze Bechtold (Houghton Mills, 2001). Edna is a cat with the biggest, fluffiest tail in the neighborhood. She spends all her time making a show of it and is only lured out of her window with the promise of a feline party in the woods. As she progresses through the woods, she gets the feeling that something is following her. Actually, it’s debris getting stuck in her fluffy tail, resulting in a display so horrifying that Edna is convinced she’s being chased by a monster. She attacks, only to discover it’s her own tail! Luckily, the other cats at the party are good-natured about the mistake, and she make a lovely new friend.

If you’re worried about how this project will go over with boys, have no fear. I gave them the option of creating a “scary monster face” like the one in the book!

You’ll need:

  • 1 strip of white poster board for headband (approximately 22 long x 2.5″ wide)
  • 2 triangular pieces of poster board for cat ears
  • 2 triangular pieces of self-adhesive foam for the ears (I offered a pink or yellow option, but you can also use markers)
  • 1/2 sheets of white poster board (approximately 22″ long x 13.5″ wide)
  • Hole punch
  • Hot glue
  • 1 long piece of curling ribbon for belt
  • Stapler, scissors, tape, and glue stick for construction
  • Supplies for decorating! In addition to items from the Bling Bin, we offered assorted pipe cleaners, crepe paper streamers, tissue paper sheets, construction paper, pom-poms, poster board strips…

For the headband, wrap the strip of poster board around the kid’s head, then remove and staple. Staple ears in the front of the headband above eyebrows. I offered a choice of pink or yellow self-adhesive foam to create some texture inside the ears, but you can also use markers.

cat headbandI also offered to hot glue a large gemstone on the front of the headband. Oo-la-la! For the tail template, take 1/2 sheet of poster board, and cut it in this shape:

tail templateYes, it does look like a lopsided, elongated lid of a potty seat. But we won’t go there.

Punch two holes at the top BEFORE decorating begins, and instruct the kids not to cover the holes while they’re decorating (otherwise, you run the risk of the curling ribbon belt not going through). Then, turn them loose on the art supplies!

We found it helpful to staple multicolored poster board and construction paper strips to the top and sides first, and then added lots of little stuff on top. You can add bulk to the tail by crumbling up tissue paper and sticking it under the poster board and construction paper strips. We also had great results with sheets of tissue paper fringed and hung below and off the sides.  I had my hot glue gun ready and waiting in case there was something that needed extra reinforcement.

When the tail is finished, run the curling ribbon through the two holes and then tie it around the waist! Just look at these amazing creations!

fabulous tails on displayIf you don’t have a plethora of art supplies, don’t worry. The tail can be decorated with plain old crayons, markers, or even paint. Kids will have fun no matter what!

Avast!

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pom-pom cannonIf you do programs with kids, inevitably, you’re going to do something with pirates. Now, you can come well-armed with this amazing pom-pom cannon!

I created this project for a large-scale Treasure Island event, so it’s designed to be quick to make, cheap to produce, and fun to play with. It was a huge hit. The brave crew at the Historical Society of Princeton helped kids make 500+ cannons at the event. Arrr!

You’ll need:

  • 1 paper towel tube
  • 1 piece black construction paper
  • Metallic markers for decoration
  • A cannon wheel template printed on an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of card stock
  • 2 jumbo paperclips
  • Hot glue or glue dots
  • Tape for construction
  • 1 jumbo 2″ pom-pom (any color)

Wrap the paper towel roll in black paper and tape to secure. Then use the metallic markers to decorate the cannon and the wheels. We used metallic Sharpie markers.  Silver showed up the best on the black paper.

Slide the two jumbo paperclips on one end of the tube. These are the “weights” on the base of your cannon so it won’t slump forward when sitting on a table. I found it’s best to put the clips side by side, like so:

paper clip placementNow it’s time to attach the wheels. I used hot glue for the version you see here, but we used glue dots and/or tape at the event (while I love hot glue, I’m not big on running a hot glue gun for 5 hours amongst thousands of kids).

You’ll notice that the wheels are attached almost in the center of the cannon. You’ll have to play with the placement of the wheels a little to get the cannon to tilt just right.

pom-pom cannonReady to fire? Hold the cannon aloft in one hand, push the pom-pom into the “mouth” (i.e. the non-paperclip end) of the cannon, and then blow a big puff of air into the opposite end. The “cannonball” will launch!

Now, how about some swords matey? Printable tattoos? A floating island hideout? A parrot pal to perch on your wrist? Or this lovely (and incredibly easy) ship in a bottle?