Spring Crafts - Painted Cherry Tree

The Winter season is finally coming to a close and the trees and flowers are beginning to bloom. Join us in welcoming Spring with this adorable Painted Cherry Tree craft. 

You will need: 

Construction Paper (Pink, Brown)
Scissors
Glue or Tape
Paint (Pink, White, Tan)
Markers
Aluminum Foil

Instructions:

1.Start by having your students trace their hand and forearm onto their construction paper with a washable marker. 

2. Have students practice their cutting skills by cutting the hand and forearm that they traced out. 

3. Using a different color construction paper as a base, glue or tape the cut out onto the center of the page. The fingers will be pointing towards the top of the page. This creates the base of our tree! 

4. Next, give students a piece of aluminum foil and have them crunch it up into a lose ball. This will act as your "paint brush" and add some texture to the paint. 

5. Dab the paint colors onto the fingertips of the hand to create leaf filled branches of a colorful tree!

6. Don't forget to have students write their names so they can be sure to take their art piece home. 

This art work was shared by one of own PureFUN! customers. We would love to see what you and your students have been creating in your classroom too! 

Memorial Day Craft Ideas!

 Memorial Day Craft Ideas!

Memorial Day is just around the corner, and your kids can join in the celebration with these patriotic crafts designed just for them! These fun activities are a hands-on way to begin a discussion on the importance of Memorial Day and why we celebrate the men and women who have served in our armed forces.

Hanging Star Streamers

Great to use as door hangers and window decorations, your kids can proudly display these at home or at school.

What You Need:
Popsicle Sticks (Red and Blue or paint your own)
Ribbon (Red, White, and/or Blue in the pattern of your choosing)
Scissors
Tissue Paper (Red and Blue, cut into small strips)
Glue (glue pen preferred for young children)
Embellishments (buttons, sequins, stickers, glitter, pom-poms, etc.)

1.Glue your popsicle sticks together in the shape of a star. You will need five sticks per star. Start by making an upside down "V" with two of the sticks. At each end point of this upside down "V," glue the end point of an additional stick so that these next two overlapping sticks form an "X" shape over the top of the upside down "V." Finally, glue a horizontal stick across the top two end points on the "X." Make sure all of your popsicle sticks are attached to each other by their end points. To add stability, put a bit of glue in the extra places where the popsicle sticks overlap.

2.Cut your tissue paper into strips of your desired length and glue them to the back of your star so that they hang down from different points.

3.To make your hanger, cut a small loop of ribbon, and glue both ends of the ribbon to the top point of the star.

4.Once the glue has dried on your streamers and ribbon, glue your embellishments on the front of your star. Let the star dry, and display wherever you wish!

Star Bubble Wands

What You Need:
Small Star Cookie Cutter
Pipe Cleaners (Red, White, and Blue colors)
Craft Beads (Red, White, Clear, and/or Blue colors)
Bubble Solution
Small Dish

1.Wrap a pipe cleaner around the star cookie cutter, making sure to fit it tightly into all the grooves. Leave a little excess cleaner at the end to close off the star. The remaining length of pipe cleaner is your wand handle.

2.String the handle with beads. Then bend the end of the handle and roll it into a ball to hold the beads in place.

3.If your star has lost a bit of its shape at this point, simply place it around the cookie cutter again and re-tighten its shape.

4.Now pour your bubble solution into a dish, and use your star wand as you would any other bubble wand! 

Make these wands in any color or shape for all kinds of occasions!

Dot-Painted American Flag

A spin on traditional flag painting, this quick and easy craft utilizes pom-poms instead of paintbrushes.

What You Need:
Clothespins
Plain White Index Cards (use 5" x 8" for larger flags)
Small Pom-Poms
Acrylic Paint (Red, White, and Blue colors)

1.You will need three clothespins. Each clothespin will clamp onto a pom-pom. Make sure enough of the pom-pom is exposed to properly dip it into the paint. Use each pom-pom to dip into a different paint color.

2.Dot the top left corner of your index card with blue paint to make a solid square.

3.Using your red paint, dot evenly spaced horizontal lines stretching from one end of the card to the other. Do this from the top to the bottom of the card.

4.Once your blue paint has dried, make several rows (however many you can fit) of evenly spaced white dots on top of your blue square.

5.Now you have an American flag! Glue it onto a popsicle stick, and display it proudly!

Babylon: Daniel's Courage in Captivity VBS Craft Ideas!

Babylon: Daniel’s Courage in Captivity VBS Craft Ideas!

Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Babylon while learning about Daniel's courage and conviction in the midst of this foreign land with Group's Babylon VBS! Spice up your VBS with these beautiful handmade art projects, inspired by the intricate artwork of this ancient world. These crafts are versatile for any age group and will give your kids a taste of Babylonian culture as well as a cool gift to give mom and dad!

Mosaic Frames 

 

What You Need: 

Mosaic Tiles

School Glue 

Unfinished Wood Frame

Perfect for kids of all ages, all you need for this craft is some unfinished wood frames and a lot of mosaic tiles. You can get mosaic tiles and wood frames from arts and crafts stores such as Michael’s, Joann’s, Hobby Lobby, from Walmart or Target, or from any number of online stores. If you make pictures of your VBS classes, you might let the kids take home a picture of their class in these cute frames they've decorated!

Babylonian Art Plaque

 

What You Need: 
Corrugated or heavy cardboard
Ruler
Compass
Pencil
Liquid school glue 
Metallic acrylic paint (gold, silver, and/or bronze)
Shoe Polish (optional)


1.First, draw any design of your choosing on your piece of cardboard using a pencil. Ancient art used a lot of circles, swirls, and dots. It may be helpful to have some examples of ancient art handy if you want your design to be similar to the actual art of ancient Babylon. (Tip: The more spaced out your lines are, the easier it will be to go over them with the glue. Remember, glue goes on much thicker than pencil.)

2.Go over the design with your glue. Start from the inside and work your way out, or start from the top and work your way to the bottom. This will help you not to smear the glue with your arms and elbows. 

Don’t worry about getting the glue too thick since it will thin out a bit when it dries and the imprint of the design will be more prominent. You may want to practice on a scratch sheet of paper first to get a feel for how much glue comes out when you apply a certain pressure.

3.Let the glue dry overnight. It will dry clear. 

4.Paint over the entire piece of cardboard with metallic acrylic paint. Gold, silver, and bronze are good colors to use to replicate real ancient artifacts which were often carved in gold, silver, and bronze metals.

5.Once the paint dries, you can rub black shoe polish over the surface of the plaque, particularly over the design itself, to make the plaque look old like a real artifact.

6.To add an extra touch, frame these plaques in a mosaic frame! (see craft above) Just make sure you have the correct size cardboard for your frames!

Embossed Foil Pendants

What You Need:

Craft Foam Sheets

Aluminum Foil

Clear Tape

Dull Pencil or Medium Ball Point Pen

Colored Markers

Hole Punch

Yarn/Ribbon/Jewelry Cord

1.Cut your craft foam sheet into small, pendant-sized pieces. These can be any shape you prefer—rectangles, squares, triangles, circles, etc.

2.For each foam piece, cut a piece of aluminum foil slightly larger. Wrap the foil tightly around the foam—try to smooth it out as much as you can—and secure it with a piece of clear tape.

3.Using your pencil or pen, draw any design of your choice on the front of your pendant. You may have to do a couple of practice pieces to figure out the right amount of pressure to apply on the pendant without poking holes in the foil.

4.Once you have drawn your design, you may choose to color it in or trace over it using colored markers.

5.Punch a hole in the top of your pendant, and string your pendant on a strand of yarn, ribbon, or jewelry cord to complete your necklace.

To view more supplies for your Babylon VBS Prep click HERE!