Crafts for kids: perler beads

Lately the perler beads have made their way up from the basement to the kitchen table.  What I’m trying to say is that my kids have “re-discovered” this fun little craft and the different designs that can be made from them.

A popular thing that the older kids have been playing lately on their ipods is a game called Minecraft.  The graphics in this game are all pixelated and everything is made up of cubes.  So perler beads are a great medium for reproducing some of the games’ graphics.  Here are some of the Minecraft icons that my son made:Perler beads are plastic beads that are set out in patterns on plastic plates that are covered in small spikes.  You set out the design that you want, on the spikes, then with some parchement paper over the design, you iron for a bit, then flip over, off the plate and iron the other side.  The beads slightly melt together and become a solid design.

Here are some other designs…..we actually have a bunch floating around here, I’ll have to include ones like PacMan and Domo in another post.

Christmas in July….a puzzling tradition…

I don’t quite get the whole “Christmas in July” thing.  I’ve been seeing it everywhere.  I guess it’s great for those people who can think that far ahead and have space to keep all their early Christmas preparations….I just can’t.  I’m afraid that I just took my Christmas tree down in May, so I’m really not feeling like thinking about Christmas!!

But I did just happen to find a draft of a post I did in December, but never posted.  So in the spirit of Christmas in July, here is something we made up to do at our house, to use in our Advent countdown to Christmas…it has been fun, and we have been doing it enough years that each child has made each puzzle!

Maybe July isn’t such a bad time to start thinking about things like Advent countdowns, just in case you see something on a summer sale!!  (I’ve already been searching for things for my daughter’s bday in the fall!)  Anyways, check these out:

(these are some of my digital scrapbook 12×12 layouts using Creative Memories digital content)

Water balloon sidewalk drawing to keep them busy for 5 minutes….

We accidentally discovered a fun little thing to do with water balloons, aside from splatting them and throwing them at people and animals.  I like filling them not-very-full and letting the kids play with them like bouncy balls…but when one sprang a tiny leak today (and other than drinking from the leak) we used it to draw on the sidewalk.

It kept them busy for about 10 minutes…really more than 5 I’m sure!!  And it kept me busy for even longer than that…I did some cool doodles, but by the time I would whip the camera out, and keep one eye on the kids so that no one ran off, the doodles would disappear in the heat!!  Oh well, it was still fun!!

1.  Make a smallish water balloon

2.  Tie the end

3.  Prick a hole in it with a pin

4.  Stand on the sidewalk and wiggle the balloon around

5.  Aim the tiny stream of water onto the sidewalk and make doodles

6.  When the balloon is getting low on water, then squeeze it to keep drawing!