How to make a Pop-Up Book

Have you ever wondered how to make a

pop-up book like you see in the

bookstores? It can be done much easier

than you may think. Sure, there are some

really fancy pop-up books, but kids can

have a whole lot of fun with nothing more

than some paper, scissors and a little

imagination. This past week, my

daughter discovered a whole new world.

The easiest way to start a

pop-up book is to take a piece of paper

and cut 2 small equal slits. Then you fold in the piece that you just cut,

giving you a 90 degree angle on the inside fold.

Tip: To create interest, make some of the cuts different widths and thickness. That

will allow your creatures to pop up at different perspectives.

.

You can glue creatures, pictures, or figures on the pop out folds

to make them stand up when you open your page.

Once you have all your pages done, you can just glue the backs together to

form a book. My daughter has about 5 pages done but not the cover. This

is one of those projects that keep getting more fun as she figures out new

ways to do the pages and create the story.

Have you ever made a pop-up book? Got any tips for making it even more

fun? I’d love to hear!

How to Make Paper Cats and Dogs

My daughter

came home from

school last week

telling me that

one of her

friends had been

trying to make a

dog out of a

piece of paper

but it didn’t quite

look right. I

remembered making a dog face with floppy ears back when I was a kid, so

we did what all intelligent Moms do when they want to impress their kids –

they do a google search. We found how to make paper cats and dogs very

easily using a single sheet of paper and a pair of scissors.

Making a paper cat or dog is super simple. In fact, my 8 year old got so

excited and had so much fun that she made a dozen so she could take

them to school and share them with her friends.

Materials Needed:

Paper

Scissors

Pen/Pencil

Colored paper (optional)

Directions

Fold the paper over and cut the bottom so you have a square.

Fold the ears down on each side.

Fold the nose triangle up.

Use a pen or marker to draw eyes, nose and ears.

Making the Cat Face

The cat face was a simple switch. Instead of folding the ear flaps down in

front of the face, you just fold them up. The top triangle folds backwards

too. Then you flip over the face so the ears are in the back.

There are directions for every

imaginable paper animals or shapes.

Have you ever made animals out of

paper? What’s your favorite paper

creation to make? Got any fun

stories or tips? I’d love to hear!

Fun in a Box

How much fun can a 5 and 8 year old have in a box? Earlier this week, we

received a package from Amazon. The package itself was pretty boring, but

my 2 youngest kids decided that there is more fun in a box than in the

contents. Before I realized what was happening, they had found crayons

and begun designing their car. It comes complete with 4 wheels, a steering

wheel, all the gears, gas and brake pedals and of course an eject button for

when they need to get out fast. They were busy designing this box for

hours.

My kids were off to the races in this boxcar, headed into space and I think I

even heard them fighting a few airplane battles in the skies. I loved

listening to them play and have fun in a box. Sometimes as parents, we

think that our kids need to be scheduled or have organized activities always

going on. But, I think that kids do better to get a chance to stretch their

imagination and figure out how to create their own fun.

Too often, we forget that the simple things in life are the things that really

make life rich. We bought our kids an Angry Birds: Knock On Wood Game

for Christmas. They love Angry Birds and have enjoyed playing it. But they

have had even more fun over the past few years building their own Angry

Birds game out of boxes in the recycle bin .

My friend Jen

posted pictures of

her kids building

their Real Life

Angry Birds

game. Take a

look at the tower

they built! I think

they proved that

kids of all ages

can enjoy playing

real life Angry

Birds!

Sharon D from A Little Bit of Everything has a son who

loves Postman Pat! Talk about fun with a box!

Check out this Postman Pat van they made!

It even has a door with hinges and a hood that pops up!

I love this creativity!

Preschool Physics and Engineering Lesson with Ramps

All you need is a lot of cardboard and you will have a wealth of meaningful

activities for your child.

In this activity your child will be learning engineering and construction. They

will learn theories in physics; gravity, velocity, inclined planes, and speed. If

you are doing this with more than one child they will learn teamwork and

social skills.

When I made the ramps I wanted the children to have as much flexibility

and options to create as possible. Therefore, I used strong but flexible tape

for the middle sections. I left enough space between the two pieces of

cardboard so that the ramps would bend giving the children the opportunity

to vary the inclined planes.

I used some boxes as tunnels that could still be used as ramps. I made

some low boxes to wedge the ramps in so that they would stay up. I

included sealed boxes for the children to build the ramps on.

I made cardboard handles on the ramps so that they could more easily

move, balance and hold the ramps in place.

I also left pieces of boxes (as shown in the picture above) to catch the

items at the bottom of the ramps.

This is a project that you can fold up into a box and bring out again and

again. To make it a new and different experience each time use different

items for the children to use on the ramps such as cars, trains, pegs, and

balls of varying sizes and types.

(Thanks to Jen at the Dapper Schoolhouse for this great activity!)

Recycled Trash into Toys

What can you create with old

cereal boxes, plastic straws,

some tape and 4 round

pieces of packing foam? A

monster truck, of course! Last

week I got a package in the

mail with some black round

foam shapes. My kids and my

Mom immediately saw the

possibility to make recycled crafts and use trash to make toys. All I saw

was more stuff to recycle.

My Mom who is a genius with cardboard creations assembled some basic

supplies.

Materials Mom Used

2 Cereal Boxes

4 Plastic Straws

8 round foam discs from the package

Duct Tape

Scissors

Pencil

Helpful tip

When trying to put a straw through foam, first poke a hole with a pencil. Then slide the straw on the end of the pencil and pull out the pencil. This will help thread the straw through the foam without bending your straw. Of course you could use the wheels as dumbbells! They work great!

What do you

like to

create out

of recycled

stuff?

Got any great

creations

you’ve made?

I’d love to

see!

Being creative and using the common things around us is half the fun of

life! So next time you need a new toy or UPS delivers a package in a box,

don’t toss it. Just leave it on the floor in the living room for a few hours and

see what your kids create. They may end up at the moon or on a racetrack,

but don’t worry! They’ll be back by dinner!

What’s the best thing you or your kids have created with an empty box? I’d

love to hear!

Star Wars Origami for Kids

My kids love Star Wars. When my son saw this book Art2-D2′s Guide to

Folding and Doodling, he knew it was going to be fun. He counted up his

money from his home bank and headed to the school Book Fair. He has

made all the main characters and is now sharing creatures with his brother

and sister. Star Wars Origami is full time fun right now in our house.

Art2-D2′s Guide to Folding and Doodling: An Origami Yoda Activity Book is

full of paper folding, drawing and doodling activities for the Star Wars fan.

It shows you how to create the basic Star Wars figures. My son decided to

make practice creatures first. He made many of the figures out of regular

paper; then he moved on to the origami paper that was provided in the

book. Here’s his Darth Vader out of plain paper and then out of the black

paper.

Another section of the book teaches you how to draw some of the most

recognizable Star Wars characters using basic alphabet letters and

numbers. For example, the classic Bobo Fett helmet can be drawn by

making the letter T, then adding a lower case n and then a number 9. Even

my 6 year old was fascinated with this section.

Learning to draw Bobo Fett

For my son who is already fascinated with art and drawing, this book has

become a great springboard into a whole new way to create.

Do your kids enjoy

origami? What’s the best

resource for learning how

to fold and draw? I’d love

to hear your tips!

More Ideas to Inspire Your Kids

Create a Grand Piano out of a Cereal Box and Toilet Paper Tubes

Turn a tissue box into an Angry Bird!

You can contact Sharon Williams

on either of her blogs:

Hobbies on a Budget

State by State Travel

All photos have been taken by Sharon Williams

(except for the pictures by Jen at the Dapperschoolhouse)

If you would like to use any of these images,

feel free to write for permission.

Hobbiesonabudget@gmail.com