Texas Crafts For Children

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Texas Crafts For Children

Use popcorn to make bluebonnet crafts.

Crafts help make learning fun for kids, while developing their artistic skills. There are many different types of craft projects available to supplement lessons about the Lone Star State, such as replicating the state flag and the state flower, the bluebonnet. You can prepare for Texas kids' craft projects with simple, cost-effective materials that are easy to find and work with.

Bluebonnet

The bluebonnet is the Texas state flower, and it is composed of several blooms that look like the small bonnets worn by women in the 1800s. They bloom all over the state in the spring, and most kids who live in Texas can recognize them. To incorporate this state symbol into craft time, you'll need light blue construction paper, crayons, glue, microwave popcorn and blue tempera paint powder.

The craft begins with a photocopied outline of a bluebonnet, or with the children tracing the shape of a bluebonnet onto the light blue construction paper. Pop the popcorn; while it's still warm, add 1/4 cup of the dry blue tempura powder to the bag and shake it well. Glue the blue popcorn to the outlined blooms and color in the leaves and stems with green crayons.

Armadillo

Armadillos, common in rural areas of Texas, are well-known for their hard, bony, protective plates. Most kids love animals, especially the really interesting ones, so this craft tends to be very popular. You'll need to supply them with scissors, glue, plastic pen caps, pencils, gray construction paper cut-outs of armadillo heads, feet and tails, and one 8-by-5-inch piece of corrugated cardboard per child.

The craft begins with the kids tracing the body of an armadillo on their pieces of corrugated cardboard. Have them use the pointed ends of their pen caps to pick and scrape away the surface area of the corrugated cardboard to expose the round corrugated edges. They then glue the gray construction paper cut-outs to the proper areas. The end result is an armadillo that provides some idea of the look and feel of the real thing.

Prickly Pear Cactus

This state plant grows throughout west Texas and the Texas Panhandle, and has served as food for many years in Mexico. Kids can craft a prickly pear cactus with an empty toilet paper roll, scissors, green construction paper, glue and flat wooden toothpicks broken into thirds. Teachers can use pre-printed outlines or have the students draw the cactus outlines by hand.

The craft begins by covering the empty toilet paper roll with green cardboard glued in place. The kids can cut out the two "arms" of the cactus, simple crescent-shaped pieces, and glue them to the toilet paper roll. The final step is to glue the broken toothpicks to the arms and the body of the cactus to create the prickly texture.

State Flag

The Texas state flag is one of the most recognized flags in the U.S. It has one star--The Lone Star--and uses red, blue and white, like the U.S. flag. Some teachers incorporate the shape of the state with the flag design in crafts by using cardstock, tissue paper (red, blue and white), a glue stick, pencil and scissors.

The craft begins by outlining the state of Texas on the cardstock and cutting it out. Next, pencil the flag design onto the cardstock and divide it into three main areas. Students cut the colored tissue paper pieces to match the three shape areas and use the glue stick to paste them to the proper areas. They can simply wrap the loose ends of the tissue paper under edges of the cardstock.

Century bird cages

Wednesday, August 7, 2013