Set up a table with craft supplies and let the kids create their own outrageous toppers.
Party Hats
| CRAFT MATERIALS: |
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Construction paper |
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Scissors |
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Stapler or tape |
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Hole punch |
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Elastic cord |
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Paper reinforcements (optional) |
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Glue, glitter, markers, colored foil, feathers, pipe cleaners, and other decorative supplies |
| Time needed: Under 1 Hour |
| 1. | Start with either a cone-shape hat or the classic pirate hat (instructions below), then build from there, gluing ornate ribbons, pompons, streamers, and glitter designs. Roll up thin strips of paper to make curlicues, or cut fringe out of colored foil paper, and attach them with stickers or tape. | |
| 2. CONE-SHAPED HAT: Roll a large square or rectangular piece of paper into a cone, staple the sides, and trim the edges for an even brim. To make a shorter cone, cut a semicircle with a diameter of about 1 foot out of a piece of construction paper. Holding the paper at the midpoint of the straight edge, fold the semicircle into a cone. Staple the ends and trim around the brim. Punch two holes on opposite sides of the hat, and thread a piece of elastic cord through the holes for a chin string (you | ||
| 3. PIRATE HAT: Fold a large rectangular piece of construction paper in half by bringing together the shorter sides. Turn down the corners along the crease so that they line up (a la paper airplanes), then individually fold up each open edge to create the brim. Make a chin string by punching holes on each side of the hat and threading a piece of elastic cord through the holes. | ||
| 4. As a finishing touch, add feathers, pipe cleaners, or any other odds and ends -- the wilder the hats, the better. | ||
New Year's Noisemakers
| CRAFT MATERIALS: |
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Plastic film canisters |
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Popcorn kernels |
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Stickers |
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Glue |
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Glitter |
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Paint markers |
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Ribbon |
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Cardboard tissue tubes |
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Crepe paper |
| Time needed: Under 1 Hour |
| 1. | Fill plastic film canisters halfway with corn kernels and decorate with shiny stickers. (Con-Tact or construction paper, glitter, fabric paint and opaque paint markers are also good for decorating.) | |
| 2. Poke a hole in the canister's cap (a parent's job) and thread curled ribbon through. Knot the ribbon on the underside of the cap. Let the rest stream out of the top. | ||
| 3. To make streamers, staple lengths of crepe paper to an empty cardboard tube or a straw and decorate with abandon. | ||
