Kid projects are the best!

I absolutely LOVE doing projects with my kids. From making instruments out of recycled materials to making a diorama or miniature scale models, I’m all over it. I really enjoy pushing our creative boundaries when ever we can. And it’s a bonus if I can incorporate a history, math, or science lesson into the project as well. Google, YouTube,  and Pinterest are great sources to get anyone started, but sometimes we just wing it too. Here’s some of the projects we’ve done with our kids over the years:

Drum made from empty oatmeal canister, balloon, rubber band, and string. Mallets made from felt-wrapped cork, string, paper straws, and coffee stirrers. Big balloon helps make authentic drum sound.

Guitar made from recycled cereal box, paper towel holder, coffee stirrers, and rubber bands. Use different rubber bands to get a range of sound, as the thickness affects the sound.

Crocodile letter box for Valentine’s cards. Made from several cardboard boxes, masking tape, paper, tape, glue, and paint. Kids drop off the letter by inserting into the croc’s mouth.

Diorama featuring the great egret, an endangered bird in South Florida. Literally made this in less than 2 hours in time for a scout NOVA class. Printed the animals, and used toothpicks to hold them in place. Trees and grass made from paper. Alligator made from Play-doh. And background image is a print from a Google search.

Super easy felt skirt that cost maybe $15 for felt, elastic band, and string. Folded felt in half lengthwise to cut into a half circle. Recruited sister to sew elastic band, while I cut out poodle from a stencil found online. Used fabric glue to attach string and poodle onto skirt. We made the skirt for a sock hop dance for Girl Scouts, and made it big enough to use again the following year.

Pinewood Derby cars for Cub Scout pack’s annual derby. Bought 3 kits. Adults, inspired by a YouTube video, used a Dremel to carve and sand a car modeled after a toy sports car. Used acrylic paint to decorate the cars. Adult car earned 3rd place overall.

Third-grade science project profiled the Seattle Space Needle. Used foam board and foam blocks to create the building, and paper rings and wooden sticks for the awning on the top. Cotton balls were a must to show clouds forming at the top of the building. Boy earned an A+, and got some practice measuring and cutting with sharp X-acto knives.

Baby girl got Bessie Coleman, the first female African-American pilot, to profile for Black History Month. Kids had to dress up as their historical person, so we made the felt belt from scratch, paired it with her khaki pants and boots. Bought a jacket and scarf on clearance. Hat is her brother’s winter cap turned inside out, with brown tape. Swim goggles pass for aviator goggles.

Rare instance when I elaborate on my kids drawings. Baby girl (she was maybe 3 years old) drew characters. At this age, people have big faces in general in a child’s mind. After she went to bed, I added eyes, hair and mouths. Regret coloring it. It looked so much cooler when it was just in pen and pencil.