April 25, 2016

Summer Holidays’ D.I.Y. Projects For Kids

Are you wondering how to keep your kids engaged at home during their summer vacation? Here are some super easy d.i.y. projects for kids around home improvement that’ll help you foster your child’s creativity as well as keep them engaged productively.

1. String Chandelier

Yes! You read that right, we’re going to tell you how you and your kid can make your own chandelier. A String Chandelier is a fun art project that you can use to make your lighting fixture different, unique and gorgeous to look at. You can use different colors to bring out different moods in different rooms. You can also use them as colorful decor without the lighting.

Things you’ll need:

Bowl
Spoon
Petroleum jelly
Corn starch
Balloons
Yarn
Glue – Fevicol
Water

Instructions:

Blow up the balloon into a big round ball, and hang it in an open area by yarn. Make sure to put newspapers below the balloon to avoid the mess.
Cover the balloons in a thin layer of petroleum jelly.
Mix half a bottle of glue, 1/8 a cup of water and 1/2 a cup of cornstarch in the bowl. Make sure there is a thick consistency when stirred.
Dip the yarn in the glue mixture and carefully surround the balloon, starting vertically and then moving horizontally. WARNING: This part IS messy.
After 24 hours of drying, pop the balloons, and hang it around a bulb using thread. You can simply hang it up without the lighting inside it as well.
To simply use it as décor, use balloons of different sizes and yarns of your favorite color combinations

2. Colorful Wall Hangings

This project is one of the simplest D.I.Y. home decorative ideas that your child can try out.

Things you need:

Few sheets of printed papers
Pencil/pen - to draw
String – colorful yarns
Scissors
Sticky tape

Instructions:

Now all you got to do is, cut out the shapes for your child. If h/she is old enough, let them do the cutting.
Choosing shapes –it could even be animals, cars, planes, hearts, butterflies or just about anything your child loves.
Choose the length of the string and cut out the shapes according to the length and number of strings.
Stick the shapes on the string using tape.
Once all the shapes have been attached on the strings, stick the string on the wall, using cello tape.

And voila, your child can now proudly show off his/her home décor creation!

3. Pillow Stamps

Customizing pillow covers was never this easy. Play with colors and shapes to get a pillow cover, that is custom made by your child.

Things you need:

Plain pillow covers – any color(preferably white)
Stamps – Fruits such as oranges, moosambi, apples should work. You can even use leaves
Fabric paints – colors of your choice
Painting palette

Instructions:

Place the pillow cover on the floor or any flat surface.
Choose a stamp of your choice. Easiest one to work with is orange or apple. Cut the fruit in half.
On your painting palette squeeze out some fun bright colors like red, orange, pink, blue and light green.
Now dip the half cut fruit in the paints, and press it on the pillow cover. Hold it down for about 5 seconds.
To avoid the color from blotting on the other end of the pillow cover, put a thick newspaper inside the pillow cover between the two layers of cloth
Allow it dry for at least 5 hours.

Custom made pillow covers are now all set to be kept for display on your sofas, chairs or beds.

You also use the same idea on kitchen towels, canvas bags and t-shirts.

4. Watercolor Mugs

Mugs are something kids use on a daily basis. Why not let them customize their mugs with their favorite colors and patterns. This simple D.I.Y. idea lets your children have fun with colors, while you get to add a pop of color to your kitchenware.

Things you need:

Plain white mug
Nail paints – bright colored ones
Bowl of warm water
Tooth pick or long thin stick

Instructions:

Fill the tub with warm/hot water (this is important since if you use cold the polish dries up right away)
Pour a small amount of nail polish on top (just one or two drops)
Swirl it a bit with the toothpick.
Dip the mug in the water and pull it right out.
Set the mug on a paper plate to dry for about an hour.

End result:

You can also do the same with plain white bowls (refer picture below):

5. Printed Door Mats

Get your kids to do this fun D.I.Y. welcome door mat. All it takes is a few items and 15 minutes to do this.

Things you’ll need:

Plain door mat – jute or cotton
Fabric paints
Sponge
Scissors
Paint brush
Painting palette

Instructions:

Cut out the sponge into the shape of your choice, here we’re doing watermelons. You can do flowers, leaves, hearts, butterflies, cherries, or anything you prefer.
On a painting palette, put colors that are bright. Since we’re doing watermelon prints in this one, we’ve picked red, green and black.
Dip the sponges in the paint and press it on the mat for about 5-10 seconds.
Use the paint brush to add black seeds to the watermelon.
Leave it to dry for about 5 hours.