A few weeks ago I wrote a post about our own loose parts bin that I started after being inspired by The Loose Parts Project. And this week I'm super excited to introduce you to three new friends made from the contents of our bin. What perfect timing with Halloween decorations going up all over town!
Our loose parts bin has been living in my workroom since writing the post and it's been getting a lot of use. Usually Ella just loves to pull everything out, pour out the jar of assorted caps, and occasionally stack various items to create a "tahwer," as she likes to call them. But last week she pulled out a set of three cardboard shapes and immediately identified them as spiders. I couldn't just sit back and watch after this announcement. It was such a great idea! So we got to work completing the spiders using other items from the bin.
She picked the yogurt containers for the body and the bottle caps for the eyes. I suggested using the pipe cleaners to hold them all together and reminded Ella that she had some googly eyes left over from a previous project that she could use.
We now have (according to Ella) a spider family - daddy, mommy, and Ella!
To make these at home, I've created a handy template for the small spider legs. They can be cut from any piece of scrap cardboard or heavy paper you have around the house (cereal boxes would work great). For the small template, a plastic applesauce cup served as the body. Create two small holes, one in the center bottom of the plastic cup and one through the center of the cardboard spider legs. Pull a pipe cleaner through both holes and tie off on both ends. I created a loop at the top of the spider by folding the pipe cleaner over my finger and wrapping the loose end around the base of the loop several times before trimming. Then dress him up any way you'd like! And, if you're looking for a sea theme, go ahead and call him an octopus . . .
Happy making!
We now have (according to Ella) a spider family - daddy, mommy, and Ella!
To make these at home, I've created a handy template for the small spider legs. They can be cut from any piece of scrap cardboard or heavy paper you have around the house (cereal boxes would work great). For the small template, a plastic applesauce cup served as the body. Create two small holes, one in the center bottom of the plastic cup and one through the center of the cardboard spider legs. Pull a pipe cleaner through both holes and tie off on both ends. I created a loop at the top of the spider by folding the pipe cleaner over my finger and wrapping the loose end around the base of the loop several times before trimming. Then dress him up any way you'd like! And, if you're looking for a sea theme, go ahead and call him an octopus . . .
Happy making!
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