Contributed by YMCA Austin
March is a great time to do arts and crafts with the whole family. The month includes the birthday of the beloved Dr. Seuss, the celebration of women in our country’s history, the arrival of spring and the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. These themes open the doors to creating some whimsical and beautiful projects.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG: To make lovely, simple flowers that never die, use pipe cleaners and tissue in rainbow colors. Gather five or six pieces of tissue in whichever colors you prefer. Bend them, all together, over and back, in the same way you would make a paper fan. Wrap one end of a pipe cleaner around the center of the folded tissue paper, securing it in place by twisting the pipe cleaner to itself after wrapping it around the paper. Then, one piece at a time, unfold the paper. The result is a full-looking and colorful flower. For a flower with a fairy-like flair, drop dots of glue here and there on the finished flower and sprinkle with glitter.
A BIRD IN THE HAND: March is when the birds fly home from the south, and they’ll certainly be hungry. To make a simple bird feeder–and recycle old milk or juice cartons–simply cut out the center of the carton, leaving one of the four sides attached. Paint the carton and decorate it with stickers, drawings or fanciful objects. Punch a hole in the top of the carton, tie a string through the hole and fill the bottom half of the carton with birdseed. Attach the bird feeder to a tree branch and wait for the birds!
