Sand Art Magnets

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Sand Art Magnets are a great project for Daisies, Brownies, and even Junior Girl Scouts, but the project can take up to an hour, so if your meetings are only half an hour long, you might want to do the painting during one meeting and the sand embellishing during the next.  This is a messy project with the sand, so be sure to have smocks or old adult shirts ready to minimize the chance of stains on the girls’ clothes.  You will also want to have old newspapers down on the tables to make clean up of the excess sand easier.

This is an easy project to theme.  Standard unfinished wooden shapes can be bought in multi-packs but you can also go to craft stores to get larger unique shapes one at a time, such as horseshoes, flowers, animals, etc.   For example, if the girls are in the process of learning about insects for a badge, you can easily get bees or ladybug shaped wood piece to paint.  Using a theme will also help limit how much paint and sand you buy to keep to the colors of the theme and project – for instance you don’t need purple if all the girls are making bees or ladybugs.

Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Use the foam brush to paint the shapes in the desired colors.  Let the paint dry.
  2. Use the paint brushes to paint lines of glue onto the painted shapes where you want the sand to adhere to.
  3. Sprinkle the sand onto the wet glue and shake the excess sand off onto a newspaper or scrap paper to catch the sand.
  4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for each color sand you use.  It works best to use one color of sand at a time to avoid mixing the sands together.  Start with the darkest and end with the lightest.
  5. Once the glue is completely dry, attach magnets to the back of each and let dry before using.  You can glue individual craft magnets onto the wood pieces or use magnetic strips with adhesive backing.  Usually the strips come in a roll that can be cut into pieces the right size.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. Make sure to use glue that is kid-safe.  Not only does it work the best, but you don’t want to use a toxic glue.
  2. For added stability in the magnets, an adult can use a hot glue gun to attach the magnets.
  3. Look at the packaging for the acrylic paint and make sure you’re using a non-toxic, kid friendly paint.  If you cannot find kid-friendly acrylic paint, ask someone at your local craft store for a recommendation on a non-toxic paint that will work for this project.

Consider how thick the wood pieces are before deciding what kind of magnet to use.  You want to make sure that the magnet won’t fail when stuck to a refrigerator – nothing is worse than a girl bringing home her wonderful creation only to put it on the fridge and have it fall to the floor and break 🙁

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Foam Water Bottle Holder

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With all the outdoor activities that girl scouts do, it’s important to bring along a lot of water to stay hydrated.  This is a great craft for a meeting before a camping or hiking trip.  Remember to get a variety of foam stickers so the girls’ creativity can run wild with different designs to fit their personalities.  The alphabet stickers are important for personalization, but if the girls would rather just use stickers to personalize the bottle holders, you can always write their names on the bottom of the can hug with a permanent marker.

There’s not much mess involved with this project – just the paper backings from the stickers that need to be cleaned up at the end of the meeting.

Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Cut three 24″ pieces of ribbon.  Braid the ribbons together to create the handle.
  2. On opposite sides of the can hug, punch 2 holes for attaching the handle.
  3. Thread the braided ribbon through the holes and secure with a knot.
  4. Remove the paper backing from the foam stickers to decorate the bottle holder as desired.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. Always observe the children when using scissors.

Try looking at craft stores for the pre-made can hug.  If you cannot find one, use foam sheets and glue to make one.  Use a standard 16 oz. water bottle to judge the correct size.

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Flubber

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This is a super simple craft that younger girls can have a blast with.  It can get messy, so be sure to keep craft clothes or smocks on hand.  Old adult button down long sleeve shirts work well to protect little girls clothes from the mess.

Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

  • 2 c. White glue
  • Food Coloring
  • 2 tsp. Borax
  • 1 c. Hot Water

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Mix all ingredients together, adding the food coloring slowly to make desired shade.
  2. Pour off excess water.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. An adult should add the Borax to the mixture to limit the girls’ exposure to the detergent.

A flubber kind of putty will be made from this that the girls can bounce and shape liberally.  It is not ideal for sculpting as it won’t dry out and preserve the shapes.  Be sure to have plastic bags on hand to send the flubber home in.  This can be a fun activity to pair with a viewing of either Flubber or The Absent-Minded Professor on a rainy meeting night.

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Colored Carnations

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This is a perfect craft around any holiday or any time of year.  The colors you choose to transform the carnations into can be themed to match holidays, events, ceremonies, or seasons.  Darker colors will work best to color the carnations, but any color is worth a try!  It’s simple and creative.  It’s also a great science experiment for younger girls.   This craft can be combined with other crafts, like making a plastic bottle vase or recycled glass vase.

Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

  • White carnations
  • Liquid food coloring
  • Flower vases
  • Water

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Fill vase ¼ of water.
  2. Add about 15 drops of food coloring to the water in the vase (more if the vase is large and the shade looks too light).
  3. Trim about 1″ off of the stems at the bottom at an angular cut.
  4. Put a flower in the vase and let it sit for 24 hours.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. Always have an adult cut the flower stems.
  2. Use non-toxic food coloring.

The best way to go about this, since it does take about 24 hours for the flowers to change color, is to set up the experiment during the meeting and have the girls take them home.  Tell them to watch them and ask parents to take photos of the flowers the next day.  At the following meeting, the girls can bring their flowers back if they’re still alive or bring in the photos to share their results.

This is a great craft when working on science badges or as a prelude to a scientific outing.  The process of the water moving up the stem into the petals is known as cohesion. The process gets its name because water is considered a very cohesive or sticky substance, which means that water pulled up through the stem takes on a magnetic-like effect, pulling the water up. The tubes in the plant (also known as capillaries) are very small and thin.

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Recycled Glass Vase

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Last week’s vase project was really more of a project for older girls, but this vase can be made by young girls and older girls as well.  It emphasizes the importance of recycling as it uses clean, re-purposed bottles.  Seek out unique and interesting shaped glass bottles, and involve the girls in collecting these glass bottles.  Make sure to let the parents know what you’ll be using the glass bottles for; they will need to have the labels removed with the inside and outside both thoroughly cleaned.  Collect some glass bottles to bring as extras for any girls that are unable to collect bottles on their own.

Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

  • Empty glass bottles (or a regular glass jar or vase will work)
  • Tissue paper
  • Scissors
  • Mod Podge (or 2 tbsp. white glue mixed with 2 tbsp. water)
  • Paint brushes

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Cut out shapes of your choice from the tissue paper.  Cut out several of each shape.  Feel free to trace out shapes with pencil before hand.
  2. Paint on the Mod Podge (or glue solution) onto a small section of the bottle.  Stick on a tissue paper shape.  Paint more Mod Podge or glue solution over the top of the tissue and add another layer.  Continue until the shape is as opaque as you would like. Don’t worry about getting one layer exactly on top of another layer. It looks fine if they are a little off.
  3. Continue adding tissue shapes all over the bottle or jar. When you are done, paint a coat of Mod Podge over the whole thing.
  4. Let dry. The Mod Podge will dry clear.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. Use scissors with blades sized appropriately to the age of the girls you’re w0rking with.
  2. Ensure that girls are not getting the glue or Mod Podge in their mouths.

Be aware that the adhesive you’re using is water soluable, so you should use these primarily with fake flowers or have adults take great care in washing the insides ONLY if used with real flowers.

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Plastic Bottle Vase

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I admit, this is a new project that I haven’t tried myself but it looks awesome.  I went Googlin’ for a vase creation project to go with next week’s craft project – in my own defense, I remember making some vases in my youth with various materials and supplies and was trying to refresh my memory about materials.

Due to the level of skill involved with making this vase, this craft is best suited for older Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and even Ambassador scouts.

Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

  • A 20 oz. plastic bottle
  • Scissors

plastic bottle vaseDirectionsDirections:

  1. Mark and cut the smooth middle portion of the bottle to give an even edge approx 7.5 to 8cm (3″) above where you want the fluted rim to be.
  2. Measure and make straight, evenly spaced cuts all the way around the bottle. Cut the segments in half and then cut each of those in half to make even, thin strips.
  3. Carefully press and fold all the strips outward to make a level edge all the way around.
  4. Press the bottle upside down on a flat surface to ensure an even edge.
  5. Weave the tip of a strip over the next one and under the next two. Fold and crease it so that the tip is at the place shown here by the arrow.
  6. Fold and crease the next one the same way, but weave this one over two and under one.
  7. Fold the third strip and weave the same as the first one.
  8. Continue around in this pattern until the last three and tuck each one under the next until woven in completely.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. Use craft scissors sharp enough to cut through the lightweight plastic but not too sharp that the girls can’t handle them safely.
  2. Be sure to supervise carefully as the cuts on the plastic might be rough.

This looks like a beautiful project for girls that are slightly older and can do a better job with scissors.  Younger girls should probably stick to easier vase projects, which will come soon!

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