Ideas from Family Fun Magazine (for home or school)

Do you get "Family Fun" magazine? If not, you should definitely sign up for it! It is always full of great ideas - for all ages, and I love it!

I thought I would share a few ideas from one of their latest issues - It was hard to pick my favorites, but these ideas can be used at home or in the classroom.


Charmin' Robots

To make one of these bright 'bots, start by painting a toothpick and the inside and outside of a bathroom tissue tube with acrylic paint. Let these dry, then paint the robot's control panel, eyes, and other details. Cut a pipe cleaner in half and coil each piece around a pen. Use a pushpin to poke two holes into the tube, then insert the pipe cleaner arms. Glue a paper circle to one end of the toothpick and glue the other end inside the tube.

The Eyes Have It

Randomly stick self-adhesive googly eyes of various sizes on objects around the house: fruits, veggies, toothbrushes, phones, mugs, anything! For added humor, make an assortment of mustaches from card stock and use poster tack to stick them on photographs or other items. Leave a tray of extras in a handy spot and encourage your family to join in the fun.

It's a Draw

Grab a sheet of poster board. With poster tack, attach the sheet to a wall in a heavily trafficked spot, such as a hallway or at the bottom of the stairs, where doodlers can sit as they work. Draw one crazy black line across the paper to get the ball rolling. It can be curved, loopy, zigzag - whatever you like. Then leave a marker by the board and invite others to contribute their own lines. When shapes start to emerge, add a jar of colored markers and encourage family members to fill in spaces as inspirtation strikes. Stand back and be amazed! (For another "group work idea", choose an easily accessible wall with a good amount of space on it or make room on your fridge door. Using a sentence strip and a colored marker, write a poetic line on a strip and stick it up with poster tack. Place extra strips, poster tack, and a jar of colored markers nearby. Invite family members to add a line - silly or serious - as the mood strikes, with each person using a different-color marker. This fun idea is called "Perpetual Poetry".)

Mirror Messages

Use the corner of a dry bar of soap (such as Ivory or Dove) or dry-erase markers to write a message or draw a picture on the bathroom mirror or another mirror. The tone can be funny or supportive and drawings can work with your reflection: a kooky hat for viewers to position their faces under or a fancy frame around the glass. When you're ready for something new, just wipe off the old and create the new!

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