diy beaded fireworks

This is a patriotic take on a project I originally posted for Valentine's Day. You can turn this into a fun color sorting project by having your kiddos sort out the red, white, and blue beads from a random bead assortment. I picked up my beads a few years ago from a craft store. You can use assorted beads, pony beads, or perler beads even. If your beads are clear, you will want to stick with white, pearl, or silver pipe cleaners.

Materials:

*pipe cleaners

*assorted beads

*plate or tray for sorting 

Step 1: Sort out the colors you wish to use, for the fireworks we used red, white, and blue beads.

Step 2: Hook one end of a pipe cleaner.

Step 3: Thread on a bead and push it to about two inches from the hooked end.

Step 4: Continue adding beads. The opalescent pipe cleaners are bulkier than the foil so beads with smaller holes will not thread onto them.

Step 5: Thread on a small tight fitting bead when you are about an inch from the end. This will keep the beads from falling off.

Step 6: Twist up the end tail for added protection and hang in a happy place!

 For kicks you might try using one of those GIANT pipe cleaners and larger wooden beads or painted pasta noodles. Ooh...that has given me an idea!

oh, the fun that we had: seussian sculptures

 

This classic Seuss-inspired project is usually done with small balls of play dough. I did not want to use our play dough and wanted the children to explore a different medium and so I came up with this.

 

Our pool noodle slices are fantastic! They are great for water play, make for super fun stampers, are fun to build with when you add shaving cream, and have even become fried fish out in our play yard. After poking a few holes in them with some acrylic cocktail stirrers I picked up they became basis for poking pipe cleaners and play truffula trees into.

 

 

The set up included pipe cleaner truffulas, pipe cleaners, feathers, beads, cut straw pieces, and colored toothpicks. The children poked, and twisted away for a good half hour as they created sculptures that they then took apart to create another. They worked together and cooperatively and it was super fun and colorful to watch.