Nesting Hen Mother Hen has a surprise in her nest! Use this clever project to enhance your spring studies. yellow circle pattern (page 29) one 6 paper plate 2 small wiggle eyes orange construction paper scraps 2 or 3 yellow cotton balls brown crinkle strips brown tempera paint paintbrush fine-tipped black marker 1. Paint the plate brown and let it dry. 2. Cut out the yellow circle. Then cut out each wedge (in the circle) along the bold lines. Fringe-cut the wide, rounded end of each wedge. 3. Glue the straight edges of the circle section together to form a cone (the hen). While the is still wet, slide the point of one of the wedges between the d edges to make a tail. 4. To make wings, the remaining two wedges on the hen. 5. Glue on the wiggle eyes and an orange construction paper beak. 6. To create a nest, crinkle strips on the plate. 7. Glue the cotton balls (baby chicks) in the center of the nest. Add an orange beak to each chick; then use a finetipped black marker to dot on little eyes. 8. Set the hen on the nest so that it covers the chicks. Margaret Southard Cleveland, NY Teacher Tip If yellow cotton balls are not available, use yellow pom-poms for the chicks.
Step 3 Fold down twice. Spring Basket This adorable basket is easy to make and roomy enough for lots of seasonal goodies. tagboard fence tracer (see ) 1 large paper grocery bag five 6 x 9 sheets of white construction paper assorted construction paper scraps stapler To make a tracer, cut out a tagboard copy of the fence pattern on page 29. If desired, line the basket with shredded paper or Easter grass. 1. To make the basket, cut off the top half of the bag and set that part aside to use later for the handle. 2. Fold down the top edge of the bag about 1 1 / 2 inches; then fold it down again. 3. To make a handle, cut the top portion of the bag open and cut a long threeinch-wide strip from it. Fold and the strip in thirds (lengthwise) and then in half as shown. 4. When the is dry, staple the handle to the bag. 5. To make the fence, fold each sheet of white paper in half twice and outline the tracer as indicated; then cut it out. Do not cut the folded edges. 6. Unfold the fence cutouts; then them around the basket. Trim off any excess paper. 7. Cut out stems, leaves, and flowers from construction paper. Then the cutouts to the basket, gluing some stems behind the fence and some in front of it. Mary Maurer Caddo, OK
Sponge-Paint Chicks Youngsters will peep with delight as they hatch a brood of these cute little chicks. Display the chick pictures in your classroom to welcome spring. 1 egg-shaped sponge printer (see ) 1 large sheet of construction paper yellow tempera paint elbow macaroni ring-shaped cereal small yellow or white feathers unpopped popcorn kernels (or birdseed) marker Ben GLUE 1. Sponge-paint a few yellow egg shapes near the bottom of the construction paper. Let the paint dry. 2. Glue a cereal eye, a macaroni beak, and a few feathers on each shape to create a chick as shown. 3. Use a marker to draw feet on each chick. 4. Glue the popcorn kernels along the bottom of the page to represent chicken feed. To make a sponge printer, cut out an egg shape from a craft sponge. Expand the sponge with water and then set it aside to dry. To give the chicks a newly hatched appearance, have children small pieces of clean, dry eggshells on their pictures. Linda Masternak Justice Kansas City, MO
Light-Filtering Eggs When youngsters make these colorful eggs, they ll be experimenting with color combinations and liquid absorption. Hang the completed eggs in a window to create a pretty light-filtering display. tagboard egg tracer (see ) one 6 square of white tissue paper two 6 squares of construction paper in a spring color red, blue, and yellow watercolor paints water paintbrush To make a tracer, cut out a tagboard copy of the egg pattern on page 30. Ask each child to find the new colors on his egg that were created from blends of the original primary colors (red, blue, and yellow). 1. Use a wet paintbrush to gently dab the watercolors on the tissue paper. Allow the colors to overlap and blend as desired. Then set the paper aside to dry. 2. Fold each construction paper square in half. Place the straight edges of the egg tracer on the fold. Then trace and cut out each egg pattern. 3. Unfold the cutouts to reveal eggshaped frames. Glue the frames to the front and the back of the tissue paper square. 4. After the dries, trim the tissue paper. Kristin Bauer Ganoung Brewster, NE
Spring Chicks Youngsters will love making these warm and cozy chick siblings! Encourage each child to use his special nest as a table decoration during his family s spring celebrations. 1 small brown paper bag 3 egg carton cups (see ) white tempera paint 6 yellow cotton balls green and orange construction paper scraps fine-tipped black marker paintbrush 1. Cut off the top six inches of the bag. Open up the bottom of the bag to make the nest. 2. Cut a supply of green paper strips to resemble grass. Glue the strips along the inside edges of the nest so that they extend over the top edge. 3. To pad the nest, loosely crumple the top of the bag; then it in the nest. 4. If desired, paint each egg carton cup white. Let the paint dry. 5. To make each chick, two cotton balls together. Glue on a small orange triangle beak; then use the marker to dot on two eyes. 6. Glue each chick into an egg carton cup. Then each cup in the nest. Trim each egg carton cup to resemble a cracked eggshell. If yellow cotton balls are not available, use one-inch pompoms instead. Susan DeRiso Barrington, RI
Darling Ducklings Use these adorable duck magnets to reinforce counting skills. Afterward, invite each child to display her magnet at home. Just ducky! yellow yarn one 4 cardboard square 2 wiggle eyes orange felt 3 / 4 x 2 magnet strip (see Teacher Tips) craft If desired, simply cut the magnet from a promotional vendor magnet. Use a clothespin to hold the magnet in place while the dries. 1. Wrap yellow yarn around the cardboard square about 50 times. 2. Carefully slide the yarn off the cardboard; then tie a length of yarn tightly around the top third of the looped yarn (as shown). 3. Cut out two felt feet and a beak. Glue the wiggle eyes, beak, and feet on the duck. Let the dry. 4. Glue the magnet to the back of the duck. Julie Koczur Fort Benton, MT