Labor Day Crafts

Greetings Kampers!


Labor Day Weekend is here!  Be sure to keep up with us here and on Facebook for plenty of pictures over the weekend.
In the meantime, I thought I would share some instructions on the crafts we will be making on Saturday.  Even if you can't join us this weekend, you can still have your own crafts time at home!

Campfire Crowns:

Materials:

1 piece ORANGE felt (16" x 5.5")*

1 piece GREEN felt (26" x 2.5")

5 pieces YELLOW felt (4" x 3" each block)

Scissors (share)

Glue (share)**

Handful of mini marshmallows

4-6 twigs

2 paper clips

*To make things easier for the kids, I traced the pattern onto the pieces of felt before hand.  However, I will also provide the measurements I used in case you want to measure things yourself!  I had trouble finding felt by the roll in Boone, so I ordered some through Amazon.com via The Felt Store.  There, I got felt by the yard, which means it came in 72" x 36" blocks.  From these larger blocks, I cut the smaller blocks listed in the Materials above.  For the orange piece, there is about 2.6" in between each "flame" point.*


**Glue:  Fabric Glue is best, but is often strong and not non-toxic.  Therefore, I did tests with other types of glue to figure out which kind would work best with kids.  Tacky Glue, Tacky Glue Quick Dry, and Elmer's All-Purpose Glue worked the best.  I also tried standard glue sticks and standard Elmer's school glue, but neither would hold the felt no matter how long I let it dry.  Summary: Fabric glue is best, but Tacky Glue and All-Purpose Glue work great!**

1.  Cut out orange pattern along dotted lines:

2.  Cut out yellow triangles:

3.   Glue yellow triangles onto orange felt:

(You can use the skinny yellow triangles for the end pieces)   

4.  While glue is drying, place twigs in between flames as shown.  Use a small bead of glue to hold twigs to flames. Also let dry.

5.  Glue green strip of felt on top of flames and twigs as shown.  (**Make sure the green covers up the bottom of the twigs so everything stays put!**)










6.  Let dry.  This is a very important step, especially if you are using Tacky Glue or All Purpose glue instead of Fabric Glue!

7.  Stick as many marshmallows as you want on the twigs:  


8.  Once glue is completely dry, wrap crown around head and secure with paper clips.....VIOLA!  Your campfire crown is finished!






*The idea and basic outline for this craft came from Disney's Family Fun site at http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-material/food-crafts/campfire-caps-667742/, however, I did change some of the measurements.*

If you have any questions or any suggestions to make this craft better, please email me at OrganicRocks20@yahoo.com with the subject line Campfire Crowns. 

Homemade Fire Starters:


Here at the Boone KOA, we are big believers in recycling and trying to preserve the beauty around us.  In the spirit of that, we will be handing out Homemade Fire Starters made from household items to the kids who come to arts and crafts.  We are planning on making the fire starters for arts and crafts some time in October.  Until then, here are the directions!


Materials:
Cardboard egg carton(s) - I used an 18 cup carton
Paraffin wax*
Dryer lint
Pyrex measuring cup with pouring spout**
CRAYONS
Scissors
Knife or cheese grater
Rags or oven mitt
Access to a microwave***
Non flammable work surface!!


*Paraffin wax can be found at most craft stores, however I ordered from Amazon.com. It usually comes in 1 pound packages.  For this project, I used a total of 1 pound of Gulf Wax paraffin wax. 
**Since you're going to be using this in the microwave, glass is best.
***You can also use a double boiler method, but I found the microwave to be easier to clean up!

1.  Stuff egg carton cups full of dryer lint.  Be sure to press the lint down as far as you can.  The wax will weigh down the lint even further.  

2.  Grate/shred 1/4 pound of wax into Pyrex.  (Shredding the wax helps it melt easier and faster!)

3.  Microwave wax for about 2 minutes, or until wax is almost all the way melted.  (CAUTION: Pyrex glass will be very hot.  Handle with care and be sure to use oven mitts or rags to take glass out of microwave.)

4.  Add 1 crayon, any color you want!  Again, shredding the crayon will help it to melt faster.  One crayon to about 1/4 to 1/2 pound of wax works well.  

I picked Yellow for KOA!

5.  Stir crayon into wax until smooth.

6.  Pour colored wax into egg carton cups stuffed with lint.  (You should have enough wax per cup that it shows through on the bottom, like a greasy fast food bag!)

Wax shows through like a greasy fast food bag!

7.  Let wax dry until hard.  Cut apart Fire Starters with sturdy scissors and VIOLA! Your Homemade Fire Starters are complete!  




Hints, Tips, and Pics:

The wicks

**One thing I added to some of the fire starters was wicks.  To do this, I cut tiny strips from the the lid of the egg carton, since I wasn't using the lid anyway.  Then I packed the lint in around the wick and made sure wax got onto the wick when I poured it in.  This worked very well, and was good use of an item I wasn't using otherwise!

All the colors!

**Saw dust also works well either mixed in with the lint or by itself, but I think this would require a bit more wax.


**A Popsicle stick works well as a stirrer for the hot wax and crayon.

Got creative with shredding the wax!

Again, if you have any questions or any suggestions to make this craft better, please email me at OrganicRocks20@yahoo.com with the subject line Fire Starters. 


Thanks Kampers!  Enjoy this beautiful Labor Day Weekend and be sure to come see us in the fall!