Synopsis
This illustrated guide shows children how to make everything from costumes to puppets, nature crafts to toys and games. The ultimate anti-boredom collection for crafty kids, it consolidates the top five books in the Parents' Choice Award-winning I Can Make… series. Brimming with simple, economical ideas suitable for both home and classroom, the book uses materials that are readily available and safe to use — and all activities are terrific recycling ideas. Mary Wallace shows how to turn everyday materials into amazing art projects — garbage bags become delicate flowers, cornhusks become rustic dolls, old egg cartons become treasure trunks. I Can Make That! features materials lists, step-by-step color photographs, and a picture of each finished project to guide and inspire children. Features include five sections filled with fun and easy craft projects: Costumes, Puppets, Nature Crafts, Toys, and Games. Handy sidebars offer hints for adding special touches to final products.
Kristin Harris - Children's Literature
Sixty-eight different projects are included in this large collection of instructions for making costumes, puppets, nature crafts, toys, and games. Many require some adult supervision for young children but certainly not all. The costume selection is quite extensive and includes such innovative ideas as gluing film canisters to fabric for dinosaur scales and cutting up orange rind for fake buck teeth. This is a back to basics book with directions for making face paint from scratch and using sponges for dollhouse furniture. An old pair of sweat pants is stuffed to become a puppet head, old footed sleepers the body of a best buddy puppet. Stone sculptures are made by stabilizing the stones with modeling clay and making them shiny with oil. Peanut shells are turned into insects, cowboys, and runners. Dandelion stems become bracelets. How refreshing to see such innovative use of existing materials in a world where parents go running to the toy store at the drop of a hat. Large color photos provide clear directions for these projects. 2005 (orig. 1994), Maple Tree Press, Ages 6 to 12.