Paper Craft: Spring Pop-up Nameplate

Tools & Supplies: Scissors, Glue (school glue), Markers (assorted colors, black), Construction Paper (1 green, 1 blue, and a few more in assorted colors)

Step 1: Pick your name and count the letters. If you are using a name with 7 letters or less, you can fold the 11" side in half. If you are using a name with more than 7 letters, you would be better off using the 8" side folded in half (see examples at bottom of post).


Step 2: In the middle of the folded edge, make a 1" cut and then another about .3" away. This will hold the middle letter of your name. You can approximate the distance between letters based on how many letters in your name (or you can measure... I'm an approximator!)





Step 3: Cut a grass or leaf pattern at the top and/or bottom of the paper. Set aside.


Step 4: Cut out rectangles approximately 2"x1.75"... one for every letter in the name. Freestyle cut out letters. They will match visually because of the size contraint. (If you need the letters to match exactly, you can make or buy alphabet patterns. Sewing stores sell them in packages of varying sizes... again, we are an approximator family!) Set aside.


Step 5: Pick up the folded paper with the parallel cuts. Push the parallel cuts through the other side and fold to press crisp edges.




Step 6: Glue letters to the cut throughs so that they are legible from the front.



Step 7: Make embellishments based on your favorite aspect of Spring.






Step 8: Glue embellishments to nameplate. Set aside to dry.





Step 9: Fold blue paper in the same manner you did for step one (if you did 8" side, fold same way).



Step 10: Glue nameplate into blue folded paper.





Step 11: Embellish further, or stop and admire your new Spring Pop-up Nameplate


Grace's take on it:




HERE ARE SOME OTHER EXAMPLES:

Liv's take on it:






My take on it (with a little help from little helpers!):













These are on our mantle. They are very cheery! Happy Spring!

Olivia's Ocean Diorama

Olivia's first grade class visited a technology museum last week. That day they were all assigned a habitat of their choice. They had to read a small book for information, and then complete a questionnaire and draw a picture/plan a diorama.

Here is what Olivia came up with for her diorama. NOTE: Olivia did everything on her own until the last detail... My husband saw a paper pirate ship she had made at the library last summer (it was hanging in the dining room) and he suggested she put that in her 'sky' section. She did. (It looks awesome!!)

I am very impressed!

Mom-a-rama

(This is from a post I wrote somewhere else yesterday.)



When does a first grader's diorama become a Mom-a-rama?



So there is this interesting issue that has come up with my friends. Many of us have first graders that have been assigned a diorama based on a habitat of some kind. I learned of this from a friend of mine on the day it was assigned. I hadn't even looked at the take-home-folder, yet, when she asks, "So what did you get?"



Hunh?



"Diorama," she continues. "My son got the ocean, but if we were lucky it would have been the arctic! Snow, snow, snow."



I laugh and forget about it.



The next day, "So what'd ya get?"



Hmm.



I still didn't know, but now I was getting that ol' competitive feeling. My friend is a talented and cool mom and it is easy to try to keep up with her. I think she feels the same way (at least about the competitive angle) and was really funny when she kept stopping herself from revealing 'secrets' to her good diorama. I started laughing.



I immediately got a hundred great ideas for an ocean diorama, but just as immediately realized that it wasn't my assignment. I said that to my friend, but she laughed and said, "Yeah, right. And then I tell you all about our project and you amp up yours by tenfold."



I laughed again. (It really did sound like something I would do... or at least think of doing!)



So, instead I suggested that we do our own dioramas and submit them along with our (child concept and completed) dioramas. I even jokingly called them Mom-a-rama's.




Here's where it gets tricky.




Suddenly (as in the next day) I heard several other moms talking about the diorama. One mom spent what sounded like $50 on her child's project. (I think my mouth was open a little when I heard that...) Another mom looked absolutely disgusted that anyone would do more than watch their child make it.




I asked my daughter in an off-hand manner (at least I tried), "Got any ideas for your diorama?"





She did! A lot. The media teacher at her school had given them a ton of examples and suggestions. She said she has a good idea of what she wants.

I've come to this resolution: I'll let her do her diorama, giving technical assistance when asked. But, I'm going to re-suggest to my friends (whose kids have the same assignment) that we do our Mom-a-rama's and show each other. Maybe it will get that creative energy out that some of us seem to have in excess! Wish me luck!


UPDATE:

I started my Mom-a-rama, but I didn't get any further than a background color and a half-formed turtle... The kids insisted I help them (which means schlepping supplies and cleaning brushes!). Grace wouldn't even THINK of using mine for her diorama. (I was a little insulted, but she just had to be like Liv and do it herself... ergh.)

So, I recycyled my start into the girls' Betas' background... looking gooooddddd....

Grace's Diorama

Grace couldn't get left behind. When she saw how much fun Olivia was having making her diorama, she had to get in on the act! The top picture shows the last version of her diorama... it was covered in sparkles because she liked how Olivia's sparkled... let alone that it looked sooooo good before she piled it on top! Anyway, it is still cute, but I'm glad I got shots of the un-bling-ed version! :)



Sparklefest!




Grace begins the sparklefest.

No, mom. I don't think it is fine without sparkle.

She had me make labels for each bit (because Olivia was doing that!).

Grace-a-rama .... complete!

Ham'n'Eggs

The girls love to mess with me when I'm taking pictures. I was trying to get the diorama pictures and they kept jumping in front of the camera. Here are their lovely photos!!! (Ham'n'Eggs)

Easter?

This year, we did sparkle eggs. The funny thing is that we did more mess making than egg making! See below!