Spring Break is here, and the opportunities for fun activities for kids of all ages are endless. Dive into these ideas for hands-on projects that will inspire creative, playful learning for kids—and their adults too!
Build a Junk Robot
Recommended Age: 3+ with adult support, 5-11 independent
Materials:
- 8 Pieces of Scrap Wood
- Size accordingly to use for the robot’s head, body, arms, legs and feet
- 2 Screws
- Screwdriver
- Sandpaper
- Safety Glasses
- Wood Glue
- Junk Parts
Instructions:
- Safety First!
- Gather your materials and put on your safety glasses. Set up in a place with plenty of space and where making a mess is okay.
- Step 1: Sand
- Using sandpaper, sand each piece of wood until it’s smooth, paying extra attention to the scruffy areas.
- Step 2: Attach
- Using a screwdriver, twist one screw into each of the robot’s arms, then attach the arms to the body.
- Step 3: Glue
- Using wood glue or a glue gun, build your robot from the bottom up in a standing position. Allow the glue to dry.
- Step 4: Decorate and Activate
- Glue various pieces of junk to your robot. Think about how the junk can help give your robot personality and super skills! Ideas for junk items to use include cardboard pieces, plastic lids, egg carton pieces, corks and bottle caps. You can also use markers or paint to decorate your robot.
- Step 5: Clean Up and Play
- Clean up your work area and store any leftover materials. Then take your new robot friend out into the world to play!
Note: This project includes real tools and materials. Make at your own risk. Safety glasses and adult supervision are highly recommended.
Make a Water Xylophone
Recommended Age: All ages
Instructions:
- Collect household glasses. To create an octave, collect eight of the same glasses. However, feel free to experiment with different sizes of glasses if you’d like.
- Fill each glass with water to different levels. The lower the level of the water, the higher the pitch will be. Tune the “xylophone” to scale (some patience required!) or play around with different pitches.
- Tap the glasses lightly with a metal spoon to hear the different pitches you’ve created. Play around with creating your own tunes and songs by exploring the different pitches of each water glass.
Tip: Play some of your favorite music in the background to tap along to!
Scallion Pancakes
Recommended Age: 5+ with adult support
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ cup hot water
- 4 scallions, sliced
- Oil for cooking
- Soy sauce for dipping
Instructions:
- In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well and add the sesame oil, then stir in water. Knead until a dough forms. Add more water if necessary. Wrap in plastic and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Cut dough into four pieces. On a floured work surface, roll dough into a thin circle and sprinkle with sliced scallion. Roll dough into a long rope, then coil the rope by taking the short end and rolling it towards the opposite short end (so that it looks like a spiral). Using a rolling pin, roll coiled dough out into a disc.
- Heat oil in a pan and pan fry scallion pancake until browned, then flip to cook the second side. Repeat with remaining pancakes and serve with soy sauce.
