Chase 'n Race Paper Airplane Game

If you love paper airplanes like I do, you'll love this fun paper airplane game. It's easy to do and everyone has a great time.

Chase ’N Race Game

Have a quantity of good paper airplane paper available. You can use plain ol' copy paper or very thin construction paper. You can also make it more of a project by having crayons and markers on hand to color the paper first before you fold your paper airplane. Kids love this!

Give a hand to each child in folding the paper airplane. A good idea is to practice the folds a head of time so you are completely familiar and comfortable making the paper airplanes.

A good place to go for easy to make and free downloadable paper airplane directions is the Easy Paper Airplanes website.

Once all the paper airplanes have been folded, take the kids outside and play the Chase 'n Race game. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Make a starting and a finish line on a grassy area if possible. To make it super fun, have the space between the start and finish around the length of a soccer field, but if you don’t have that much space, just make it as long as possible.
   
   
2. Get all your pilots lined up at the start line with planes in hand.
   
   
3. The beginning of the race is started by someone (who isn't racing) yelling, “Wheels up!” (or “Go!”), Then, each pilot throws his/her paper airplane as far and as straight as he can toward the finish line.
   
   
4. Each pilot then runs after their own plane, picking it up, and then throwing it toward the finish line.

Two Rules Only!

1. No running with the plane in hand. If a pilot runs while the plane is still in his hand, he has to go back to the start line and start over.
   
   
2. The first person that throws their paper airplane over the finish line and crosses it himself is the winner!

Tip: One of the best planes to make for this game is the ProFlier paper airplane. It’s a good, straight-flying plane.

A good prize for the winner is a Super Dooper fast stunt plane called the Karate Kid. You can learn how to make both of these fantastic paper airplanes by signing up for my free e-newsletter here or filling out the form below. Make it ahead of time with cool colored paper of your choice and write Chase ’N Race First Place on it. Make some and practice with it.

Read the fantastic flying tips on this Web site on how to make the Karate Kid do unbelievable stunts with just a flick of the wrist. Then show your first-place pilot how to fly it and turn it into a mini event that will be sure to make him or her feel special.

For more paper airplane games go to the Paper Airplane Games page.

Painting with Tissue Paper

Painting with Tissue Paper is so much fun - kids and parents will both love this project. It's easy and the results are ALWAYS beautiful. Some of the most beautiful designs I've seen have come from 6 year olds!

What You'll Need:
- Heavy white card stock or paper
- Scissors
- Spritz water bottle
- Non-coated tissue paper (your choice of colors)
- Ink stamps (optional)
- Colored card stock (optional)
- Glue (optional)

What to Do:
To paint with tissue paper, tear the tissue paper pieces into ragged strips or chunks and position them on the card stock or heavy paper in an intersecting design. Basically, arrange the paper in a pattern that pleases you - like you are making a collage.

Next, spritz the tissue paper with water. Watch the magic of the tissue paper colors running onto your card stock. The colors will merge into beautiful combinations, creating something similar to a tie-dye effect. Then, allow your newly created painting to dry completely.

If you want to get really fancy, take your favorite ink stamps and stamp images on top of the tissue paper-dyed card stock. Then mount your artwork to colored pieces of card stock to frame it.

How to Use:
Now you have a wide selection of choices on how to use your new painting.
1. Cut it up to make a card you can send to a friend or family member.
2. Attach to other pre-made blank cards with glue and write important messages inside.
3. Frame it and hang it on your favorite art wall.
4. Cut up into different shapes and make a collage with your beautiful new colors.
5. Use for your favorite scrapbooking project.

There are hundreds of uses for your newly created art. Use your creativity and go wild! It's fun!

Perfect Paper Luminaries

Here's another great project that you use a plain ol' brown paper lunch bag. Well, here's another one.

And you can find paper lunch bags in all kinds of different colors now, which makes making this paper luminary even more fun to make.

What you'll need:
- Lunch bags
- Flower and leaf punches
- 2 sheets of colorful, contrasting paper (scrapbooking paper works great for this)
- Decorative-edged scissors
- Glue
- Votive candle in holder
- Sand

What to do:
1. With the bag still folded, carefully punch two flowers in the center front of the bag - punching through to the back as well.

2. Cut rectangles from the decorative papers to fit inside the back side of the shape you just punched. Do this for all punched areas.

3. Cut two strips of the colored paper with the decorative-edged scissors to fit the front side of the bag. You can do one wide and one narrow. Place the narrow one closer to the top and place the wider one at the bottom.

4. Glue the strips in place smoothing out any air bubbles with your fingertips as you go along.

5. Punch out four leaf shapes from colored paper and glue in place under your flower punched holes.

6. Fill the bottom of the bag with about an inch or two of sand. Place the votive in its holder into the center of the bag and anchor with the sand so it sits in there firmly and securely.

BIG NOTE: This goes without saying, but as a reminder, never leave the burning candles unattended - particularly in a paper luminary.

Enjoy the art you've created. Everyone else that sees it will too.

Indoor Rainbows

Rainbows are loved by everyone of every age. Teach your kiddos how to make one of their own. This is an easy project to pull out of a hat for either a rainy day or a solution for a bored kid.

What you'll need:
- 1 paper plate
- Paper streamers or wide ribbon in bright colors*
- crayons or colored markers
- Scissors
- White craft glue
- Piece of ribbon for hanging

*red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple

What to Do:
1. Have kiddos color the outer portion of a paper plate. and then cut a large circle out of the center of the paper plate. All that should be left is the newly colored rim of the plate.

2. Cut 1 streamer or ribbon of each color to about 18 inches long.

3. Glue each streamer to the bottom half of your paper circle.

4. Make a small hole at the top of the paper circle and thread a thin piece of ribbon through it. Then, you'll tie a loop in the ribbon and hang up the your rainbow.

Here are some helpful hints...

If you use a pencil to make your circle on the paper plate, press down firmly. This will make an indent and will make it easier to cut out the circle.

Another thing you can do with the streamers and ribbon is to cut them twice the length, and then drape them through the circle and glue right at the center. This gives you double the amount of streamers and enables you to display the rainbow from either side. Great for hanging up in the center of a room instead of a flat wall space.

Paper plates are great, but if you prefer, use a foam plate for a nice smooth outer edge - colored markers work better than crayons on this kind of surface.

Irish Neck Tie

This St. Patrick's Day tie is quick to make and a lot of fun to wear! In fact, you probably won't get it off your kids even after St. Patty's because they are so fun and silly.

What You'll Need:
- Light green fun foam (most of a sheet)
- Dark green fun foam
- White fun foam
- Permanent black marker
- Hot glue or foam glue
- Scissors
- Pencil
- 18 inches green yarn

What to Do:
1. Download the template and copy onto light green fun foam. Cut out the pieces.

2. Cut out several shamrocks from the dark green and white fun foam. They can be any size or shape you want, as long as they will fit on the tie. The actual tie is the larger piece in the template below.

3. Assemble the tie before decorating...

The rectangle in the template will be the knot of the tie.

Sandwich the narrow end of the tie between the two short ends of the rectangle. To do this, you will have to fold the rectangle in half and fit the narrow end of the tie into the fold. Do not push the tie all the way into the fold, only push it in about an inch or so. This will create a loop of foam that the tie hangs out of. Glue it in place.



4. Thread the yarn through the loop in the foam and tie the two ends together. This is how the child will be able to wear the tie -- like a necklace.

5. Glue the shamrocks from step 2 onto your tie. Use a permanent black marker to write the words "Kiss Me!" on the tie and to add any other details you want.

That's it. Put your tie on and have a ball being silly!

NOTE: The reason that I've included this as a little kid craft is that you can easily do this craft with paper instead of fun foam. It won't be as durable, but younger children can do most of it without any help.

Courtesy of Free Kid Crafts.

Shamrock Hats

Are you having a St. Patty's Day party? Want to make your kiddos feel useful? Have them make this fun and easy St. Patrick's Day paper craft that will keep them busy and make them happy that they are "helping" you!

What you'll need:
- Green construction paper
- 2 Green chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
- Tape
- Glue
- Stapler
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Heart shape cookie cutters or similar

Easy to do...
1. Have the kids trace around the heart shapes 4 times while lining up the sides of the hearts together to form a ring of hearts. And then cut out the connected hearts (now your shamrock)as a single piece.

2. Repeat number 1 3 more times so you end up with a total of 4 shamrocks.

3. Make some small snipped cuts between the hearts - but not all the way through - to show the petals of the shamrocks.

4. Cut out 2 strips of green construction paper that are about 1 1/2 inches wide.

5. Tape one end together and try on your child's head. Cut and tape it to fit.

6. Staple one pipe cleaner to the outside of the green paper ring.

7. Staple the other pipe cleaner to the opposite side of the green paper ring. (Note: Use wire cutters and cut the stem in half to make shorter wiggling shamrocks if desired.)
8. Glue 2 shamrocks to the opposite end of each of the pipe cleaners. Let them dry and place on your kids' heads...

Paperbag Puffer Fish

There's more to the little brown paper lunch bag than meets the eye! This colorful project is a fun one to do on a rainy day. �

Kids love to color. Here's a fantastic project that will keep them entertained and will result in a beautiful fish!

What you'll need:
- paper lunch bag *
- rubber band
- old newspaper
- magic markers
- construction paper�

* if you can find white paper bags, use those because the color shows up so much better. But, if you can't find them then, no worries - the plain ol' brown kind works just fine.

What to do:
First, stuff the paper bag until it's half full with crumpled up newspaper. Wind the rubber band around the the middle of the bag and fan out the remainder like a fish tail.

With the markers, have the kids make eyes and a mouth and then color a design of their choice for the body. Cut out some fins from construction paper and glue on to the body.

Several of these Puffer Fish can be strung with fishing wire and hung up to be admired.