

It is raining outside and you've
been cooped up with the kids all weekend. Although they have a roomful
of toys, they insist there is nothing to play with. You are tempted to
allow them to overdose in cartoons, but your better judgment stops you.
What you need is an activity that will stimulate their creative energy,
occupy a large block of time, and keep them relatively quiet while
confined indoors.
What you need is a good craft project. Unfortunately you are fresh out
of craft supplies and the idea of running to the store in this weather
is out of the question. What is a parent to do? Perhaps you do have the
supplies for them to make an entire city.
Materials Needed:
3x5 cards
Scissors
Crayons, colored pencils or felt tip pens
Scotch tape
Directions:
1. If you can rummage up a stack of 3x5 cards, then you are on your way
to hours of fun. Depending on the age of the child, he or she can work
on this project independently, or with you.
2.Those thin cardboard-like cards are easy to cut, yet are firm enough
to be pieced together to fashion houses and other buildings. Holding two
cards together and cutting one half into a point, makes a great start
for the ends of a house with a slanting roofline. Doors can be cut out,
which can fold open and shut.
One Thanksgiving I turned over a stack of 3x5 cards to my children,
then ages 7 and 10, and showed them how to make a three dimensional
house. Before I knew it, they were creating bridges, windmill, churches,
an entire village. They used crayons to draw on Christmas lights, and
before I knew it, we had an entire Christmas village.