Lucky Box

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LEPRECHAUN’S LUCKY BOX One of the greatest springtime activities is searching through clover patches trying to find one with four leaves…a lucky clover.  Another is looking up into the sky after a rain shower and spotting a rainbow.  This craft combines both of the greatest springtime activities.    If you make this craft on St. Patrick’s … Read more

My Mouth Puppet

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FEBUARY IS DENTAL HEALTH MONTH This goofy craft is easy to make and fun to play with.  It has a nice puppet quality.  But the best part about this craft is that it will help your students learn about what’s  inside a human mouth.  You can even use the mouth to demonstrate proper brushing and … Read more

Valentine Pop-up

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VALENTINE POP-UP CARD This card is cute and easy to make.  Color it.  Cut it out.  Fold it.  Give it to someone you love! Valentine’s Day Fun Facts: It’s on February 14th every year. It was celebrated in ancient Rome as a day of love.  The celebration was called Lupercalia.    Cupid was the Roman god … Read more

Indoor Ice Game

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Invent an Icy Game. Play it with a Friend This craft can inspire creativity in the kids who possess that attribute.  And for the kids who don’t, there are instructions to construct a simple game.  This is a great activity for keeping the kiddos busy on bad weather days.  After they make their game, they … Read more

Snowflake Symmetry

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BUILD A SNOWFLAKE It’s January, so if you live in a snowy climate, you might need an activity for a snow day.  And if you live in the South, you might like decorating your classroom with snowflakes to remind your students that much of the country has snowy weather this time of year.  A student … Read more

Zoom-zoom Spinner

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ZOOM-ZOOM SPINNERS You might have made a button spinner when you were a kid.  This one is made out of paper.  When you print the craft page on a heavier cardstock paper, cut it out, and glue the four circles together, the paper button is heavy enough to use like a plastic or wooden button. … Read more

Yeti-copter

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YOU CAN WATCH YOUR YETI-COPTER SPIN Your kids will love watching these yeti-copters twirl to the ground.  They are super easy to make.  There are 3 copters on each page, so you can make the craft with a large group and you won’t need to use a lot of paper. YETIS IN THE YARD Once … Read more

X-ray Magic

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X-RAY TOYS ARE EXTRA COOL! Kids like optical illusions.  I can still remember my third grade teacher showing us how to make a floating finger appear by pointing your pointer fingers at one another about 6 inches from your nose.  When you stare at them, your eyes merge them together to make the floating finger … Read more

Web Frame

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WEAVE A WEB FRAME This Op Art frame is fun to make!  Your kids will need a pencil and a ruler to draw the lines.  They’ll connect two dots at a time.  Kids are always amazed when they see the finished web.   The kids can add spiders to their drawing.  They can put a picture … Read more

Valentine Card Holder

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V IS FOR VALENTINES This valentine card holder is perfect for classroom desks.  It’s quick and easy to make.  The kids can decorate it any way they want to make their own unique card holder.  It can also be used as a container for valentine cookies or chocolates.  You can give it to a friend … Read more

Umbrella Straws

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UMBRELLA STRAWS ARE USEFUL ON SUNNY DAYS Keep your drinks shaded and bug-free with these umbrella straws.  Decorate the umbrella.  Cut it out.  Fan fold it.  Place a straw in the center hole. The umbrella straw will shade your drink.  If you slide the umbrella down the straw to cover your glass, you can protect … Read more

Turkey Tube

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TURKEY TUBES FOR THE TABLE This craft is perfect for Thanksgiving!  It’s also a craft you make if you are studying birds or, of course, the letter t.  Just color the turkey body, tail, and tube.  Glue the pieces together and add a folded napkin for the wings. USE THE TURKEY ON YOUR READING TABLE … Read more

Student Stocking

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STUDENT STOCKINGS CAN BE FILLED WITH SURPRISES This craft is easy to make and it’s super cute!  Your kids can color the stocking before cutting it out and assembling it. Or you can print the pattern on different paper colors and let the kids trade pieces and use paper scraps to decorate their stockings.  The … Read more

Rowdy Rabbit

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ROWDY RABBIT RANTS & RAVES This is a simple marionette puppet.  It works best if you print it on a heavier cardstock paper. Your students can decorate the rabbit any way they want.  They’ll punch the hole in each body part,  tie a sting through each hole, and attach the limbs to the rabbit’s body … Read more

Quilt Cube

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QUILT CUBES ARE A QUICK STORAGE CONTAINER If you have tons of crayons, the quilt cube is the craft for you.  These easy-to-make boxes are excellent storage containers for crayons and other small items. PLAY A READING GAME – QUICK TAC TOE Draw a large tic tac toe board on a piece of paper.  Place … Read more

Pirate Prize Box

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PERFECT FOR A PIRATE PARTY! If you are having a pirate party or learning about pirates, this pirate prize box is the perfect craft and or party favor.  You can fill it with popcorn, pretzels, or cheese puffs.  Place a prize in the box: a pirate eye patch, jewelry, a tiny telescope, or a toy … Read more

Origami Cup

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OPEN THIS ORIGAMI CUP AND FILL IT WITH O’s OR OTHER TREATS Origami is a great way to make a useful paper object.  This paper cup actually holds water…until it gets too soggy to hold water.  But if you need a quick drink of H2O, this cup will work! You can also use it to … Read more

Nice Nests

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NESTLE AN EGG IN A NICE NEST As you know, eggs are fragile and they tend to roll around.  These nests are perfect for keeping eggs in place. There are two nest patterns on each page. If you are making this craft with a large group, you can cut each page in half. Each child … Read more

Mummy Mask

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MAKE A MONSTER OR MUMMY MASK A lowercase m is the perfect shape for a mask.   The monster and mummy are inspired by the Fran and Maff Phonics Fiends characters.   M WORDS GAME If you are using the Phonics Fiends reading program, have your students use the mask to indicate the location of the m … Read more

Little Lanterns

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LIGHT UP A LITTLE LANTERN The little lantern is easy to make.  It’s a great decoration for any celebration.  You can place these lanterns on a table over an LED tealight or hang them over a string of lights. When you print this page you’ll notice that there are two lantern patterns on each page.  … Read more

King Kite

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KITE FOR A KING This kite is super easy to make and it really works! This craft is perfect to make on a slightly breezy day.  You can make it fairly quickly.  Give each child the kite pattern, a precut bamboo skewer (9 1/2 inches), a small ball of yarn, a 1” strip of plastic … Read more

Jiffy Jet

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JUST A JIFFY JET Kids like making paper airplanes.  This one is easy to make and it’s a good flier.  If you make this craft on a nice day, you can take it outside and have flying competitions.   PLAY A SPELLING GAME:  SKY WRITER Have your child use the jet to write words in the … Read more

Insect Box

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WHAT’S INSIDE THIS INSECT BOX? This little box is perfect for gift giving…if the gift is small.   Kids really enjoy folding and unfolding this box.  It’s easy to make.  Just color, cut, and fold.  You can write “to” and “from” on the body of the bug and use it as a gift tag. The insect … Read more

Haunted House

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HANG THIS HAUNTED HOUSE ON A HOLLOW TREE This house craft is perfect for Halloween, but you can make it anytime.  It’s easy to make:  color, cut, fold, punch a hole, and glue.  There are several empty windows, so the kids can draw whatever they want in the windows; a hand, hat, hair, horse…  In … Read more

Goofy Goggles

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GOOFY GOGGLES GET GIGGLES The goofy goggles are a great disguise.  Your kids can color and decorate two lowercase Gs to make the goggles.  If their name begins with G or they are a fan of the Green Bay Packers or Georgia Bulldogs, they’ll definitely want to put the G in the center of their … Read more

Franken-fish Puppet

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FRANKEN-FISH IS FAIRLY FUNNY Make this fish puppet with your kids.  Color, cut, fold, and glue the side.  Pull on the upper and lower back fins to make the fish talk.  Your Franken-fish puppet can tell some funny fish jokes. Here are a few to get you started…. 1. “I just started telling fish jokes … Read more

Elephant Envelope

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EVERYONE ENJOYS AN ENVELOPE This elephant envelope is an envelope and stationery.  The kids can decorate the outside and write a letter to a friend or family member on the inside. PLAY A READING GAME:  ELEPHANT’S SECRET MESSAGE If you are using the Phonics Fiends reading program, you can use the envelope to play a … Read more

Dancing Dog

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DOT’S DOG DANCES (When you tap his head.) Dare to dream… If you’ve ever wanted to make a bobble-head rag doll dog out of paper, your dream just came true.  Actually, this craft is pretty amazing; two paper triangles and a few folds creates an adorable toy.  The kids really like this one!  It’s easy … Read more

Cat Cone

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CAT CONES ARE COOL! Color, cut, & curve…this cat craft is easy to make!  Kids can be super creative when coloring this cat.  The cat can have crazy colors, curls, and crooked lines.  Some kids like to color it to look like their pet cat.  If you are making this craft with a group of … Read more

Arty Ant Playground

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Click the image to view or print the craft page.



I love arts and crafts!  For my 2024 blog, I’ve chosen an arty craft for each letter of the alphabet.  I’ll post them, in alphabetical order, throughout the year.

I wish I could take credit for inventing this arty ant playground project, but I found it in a magazine when I was teaching first grade.  I made it with my students every year.  The kids loved working on this paper sculpture project.  One year, a student complained to me that he put his ant playground outside and it didn’t attract even one ant. 

You can make this craft with children of all ages.  It takes about 30 minutes to complete.  The craft is a favorite of the creative kids and the technical kids.  When they’ve finished making the ant playground, most children like to explain how the ants will interact with their creation.   

This is a fun one!  Enjoy!



MAKE AN ANT PLAYGROUND