Hi, CMBC members! Grab your backpack and school supplies because it's time to go back to school! To celebrate the start of a new school year, we've put together a fun activity that you can make to remember your first day of school.
What You'll Need:
Craft sticks
Glue gun and glue sticks
Washable school glue stick
Chalk
Stickers
Ribbon
Scissors
Ruler
Chalkboard paint
Paintbrush
Paper plate
Paper
Directions:
1: Lay a couple of pieces of paper down because this craft will get messy! Ask your parent or guardian to plug in the hot glue gun and keep the glue gun on top of the paper in case the glue drips.
2: Lay eight craft sticks side by side on the paper.
3: Ask an adult to help you use the glue gun and place a small dot of hot glue on the top of each craft stick.
4: Lay a craft stick horizontally on top of the glue dots. Gently press down on the craft stick, but be careful—it's hot!
5: Repeat steps 3 & 4, but this time, put the glue on the bottom of the craft sticks.
6: Place a few hot glue dots along the back of another craft stick. Place it diagonally on top of your eight craft sticks. Gently press down on the craft stick to make sure it adheres.
7: Wait a few minutes for the glue to dry. Next, turn the craft sticks over. Now it's time to paint them! Shake your chalkboard paint bottle and squeeze a dollop onto a paper plate. Follow the painting directions on the back of the bottle. Our bottle says to apply one coat of paint vertically (up and down) and then one coat horizontally (side to side). Once you've painted your frame, set it aside and allow it to dry overnight.
8: Once your frame is dry, you can start decorating it! To make it look more like a chalkboard, add a wooden "frame" to it by outlining the top, bottom, and sides. To do this, take a craft stick, add a dot of hot glue to each of the ends of the craft stick, and lay it down on top of the frame. Gently press down on the craft stick to make sure it sticks.
9: Repeat step 8 with three more craft sticks until the frame is complete!
10: Now, it's time to add a piece of ribbon to hang up your photo frame! Turn the frame over. Measure a piece of ribbon and cut it so it's 9 inches long. Add a dot of hot glue to the top left corner and the top right corner of the frame. This next part can be really hot, so ask a parent or guardian to help you press the ends of the ribbon into the hot glue using a craft stick so that he or she doesn't touch the hot glue.
11: Turn the frame back over. Now, let's decorate the front! Use a washable school glue stick to apply glue to the back of a photo and glue it to your frame. Decorate the frame with stickers and chalk drawings. You can also write the date of your first day of school. When you're done decorating the frame, ask your parent or guardian to hang it up on a wall or on your fridge.
Have a great first day of school!