Summer Fun Day 63 - Paperclip Pals

The children did all kinds of great crafts at VBS, this week.  My favorite was a paper clip bookmark, with yarn hair, tied in knots across the top of jumbo (3.5'') paperclips.

I didn't get a chance to ask the "craft ladies" where they got the idea, but it's similar to one featured on FreeKidsCrafts.com, except that ours have a piece of clear tape wrapped around one section of the clip, just below the top, for the children to affix their googly eyes onto with heavy duty glue dots.

It's a great craft, one that's easy enough for 1st through 6th graders (really all the way up to adult) to enjoy, and be able do pretty much on their own - but still flexible enough to allow for a lot of personal expression.

My youngest two (ages 7 and 8) were distraught, though when they realized I had removed the piece of masking tape the craft ladies had wrapped around their clips for the children to write their names on.

Apparently, they had decided that was supposed to be a shirt for their crazy haired guys.

I stuck the clips into books to show the girls how they were supposed to work, but they were unconvinced. To keep the peace, I wrapped fresh pieces of masking tape around the middle of their clips, and then was asked if I couldn't add masking tape skirts and arms while I was at it too, please.

I realized once I was done, that if I had moved the shorter curve of the clip out of the way, and only wrapped the tape around the longer piece, the girls "dolls" would still be able to clip onto things - which would be even better.

In my brain-dead, post-VBS, state of mind however, it was all I could do to figure out that I had to wrap a loop of tape, cut in half down the center, around the metal of part of clip, to create arms, rather than trying to stick the tape arms directly to the tape shirts - from which they would slip off.

The girls were happy to have more dolls to color...

...and didn't care whether their paperclip pals could clip to the front of their notebooks, or not.  So, it was a win regardless.  And, I have to admit, the end result of their idea turned out to be pretty cute.

Tip:  When coloring on masking tape, use ballpoint pens.  It shows up better than colored pencils, and won't rub off like washable marker.

It's great to be a homeschooler.