HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

Milk can become homemade ice cream in fi ve minutes by using a bag! This homemade, creamy treat is a summertime delight for kids and adults alike.

What you’ll need:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
Ice cubes

How to make it:
Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt.
Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully.
Enjoy!

Tips:
A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if
you want more. But don’t increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.

FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

Friendship bracelets have been around for years and are a favorite with girls. Some forms of this craft use intricate weaving and macramé patterns, but ours is as simple as braiding a friend’s hair!

What you’ll need:
2- 24” strands of pink embroidery floss
2- 24” strands of
2- 24” strands of light blue embroidery floss
Scissors

How to make it:
Line up each strand on your work surface in matching pairs.
Make sure they are all the same length.
Hold all the strands together, then fold them in half.
Tie a knot at the center, creating a loop
Separate the strands into three sections: pink, yellow and light blue.
Tape the knotted end to the table or hang it with a thumbtack in a bulletin board.
This will hold the string taut for you as you braid.
Braid the three strands.
Keep going until you have a braid that will fit around your wrist.
At the end of the braid, combine the strands to make two strands instead of three and tie into a knot to end the braid.
Now separate the strands again into two separate groups.
Braid each group, leaving enough room at the end to tie a knot.
Knot both mini braids and trim off the excess strands to make them even and neat.
Wrap the bracelet around your wrist and ask a friend to tie the small braids to the loop at the end.

Tips:
Embroidery floss is available near the sewing, kitting and cross stitch items at your local craft supply or discount
department store. To make a thicker bracelet, double the amount of floss that you are using. To make an anklet, use 12 more inches of thread than the instructions above.
This is a great project for friends to do together. Have your friend hold the end of your bracelet while you braid. She can tie yours on then reverse roles

CEILING KITE

Make this whimsical kite to hang from the ceiling of your bedroom. Choose whatever colors you like to make it your very own!

What you’ll need:
Two 12” skinny wooden dowels
Scissors
24” x 18” piece of fabric 1 sheet of construction paper, any light color
White yarn
Thumbtacks
Hot glue gun
Crepe paper streamers in colors to match your fabric

How to make it:
Use scissors to cut off approximately two to three inches from one of the dowels.
Lay construction paper down on work surface.
Place dowels onto construction paper.
Place the shorter dowel across the longer dowel to form a cross.
Hot glue the shorter dowel to longer dowel to hold it in place. (continued on pg. 27)
Wrap yarn around the center of the cross, enough to secure it and hold it together.
Glue end of yarn down to itself.
Place cross onto construction paper and use a pen or pencil to draw a simple kite shape around the cross.
Use scissors to cut out the kite shape.
Tack the cross to the construction paper with hot glue.
Place the construction paper kite onto the back side of the fabric.
Without gluing anything, fold the edges of the fabric around the kite frame.
Trim fabric as needed.
Then tack fabric in place with hot glue, making sure not to leave any open gaps.
Cut two three-inch lengths of yarn.
Find the center of one of the lengths of yarn and lay it across the back of the kite, along the horizontal section of the cross.
Hot glue the yarn in place. (You will have pieces of yarn dangling off the sides of the kite.)
Repeat with other length along the vertical dowel.
Gather up the ends of the yarn and hold the kite up in the air.
Manipulate the yarn lengths until the kite is hanging at the angle you like.
Gather all four pieces in place and tie in a knot.
Trim the excess lengths of yarn.
Cut another three-inch length of yarn.
Hot glue one end to the bottom of the back of the kite to create the tail.
Cut three-inch lengths of crepe paper streamers.
Twist the center of each streamer two or three times to create a bow tie.
Hot glue each “bow tie” to the yarn about two inches apart all the way down the tail.
Hang your finished kite from the ceiling with a thumbtack.
Tack the tail of the kite up as well, or hang near a corner of the room and tack the tail along one of the walls.

Tips:
Try using fishing line instead of yarn to hang the kite. Choose a medium-weight fabric. Fabrics that are very thin may cause light to shine through, showing the makings
of the kite. Fabric remnants can be found at local craft stores, discount department stores, and fabric stores.