Tag: maracas

Maraca Craft Challenge

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Maraca Challenge (2)

Last month, Travis’s Highlights magazine challenged him to make robots with only a few simple items. This month, the challenge was maracas!

I laid out: empty plastic water bottles, dried beans, tape, and craft sticks. “How would you make these into a maraca?” I asked him.

“Let’s add beans first,” he decided right away.

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He began dropping in the beans one-by-one. When I added a few faster to a second bottle, he admonished, “No, copy the way I do!” My teacher for the day!

Next, he needed to figure out how to use the craft sticks. He requested a piece of tape and soon had a handle.

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Then he decided a double-handle in the shape of an X was sturdier.

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Finally, the caps were reattached, and we could shake up a storm! I loved watching him puzzle through this challenge. What does your child’s maraca look like? Please share in the comments!

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Easter Egg Maracas

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Egg Maracas (7)

Here’s a great use for any extra plastic Easter eggs you have lying around this time of year! You can make the maracas after the hunt on the holiday, or set aside a few and make them beforehand; they look beautiful among other Easter decorations.

First, scoop a little rice into plastic Easter eggs. Good scooping practice!

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Place two plastic spoons around the egg, and secure with decorative washi tape. Any color will do, but I looked specifically for colors and prints that evoked springtime! Whoops – Travis thought it was funny when he taped my thumb in for a moment.

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Now continue wrapping in washi tape until the egg and the spoon handles are completely covered. This step got a big frustrating for Travis, so finishing up became a mama job.

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Turns out little sister Veronika loved the maracas, too!

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In fact, perhaps more so than Travis.

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But they were still great for shaking and grooving to music.

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Add these to your table centertop for an Easter decoration, or just enjoy them during any music play.

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Summer Fun Watermelon Shakers

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Watermelon Maraca alt

Watermelon is arguably the perfect summer food. Take the enjoyment beyond the edible and continue the watermelon theme with these easy shakers. They’re perfect to shake around the house or to bring along on your next picnic!

First we needed to fill a paper coffee cup with rice – Travis was very excited for this step!

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Place a second coffee cup over the first, and add pink duct tape around the middle – you’ll probably want to use careful adult supervision until the seam where rice can escape is completely covered.

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Now cover the tops and bottoms of the cups with green duct tape – voila, a watermelon in a rind!

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We added black dots with a permanent marker for seeds.

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Now shake-shake-shake!

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Surprisingly, the maraca held Travis’s attention for only a short while.

But he did soon want to make his own tape and cup creations. He told me this was a cow and a pig:

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And that this was a lantern!

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Just goes to show you never know what creativity one craft will spark in your child.