Astronaut
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10276
Meticulously constructed from household items
including a plastic bucket (helmet), a dish towel (helmet padding), and rubber
boots (space boots), this little space traveler is out of this world. For
detailed illustrations of the various parts of this costume,
click here.
MATERIALS: |
|
Pencil |
|
Plastic bucket (3ス- gallon, 14-quart, or 12-quart sizes work well)
|
|
Hammer and nail |
|
Wire cutters |
|
Craft knife |
|
8- by 12-inch piece of foam board |
|
White duct tape |
|
Dish towel |
|
2 white 1-gallon plastic milk jugs |
|
White plastic utensil tray |
|
Adhesive-backed Velcro |
|
セ-inch-wide clear plastic tube cut into two 3-foot lengths (sold in many
hardware stores) |
|
Blind-spot mirrors and reflectors (sold in many hardware stores) |
|
White turtleneck and sweatpants |
|
Flag and letter stickers |
|
Rubber boots |
Time needed: Under 1 Hour |
1. To make an
astronaut helmet, draw an oval face opening (at least 7 inches wide by 5 inches
high) in pencil on the plastic bucket. Use a hammer and a nail to make a pilot
hole in the plastic, then cut out the oval with wire cutters. With a craft
knife, cut out two 2- by 9-inch foam-board rectangles to use as helmet braces (a
parent or other adult's job). Round off the lower corners and duct-tape the tops
against the inside of the helmet.
2.
Roll up a dish towel, wrap it around your child's head, and tape it
closed to form a ring. Remove the towel ring from your child's head and tape it
inside the top of the helmet. (When it's time to wear the helmet, lower it
straight down so the towel ring fits onto your child's head and the foam braces
slide between the space pack and his back.)
3. For a space pack, wrap white duct tape around two empty
milk jug air tanks to hold them together. Then fashion four 17-inch-long duct
tape straps (as described in the Slime Bucket directions). Use two of the straps
as suspenders to connect the air tanks to the plastic utensil tray control
panel, taping the ends securely. Have your child try on the space pack, and
adjust the suspender lengths if necessary.
4.
Use the remaining two straps as side bindings that extend from the air
tanks to the sides of the control panel. Once you've taped them to the back of
the jugs, have your child try on the pack again to determine the right strap
length (there should be little slack). Trim the straps if needed and attach the
free ends to the inside of the utensil tray with adhesive-backed Velcro.
5. Use a craft knife to cut an asterisk
shape in both sides of the utensil tray (adults only). Push one end of one of
the clear plastic tubes through each hole and insert the opposite ends into the
milk jug tops, taping them in place. Finally, decorate the space pack with
mirrors and reflectors, and attach stickers to the turtleneck, sweatpants,
boots, and helmet.