This craft will be a hit with kids of all ages, and it is very economical.
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Piece of fabric, 15 inches square
Piece of fabric, 5 inches square
Ruler
Fabric pen or pencil
Scissors
4 pieces of string, each 15 inches long (can also use yarn or thin ribbon)
Small stone, 1 inch wide
Rubber band (I couldn't find my rubber bands so I used a hair elastic instead)
Lay the 15-inch fabric square onto a table with the right/front side, facing up. At the upper left corner measure 1 inch from the side and 1 inch down from the top. Mark a small dot on the spot. Mark a small dot in the other 3 corners in the same way.
Cut a small slit on each marked dot. To cut a slit, fold in the edge of the fabric so that a dot shows on the fold. Then cut a small slit on the dot. Repeat with the other three dots.
Thread a string through one of the slits. Make a loop, and then tie the string in a double knot. Thread pieces of string through the rest of the slits in the same way.
Lay the 5-inch square of fabric onto the table, with the wrong/back side facing up. Then lay the ends of the string across the 5-inch fabric square as shown.
Place the stone on top of the strings.
Fold the cloth around the stone to form a small pouch. Close the pouch with the rubber band.
Take your parachute by the bundle and hold it upside down.
Take the pointed end of the parachute and begin rolling it towards the bundle until it looks like this.
Take your parachute outside and roll it up as shown. Then toss it high into the air. The parachute will open as it floats back down to the ground!
Dianna and her family always enjoy trying out new crafts and the kids really have a great time helping her out with her blog entries. This craft was made by both her 8 year old daughter and 10 year old son with very little help. This would be a fun craft to do with a group of children using a wide variety of fabric squares so no two parachutes would look the same. You could also provide fabric markers and plain white fabric so they could design their own style. The part where the children may need help is threading the string through the small holes, but otherwise it's all pretty easy. Also, remind the kids to try to throw the rolled parachute UP and not OUT, it will make a world of difference! Have fun!!
