SHARING THE LATEST NEWS AND DESIGNS FROM THE FARM

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Easter Bunny Craft for Kids & Update on Chicks & Farm Life


Easter may be early this year, but don’t let it stop you from creating a fun Easter craft with your children.  We just completed an art workshop with several children creating the Bunnies in a Pot centerpiece.  We had a great time! 

 
Below I share step by step how to create this easy craft.  You may already have many of the supplies around your home.

First gather your supplies: 
  • Toilet paper rolls
  • Wooden skewers (with sharp points cut off for the little ones)
  • Clay flower pot
  • Floral foam
  • Craft felt; white stiff felt, pink felt
  • Pink & white construction paper
  • Googly eyes (or you can draw your eyes on)
  • Craft paint; various spring-like colors of your choice
  • White pompom or cotton ball
  • Easter grass
  • Glue ( I used Mod Podge)

 


I primed the toilet paper rolls and clay pot with gesso but this is not a necessary step.
Next, I dipped my skewer into the glue and placed it inside the toilet paper roll and let dry.


While the skewers dry into place, paint your clay pot however you like. 
Once the clay pot is dry, cut the floral foam with a small knife to fit snugly inside the pot.  I brush a bit of glue at the bottom to secure it firmly.
 

Once the glue on the paper rolls and skewers are dry, paint them in various colors and designs.  Easter bunnies do not have to be just white or brown.  Try pink, purple, blue and green-have fun with it.  Add polka dots or stripes.

It helps to hold the to-be bunny by the skewer while painting and once done, stick it into the floral foam to finish drying.

 While everything dries…cut out bunny ears from the white felt.  We used a stiffer felt so the ears would stand upright.  This felt is available at most craft stores and in a variety of colors. Cut out the inner pink part of the ears and glue to the white felt. 
 

Draw two side by side circles about the size of a dime for the bunny cheeks.  Draw in where the nose would go and color black.  Cut out and lay aside.  Cut out small rectangles from white construction paper for the teeth and glue to the back of the bunny cheeks.  Draw a small line down the middle to indicate teeth. 
Once the body of the bunny is dry, glue the ears to the inside of the roll. Press firmly into place. Felt can be very absorbent so it helps to coat glue on both the felt and inside of roll.


 
Glue on face components: eyes & cheeks and draw in whiskers if you like.  Glue bunny tail on back where skewer is placed. 

 

Arrange bunnies in pot to your liking and add Easter grass to cover the foam. 
 

Yeah! Now you have a fun Easter centerpiece and if kids get bored, they make great puppets! 

Happy Easter!

 

 Chicks & Farm Life Update.


The chicks are growing at an amazing rate!  They arrived on the 10th via the mail.  This is the box they arrived in:

It’s amazing to open that box and see those 27 little cuties in there. Their combined body heat keeps them warm and the yolk from the egg they just hatched from sustains them for up to three day without food or water. Born on the 8th, they have made a quick trip to their new home.

One by one we welcome our new additions by introducing them to their water source, carefully dipping each beak into the water. Once they are all in their brooder, we show them their food. They are quick to catch on.





Here are a few of their arrival day pictures: 



Feeding frenzy fun:




A fuzzy Arucana breed checking out the camera:




This is Sweetie.  She loves to be in my hand, just like my Penelope loved to do when she was a chick.  There is always one in each brood that bonds closer to us humans than the others. Sweetie is a Black Australorp breed. 


Our free “exotic chick” compliments of Murray McMurray Hatchery is a White Crested Black Polish. Yeah! I always wanted a chick with a pompom on its head. These free chicks are usually a rooster, so Andy has named him Lynyrd Skynyrd (in homage to “Free Bird”). Welcome Lynyrd!  Eventually Lynyrd's body will be all black with a long all white wig-like feather crest. 




After just a few days, they have already sprouted the beginnings of small wing feathers and tails. They also quickly lose their baby fuzz on their faces.





In between snowstorms, we have started to dig post holes for the second chicken coop. Birgitte and hen Penelope decided they should help.


And to inspect the collected eggs.


Penelope may be all grown up, but she still enjoys a little snuggle and sitting on my lap

 I couldn’t be happier!
Til next time!
Susan

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