Key wind chime
Create some art for the garden by making a colourful wind chime with some old keys and a dash of paint. If you don’t have any old keys, try some other unwanted items from the house – just tap them together and see if they make an interesting sound.
What you’ll need:
• Keys• Selection of paints• String• A straight stick• Paint brush• Scissors 1 Gather some old, unwanted keys. You may have some lying around the house but, if not, visit a locksmith and ask if they have any unwanted keys. They often have old keys that were cut wrong or were simply never collected.
2 Paint each of the keys in a layer of acrylic paint. Allow to dry and then paint a second coat of white paint. If you have a really interesting selection of keys they might look better if you don’t paint them, so decide beforehand if you want to paint them or leave them in their original state.
3 Paint each key with a different colour and allow to dry.
4 While waiting for the keys to dry, ask for an adult’s helping hand and go on a nature walk to find a straight stick.
5 As seen in the photo (left), use string to attach the keys to the stick. Tie them so they are the same length, or place them at various lengths.
6 After attaching the keys, tie a piece of string to either end of the key wind chime and you are ready to hang it outside.
Lighthouse bird feeder
Make a lighthouse-inspired bird feeder from an old garden pot and unwanted ramekins. After the children have spent a day creating, they can watch the garden birds benefit from their piece of art.
What you’ll need:
• A flower pot • Blue and white paint• Paint brush• Two ramekins• Super glue• Old newspaper 1 Wash the flower pot and allow to dry.
2 Lay down a few pages from an old newspaper onto your work surface.
3 Place the flower pot upside down and paint the flower pot in a layer of white paint. Once the paint has dried, cover the pot with a second layer of paint, and even a third layer if required.
4 Using some blue paint, add little details to the lighthouse pot, such as a door and some windows.
5 Along with an adult’s helping hand, glue the two ramekins to the top of the flower pot.
6 Once the glue has dried, place the flower pot outside and put some bird feed or bread on top of the plate and wait for the birds to arrive for a snack. CL
Key wind chime
Create some art for the garden by making a colourful wind chime with some old keys and a dash of paint. If you don’t have any old keys, try some other unwanted items from the house – just tap them together and see if they make an interesting sound.
What you’ll need:
• Keys• Selection of paints• String• A straight stick• Paint brush• Scissors 1 Gather some old, unwanted keys. You may have some lying around the house but, if not, visit a locksmith and ask if they have any unwanted keys. They often have old keys that were cut wrong or were simply never collected.
2 Paint each of the keys in a layer of acrylic paint. Allow to dry and then paint a second coat of white paint. If you have a really interesting selection of keys they might look better if you don’t paint them, so decide beforehand if you want to paint them or leave them in their original state.
3 Paint each key with a different colour and allow to dry.
4 While waiting for the keys to dry, ask for an adult’s helping hand and go on a nature walk to find a straight stick.
5 As seen in the photo (left), use string to attach the keys to the stick. Tie them so they are the same length, or place them at various lengths.
6 After attaching the keys, tie a piece of string to either end of the key wind chime and you are ready to hang it outside.
Lighthouse bird feeder
Make a lighthouse-inspired bird feeder from an old garden pot and unwanted ramekins. After the children have spent a day creating, they can watch the garden birds benefit from their piece of art.
What you’ll need:
• A flower pot • Blue and white paint• Paint brush• Two ramekins• Super glue• Old newspaper 1 Wash the flower pot and allow to dry.
2 Lay down a few pages from an old newspaper onto your work surface.
3 Place the flower pot upside down and paint the flower pot in a layer of white paint. Once the paint has dried, cover the pot with a second layer of paint, and even a third layer if required.
4 Using some blue paint, add little details to the lighthouse pot, such as a door and some windows.
5 Along with an adult’s helping hand, glue the two ramekins to the top of the flower pot.
6 Once the glue has dried, place the flower pot outside and put some bird feed or bread on top of the plate and wait for the birds to arrive for a snack. CL
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