by Mary Tyrer

Created on: June 15, 2008

Thinking I had picked an easy and fun craft for my one year old grand daughter came out really cute. However, at one year old it was hard to hold her attention. We got through our craft, and it is something my son will appreciate and love because she did such a good job.

My son has a stepdaughter he adores, he has only been a father for a few short months this will be his first Fathers Day. He and his wife have one on the way, yet this one will be his first Fathers Day and one he will always remember.

Items Needed:

Empty toilet paper rolls
Straws, or pipe cleaners
Glue sticks
A hole punch, nail or something to make a small hole
Cheerio's
Piece of cardboard
Colored paper, or colored construction paper
Scissors
Stickers

Taking three empty toilet paper rolls we cut each one a different height, one for daddy, one for mommy and one for Chloe (my granddaughter). Poking holes in the rolls one on each side for arms, I helped my granddaughter cut straws in lengths and pushed them through the rolls for arms. I started the holes with a nail and Chloe pushed them through. When the holes were made we put them at an angle to place them together to make them appear as they are holding hands.

Next came the eyes, using stick glue Chloe put glue on Cheerio's and on the rolls and made each have two eyes. Wanting to place them together I cut rectangular cardboard piece glue the little family we had created. Chloe loved the glue stick she got to rub it all over the cardboard so we could cover it with construction paper. After covering one side we did the same thing on the other. She completely understood it was the three in her family, pointing to each one and telling me who each of our rolls represented.

After letting Chloe glue the rolls to the cardboard her favorite part was picking out the stickers she wanted to put on the cardboard. She picked butterflies, ladybugs, ducks, and bears. When the project was complete she clapped and was so proud of what she had done. When mommy came home the first thing Chloe did was grab her hand and show mommy the little family she made.

We both had fun with our little project, and she learned new skills, had fun, and it is something my son will always cherish. This is a craft that is easy, and can be used for other occasions. It is simple and personally I think mommy loved it just as much as daddy will.

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