by Laura Leigh Fields

Created on: August 12, 2008

Paper plates are a simple and inexpensive way to create many child-friendly art projects. There are many different things that you can make with a plate and a little imagination. Grab your child, and give a few of these ideas a try.

~Outdoor decorations~

You will need:

* Paper plates
* Paint, crayons, markers, or other supplies
* Beads
* Thread, yarn, or fishing line

* A hole-puncher (or any sharp object to poke holes in your plates)
* Scissors

First, decorate your plate with your art supplies. You can draw pictures of animals, flowers, people, designs, or anything else that you enjoy. You can even sprinkle glue on or add stickers to personalize your project.

If you used paint, set your plate aside to dry. Once it has dried, proceed to step two.

Using the hole-puncher, punch a hole in the top center of your plate. Now, punch three holes (or more if you desire) in the bottom of the plate. Use your top hole as a guide. Make the middle hole on the bottom line up with the top hole. Punch the other holes on either side of the middle hole on the bottom.

The top hole will be your hanger. Double over a piece of your material and thread it through the top hole. (Use as much or as little as you want, depending on how far you want your decoration to hang down.) Using a double knot, tie the two ends of the material together so that it resembles a circle. Cut off any extra pieces after the knot has been made.

For the bottom holes, cut out three pieces of your string (about 4 to 6 inches long will suffice but you can make your hanging charms as long as short as you want. You might even want to alter size, making each one shorter or longer than before.) String the thread through the holes, making what resembles open circles.

Slide your beads on the thread. You can rotate colors, designs, or objects to make it look any way you want. Now, tie the string together with a double or triple knot to secure. Repeat this process for each hole.

Once your project is complete, take it outside and find a fun place to hang it. The whole world can admire it as they drive by and you will always remember the days that you and your child created these fun projects.

~Wreaths~

You will need:

* Scissors, straight razor, or other object to cut with
* Fake flowers, scrap material, ribbon, beads, small plastic fixtures, pinecones, or anything that you want to use for decorations
* Hole-puncher and yarn or string (for hanger)
* Glue

First, punch a hole in the top center of the plate and string your material through to

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