DLTK's Crafts for Kids:
Sunshine Maraca Craft
This is an adorable paper plate craft, which is extra fun with poofs of tissue paper. It can be made as a simple decoration for summertime, although I love to turn it into a maraca/drum by adding some shakey-bits (rice, dried beans, macaroni) to the inside! It makes a great instrument to accompany different songs/rhymes like "You are My Sunshine" or "Mr. Sun".
Materials:
- two paper plates,
- yellow paint,
- paint brush,
- school glue,
- hot glue (for an adult to use),
- yellow tissue paper,
- shakey-bits (rice, dried beans, macaroni
Instructions:
Paint the back of two paper plates yellow (it is a light color so you may need to do two coats) and let dry.
Place one paper plate, bottom down, and cover the edge in white school glue.- Crinkle up the yellow tissue paper so that it makes a sun ray type of shape. Place these piece all the way around the edge of paper plate. Let dry.
If you are turning the craft into a maraca, pour some shakey-bits into the bottom of the paper plate (I recommend using macaroni because it is a little bit bigger which helps it stay in the maraca).
Take the second paper plate and place white glue around the edge (of the non-painted side) and sandwich the tissue paper rays between the paper plate. Press the edges together all the way around and let dry well.
FOR AN ADULT: Once the maraca has dried, hold it above a newspaper (in case any bits fall out through this step) and hot glue a dab of glue inside and around the edges about an inch or two at a time and on either side of the tissue paper. This just helps to keep all of the shakey bits on the inside.
You can also draw on some eyes and a mouth, cut a face out of felt paper or construction paper, or add some googly eyes to give you sun a cute face!
Printable version of these instructions