Youth Arts & Crafts

Create-your-own Potato Stamps! All you'll need for this craft are

1. Potatoes

2. Paints

3. Paper

4. Brushes

5. Forks, spoons, and other kitchen utensils for carving (if using something sharp - make sure to ask an adult for help)

Very carefully (with adult supervision and help) cut the potatoes in half. Place the potato halves face down on a paper towel to give them some time to dry out. Now, you can carve out your pictures onto your potato halves (this can be whatever you would like: animals, leaves, foods, faces... anything!)

Placed your now-carved stamps face down on another paper towel again to give them a chance to dry. Paint or dip your taters into some paint, and now you have your very own stamps! Take a look at the slideshow (linked below) for some possible stamp inspiration, or create your own! What will your stamp show?

Potato Stamp Ideas

The first is a St. Patrick's Wind Catcher

To make this you'll need:

1. Empty paper towel roll, or cardboard scrap that you can tape to make a tube

2. Rainbow colored paints

3. Paintbrushes

4. Fishing line, or ribbon to hang it up

5. Ribbon (for the tail)

6. Green construction paper

To begin, paint your cardboard all the colors of the rainbow. Let it dry before moving on to the next step!

Next, cut out little shamrocks from your green construction paper and attach it to the ribbon with tape in order to make the tails that will blow in the wind. Then tape the top of the ribbons into your carboard. Run some ribbon or fishing line from the top of your cardboard tube for a loop to hang it up. Put your wind catcher outside and enjoy!

The second is a finger painted Rainbow and Pot of Gold

For this you'll need:

1. Paper - the bigger the better, and a lighter color works best to show off your rainbow

2. Paints - washable is best

3. Extras like glitter, golden coins, and anything else you can think of to decorate your pot of gold

For this easy craft, create your pot of gold first. You can cut this out from black construction paper, or simply draw it on your paper. Then, use your fingertips to make your rainbow with dots. Add any extras like glitter, gold or extra shamrocks to make your photo POP!

To do this, you'll need:

1. Various pictures - you can use your own pictures, magazines, advertisements, newspapers and any other print materials you can think of [please keep in mind you'll need to be able to cut out these pictures]

2. Construction paper and cardboard

3. Liquid school glue

4. Water

5. Scissors

To begin, you should attach some of your favorite color construction paper to your piece of cardboard (cardboard and paper should be the exact same size, and the size can vary depending how much you want to collage!) This will give your collage some structure when the photos are attached.

Next, search through your materials to find pictures that represent YOU! This could be your favorites foods, your favorite shows, favorite movies, or even some of your favorite people... the possibilities are endless. As you're searching, make sure to keep the photos you choose off to the side to include them in your collage. We have included some examples below!

Lastly, you will arrange your photos how you'd like them to look. Once you are happy, it is time to seal your project. This can be done by covering all your photos with modge podge OR you can create your own modge podge by mixing equal parts of school glue and warm water. This will seal down your pictures, and preserve your collage.

If you're feeling adventurous, why not try to make a mold of some wild footprints that might be around your house? More on how to do this fun science-meets-craft project here: Animal Track Project

If you're more of an indoor person, for today's craft we're going to make our own Kings and Queens of the jungle: 3D Lion Wall Art!

Materials needed are:

1. Paper plates

2. Different colored construction paper

3. Paint

4. Scissors

5. Glue

6. Pipe cleaners (for whiskers), google eyes, and felt (for nose) are optional add-ons for more detail!

Start by painting your entire plate in the color(s) you want your lion to be (orange and yellow are great, but this is your lion so you can make it however!)

Cut your different colors of construction paper into long strips. You can curl the ends of your paper strips by wrapping them around a pen or pencil. Attach your pieces around the outside of your plate, adding multiple layers of these to make your lion's mane really full and colorful!

Finally, add your lion's face (eyes, nose, whiskers, mouth - whatever you'd like) and display your lion for the world to see!

Inspired by the heartwarming story about the Texas Sea Turtles! Read more here: SEA TURTLES SAVED

Materials needed are:

1. Egg cartons

2. Paint

3. Pom poms (for the turtle heads)

4. Googly eyes

5. Pipe cleaners (for the turtle legs and the caterpillar antennas)

6. Green craft foam (for the frog’s legs)

7. Scissors

8. Hot glue gun

You can customize your friends however you want, and the more the merrier! We included some pictures for an idea to get started. Enjoy crafting! Start by painting the base color and adding details once it's dry

Happy Wednesday!

Today, January 27th, 2021 is Chocolate Cake Day, so let make this Wednesday a little Wacky with a Wacky Cake Recipe!

Wacky Cake is a chocolate cake made with no eggs, no milk, and no butter. Dating back to the 1930's this cake increased in popularity during World War II due to rationing of foods where eggs, milk, and butter were more scarce. Many of you might of had this cake before made by your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents who would have lived during this period of time.

And the best part is.... you mix it right in the pan... NO DISHES!

Ingredients for the cake are

-1½ cups all-purpose flour

-1 cup sugar

-4 tbsp (rounded) unsweetened cocoa powder

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 tablespoon white vinegar

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-6 tablespoons vegetable oil

-1 cup water

Ingredients for the frosting are:

-1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

-2½ cups powdered sugar

-1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Instructions to mix & bake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In an ungreased glass or ceramic 8-inch square pan (do not use metal), add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine with a fork.

3. Make three wells in the mixture and add the vinegar into one well, vanilla extract into another well and vegetable oil into the third well. Pour the water over the entire mixture and mix with a fork until thoroughly combined and no dry ingredients remain.

4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (26 to 30 minutes). Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

5. Make the Vanilla Frosting: Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

6. Using a spatula, spread the vanilla frosting evenly over the top of the cake. The cake can be stored, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature, for up to 4 days.

HERE is the link to chocolate cake day info and history!

Wanna see more Holidays by Day? HERE is a link for holidays a day by month!

Flour-Based Hand Paints! These are customizable and non-toxic so all ages can enjoy. The materials needed to do this project are:

2 cups of flour

2 tablespoons of salt

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

3 cups of hot water

food coloring

recycled jars or containers for leftover paint - you can save these for up to a week!

Mix together your flour, salt, cornstarch, and water. Mix until all the lumps are gone. The flour and cornstarch control how thin or thick your "paints" are - so if you feel that it isn't looking quite right - feel free to add more of those ingredients.

Separate your mix into equal amounts in different bowls. Add food coloring to each to create your colors (Pro tip - most food coloring packs come with color combos on the packaging, which you can use to create new colors than the ones in your pack!)

Mix your food coloring in, and you are ready to start finger painting!

Its a cold and blustery day out today with a high of 28° F. So settle indoors and make a nice cup of Hot Chocolate Slime.

Ingredients

• 1 Mug

• 4oz Elmer's white school glue

• 1 TBSP baking Soda

• 1 TBSP Contact Solution

• Brown Food Coloring OR 1 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

• Tiny Marshmallows (Styrofoam balls, real mini-marshmallows, felt, confetti, glitter, beads, etc.)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except for the "marshmallows". Once your slime is created, add in the "marshmallows". Then place everything into your mug of choice, cheers your neighbor, and "Drink Up!"

**This is not a product to physically consume. DO NOT EAT.**

Salt and Ice Painting

This craft / science experiment brings the fun of playing with ice into the warmth of your home.

To do this, you'll need:

1. Big bowls / containers

2. Salt

3. Food coloring

4. Straws / droppers (for dropping colors)

To begin, you'll need to make this ice. Set out different size containers filled with water the night before, so you have them ready to go the next day.

Place all of your ice molds into a large baking sheet (or something with a raised edge to prevent a mess) with a towel underneath - just in case!

Put drops of food coloring in 1/3 cup of water - the more drops, the more vibrant your colors! Place a straw of dropper into each color/water combination.

Sprinkle your salt all over the top of your ice molds, and let them sit for a minute.

Using the straw or dropper, begin adding your water/food coloring mix onto the ice molds and watch those colors spread! What color combinations will you create?

Polar Bear Masks

To create these yourself, you will need:

1. Paper plates

2. White paper

3. Scissors

4. Glue

5. Tissue paper or cotton balls - whatever you have on hand!

6. Optional extras include small bathroom cups (for a 3D bear snout) Pom-poms (for nose decoration) and a popsicle stick or string to make it stay on your face!

Begin your mask by tracing out where your two eyes and a nose will go. With an adult's help, cut out your eye spaces (make sure to fit them to your face so you can see!)

Prepare your bear's fur by either ripping up your white tissue paper or cotton balls into little pieces. They do not have to be perfect, just small.

Begin gluing down your fur all over the mask (avoiding the eyes holes, and the spot for the nose. Also use this time to attach the two ears (made out of paper cut-outs) to your bear with the glue. Let sit and dry a bit before going to the final step.

Lastly, you can attach your snout with glue into the space you saved for a nose. Put the finished mask on a popsicle stick, or attach a string on the back to tie around the face.

Twig Reindeer

All you need to create these festive figurines are:

1. Small sticks and branches of different sizes. You'll need pieces for the legs (4), the body (1), the head (1), and antlers (2) so plan out which each stick or wood piece can be used for)

2. Hot glue

3. Little decorations for eyes, nose, tail etc. you can be creative!

Gather your materials. For this, hot glue works best to put your reindeer together, so make sure you have adult supervision!

Snowy Pinecone Owl

You'll need:

1. Pinecones

2. Cotton Balls

3. Google eyes

4. Pipe cleaners

This one is super easy! Rip up all the cotton balls into small pieces and begin stuffing them into the sections of the pinecone (the more cotton pieces the better!)

Once you are happy with your owls fuzziness, you can add on the google eyes, beak, and wings (made out of pipe cleaners) with glue and your owl is ready for the holidays!

Turkey-cones

Find some pine cones for painting. Red, orange, and yellow are the traditional thanksgiving colors, but you can paint them however.

Add a pom-pom face to complete your turkey!

Funky Turkeys

These are a way to add your own personal touch to the holiday! To do theses, all you need is paper, and paints!

1. Make the body of your turkey using brown construction paper. Two circles should do the trick.

2. Using white paper, cut out your turkey's tail feathers in whatever shape you like, and paint them with a lot of color!

3. Assemble your turkey buy gluing the body on top of the tail feather, and add all other features (eyes, feet, sunglasses, whatever you like!)

Wine Cork Turkeys

To make these cute table toppers, all you need are a couple old corks, pipe cleaners, googley eyes, and paper.

1. Bend you pipe cleaners to resemble the turkey's full tail feathers.

2. Attach them to the cork using glue. You will want to let them dry a little before handling them again.

3. Attach your eyes, beaks, gizzards and any other accessories using glue!

Hands and Toes Turkey

These are cute, interactive crafts that you can use as decor for dinner. All you need to make them are paper, paints, and a googley eye for fun...

1. The turkey body it created from a footprint - paint your feet and press your print onto a piece of paper.

2. Turkey's tail is made up of overlapping handprints. Paint your hands and press your prints onto paper.

3. Cut out your prints and put them together. Glue them to make them stay put!

4. Add on your turkey's facial features and they are ready for dinner

Thanksgiving I-SPY

This is a printable coloring sheet where you also need to find these holiday items. The numbers below show how many of each item shows up in the picture. As you find them, color them in! Can you find them all?

What a perfect excuse to copy our favorite hat-loving cat, The Cat in the Hat, and make our own striped top hats? All you need to follow along at home are:

1. A paper plate

2. White poster paper (you can make your own by taping smaller pieces of white construction paper together, it really depends on how tall you want your hat to be)

3. Red paint and a brush

4. Glue or tape

First, add red horizontal stripes to your white paper. The ones pictured are about an inch thick, but you can decide.

On your paper plate, cut diagonals for the "brim of your hat" (this piece will keep in on your head - see the picture for help!)

Put together your big piece of white and red striped paper by connecting the two ends to form an empty circle. Secure it with tape or glue.

Glue your red and white tube to your paper plate, and you are ready to start your day as a Cat in the Hat impersonator! Think of your best rhymes... and after you're done, why not try to make some cute hatted snacks?

To make these tasty treats, all you need are some wooden skewers, marshmallows, a couple sliced strawberries and a sliced banana.

Start by putting the marshmallow on the skewer first for the face, and work your way up for the rest of the hat (three strawberry slices and 3 banana slices).

Create the cat face with icing, food coloring, or edible marker (found at many grocery stores)!

How about an activity to beat those midweek blues? Today we are talking about

Puffy sidewalk paint!

To do this, you'll need:

1. A couple condiment squeeze bottles. The number of bottles you will need depends on how many colors of "paint" you want to do (you can find them for cheap at the dollar store!)

2. 1 cup flour

3. 1 cup water

4. 1 tablespoon of dish soap

5. 8 or more drops of food coloring (or washable paints)

In a large bowl, mix together water and flour until there are no more lumps. Add in the tablespoon of dish detergent and stir completely.

Add coloring in drop by drop until the desired color is reached. You are then ready to pour the mixture into your squeeze bottle.

Repeat process with other colors until all colors are in their bottles.

You are ready for some sidewalk painting! This will wash off easy with water.

**PARENT TIP - if planning on leaving the paintings on the sidewalk, use washable paint as the food coloring can stain if laying out on the sidewalk for long (but it will all eventually fade). If washing it right away, food coloring is best**

What will you paint outside today?

Since we had such a great time painting rocks last week, we want to do a fun, food-related activity with...

ROCK Candy!

This recipe will make 4-6 sticks of rock candy

Materials needed:

1. 2 cups of water

2. 4 cups of sugar (and a little extra for dipping the sticks)

3. Food coloring

4. Wooden skewers OR thick cotton string (either will work)

5. Clothespins

6. Flavoring (we used peppermint and strawberry

7. Glasses to sit your rock candy in (champagne flutes work the best, but any glass will work... we used shorter cups)

1. Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil. Slowly, add the sugar one half-cup at a time, stirring until it’s completely dissolved and the solution comes to a rolling boil. Remove mixture from heat and cool for 20 minutes.

2. Dip your wooden skewers or string into the sugar solution, then dredge them in the extra granulated sugar, rolling them so that they’re completely covered. Set them aside until dry, 5-10 minutes (If you use string, you will need to straighten it out before laying it flat to dry on parchment paper)

3. Preparing your glasses: pour 5 – 6 drops of your desired food coloring into the bottom of each glass (**pro tip: If you’re using a natural flavoring extract, add a few drops at this time**)Pour the cooled sugar solution over the food coloring, about three-quarters of the way up the glass. Stir to combine.

4. Place the dried skewers or swizzle sticks into the center of each glass. Clip the top of each stick with a clothespin to keep it in the center of each glass and so that the tip isn’t touching the bottom of the glass (or else it will be difficult to remove.) If using string, tie the opposite end that’s not coated in sugar around a pencil, and place the string in the center of the glass. The pencil should be laid over the rim of the glass with the string hanging down.

5. Place the glasses in an area where they will not be disturbed, and let them sit for a few days, or until the sugar crystals have reached your desired size. (It’s important to not move the glasses while the crystals are growing, because this can cause them to fall off the stick or string.)

What colors and flavors will you mix?

Are you feeling pretty ~groovy~ today? Let's make some lava lamp sensory bags!

Materials:

1. Zip-seal sandwich bags

2. Baby oil or cooking oil

3. Homemade neon watercolors (we'll get to that)

4. Clear tape

Step 1: fill your bag(s) about 1/3 with your oil. Baby oil works *better* because its clear, but either one will result in a lava lamp!

Step 2:time to add in 1 to 4 tablespoons (however much you want!) of your neon water colors. To make this, all you need in glow-in-the-dark paint, or fluorescent paint, and water. Take a little paint, and mix it into warm or hot water.

Step 3: If using glow-in-the-dark paint, you'll need to put the bags near a bright light for a few minutes before playing with them, that is what will make them glow in the dark.

If you use fluorescent paint, you will need a black light to make them glow, A black light flashlight works great!

Step 4: Squeeze excess air out of the bag, and secure them closed with the zip and the clear tape.

Now you are ready to play with your very own lava lamp bag!

What shapes can you make?

Happy Tuesday! Today we want to get a little crafty...

We are making broken crayon molds!

Materials:

1. Broken crayons - assorted colors

2. Silicon molds (these work best to keep your crayon creations from breaking)

3. Your oven - with adult supervision!

Begin by tearing off all wrappers on the crayons. If you have full-sized crayons, break them into small pieces after you rip the wrappers off.

Arrange your crayons into the silicon molds - you can do a rainbow, different shades of the same color, or just about any combo you can think of!

Bake your crayons in the molds at 230 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Take your mold out and let it cool. Putting them in the freezer will help them cool quickly.

Once hardened, push them gently out of the molds!

Are your paper-folding skills next level? Can you stay cool under pressure? Let's put you to the test with this ORIGAMI challenge! Today's project will be a dog.

All you need is a square of paper to begin (pro-tip: the thinner the paper, the easier these challenges will be)

The instruction key is posted. Each specific line or arrow means a specific folding move, so use that key!

Try it out, you may surprise yourself.

Make it into more of a challenge by using a timer and turning it into a race of who can fold their dog the quickest.

As always, snap a photo of your crafts and we may feature you on our page.

Happy folding, and watch out for those paper cuts!

These window hangers catch he sun, and look great in any home!

Materials:

1. 2 squares of clear contact paper (make sure one is bigger than the other)

2. Markers

3. Red, white, and blue tissue paper cut into small squares.

Draw a star shape onto the back of the smaller clear contact paper square. Peel the contact paper open and lay it sticky side up.

Start to place tissue paper inside the shape of the star. Once the shape is fully covered, cut out the star shape.

Then, use the the bigger square of contact paper by peeling it open placing the star directly into the center of it.

Did you know that cereals can be thrown into the blender and used to make cool sand creations?

*These projects may require some adult supervision*

Edible Sand Art

For this, you will need multi-colored cereals (fruity cheerios or fruity rice crispies), and a container with a lid.

1. Separate each individual color of cereal into it's own bowl

2. Blend or beat the cereal until you reach a sand-like consistency

3. Layer sand colors into your jar to make cool sand art! You may want to glue the jar shut for extra security.

It will smell (and taste) great too!

Edible Sand Box Fun

For this one, sand-colored cereals (like cheerios or rice crispies) work best! You'll also need a container large enough to hold any sand toys you will want to play with\

Blend/beat your cereal into a sand-like consistency. Make sure you make enough to fill your "sand box," or whatever container you use.

Remember - it is totally acceptable to eat this sand!

Have you ever heard of slime? I bet you didn't realize you could make it right at home...

To make one batch of slime you will need:

1/2 cup of clear or white school glue

1/2 cup of water

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon saline solution (saline contact solution works best)

Any decorations you like - food coloring, confetti, glitter, beads etc.

1. Combine glue and water in a bowl and mix well to combine (less water for a putty like substance)

2. OPTIONAL: Stir in food coloring - watch out for staining

3. Add baking soda and mix well (this helps the slime firm, you can experiment with the amount by adding it to you mixture slowly.

4. OPTIONAL: add any mix-ins you want to use (confetti, glitter...)

5. Pour in the saline solution and mix/knead until slime forms

I did two classic green slimes today, what kind will you make?

**Adult tip - when the kids are done with their slime, you can add more baking powder and use it to attract dust and clean up hard-to-reach places (like in the car and in-between the keyboard keys)**

Nailed It Disclaimer: Have you seen the amazing show on Netflix called Nailed It? Well its a great show on how to build something when only given what it looks like and some simple instructions and a time crunch. Check it out of you can!

We wanted to do our own virtual version of it. We will release images of things to try and make based off of the materials needed and a series of photos of what we made. Each one will be named differently based off of what it is. Today's is called, Glued It. There are two different designs to make, a mini replica of the historic Recreation Park Pool House or a country cabin. Chose to make one, or both. Each one took an hour to make. Let see what you can get done in an hour!

Mini Replica of Recreation Park Pool House

**Dimensions of the main part are 4.5in tall by 4.75in long by 4.5in wide.**

-cardboard

-scrap paper

-glue (...but what kind you ask? That's a secret we'll never tell)

-scissors/cutting

Country Cabin

**Dimensions of the Cabin are one popsicle stick by one popsicle stick by one popsicle stick

-150 popsicle sticks (120 actually but some extra for mistakes)

-wire cutters, or strong scissors (to cut the popsicle sticks)

-glue (...but what kind you ask? That's a secret we'll never tell)

**Remember to have adults help you with cutting and gluing if using non-cold glue (hint hint)

Post your GLUED IT craftster-pieces below to show off what you made and keep an eye out for more challenges to come. The most accurate replicas will be debuted on our page!

Extra points if they are decorated!

Nailed It Disclaimer: Have you seen the amazing show on Netflix called Nailed It? Well its a great show on how to build something when only given what it looks like and some simple instructions and a time crunch. Check it out of you can!

For our next Nailed It! project, we have a craft perfect for spring AND Mother's Day: a Paper Flower Bouquet that will never wilt.

Materials needed are:

1. Colored tissue paper - colors are up to you!

2. wire (which will work best? who knows....)

3. sticks for the stems (what kind? HA, yeah right)

4. scissors

5. something to display your bouquet! I used an old watering can decoration, but anything can work.

*A few helpful hints*

1. Each flower begins as a stack of 8-10 tissue paper squares. 2. The bigger the tissue paper squares, the bigger the finished flowers.

Intended time limit for this project is 45 minutes

We can't see what kind of bouquet you can make! Best ones will be featured on this page for bragging rights.

Did you know that coloring is a proven stress-reliever for all ages?

Your daily challenge from the Binghamton Parks and Recreation Department, if you so choose to accept, is:

The THREE MARKER CHALLENGE!

1. Get a box of markers.

2. Have someone (other than yourself) lay out all the markers on a table.

3. The person doing the coloring closes their eyes and chooses three markers randomly.

4. Using only those THREE colors, color in that page!

We've included a few coloring pages that can be printed out if you find yourself without any coloring books at home.

No printer? No problem - you can download these pictures on any tablet/computer and color them in with a compatible app (I used the Colorify app on my phone).

Be creative, and have fun! You can make it a competition between family members. To make it a little more difficult, we put a 20 minute timer on while we did our coloring.

Supplies: Chalk & Masking Tape

Lay your design out on a driveway or wall, fill in with chalk, remove tape and enjoy!

Who can make a better window than ours?

Easy to do activity for kids' exploding with creativity!

1. paper

2. marker

3. red, white, and blue paint

4. fork

Write "Happy Memorial Day" on a piece of paper with vertical lines going from top to bottom of the paper.

On a paper plate have red, white, blue paint placed out separately. Take the prongs of the fork and dip it into each color once.

Then, do one small and quick dab onto the place to remove excess paint. Press the tongs onto the plate in different orientations at the top of the vertical lines you drew.

This creates a fire work effect of "fire fork" effect. Let it dry, and hang up around the house or in your window!

Tearing through your snacks at home? Put those empty boxes to good use:

All you need to make a top-notch cardboard kingdom:

1. Glue and/or tape

2. Recyclable materials around the house (old snack boxes, egg cartons, shipping boxes, toilet paper rolls etc.)

3. Scissors

4. Coloring utensils / paint (optional)

What type of kingdom can you create? Be creative and share your pictures below!

Have boxes and boxes of old crayons lying around the house? Why not turn them into an easy-to-do art project...

The only supplies you'll need:

1. A box of crayons

2. A piece of cardboard (bottom of a box works great!)

3. A hair dryer

4. Glue

Glue the crayons to the top of your cardboard. I covered my cardboard with computer paper to have the colors stand out more.

Run the hair dryer over the crayons, and watch your colorful picture come to life! Please remember to lay a cloth down before melting, as it can get messy.

For a fun twist - add any extra decorations underneath the crayons to personalize your picture! (Tip - make sure to cover whatever decorations you put underneath the crayons with a piece of paper or tape so they do not get covered by melting wax)

Are you missing going around town and seeing some of our city's beautiful buildings because of this chilly weather? Well now you can see some of your favorite places right from the comfort of your home.

You can print out these handmade coloring pages of classic Binghamton buildings (**not drawn to scale**) and color them in yourself! Make them funky colors or make them accurate replicas the choice is yours! Once you're done coloring you can fol the bottoms over and prop them up against an object or glue to some cardboard to create your own tiny Binghamton play town.

Take a drive down Court street and see the beautiful historic Broome County Court House. Go visit Recreation Park. Admire the stunningly ornate architecture of the Roberson Mansion. Attend a musical at Binghamton High. And go listen for the sirens from the Main Street Fire Station. With these coloring pages there is so much to see and do.

We will be adding to the Binghamton coloring page collection periodically as we draw more. But you know what they say, Binghamton wasn't drawn in one day

This craft is super easy, keeps you calm, and you most likely have all the materials lying around the house.

Today we are making Sensory Jars!

All you will need is:

1. A jar with a lid (mason jars, sauce jars, water bottles are some examples)

2. Warm water

3. School glue - a clear glue is preferred!

4. Add-ins (this can be glitter, small trinkets, plastic stickers, beads)

5. Optional - food coloring

Remove all outside stickers from your jar so you have a clear view of inside. For stubborn labels, you could try using rubbing alcohol to take off the residue.

Fill your jar up to at least a third of the way with warm water. Add in your glue until the jar is close to being completely full, and shake well. It is important that you leave a little room for your mix ins, so your bottle does not overflow.

Add in any food coloring, mix-ins, glitters that you want - make it your own! Glue your lid back on top, and there you have your own sensory jar.

When the sun is out, we hunt for the perfect rocks for ROCK PAINTING!

Flat, smooth rocks work best to hold the paint. To do this project, you'll need:

1. acrylic paint (paint shows up the best, but you can play around with different art supplies)

2. rocks

3. craft sticks/ plastic spoons for designs

4. paper plates

Did you know: the ladybug is New York's State insect

Use our pictures for some ideas, you can make your rocks into anything!

Want to impress your friends with some science skills? Feel that vegetables are kind of boring on their own?

Let's address both those questions at once with this Celery Science experiment!

Materials needed are:

1. Empty glass jars (one for each color you want to do)

2. Water

3. Fresh celery stems with the leaves still attached

4. Food coloring (gel food coloring gives the brightest result, but any will work)

Steps:

Fill the glass jars 1/3 full of water and then add 1 tsp of the food coloring to each one [darker colors worked the best, but you can of course experiment and try all of them]

Cut your celery stems on a diagonal to allow the greatest possible surface area for the colored water to pass through (like when cutting fresh flower stems to put into a vase)

Then simply place your celery stalks into the jars of dyed water, and either take photographs or make observational drawings of their appearance straight away.

Let them sit, and then compare the changes they made over time.

**Parent tip - use this activity to discuss transpiration in plants, or how to make a hypothesis/make observations during an experiment.**

Fun, easy poppies to make at home!

Materials

1. 2 pieces Red constriction paper cut into equal squares (ie. 2' x 2" or 4"x 4", etc)

2. Black or green pipe cleaners

Fold the square in half to make a rectangle, then in half again to make a small square. Then in half to make a triangle. cut a quarter round circle off of the open sides to make an ice cream cone shape. and repeat again of the other piece.

Open both up to reveal a flower pattern. Take your pipe cleaner and make a small spiral with the first 1 inch of the end. Then take the other end and pierce through he middle of each paper flower and pull through until the spiral you made is the center of the flower.

Hang your poppies on your front porch, wear them on your shirt or put them in a vase for the remembrance of those who served and died in battle.

FUN FACT: Poppies were the first flowers to regrow int he war torn battle fields after the end of World War Wearing them shows our gratitude and remembrance of those who died fighting wars

Do you have all of these plants and not enough surface space for them? Have you thought of how great they would look suspended in the air by decoratively tied ropes? Well then watch the video links below to create a hanging jungle right inside your own home. Each link is rated for the skills level required.

"Basic" represents a basic skill level required.

"Advanced" represents a advanced skill level required.

Basic Macrame

3 Basic Macrame Knots

Advanced Macrame

Advanced Macrame Basket Hanger

A dollar bill can be more than just spending cash, it can also be a work of art. Click HERE to see instructions on how to make an abundance of dollar bill origami.