There are many different kinds of ways to make jewelry. This activity can be done similarly to activity one in section one. This can be done by a presentation, girls doing their own research, flashcards, or an open discussion. You can limit the ways to the activities in this section or go further. This is a great way to figure out which activities the girls would be interested in.
For this activity, you will need a charm bracelet and some charms. If you would like to make your own charms with beads or using the clay, you will need eye pins if you don’t already have them, one or two pairs of needle nose pliers (you can use specialized jewelry tools if you have them; if not, the needle nose pliers will work), and lobster claw clips.
To create your own charms, take the eye pins and put the beads you would like on them (For clay charm instructions, look at activity 4 of section 3). Make sure the bead furthest away from the eye of the pin has a small opening, or else the other beads with fall off. Take one of your pliers and grip the bottom of the eye pin. Turn the plier and bend the wire into a hook shape. Take the pliers and put them on the outside of the hook and squeeze them together. It should make the hook shape push against the other side of the pin.
To attach the eye pin to the claw clip, go to the loop on the eye pin, and if you have another pair of pliers, hold the side where the loop starts. If you only have one pair of pliers, just hold them at the same spot with your fingers. Take the other set of pliers and hold them on the loop across your fingers or the first set of pliers. Move the wire loop open, away from where you are facing. You should be facing it head-on. Don’t undo the loop by going against it; you can’t go back to the loop if you do. Put the loop of the claw clip into the newly opened loop. Grab your loop and go in the opposite direction from where you separated the loop. Now you can clip it onto your chain.
Clip on charms on a chain and create a bracelet in the way you want it to.
For this activity, you will need a knitting spool, a mixture of small rubber bands, and rubber band c or s clips. The number of rubber bands depends on the length of the jewelry you want. Hooks are recommended, but you should be able to use your fingers instead.
If you have a knitting spool with two prongs, that is the ideal amount for this project. If you have more than two prongs, choose two that are directly across from each other. Twist a rubber band to create two sections and loop the two parts over the two prongs. Place a not twisted rubber band onto the two prongs. You can choose to leave just one rubber band on the prongs or place another one for a total of three rubber bands on the prongs. Having two rubber bands creates a looser, chain-like strand. Three rubber bands create a thicker rope-like strand. Once you have placed your desired amount of rubber bands, grab or hook the bottom rubber band, which should be twisted, and lift the two sides over the other band(s). You should have one or two rubber bands holding a looped band between the two prongs. Hook the C or S clip onto both sides of the looped rubber band. Place enough rubber bands over the new bottom one; do not twist these rubber bands until you have the same amount that you started with on the prongs. Take both sides of the bottom rubber band and lift them over the other rubber band(s). Repeat putting on the rubber bands and lifting the bottom rubber band over until you have your desired length. You will need to pull on the clip to stretch out the rubber bands. Once you have reached your desired length, take the remaining rubber bands off the prongs. Hold the rubber band sides together. Hook the rubber bands into the clip on the other side of your strand. This bracelet is easy to change the colors when putting on a new rubber band while creating your strand.
You will need to buy a kit with leather bracelets (or you can create or use a strip of leather that is tall and wide enough to stamp), metal stamps, a sponge, a mallet, and leather paint. Do this on a hard surface that won’t break or that you don’t care about dents on. Wipe the bracelet on the side you are stamping on with a damp sponge. Place the stamp on the bracelet where you want the indent to be. Hold the stamp where your fingers are not near the top where the malet will hit. Hit the stamp with the malet and pick up the stamp. It should create an indent in the leather. Stamp in your other letters or shapes into your bracelet. If the bracelet is still wet, let it dry before adding the paint. Let the paint dry, and you can add polish to make it shiny if you would like. Then you can use the clasps that are on the bracelet to wear i,t or cut them off. If you cut off the clasps or just use a strip of leather, drill a hole on each side of the bracelet. Thread a string through the two holes and tie it together to create a bracelet.
Look through recycling bins and around the house for things that can be turned into jewelry. Paper can make bracelets or chains with tape. Paper clips can become accessories. Be creative with what you create with the upcycled materials.