Yarn - OTPlan

The Colorful Jellyfish Weave

Steps:

Have your child fold a coffee filter in half to make a dome shape for the jellyfish body.
Mix food coloring with water in a bowl.
Have your child use the eyedropper to drop color onto the filter.
Let the filter dry.
Ask your child to squeeze the hole puncher to make holes along the folded edge.
Show your child how to thread pieces of colorful yarn through the holes to make tentacles.
Challenge your child to slide shiny beads onto the yarn tentacles using their pinching fingers.

Safety Tip:
Supervise your child closely during this activity. Small beads are a choking hazard, so ensure they are kept out of reach of younger siblings. Keep the food coloring contained to prevent stains.

Yarn Ring Orbit Slider

Steps:

Use markers to draw a bright yellow sun in the very center of your paper plate.
Use the hole puncher to click four holes around the outer rim of the plate.
Use scissors to cut two pieces of yarn, each about twelve inches long.
Have your child slide three colorful beads onto each piece of yarn.
Push the ends of the yarn through the opposite holes to create two crossing tracks.
Secure the yarn ends firmly to the back of the paper plate using masking tape.
Ask your child to hold the plate steady on the table with their helper hand.
Use the pinching fingers of their other hand to slide the beads along the tracks from orbit to orbit!

Safety Tip:
Supervise your child closely when they are handling scissors, small beads, or yarn. Store all small pieces safely out of reach after play to prevent any choking hazards.

The Cardboard Yarn Harp

Steps:

Use scissors to cut a large rectangle from your cardboard.
Cut a square out of the middle to make a frame.
Let your child decorate the cardboard frame using bright markers.
Tape one end of a piece of yarn to the back of the frame.
Wrap the yarn around the frame to create several harp strings.
Secure the other end of the yarn with masking tape.
Ask your child to hold the frame steady with their helper hand.
Challenge them to squeeze and clip clothespins onto the yarn strings.
Encourage them to cross their arm over to clip the opposite side!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when they are using scissors. Ensure the cardboard edges are smooth to prevent minor scrapes.

The Taped Yarn Bridge Pull

Steps:

Cut a large rectangle of cardboard to use as your steady work base.
Tape two long, parallel pieces of yarn across the cardboard about three inches apart.
Make sure the yarn is very tight so it forms two raised ‘rails’.
Use your markers to draw a bright finish line at one end of the board.
Take an empty paper cup and place it upside down on top of the two yarn rails.
Carefully set a ping pong ball on the bottom of the upside-down cup.
Tie a separate piece of yarn to a paper clip and slide the clip onto the cup’s rim.
Hold the cardboard base firmly with your helper hand to keep it still.
Slowly pull the yarn string to glide the cup along the rails toward the finish line!
If the ball falls off, return to the start and try pulling with a smoother motion.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child when using long pieces of yarn. Store the yarn safely away after play to prevent any risk of entanglement.

The Button Anchor Wind-Up

Steps:

Fill an empty milk container halfway with dry rice to make it heavy.
Tape the cap shut securely so the rice stays inside.
Cut a long piece of yarn, about three feet long.
Tape one end of the yarn to the bottom of the milk container.
Hand your child a button and show them how to thread the yarn through it.
Have your child hold the jug steady with one hand while winding the yarn once around the container.
Thread another button and wind the yarn again.
Continue until all the buttons are anchored onto the jug!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise your child during play as buttons and dry rice are choking hazards. Ensure the jug is on a stable surface to prevent it from falling on little toes.