Projects for Keeping Little Hands Busy During Holiday Break

Do you have small children home--as in out of school--for the holidays and wonder how you’re going to fill the remaining time without going crazy, broke or both?

Courtney Watkins has some ideas for you.

Watkins, a Los Angeles-based “creative consultant,” makes a living by teaching parents how to tap their kids’ creativity. She does this by taking everyday items and turning them into telescopes, bracelets, picture frames or props for imaginative adventure.

Her ideas, which have won her regular appearances on family-oriented programs such as the PAX network’s cable show “Great Day America” and consulting positions at such companies as Mattel Inc., do require some supplies. But you’re likely to have the bulk of them at home--scissors, glue, colored paper, old magazines or catalogs, paint and flour.

Many of Watkins’ ideas can be used to make items that cost a dollar or less. And making them allows you to entertain the troops for hours, without springing for a movie or a trip to the mall and without turning on the television or Nintendo. Imagine that.

“The greatest thing about this is once you introduce these things to kids, they can do it on their own,” Watkins says. “Then the kids make their own fun.”

So what can you make?

* Refrigerator magnets

Supplies: A roll of magnetic tape or dot magnets ($1 to $2 for 10 dots); plaster of Paris ($3 for 4 pounds); plastic forms (available at art supply stores in an array of shapes and sizes, generally $1 to $3 per sheet); acrylic paints (about $2 for eight to 10 colors in small pots); water.

Directions: Mix water with plaster of Paris as directed on the box. Spoon plaster into the plastic forms, being careful not to overfill. Cut an appropriate-sized piece of magnetic tape and gently press it or the dot magnet into the drying plaster to secure but not immerse it, magnetic side up. Let dry. Pop out of the mold and paint.

Cost per magnet: About $1.

* Cuff bracelets

Supplies: Paper towel tube; glue; old magazines, catalogs or colored paper; buttons, pennies, sequins or glitter.

Directions: Cut off a 2-inch section of paper towel tube. Cover it completely with a picture from a magazine or with colored paper. Layer more pictures or shapes on top, or glue on buttons, pennies or any other item that strikes you. Slit the tube to allow it to open and fit over the wrist.

Cost per bracelet: Negligible.

* Dough-art beads for necklaces, bracelets and key chains

Supplies: Flour, salt, water; pencils; paints (about $2 for a set of eight to 10 colors in small pots); plastic lacing ($1.99 for 100 yards).

Directions: Mix 4 cups of flour, 2 cups of salt and 2 1/2 cups of water to make a dough. (You can add a bit of water if the dough is too dry or add flour if it’s too sticky.) Roll small pieces of dough into balls. Use a pencil (or a skewer or some bunched toothpicks) to make a hole in the middle. (The dough expands when baked, so the hole will end up considerably smaller.) Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, until the beads are hard and lightly browned. Paint the beads and, when dry, string them into necklaces, bracelets or onto key chains or barrettes.

Cost per necklace/bracelet: About 50 cents.

Watkins takes suggestions and answers questions from parents by e-mail. You can reach her at cwcreative@hotmail.com.