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Sunflower Seed Crafts
By Brenda Hyde
Children love sunflowers! If you've grown them thisyear you can use the seeds for many fun craft projectsIf you didn't grow them, never fear, you can usually buythem bulk from the grocery store or local garden centerwhere they sell birdseed.
Paper Plate Sunflower
You'll need: Paper plates glue sunflower seeds yellow paint, crayons or markers
The first step depends on the age of the child. You can either leave the plate as is and simply color it yellow with paint, crayons or markers-leaving the center white. If the child is older they can use scissors and cut the edges of the plate into petal shapes. Either way, it turns out great!After they've colored the "petals", then they should gluethe sunflower seeds in a round pattern on the center ofthe plate until it's filled.
If you'd like to hang the sunflowers, punch two holes-one on each side at the top of the sunflower. Make sure they are evenly spaced from the sides and the top so it will hang straight. Tie a piece of twine, raffia or yarn to each hole and hang!
Note: You can also do this project with small paper plates and attach a wooden craft stick to the back of the plate. If you have a small plastic or clay pot, you can put a piece of Styrofoam or floral foam inside, cover it with Spanish moss or cloth to hide and insert the sunflower into it's pot.
I'm a Sunflower Craft
You'll need: Glue Yellow Construction Paper Paper plates Sunflower seeds Green sidewalk chalk Tape
Have each child trace their hand six times on yellowconstruction paper. Glue these around the paper platesas the petals of the sunflowers. Glue the sunflowersseeds in the middle of the petals in a circle pattern till it's covered. Have the kids stand up next to a outside wall of the garage or the house and measure their height. Tape their sunflower to the wall and let them draw a stem with green sidewalk chalk. The sunflower will be the same height as they are! This is especially fun when you have two or more kids and they can compare! The chalk will wash off later with soap and water.
About the Author Brenda Hyde is a mom to three and lives with her husbandand children in the Midwestern United States. She is afreelance writer and editor of OldFashionedLiving.com
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
The Perfect Porch Swing Perhaps it is the soothing rhythm or the reassuring creak of the porch swing that attracts us. Perhaps it is the companionable silence or quiet conversation. Or maybe swings simply remind us of more genteel times.
Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling
Growing and Using Garlic Chives
The Perfect Porch Swing