Halloween - Jack o Lantern Template

At cubs on Friday we had great fun making these Halloween Masks!

If you would like to see more pictures, take a look at Akela's Cubs

or download the template here

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

Xhosa Peace Pipe

This was a wonderful activity to do for the Area Cub Fun Day .... the cubs thoroughly enjoyed them and they were relatively easy to make.

Cold drink tops were collected for weeks on end and then a small hole was drilled into each one - just big enough for a "bendable" straw to fit through.

The straw was positioned in place with a glue gum - just to make sure these stayed in place.
Small round bits of sponge were cut out and placed into each cold drink cap and then a small amount of the "magic mixture" was poured into each cap.

As soon as the cubs blew on the pipes, mounds of bubbles poured out!

Magic Mixture
Dishwashing up liquid - about a cup
2 litres of water
1 t of glycerine

Enjoy and have loads of fun!
Akela Joy

Take a look at
Akela's Cubs

Lava Lamp

This is a fun activity to do with your Cub Pack or class.

Take a cold drink bottle and fill the bottom with water - probably 200ml. Top up with cooking oil.
Add half an effervescent tablet - it does not matter which one ..... and watch what happens!

Your very own Lava Lamp!

This will keep the kids occupied for hours!

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Joy

Take a look at Akela's Cubs

With thanks to Jeff O'Brien (Yarra Valley Region), here is a finger puppet that can be made by the Cubs.

Click on the image to enlarge or print.

Although not the same as the balancing clown found on Akela's Cub blog, it is still worth trying.

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

Butterflies in my tummy!

This is a quick and easy craft and the cubs made it very quickly.

Take a coffee filter and cut into a butterfly shape. The cubs then traced their own pattern onto the filter paper and painted whatever colours they wanted.

Ordinary wooden pegs were used, painted different colours and I stuck "eyes" onto them before the meeting as this can get rather tricky.

One of the many beautiful butterflies painted by the cubs.

These they can put together with a small present for their fathers.

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

See - Akela's Cubs

Hathi Mask

Hathi, the elephant, from the Jungle Book stories is here to meet you!

Click on the picture and print - enlarge as required.

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

Octopus Fun

This is a magnificent activity / craft to do with the Cubs.

If you are doing an Underwater or Sea programme this is ideal. Cut out the octopus and get the cubs to colour them in. I used high-lighters which give them a nice, bright colour. Fold it around to form a peak, glueing A to B.

Place this on a smooth table and put a marble under the octopus...... and watch it take off!

The cubs will have endless fun with Octopus races!

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

Don't forget to stop by and look at

Akela's Cubs

Recycling Craft

We chose a very simple recycling craft and one very similar to the Mother's Day craft.

We have been collecting these tins over the years so we have plenty in stock - in all shapes and sizes.

What you do need to make sure of is that the lid has been cut off cleanly and there are no sharp edges.

Once that has been done the tins are washed, dried and painted with an undercoat and left to dry overnight.

Paint with the derired colour and leave to dry.

I have photos of all my cubs and therefore printed the most suitable, individual photo for the front of the tin and then I also pasted a group photo at the back. These "memory" stationery holders can then be kept for many years.

The photo is pasted on using decoupage clue on the back of the photo as well as over the front of the photo.

I added a little label on the side with the cub's name... held on with an elastic band.

This can be used for a variety of items - fudge, sweets, pencils, money, small toys etc.

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

Take a look at Akela's Cubs

Mother's Day Craft

Every year we make a lovely little Mother's Day Craft for the Cubs to take home. This year we decided that a gorgeous recycled item would be great!

We collected all the tins - condensed milk came in these tins - and we painted them a variety of pastel colours.

Lengths of wire were cut which would serve as handles and 1 side was attached to the cans. Hubby Darling drilled 2 holes in each can for me. The cubs then chose which beads they wanted to use and happy threaded them onto the wire. We finished it off by threading the piece of wire through the other hole, twisting it around itself and cutting it off and making it safe.

Just before Mother's Day we will put the fudge in a serviette and place it inside the tin ...... ready to be delivered with an extra big kiss and a cup of tea!

Till next Time
Keep Crafting
Akela Joy

Check out my Cub Scout blog at
www.akelascubs.blogspot.com

Pirate hats and patch

This craft is very simple and easy.

Take black cardboard and cut out the shape of a pirate hat. We cut it on the fold so only had to fasten the one side.

I pre-printed 'skull and cross-bones' and let the cubs cut those out as well as other pirate pictures which they pasted onto the hat.

The eyepatch is shaped slightly with a flap at the top which is folded over a thin piece of elastic which goes around the head. The flap can be glued which takes some time to dry or stapled.

As you can see, the cubs had great fun being Buccaneers and Privateers!

Keep crafting

Akela Joy

Woodcraft Trail

Although this is not a craft as such, we thought it was such a lovely idea to use in the Cub Pack.

Woodcraft Trail - Snakes and Ladders ..... the Cubs love it and while playing they are learning.

Keep crafting

Akela Joy

Simple kite - 11th April 2008

SIMPLE, QUICK AND EASY KITE

This is a fabulous kite to use when you don't know what to do with your Cubs and the wind is blowing!

Print it out onto an A4 size sheet of paper and cut out as above. The Cubs can enjoy colouring it in first and see how colourful they can make it. They can also make a tail which needs to be attached. Fold along fold-lines and re-inforce where indicated.

(click on picture to enlarge)

.... and away you go...

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

A little while ago at our Skills Day for Leaders, we made this Toucan Bird Feeder.

It is phenomenal!.... try it and see.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

Another Version of the Elephant Woggle

My computer was struck by lightning last week Saturday so I have not been able to be very creative!

Nevertheless, I have made the Elephant Woggles again using Craft Foam and they have turned out beautifully.

I have used 2 buttons for the eyes which just enhance his little face!

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

Elephant Woggle

Hi there.

Some time back I took a pack of cubs camping to a wonderful place called Ezemvello. We learnt a lot about birds and wild animals and while we were there we made these gorgeous, little woggles.

We made them out of grey leather and they really looked like elephants but cardboard works just as well.

The pattern is very simple.

Cut the ears out as shown - remembering to cut two slits in the ears where the tabs can fit through.

Cut 1 head - and this can be decorated. On camp we used moveable eyes but fancy eyes could be drawn on - they look just as pretty.... or buttons could be sewn on.

Till next Time

Keep Crafting

Akela Joy

Hello and Welcome

Hello and welcome to the Crafts for Creative Hands blog. I am an Akela for a Cub Pack here in South Africa and love craft work. Every so often I will blog a craft that I have found to be fun and interesting for the cubs and I am sure you will find awesome for your children.

This is a crazy little racer car - how it works is that it has a marble inside of it and you place it on a surface that is slightly raised and whoola, away it goes at a tremendous speed!

It is very simple to make.

1. Cut out the pattern as shown above.

2. The measurement of A is 2cm wide and 11 cm long.

3. B measurement is 2cm x 2 cm

4. The rounded bits - lets call them C - are 4 cm long x 2cm wide.

Cut and colour in as you wish.

Fold as follows:

1. Fold both A's together and sticky tape together

2. Fold up C's and place a marble inside the case.

3. Place sticky tape at the top to keep closed.

Very cute and simple!

Keep Crafting!

Joy