Make a Silly Weather Vane

What You Need:

• Large plastic cup (clear works best)
• Straight pin
• Nail
• Straw (not the bendy kind)
• Pencil with eraser
• Permanent markers
• Googly eyes
• Yarn in your child’s hair color
• Pom poms
• Glue
• Cardstock
• Scissors

What You Do:

1. Parents: turn the plastic cup upside down and use the nail to poke a hole through the bottom of the cup. The hole should be large enough for a pencil to fit through it. Be sure to keep the nail out of your child's reach.
2. Tell your child she's going to create a figure that looks like her. Have your child use the eyes, pom poms, and markers to draw her self portrait on the cup.
3. Help her glue hair on the top of the cup, but be sure that she leaves the hole on the top open.
4. It's time for the stick! Have your child push her pencil through the hole so that the eraser is on top.
5. Place the straw across the top of the eraser and poke the pin through the straw into the eraser, so that it stands up. The straw should be able to turn.
6. Have your child cut out two squares from the cardstock. Help her write an N on one square and an S on the other square.
7. Show her how to tape the N on one end of the straw the S on the other end.
8. Put the weather vane outside in an area that gets wind.
9. Observe the weather vane and watch what happens when the wind blows!