How to Decorate A Kid’s Room With Dr. Seuss Crafts

Dr. Seuss crafts and activities are based on the popular children’s character’s various individual books. Perhaps the simplest of Dr. Seuss crafts is to make a Dr. Seuss hat by simply painting a paper bag with white and red stripes. Yarn can be used to make sure that the hat sits tight on the child’s head and doesn’t slip over his or her eyes. This kind of hat relates to one of the most famous of the Dr. Seuss books – The Cat in the Hat.

A more complicated Dr. Seuss hat is constructed out of a paper plate and strips of red and white construction paper. The construction paper is taped together to form the body of the hat and a paper plate is used to cap off the top of the hat. Parents or grandparents might also want to consider creating their own Dr. Seuss crafts that kids can wear such as red and white striped stockings or a Dr. Suess hat. If you type in Dr. Seuss Hat knitting pattern into a popular search engine such as Google, Overture or Yahoo you are sure to find all kinds of Dr. Seuss related clothing that can knitted for children.

The book one One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish inspires Dr. Seuss crafts such as fish art and fish shapes. To make fish art, trying pouring blue tinted corn syrup onto a piece of construction paper that has been cut into the shape of a fish bowl. Fish shapes can be cut out of magazines or traced out of construction paper.

A Dr. Suess craft idea that suits the book Green Eggs and Ham involves dying raw eggs green. Later the eggs can be broken into a skillet and served as scramble eggs.

The general term Dr. Seuss crafts also includes a description of a cross-stitch that is named after the author. The Dr. Seuss stitch is a kind of cross stitch that is done with what is called an Assissi stitch, which is basically a cross stitch that is turned inside out.

When we say “inside out,” we mean that the stitches are the same but the design rules are completely reversed. Unlike traditional cross stitch, the outlining in Assisi work is done first and then the background is filled with cross stitch. In traditional Assisi work, the outlines are always worked before the cross stitching using a particular type of backstitch called Holbein or double running stitch. The reason Holbein stitch is used instead of ordinary backstitch is because it’s reversible (the stitching looks the same on the back as it does on the front). The even weave or aide inside the outline is left unstitched or “voided.” This gives the motifs the look of a modern stencil type pattern. This very contemporary look that is typical of Dr. Seuss crafts styles of stitching.

How to Decorate With Cinco de Mayo Crafts

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo is celebrated with what are called cinco de mayo crafts. These crafts include tissue paper flowers for the hair, jewelry, flag making, hand-made instruments and paper mache pinatas. Cinco de Mayo takes place on the 5th Of May and commemorates the victory of the Mexicans over the French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. The Cinco De Mayo holiday is not, as many people think, Mexico’s Independence Day, which actually takes place on September 16.

Cinco de Mayo is a time to celebrate and dress up. Although most Mexican jewelry is made of silver and set with precious stones such as amber and turquoise you can make a facsimile of a silver Mexican bracelet by cutting a slit in a toilet paper roll so that it fits over your child’s arm like a silver cuff. You then wrap the cuff in aluminum foil or tin foil and glue colorful dried beans and sequins to it. You can paint the dried beans a sky blue to resemble the actual turquoise gems. This is one of the many easy cinco de maya crafts that you can find directions for on the Internet. This glittery project is sure to delight adults and children alike.

Maracas and rattles are also a big traditional part of Cinco de Maya festivities. During the celebration, the rattles are shaken to welcome generous spirits and drive away the unhappy spirits of the past. A very simple rattle can be constructed out of a Popsicle stick, a brightly decorated toilet paper tube, a few beans and some masking tape.

Really gorgeous Mexican Maracas can be constructed out of blown up balloons that are used as the forms for paper mache. Handles are attached to the paper mache bulbs and their receptacles filled with dried beans. Directions for creating this musical instrument and other sophisticated crafts can be found online.

Paper Mache is a large component of many Mexican crafts, particularly when it comes to making piñatas. Piñatas are typically animal shapes that are filled with candy, hung from a tree and then beaten with a stick by children until the piñata breaks open and spills its contents. You can find a great recipe for homemade paper mache paste as well as designs for animal armatures everywhere online.

The “Ojo de Dios” or God’s Eye symbol is also traditional among Cinco de Mayo crafts. This diamond shaped square made of green, red and white yarn is an ancient symbol that was first made by the Huichol Indians of Mexico. It is used to ward off evil spirits or the “evil eye.” You can make very large Ojos out of tree branches or tiny ones out of toothpicks. This is a perfect project for you to do with children.