Monday, June 20, 2016

How to Make a Dreamcatcher

When Hope and I were making Write On!  Unit 11, we wanted to incorporate making a dreamcatcher into the activities.  A few weeks after we finished up, I realized that I had completely left it out!  Well, Joelle and I had so much fun making them that I thought I'd pop in with instructions in case you wanted to do this with your kiddos this summer.  You could also save it for a fun activity for next year :)  HERE is where we got our inspiration.  
Here's what you will need:  
Metal or Embroidery Hoop (Choose your size)
Ribbon or Pipe Cleaners
Embellishments:  puffs, felt, beads, stickers, feathers, etc

First up, tie a knot in the yarn around your hoop.  Then, start wrapping, wrapping, wrapping until you have covered your hoop with yarn.
Tip- hold the knot in one hand while you wrap with the other.  That help things stay tight and tidy!

 Once you have covered the ring with yarn and it's nice & tight... make a loop to hang it by with the extra yarn from your starting point.  I also tied off the finished end here.
 Next, it is time to do the inside of the hoop.  Tie a piece of yarn around the hoop.  Stretch and pull in different directions across the hoop until it looks the way you want it to.  Make sure to pull it tight because it will slip and slide if not!  You'll tie that off when finished and cut of any loose ends.
 Using ribbon, yarn, or pipe cleaners, tie different strands to the bottom- the amount is up to you!
Using beads, felt, poms, stickers, or anything else you have around the house/classroom, decorate the ribbon.  We used hot glue to keep it together.

When you are finished you will have a cute little dreamcatcher that's just perfect for summer decor AND you'll have entertained the children for a good hour, ha!!!