February 20: Paper bag manufacturing machine patented (1872)

image from brownpaperbagsmall.blogspot.com

---

Bag Bricks

Materials:

• brown paper grocery bags
• brown paper lunch bags
• newspaper
• stapler and staples
• masking tape

Directions:

1. Stuff paper bags with newspaper.
2. Bags should take on a brick-type shape.
3. Fasten end of bag with staples or tape. Kids can experiment to see which holds bags together better.
4. Kids can now use the bricks to build structures as they wish.
5. It is also possible to make the blocks without newspaper, but they won’t be as sturdy.

---

Source(s): 100 Construction Activities for Kids (activity B6).

---

Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

---

June 18: Go Fishing Day

image from lz95.net

Kids can create their own fish bowls in honor of “Go Fishing Day.”

---

Fish Bowl

Materials:

• baby food jar
• blue paint
• paper
• markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• something to poke holes
• fishing line
• tape

Directions:

1. Paint half of the jar blue so that if you were looking at the front of the jar all you would see is the blue from the other side.
2. Cut out a fish shape and decorate as desired.
3. Poke a hole in the top of the lid and through the back of the top of the fish.
4. Put a piece of fishing line through the hole and back up to the lid. Make sure it isn’t touching the bottom of the jar.
5. Tape the line to the top of the lid and your fish bowl is complete.

---

Source(s): 100 Construction Activities for Kids (activity H4).

---

Check out the full June calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

---

May 9: Windmill Day

image from uwyoming.org

In celebration of Windmill Day, why not make your own windmill, er, pinwheel?

---

Pinwheels

Materials:

• paper
• straight pins
• scissors
• pencils with erasers (one per child)

Directions:

1. Cut paper into 4” x 4” squares.
2. Fold a square diagonally twice, creating an X on the paper.
3. Mark the center of the square with a pencil.
4. Cut along the folds of the paper to within 1/2” of the center.
5. Fold every other point to the center of the paper.
6. Use a straight pin to poke through the four folded corners, the center of the paper, and finally into the pencil eraser.
7. The pinwheel should now spin when you blow on it.

Source(s): Toolbox Training’s 100 Construction Activities for Kids (activity A2). In honor of Lost Sock Memorial Day – also today – you can also check out activities J4 and K5 from the same book.

---

Check out the full May calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

---

 

May 2: Space Day

image from aces.edu

Space Day was started in 2001 by astronaut John Glenn. This is an opportunity for the kids to learn about space – specifically the stars – by making planetariums.

---

Planetariums

Materials:

• star guides
• photocopied pictures of constellations
• boxes
• nails
• hammer

Directions:

1. Use star guides for ideas for constellations or let kids make up their own.
2. Kids can photocopy pictures of constellations and use them as stencils for where to nail holes.
3. Poke holes in a box with hammer and nails to create constellations and other maps of where stars and planets are in the sky.
4. To get kids planning, ask questions like: Are these real constellations or made-up constellations? What are their names? Which direction is north? South? East? West? How does the summer sky differ from the winter sky? Spring? Fall? Can we see the planets in this planetarium? If so, how many? Which ones? Where would the moon be?
5. When finished, take box into a dark room and shine the flashlight through it to see constellation.

Source(s): Toolbox Training’s 100 Construction Activities for Kids (activity D9).

 

October 21: Count Your Buttons Day

image from theguardian.com

---

Button Mosaic

Materials:

• blocks of scrap wood
• lots of buttons
• plaster of Paris
• paint

Directions:

1. Children should draw a rough draft on paper of how they want their mosaic to look since the plaster of Paris dries quickly.
2. Prepare the plaster of Paris according to directions on the box.
3. Cover a wood scrap with plaster.
4. Make rough textures, curves, and bends in the plaster.
5. Place buttons where desired.
6. Let stand a few minutes.
7. Paint.

Source(s): Toolbox Training’s construction card set (activity F3). Also consider activity H1 from Toolbox Training’s book 100 Game Activities for Kids.

---

Check out the full October calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

---

100 Construction Activities for Kids

These 100 activities are built around, well, building three-dimensional structures (for 2-D, see the art activity cards). The projects are generally open-ended, meaning that a general theme may be suggested for the activity, but that children can use materials as they wish to create their projects. These cards are divided into the following categories: paper, newspaper, cardboard, boxes & blocks, large box construction, wood, plastic, glass, metal, string/material, nature-based, grocery store materials, dough/clay/plaster, and toys & games. 136 pages. Catalog number: CNBK0913; Price: $9.95 Also available from Amazon.com.