Mini-Projects
Not every project that you work on together as a family needs to be a large affair. There are so many mini-projects that you can do together. There are a few listed here. If you have any suggestions of your own, please let us know on our Submit Idea Page. We will try to expand this page regularly. Subscribe to updates on the Family Capers homepage.
The only real advice before embarking on any of these is to be sure to engage your children and do something they will enjoy and appreciate. Remember that every moment you spend together working toward a common goal is a great moment.
Bird Feeders & Houses back to top
Milk Container House
This will work with any size milk container whether it is the paper or plastic kind. Take an old container and make sure that the top is completely closed and sealed. Cut a couple 2 inch holes in the side of the container. Cut a very small X into the container about 1 inch below the holes, then cut the same size X on the exact opposite side of the container. Find a stick that is about the thickness of a finger and 18 inches long. Push the stick through the X cuts on both sides of container. Use a tack to poke several holes in the bottom of the container to help water drain and not collect in the container as the seed will mold. Attach a rope to the top of the container that will be used to hang the bird house. Fill the bottom of the container with some seeds then hang it outside.
Pretzel Feeder
Take several large sourdough-type pretzels and tie a 2 ft long string to each of them. Coat the pretzels in peanut butter then dip the pretzel in seeds until fully coated. Take these feeders outside and hang them.
Rubberband Gun back to top
Materials
- Any scrap wood lying around. Ideally the wood is at least ¼ inch thick and at least 6 inches long on any given side
- Saw
- Wooden Clothespin
- Wood glue
- Bag of rubberbands
Steps
- Cut wood piece into some shape so that it can be comfortably held with the 6 inch long side at the top of the shape parallel to the ground.
- Sand all sharp corners down and sand off any roughness that could cause splinters.
- Glue clothespin to the 6 inch top at the end closest to the where the hand will hold it. Make sure that the clothespin opens towards the other end. Apply a liberal amount of glue. Use rubberbands to hold the clothespin in place until the glue dries.
- Cut a small ½ inch slot into the end around the corner of the 6 inch side opposite where the clothespin is glued.
- Paint or decorate wood.
- Once it is fully dried take a rubberband and hook loop into the small ½ inch slot then stretch it back to the clothespin. Open the clothespin and pull the rubberband into its pinch then close it. It is now loaded and ready to fire.
Click here for an image of a sample design.
Toy Tomahawk back to top
Materials
- ½ inch thick dow stick about 18 inches long
- Saw
- Foam paper (black or gray preferably)
- String
- Colorful feathers
Steps
- Cut a long triangle shape out of the foam paper. The two longer sides should be about 8 inches and the one shorter side should be about 4 inches. Cut the corners slightly round and all the sides should be a little wavy to look more natural.
- On one of the ends of the dow stick carefully cut a slit straight down about 4 inches.
- Sand off any roughness that could cause splinters.
- Carefully slide the triangle into the slit so the 4 inch side is parallel to the dow stick and the slit is about at the half way point of the 8 inch side of the foam triangle. You may need to widen the slit temporarily to fit the foam • just be careful not to split the wood all the way down.
- Once the triangle is fully in the slit, the dow stick end should stick up past it about an inch. Wrap string around the dow stick several times over this 1 inch piece of wood.
- Tightly wrap string around the dow stick on the other side of the foam.
- On the bottom of the dow stick, wrap string around several times and be sure to leave about 6 inches of both ends of the string hanging after tying it off.
- Attach feathers to end of the hanging strings.
Model Rockets back to top
Materials
- Model Rocket starter kit including stand and launcher, which can be purchased from Wal-Mart for less than $20.
Steps
- Check out some books on rockets from the library. Watch "October Sky" movie.
- Study all the instructions on the package.
- Pick a day with minimal or no wind.
- Select a very large open field that is free of any trees or wires.
- Drive or walk to field and inspire the next generation of astronauts.
(Always more to come. Check back often.)