Windsocks and Wind Chimes with Kids

1. Windsock using an ice cream container – Minus the Lid

  1. Cut out the bottom.
  2. Cover the container with paper and then decorate as children choose.
  3. Cut six pieces of crepe paper to about 20 inches each long. Glue these to the bottom of the container. Then evenly around the top part of the container put 4 hole punches.
  4. Cut 4 pieces of yarn about 14 inches and tie to each hole. Then tie the other ends together.

2.  Windsock using construction paper

  1. On a large piece of construction paper, have child decorate with paint, stamps, etc.
  2. Decorate one side of the paper and let it dry. Fold the paper into “tube” shape, with the decorations on the outside.
  3. Have child staple ends and tape down the middle where it joins.
  4. Staple three strands of crepe paper at the bottom.
  5. Put two hole punches at the top and have the child string through them and tie at top.

3. Tube windsock

  • Have children glue the tops of tissue paper strips or ribbons to the inside of a small tube.
  • Next, have them decorate the tube with markers, crayons, stickers, or pieces of cut tissue paper.
  • When finished, punch two holes at the top of the windsock and thread it with string or yarn.
  • Tie the yarn together and after the children play outside in the wind – hang the windsocks from the ceiling.

4. Using paper cups

  1. Have Children decorate a paper cup, use themed stickers for a novel touch. Another variation is to give the wind sock a face by gluing on paper cutouts of eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth of the child’s favorite character.
  2. Next, cut nine 26-inch-long crepe paper streamers and glue them to the inside of the bottom edge of the cup.
  3. Finally, knot a 30-inch piece of Curling Ribbon at each end and staple the knots to the cup sides to make a handle.
  4. Hang the windsocks on a porch or patio at home or tree at the center, where they will be protected from strong winds and watch them dance in the gentle breeze.

5. Using a can

  1. Use a clean can (soup, vegetables, or coffee can). Using a bottle opener, make two holes in top of can. The holes should be directly across from each other.
  2. Paint it in your desired colors, using acrylic paint. Then paint a coat of varnish over the painted areas of the can.
  3. Let completely dry.
  4. Cut long strips from a plastic grocery bag, then adhere to bottom inside of can, using a strong glue.
  5. Thread wire, yarn, or rope through the holes, then hang in yard.

6. Using a paper lunch bag

Use colored sandwich/lunch bags; cut the bottoms off of the bag. Have children decorate the bags with markers, sequins, buttons, etc. After their bag is decorated, punch two holes in the tops and put yarn or in the holes to make a hanger for the windsock.

Then have the children glue, staple, or tape streamers to the opposite end of their windsock. When dry, hang them in room or window.

7. Using newspaper

What you need:

5 sheets newspapertape
3 yards yarn
  1. Lay four sheets of the newspaper out on the floor, one on top of the other.
  2. Roll into a hollow cylinder approximately four inches in diameter. Tape it in place so that if forms a tube.
  3. Tear remaining sheet of newspaper into strips. Tape to the end of the tube for a streamer effect.
  4. Attach yarn to one end and hang. If desired have kids decorate their wind sock. The more personal the better.

8. Using a paper plate

  1. Cut center out of a paper plate so you have a ring.
  2. Punch 4 holes with scissors around the edges of the ring (these are
    what you’ll tie the strings on to hang your windsock )
  3. Cut streamers to several lengths (keep them long)
  4. Tape or glue the streamers to one side of the paper plate making sure not to cover the punched holes.
  5. Cut two 16 inch lengths of string; tie the ends of the string through the holes in the plate making sure to tie each end to opposite sides of the plate and hang from ceiling or window.

9. American flag windsock

This project is a fun way to decorate for any patriotic holiday, or to show your USA pride all year-round!

  1. Remove cover and cut bottom off oatmeal box.
  2. Cover box with blue construction paper.
  3. Decorate box with stickers and glitter.
  4. Cut red and white crepe paper streamers, glue to bottom end of box.
  5. Punch four holes along the top end of the box.
  6. Cut two pieces of string about a foot long.
  7. Tie strings to the holes you have just punched, tie opposite ends of strings to holes on opposite side.
  8. Cut an additional longer piece of string. To hang windsock, tie this to the other two strings.
    Hang windsock from porch, window or a tree!

Tip – USA uncle sam windsock. All Windsocks can be decorated to any theme such as this photo example.

Eight wind chimes & a musical tree

Make a musical tree

(Great for Summer camp, Day camp, Home or Family Care!)
Love this Idea
Brainstorm with children things to hang from a tree in the yard – that will make sounds when the wind blows.

Suggestions:

  • Metal cans
  • Pie plates
  • Plastic bottles
  • Jar lids
  • Metal utensils
  • Wooden spoons etc.

Set out some yarn or string for children to use to hang their objects. If you don’t have a tree, you could use a sturdy object outside.

Need:

  • Embroidery hoop, (As hoops have two pieces – one hoop will make 2 wind chimes )
  • String or yarn,
  • Materials that makes noise (spoons, beads, bells, blocks or tin cans)
  1. Attach 3 strings to an embroidery hoop; tie the strings together at the top of the hoop – leaving enough string to form a loop to hang it.
  2. Attach 3-8 strings to hang down for the chime; Add anything that makes noise. Decorate the embroidery hoop anyway you wish – or leave as is.

Wind Chime

Need:

scissorsclear plastic lids
a hole punchfishing line
sticks or dowelsjingle bells
  1. Cut the rims off the plastic lids, then have children cut out several leaf shapes (or whatever shape they wish) from the clear plastic.
  2. Punch a hole in the top and bottom of each shape.
  3. Tie a 7- to 10-inch length of fishing line to the top of each shape and then hang them, evenly spaced, from the stick or dowel.
  4. Using short lengths of fishing line, hang a jingle bell from the bottom of each shape.
  5. To make a hanger, tie the ends of a 6- to 8-inch piece of fishing line to each end of the stick.
    From the Family Fun website

Sea shell wind chimes

Need:

  • 8 Seashells (available from the beach, or at craft supply stores)
  • 1 plastic coffee-can lid
  • knitting yarn scraps
  • liquid white glue
  • sharp pencil or paper punch.
  1. Glue each shell to the end of a short piece of yarn. Use liquid white glue.
  2. Let dry overnight.
  3. Punch eight holes equally spaced on the top of a plastic coffee-can lid. Use a sharp pencil or a paper punch.
  4. Hold the lid with the rim facing up. Push the eight pieces of yarn through the eight holes of the underside of the lid.
  5. Tie the end of each piece of yarn in a large knot. Make the knot bigger than the hole so the yarn will not slip through.
  6. Punch two more holes on opposite edges of the lid.
  7. Push one end of a large piece of yarn from the top of the lid through one hole. It should come out on the underside of the chime.
  8. Tie a large knot.
  9. Push the other end of the yarn through the other hole and knot it.
  10. Hang the chime on the branch of a tree or in your window.

Wind chimes #4

For Ages: 4-12
You Need:

  • Clean, empty 8 oz. margarine tubs made of thin plastic
  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Hole puncher
  • Ruler
  • CLear nylon fishing line
  • 1/2″ diameter metal washers
  • Pencil
  1. Place the tubs upside down on a table and decorate them, using scraps of construction paper and glue. Children can make collages of different shapes or they can cut letters out of construction paper and glue them to the tubs to form messages.
  2. Set the tubs aside to dry. After, the glue has dried thoroughly, use the hole puncher to punch four holes along rim of each tub. The holes should be about 1/2 ” from the edge of each tub and evenly spaced out.
  3. Cut four 12″ lengths of fishing line and eight metal washers. The children tie one end of each piece of fishing line to a metal washer.
  4. Help the children thread one piece of fishing line through each hole in their tubs. As they thread each piece of line through a hole, they immediately tie a second metal washer to the free end of that piece of fishing line.
  5. After the children have attached all the washers to their wind chimes, place the tubs upside down (bottoms up). With a sharpened pencil, poke two holes about 1″ apart in the center of the bottom of each tub. Thread a 12″ length of fishing line through bottom holes and tie the ends together to make a hanger for the wind chimes.
  6. The wind chimes can be hung indoors or outside. Each pair of metal washers should be positioned so that the two touch each other. When air moves past them, they will produce a pleasant clinking sound.

#5 Beaded wind chimes

(You can follow these direction using a  ‘lid’ or use a margere tub as pictured and described in the above Wind Chime #4)

Materials: Package of multicolored beads, Bowl, Yarn, Masking tape, Scissors, Small bells (can be purchased from a crafts store)

Needle, or something else sharp and pointy (for adults to use only!) Yogurt container lid, or other plastic lid

  1. Cut 7-9 equal pieces of yarn. Wrap a small piece of masking tape around one end of each piece, to make lacing easier (each yarn end should now resemble a shoe lace) and then tie a bead at the bottom of the other side of each piece of yarn. Poke holes with the needle or sharp instrument (parents only!) around the edge of the plastic container lid. You can make a small inner circle as well if you’d like.
  2. Give child the strings of yarn, and a bowl full of beads. They can make the same or different patterns on each of the strings. One might be ABAB (for example, red-blue-red-blue), another might be ABCABC (for example, red-blue-yellow-red-blue-yellow) and so forth. Experiment with a variety of patterns.  If desired- place a bell or two on each string.
  3. Leave some room at the top of each piece of yarn, then thread each piece into one of the holes in the lid, and tie a knot at the top. Once all the strings are hung and knotted, poke a final hole through the center of the lid. Thread a piece of yarn through it, and knot it underneath. Hang your chimes outside on a breezy day and enjoy the jingle!

#6 Jingle bell wind chimes

Materials for each chime:

  • Unsharpened Pencil
  • 10 Bells
  • Yarn

1. Cut 12 pieces of yarn.

2. On 10 pieces of yarn tie a bell at the end of each one.

3. Tie a plain piece of string on EACH end of the pencil for hanging.Tie them together at top.

4. In-between the end strings, tie the yarns with bells on them onto the pencil.

#7 Sunflower clay pot windchimes

Materials:

  • 5 mini, 2 1/2″ clay pots
  • Yellow, green and brown acrylic paint
  • 10 round wooden beads
  • 10 yd. spool of plastic cord
  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors
  • Packet of sunflower seeds

Directions:

  1. Paint the sunflower designs on the pots first before assembling and let dry.
  2. Cord must be at least 3 times the length of the 5 clay pots.  This will allow enough cord to make knots when attaching the pots to one another.
  3. Fold cord in half and tie a knot leaving the loop long enough for the hanger.  Thread the two ends of the cord through a large bead.  Beads must be large enough so that they will not fit through the hole in the bottom of the clay pot.
  4. Thread the ends of the cord through the upside down clay pot that you want to be on the top.  The top pot is the most decorated, with painted sunflowers.
  5. Thread another bead on, inside the pot.  This will secure the pot.  Tie the cord at least five times after the bead.  (Beads and knots become the spacers, to keep the pots apart.)
  6. Repeat step 5 until all pots are threaded together. Be sure to knot cord sufficiently to keep them in place and separated on the cord.
  7. After all five pots are attached, end it by threading on the packet of sunflower seeds.  You will need to punch a hole in the packet first.  Tie a knot in the cord, allowing enough space so that the seed packet when attached will be able to blow in the wind.  Thread on the seed packet and tie a bow.

#8 Autum nutty wind chime

Use fall tree seeds or nuts to make a wind chime.

Color a design on a tissue paper tube. Thread a length of yarn or string through the tube and knot the ends together to create a hanger. Next, wrap and glue one end of a length of ribbon aaround each nut you choose to use. Wrap and glue the opposite end of each ribbon around the cardboard tube. Hang the wind chime one glue completely dries.SaveSave

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