April 2002 Project of the Month April Showers . . . All of this month's projects are very easy to do, and require only a few materials. The first one is a project you can make for your child to use, and the other two are projects you can do with your child. Toddler Watering Can Supplies: Empty gallon milk jug Hammer and nail Using the hammer and nail, make some holes in the bottom of the gallon milk jug. About 12-16 should be enough. To use this watering can, fill up the jug with water and then put the cap back on. Show your child how they can use it to water flowers, vegetables, etc.   Rain Stick Supplies: Empty paper towel tube or gift wrap tube Aluminum foil Rice, dry beans, and/or dry pasta Spring-themed stickers (optional) Cut a piece of aluminum foil about 1 1/2 times the size of the tube. Squeeze it into a long piece of foil, and then zig-zag it or make it spiral. Push this into the tube. Cut another piece of foil that is about 2-3 inches longer than the tube on both ends. Wrap it around the tube, and close up one side of it. Pour into the tube very small handfuls of things like rice, dry beans and dry pasta. You can experiment, seeing what different sounds each of the items make. Don't fill it up very much; a little bit goes a long way. Close up the other end. Make sure both ends are secure. You can decorate the tube now, perhaps using spring-themed stickers. Tip the rain stick back and forth to hear its wonderful sounds. Rain Painting Supplies: Paint (I just used washable paint, but you may want to try using dry tempera paint.) Paper A Rainy Day! Paint on your paper, any way you like, making sure not to take too long - you want the paint to be wet and runny. If you are using dry tempera paint, sprinkle it onto the paper. Put your paper outside for a very short time. Ten to fifteen seconds should be sufficient. Have fun experimenting, too! Look at the way the paint runs together. The rain makes a picture of its own! (If you lack the rainy day, you can use the Toddler Watering Can with similar results!) Children's books about rain: Rain by Peter Spier Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse Mushroom in the Rain by Mirra Ginsburg Do you have an idea for another Project of the Month for our Crafts for Kids Cubby? We'd love to hear from you. Email our moderators with your suggestions! Copyright © 2002 StorkNet.com. All Rights Reserved.