Dedicated to our Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda

Dedicated to our Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda

Hari OM!

This blog is designed to serve as a library of art and craft ideas for our balavihar children. We hope that you will find this site useful. Please feel free to use any (or all) of the projects you see posted here. We ask, however, that you refrain from publishing (in any form) these templates, instructions, and photographs, unless you receive written permission. These projects are being provided for your own personal use or use in the Balavihar classroom.


All art projects are categorized by 1) material, 2) use, and 3) type. For example a Diya greeting card would be under the labels "Paper" and "Cards," while a Lord Hanumaan puppet would be found under "Paper," "Toys and Puppets" and "Gods and Goddesses." Most materials for these projects can easily be purchased from any local craft store — and some projects involve materials you already have laying around the house.


We would love to hear your suggestions and ideas about any of the information you find on this site. And, if you have any projects that you would like to share with other seviks/sevikas, please send a picture of the finished piece, as well as instructions on how to make the project – so we can post it.


Happy Creating!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Spinning Top
















Make your very own spinning top which spins like a dream! This project was created for the kindergarten's Alphabet Safari. Our subject was "E is for Enthusiasm."

Materials
• White poster board
• Green poster board
• Crayons or markers
• Drinking Straw
• 1 bead (that fits snuggly into the straw)
• Tape
• Pencil
• Glue Stick
• Scissors
• Awl or sharp pencil

Directions
1. Print out diagram below. Cut out the circle and the rim. (These will be your templates.)
2. Trace templates onto poster board.
3. Cut out the circle and the rim which you traced onto poster board.
4. Decorate and color the circle with crayons or markers.
5. Glue the rim onto the base circle.
6. Cut the straw to about 3 1/2 – 4 inches in length.
7. Put the bead into one end of the straw. It should fit snuggly and have about 1/2 of it showing outside the straw. (This is the part that makes it spin nicely.)
8. With an awl or a pencil, pierce a hole into the center of the disc. Make the opening no larger than the diameter of the straw.
9. Put the straw through the hole.
10. It's a good idea to tape the straw on the backside of the disc to hold it in place. (This helps to give the top more balance and momentum.)
11. Spin!!!


Click on the image below to view template full-screen. Print.