Origami Lotus Diya

©jmg 2008

Click on image to view enlarged.

This project is perfect for kids of all ages.

Materials

Gold foil wrapping paper (or origami paper)

Chocolate kisses

double sided tape

Click here for video directions on YouTube

We prefer cutting our own origami paper from rolls of foil wrapping paper. 6 x 6 makes a nice sized lotus. (However, don't make them smaller that 5 x 5 -- or the paper will be too hard to fold.) Once your flower is made, take a small piece of double sided tape and stick in onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss. Place the chocolate in the center of the lotus. These make lovely little Diwali gifts.

Krishna Paper Bag Puppet

Click on image to view enlarged.

Let the children create their own puppet of Lord Krishna using just a few materials.

Materials

Blue lunch bag

Blue construction paper

Black construction paper

Scraps of decorative paper (in different colors)

Sequins, lace, etc.

Feathers

2 Wiggly eyes

Glue stick

Markers

Scissors

Directions

Each child gets a blue paper bag -- and the rest is left up to them. Put different materials on the table and let them choose how they want to create their own Lord Krishna (or Lord Rama.)

Japa Mala

This mala was designed for the kindergarten Balavihar class. Our lesson was "J is for Japa."

Materials
• 27 beads of your choice
• 1 meru bead — a little larger than the japa beads. (The center hole must be able to fit 2 pieces of yarn.)
• One piece of yarn (six stranded crochet cotton is good)
• Elmer's Glue

Directions
1. Dip one end of your cotton thread into the Elmer's glue. Roll the glued end between your fingers until it starts to form a hardended tip. Do the same to the other end. (see photo A below)
2. With one end of the cotton thread all 27 beads. (see photo B below)
3. Take both ends of the cotton and insert them through the meru bead. (see photo C below)
4. Make a big knot at the botton of your meru bead. You might have to knot a few times to make sure that the the knot is bigger than the hole of your bead.
5. Trim the cotton ends to a desired length.
6. You can make a simple tassle by untwisting both ends of the cotton.

* If you want to make a japa mala consisting of 108 beads, the technique is the same. To make an authentic mala a knot must be tied between each bead. (see photo D below)

Photo A












Photo B













Photo C
















Photo D

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.

Hanumaan Puppet

© 2008 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.
For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.

Click on image to view enlarged.

Materials

Brown paper bag

1 Sheet light colored cardstock (for printing templates)

Brown construction paper (for head)

Light brown construction paper (for mouth)

Dark Brown construction paper (for hair and tail)

Small piece of black construction paper (for end of tail)

Gold Foil*(for गदा, gadaa)

Black Marker

2 Googly eyes

Gold sequins

*If using gold foil for the gadaa, glue the foil onto a piece of sturdy cardstock first. This will provide nice stability. After gluing it onto cardstock, trace the template and cut out.

Directions for assembly

Click on image for full-page view.

Print the template below onto light colored cardstock.

1. Cut out template pieces and trace them onto corresponding colored construction paper. Cut out.

2. Glue mouth onto head. Draw mouth and nose.

3. Glue head onto bag.

4. Glue hair onto head. Decorate with sequins

5. Glue eyes. Draw eyebrows.

6. Glue tail onto bag.

7. Glue the gadaa.

Keychain

This keychain was made for "D is for Daddy." It is extremely easy to make.  Everyone has fun stringing beads — even the youngest child!

Materials

• 1 split ring or key ring

• 1 piece of hemp, plastic lacing thread (or any strong bead stringing material)

• Beads (your choice)

Directions

1. Tie the stringing thread onto the split ring.

2. Have the child string the beads in the order they choose.

3. Tie a solid knot once the stringing is complete. Make sure that the knot is bigger that the bead's hole!

Scratch Art

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.

For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

This is a very fun project to do, especially with the younger kids — everyone loves scratch art! To make your own scratch art sheets you will need the following:

Materials

• Black Tempera Paint

• A few drops of dish detergent

• Picture of God or Goddess (Glossy photos work best)

• Q-tip (or paper towel*)

• Paintbrush

• Paint dish

* If the children are really ambitious "scratchers" then a paper towel might work better than a Q-tip. Too much pressure with the Q-tip can remove parts of the image.

Directions

1. Pour some tempera paint into your dish.

2. Add a few drops of dish detergent and mix well.

3. With your paintbrush, paint some broad and even strokes onto a glossy photograph. Cover completely.

4. Let Dry.

5. Take a Q-tip and let the children rub the photograph until the mystery picture is completely revealed.

Notes

If you want to make scratch art paper for the children to draw pictures with. You will need the following:

Materials

• Good card stock paper

• Wax crayons (colors and black*)

• Toothpick or wooden skewer
* can also use black tempera paint as outlined above.

Directions

1. Color the entire sheet of paper. (It's best if you use lots of bright colors.)

2. Once your sheet is completely colored, take a black crayon and cover the entire paper. It is important that no color shows. You also may have to rub a little harder with the black crayon to make an even, solid coating.

3. Take a toothpick and draw your picture. Have fun with the colors that emerge!

We Belong to One Family

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.

For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

This project was created to accompany a Kindergarten lesson. With the template below, the children can make a wall hanging, mobile or a chain of paper dolls.

Materials

• Card Stock to print template on. (Cream is a good color.)

• 3 Colors of card stock for children skin tone. We used Cream, Light brown and dark brown.

• 3 Colors of card stock for the children's hair. (You only need very small pieces of scrap paper.)

• 1 Piece of blue card stock (for earth)

• 1 Piece of green card stock for continents

• Variety of decorative paper scraps (for children's clothes)

• Scissors

• Glue Stick

• Hole Punch

• Piece of ribbon or string

• Markers or crayons (optional)

Directions for Children

1. Print Template 1 on a sheet of cream colored card stock. Cut out all the pieces for your template.

2. Trace your template pieces on the skin toned paper. These will be the children. Cut out.

3. Trace the clothes templates on decorative paper. Cut out.

4. Trace the hair onto paper color of your choice. Cut out.

5. Glue the clothes onto the children.

6. Glue the hair onto the children.

To Make the Earth

You may 1) color the earth with crayons or 2) cut out the continents and the earth out of colored card stock. If you choose to color, please print out template #1. Otherwise, print template #2 if you choose to cut colored card stock. These pieces will be your templates to trace with.

Once you have made your children and your earth, then you are ready to complete this project. Take the child you want in the center and glue the back of his/her head. Place this child onto the world. Do the same with the other two children. Punch a hole at the top of the planet and put a ribbon in.

Template #1

Template #2

Peacock (Graphed)

This graph can be used for cross stitching, beading, paper mosaics, plastic canvas, etc. — basically any project that requires graphing! We used this design for bead looming and cross stitching in our summer camp art class.

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.

For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

Diyas (Graphed)

This graph was designed for peyote stitch bead weaving.

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.

For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

OM (Graphed)

This graph can be used for cross stitching, beading, paper mosaics, plastic canvas, etc. — basically any project that requires graphing! We used this design for bead looming and cross stitching in our summer camp art class.

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.

For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

This OM poster was made with images of Pujya Gurudev Chinmayanandaji, Pujya Guruji and Swami Shantanandaji. The background was created from black and white xeroxes, while the foreground was done from the same xeroxing — only on orange paper stock. Each image is 1" square. This OM was the first one made from the graph, hence the slight differences in the letter stroke. We have since made some graph corrections for the more recent beaded projects above. Click on the picture to view enlarged.

Lord Ganesha (Graphed)

This graph can be used for cross stitching, beading, paper mosaics, plastic canvas, etc. — basically any project that requires graphing! We used this design for bead looming and cross stitching in our summer camp art class.

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.

For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

Shiva Lingam (Graphed)

This graph can be used for cross stitching, beading, paper mosaics,  plastic canvas, etc. — basically any project that requires graphing! We used this design for bead looming and cross stitching in our summer camp art class.

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.

For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

Hari OM Graph

This graph can be used for cross stitching, beading, paper mosaics, plastic canvas, etc. — basically any project that requires graphing! We used this design for bead looming and cross stitching in our summer camp art class.

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.

For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

Cow Puppet

© 2009 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.
For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.
Click on picture to view enlarged.

This a fun project for the young kids to do with the all-time favorite tale, "Punyakoti." After cutting all the pieces out, assembling the puppet is very easy – just refer to the picture above.

Materials

• Brown paper bag (lunch size is good)

• Tan cardstock

• Small piece of black cardstock

• Brown cardstock

• Small piece of pink cardstock

• Glue stick

• 2 Wiggly eyes

• Scissors

• Black marker

Directions

1. Print image below. (Click on image for enlarged view.) Cut out pieces to use for template.

2. Trace the shapes onto corresponding cardstock color.

3. Cut all the pieces out.

4. Glue onto paper bag. (Refer to picture above for placement.)

5. Draw the nostrils on with black marker.

6. Glue the wiggly eyes.

7. Glue the tail on the back side of bag.

Have fun retelling the story with your puppet!!

Diya Cards

© 2008 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.
For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.

Click on image to view enlarged.

Materials

• Blank greeting card and envelope

• Variety of decorative paper scraps (wrapping paper, magazines, scrapbooking – anything with color/texture)

• Gold and red foil (wrapping paper is good)

• Scissors

• Glue Stick

• Sequins or rhinestones (for decorating diya)

1. Print diagram on good card stock paper and cut out. (These are now your template pieces.)
2. Trace the templates onto decorative papers.
3. Cut out decorative pieces.*
4. Glue pieces onto a greeting card.
5. Decorate your diya with sequins or arcylic gems.

*Gold foil works beautifully for the flame – it reflects the light.  Cut out a smaller flame in red foil to place inside the gold flame.

We like to use this project for Diwali.

Click on drawing to get a full page view. Print.

Monkey Puppet

© 2008 This project is dedicated to Gurudev.
For use in Balavihar classrooms (or personal use) only.

Click on image to view enlarged.

This is fun to make with "The Monkey and the Crocodile."

Materials

Small brown paper bag

1 Piece of light colored cardstock (for printing template below)

1 Piece of light brown or tan cardstock paper (for face and inner ears)

1 Piece of darker brown cardstock paper (for head, ears and tail)

1 Small piece of red cardstock paper (for heart)

Black marker

2 Googly eyes

Scissors

Glue stick

1. Print image onto light colored cardstock for template. Cut out.

2. Trace templates onto brown cardstocks. Cut out.

3. Glue pieces onto paper bag

4. Add googly eyes.

5. Draw nose and mouth.

Click on drawing to get a full page view. Print.

Peacock

This project is inspired from "The Kids Multicultural Art Book"
by Alexandra M. Terzian

Materials

Card Stock in blue, green and orange.

Scraps of different colored decorative papers

Scissors

Scotch Tape

Glue Stick

Stapler

Sequins (or rhinestone) for decorations, or glitter glue.

2 googly eyes

1. Print page onto cardstock. Cut out the pieces for your template.

2. Fold colored cardstock paper lengthwise. Where indicated, place the template along the fold. Trace all the pieces and cut out.

3. From the colorful scraps, cut out circles in different sizes. These will be used to glue onto the big circle. (To add a touch of glitter, incorporate some sequins or rhinestones.)

4. Cut a small slit (at a 45 degree angle) in the head of the body, on the fold. (This is where the beak will go.) Place the beak into the cut slit and secure on the back of the head with a small piece of tape.

5. Tape the orange crown on the back of the head with a small piece of tape.

6. Staple the bottom of the peacock's body to the bottom of large circle.

Click on drawing to get a full page view. Print.