With the Easter Bunny fast hopping this way, now is the perfect time to turn a sheet of craft foam into a colorful, easy-to-make Easter basket. Here’s what you’ll need to do to make one:
To make an Easter basket you’ll need:
· 1 craft foam sheet (11″ x 17″ or 12″ x 18″)
· scissors
· a ruler
· a single hole punch
· a pen or pencil
· 5 pipe cleaners
· your choice of decorations
Get ready
As with any children’s activity, preparation will allow things to go more smoothly and make creating together more fun! How much preparation you’ll need to complete solo depends on your children’s ages and abilities.
Before you call the kids, read through the instructions and decide at what point you’ll invite them to join you. For older kids, it may enough to have gathered the materials together. For younger kids, you may want to have the measuring all done so that they can just cut on the lines you’ve marked. When working with the very youngest of crafters, it might be best to have everything completed except for the lacing and decorating.
Cut out the pieces if the basket
1. Cut off a 2″ strip along the short edge of the craft foam sheet. This will be the handle.
2. Measure 4″ from any edge of the remaining rectangle and draw a line. Then do the same thing on each of the three remaining sides. When you’re done, it will look like you’ve drawn a tic-tac-toe board. This will be the inside of your basket.
3. Cut out the corner squares. You’ll be left with a plus sign.
4. Use the single hole punch to eight holes along each of the eight edges that were created when you cut out the corner squares. Be careful to space the holes in the foam so they won’t rip through.
Assemble the pieces for the basket
1. Place the plus sign so that the side with the markings is up. That way your lines will be hidden inside the basket.
2. Fold two adjoining tabs up to create the first corner of the basket. Starting from the inside of the basket, lace the pipe cleaner through the bottom hole of each tab, creating an entire loop with the pipe cleaner to set it in place. Make sure the end of the pipe cleaner is inside the basket.
3. “Sew” the tabs together with the pipe cleaner. Don’t pull too tightly or you might rip the foam. When you reach the top hole, make sure to complete at least one whole loop to hold the stitch together. Make sure the end of the pipe cleaner is inside the basket. Then tuck the edges of the pipe cleaner under, trimming it if necessary. Be careful! Sometimes the end of wire hidden inside the pipe cleaner’s fuzzy cover is sharp.
4. Repeat the process for the next corner, continuing around the basket until all four corners have been sewn together with pipe cleaners.
Add the finishing touches
1. Position the handle where you want it, with the edge of the handle inside the basket. Use the single hole punch to make two holes through both the basket edge and handle. Repeat for the other end of the handle.
2. Cut the last pipe cleaner in half. Loop one piece of the pipe cleaner through the holes in the handle and basket, making sure to complete at least one full circle. Two or three circles is even better. Make sure the ends of the pipe cleaner are inside the basket. Then tuck in the ends, trimming if necessary. Repeat the process to join the other side of the handle.
3. Use your fingers to lightly crease the bottom edges of the basket, pinching the foam like you would a piece of paper you were folding. This helps square the bottom of the basket.
4. Decorate your basket. You can stick on foam stickers, draw pictures on the foam with markers, or glue on ribbon. Be creative and make the Easter basket as unique as you are.
You’ve made your very own one-of-a-kind Easter basket! Set it out to impress the Easter Bunny, load it with Easter eggs, fill it with small toys or crayons, or share it with someone special.
Interested in more easy crafts for kids? Look for more craft projects here.
