Father's Day Projects

Tell Dad you love him with a sweet bag of Father's Day treats - each item has a note attached explaining the significance:
Tootsie Roll - to show the big ROLL you play in my life
100 Grand Candy Bar - to show you how much you are worth to me
Bag of Popcorn - to let you know that without our pop, our family would not be CORN-plete
Bag of Peanuts - to tell you I'm nuts over you
Hershey's Kiss - to show you how much I love you
Mint - to show my appreciation of your commit-MINT to me
Roll of LIfesavers - for how you protect me from danger and show me right from wrong.

These can all be in a bag together or you can send dad on a treasure hunt with clues on index cards -
hope this isn't too late

We made a "Dad's Pad" in second grade and in kindergarten. You get stiff paper or light cardboard, cover it with construction paper (9x12), have the children trace a tie out of construction paper. They get to decorate it with whatever they think their dad really likes (i.e., fish, baseball, stripes, etc.) and glue that as a decoration to the pad. Then I give each of them a small pad of paper to attach to the pad. If I have one available, I glue a picture of the child on the pad. The title of "Dad's Pad" is written on it by the children and they sign it with "Happy Father's Day!..." Lastly, I punch a couple of holes at the top and attach a small piece of yarn (or you could put magnet strips on the back). They turn out cute.

I also save these. One year I had my first graders make pencil cans for Father's Day. I took one of those small identification pictures you might get from the school photographer after picture day, or another small photo of the child. Just make sure it is a glossy finish or the later step will mar the finish. I taped it onto the canister with strips of masking tape. Then I gave them strips of masking tape to rip into little pieces (less that 1") and stick all over the container until the entire outside was covered, except where the picture was. This took more than one session, by the way. We then used brown paste shoe polish to rub over the entire surface, again not over the picture. When finished it looks like leatherette. Finally, they wrote Dad, or whatever, using a Sharpie or paint pen. They did turn out pretty nice.

FATHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS -

My school goes until the third week in June :o so our final project tends to be a father's day card and gift. Assuming others will also be needing ideas, I'm posting these ideas I've gathered from a variety of resources over the years...
Please add any others you may have
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After finding this idea, below, I've used it for several years:
RE: FATHER'S DAY... ART/CRAFT IDEA
Posted by Diana on 6/02/02

I got one of those car seat covers made of wooden beads and cut it up. We use it to make key chains for Father's Day gifts. You need: Wooden beads, key rings (plain ones are available 4 for 79cents at WalMart in the craft area), and suede or leather lacing - the kind sometimes used for work boot laces (again, available at Walmart, in spools of 25 ft.To make the keychains: cut a length of leather about 10-12 in. or so. Double it, put the loop through the ring, and pull the ends through the loop to attach. Holding the 2 ends together, thread them through 5 beads, then knot the ends. Simple enough even for first graders to do with a little demo. Also small enough to fit in a Father's Day card - no need to gift wrap.
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ME-AND-YOU BOOK
http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/famf68fathersday/famf68fathersday3.html

This interactive book that kids can make from scratch is guaranteed to be an instant favorite with fathers.
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FATHER'S DAY SNACK MIX
They decorated a paper bag with a picture of their Dad and glued on a list of snack items that included the following:
"Popcorn....because you are my Pop!
Raisins...'cause you are raisin' me
Chex....'cause you always chex on me
Goldfish....'cause you are the big fish in MY sea
Cheez-its.....'cause you are the big cheese! ETC.
They filled a two cup measuring cup with the snacks of their choice and them dumped it in the bag, folded it over, punched two holes and threaded/tied curling ribbon to hold it shut.

FATHER'S DAY GIFTS
Posted by First Aid on 4/23/05

My students created a mini first aid kit for their dads. We decorated a small Pringles can with a paper that included the poem
'For your bike, your boat or your car.
So you will be MY hero, wherever you are!'

Inside we put a pair of latex gloves, 1 darning needle on a paper labeled 'for slivers', 2 antibiotic ointment sleeves, 2 cough drops, 2 emery boards (1 cut in 2 halves), 3 gauze pads, 4 safety pins, 5 cotton balls, 6 Band-Aids, etc. Great counting lesson as well!

FATHER'S DAY GIFTS - Different Air Freshener
Instead of doing skin color foam, make a different decorative freshener for the car. Start by cutting out felt shapes and gluing them together to create a flower, a butterfly, or any other design they desire. Then make a small hole near the top and attach a loop of string. When you're ready to roll, apply a few drops of lavender,
tangerine, cinnamon, pine, etc., essential oil (sold at many natural food stores or large grocery stores) and hang the freshener in your car.
**Idea taken from Family Fun magazine, Aug. '99.

FATHER'S DAY GIFTS
Posted by Rose on 4/23/05
A very simple idea that I have done is the following:

1. Get enough clean and emptied tuna fish cans for each student.
2. Purchase some patterned contact paper and felt to match.
3. After measuring, stick the contact paper on the sides of the tuna can.
4. Cut the felt into a circular pattern then glue the felt inside the tuna can.
5. Then take the extra felt and make bow ties. I do this by tracing 2 triangle pattern blocks.
6. Place the felt bow tie on the outside of the can.
You have a really cute change container!
They are a big hit!
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Need a Father's Day Project
Posted by terry on 6/01/05

I have a good one. I use old maps. I use the maps and cut out the letters D A D on the Ellison machine. I fold a large piece of construction paper in half. I place the word DAD diagonally on the front of the card. On the inside of the card, I have the kids write: "Thanks for your direction." I also apply some street sign graphics, i.e., yield sign, stop sign, etc., and apply them somewhere on the card. Hope this helps.
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Father's Day
Posted by kathy/2/wi on 6/04/05
I had my students make an origami box. They decorated their cover and wrote "Dad, I'm nuts about you! Love, ...." Then we put peanuts inside it. I found the origami directions inside a library book. But I will attempt to explain. You start with two rectangles, the bottom piece of paper is 1/4" smaller both directions-length and width. Fold in half-open up. Fold outside edge to your middle inside crease. Fold other outside to the middle inside crease. Open up. Repeat these first steps the opposite direction. Miter the corners by touching the outside tip to the first crease line. Gently pull up into box shape. Press the eight creases that form the box shape. We made a few samples before they actually worked with the decorated lid. They were a regular box factory after they understood how to do it.
We also made Father's Day coupons. That was fun. One of my students is going to give his dad a toe rub. Ha!
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I don't know how much money you can spend, but something that's cute for Father's Day is to buy a cheap apron (or buy the craft ones in Walmart) and use craft paint to put the child's handprints and something like "#1 dad and grill cook" or another catchy title, along with the date.

A cute father's day project is a remote control container made out of a small pringle's container and craft size popsicle sticks. You use felt or vinyl strips to trim the bottom and top. You paste the word dad on the can using the felt/vinyl. You could also paint the sticks first if you like, but the natural finish is very "manly."

Another cute craft is making a small banner out of felt, two cheerios, a pencil, and pretzel.
You past the felt to the pencil and then loop string around the pencil ends. You use the cheerios and the pretzel to make an owl. The caption on the banner says "You're a Wise Owl." Kids can make this for their dad, uncle, foster parent, etc.

Just some fun ideas. Hope that helps.

I had my kids make a grass head out of a sock. You put grass seed in the bottom of a sock with dirt.- It took about a week and a half for them to really grow. Then I had them draw a face on the sock with fabric paint- be careful, it smears if you wet it right away - and had buttons for the eyes. After I was going to get them to write a sign saying Dad, you're the best! and use pipe cleaners hold it like arms. The kids got a kick out of the grass growing in like hair or sometimes beards!

To make a special folder for Father's Day poems, coupons, or a special card...

Fold a piece of 12X18 construction paper in half to make a card. (blue or white usually work best) Then make a slit from the top of the center of the front cover about 2 inches long. Now fold down each side of the paper on either side of the slit to look like a collar of a work shirt. (the folds are triange shaped).

Next cut a "tie" from wallpaper samples, wrapping paper scraps, etc. Glue the top of the tie to the top center of the front cover under the folds.You can make oaktag tie tracers for the kids.

Another idea is to let them cut ties from construction paper. Talk about how ties have patterns and let them create their own.

We do the tie on blue card/white collar idea, with a personal "interview" about each childs Daddy inside. Earlier in the month we do an open art painting on white papers. I save those and cut a big tie out of each one, some really cool ties come out of those. Attach to the front of 11x17 folded contruction paper, white collar on front, interview inside.

Trace around a plastic hangar onto heavy cardstock. Cut 2, decorate (add kids picture, maybe "I like to hang around with my Dad" and laminate (so the colors don't come off) and hole punch around the edges. Sandwich the hanger in between the decorated cutouts and whipstitch together with yarn. Voila -a neat hangar for Dad.

Off to Michael's where they have magnetic photo frames on sale with a sports theme. Kids put them together with white glue, add a copy of their school picture and a magnet. They also have decoratable coffee mugs on sale with an "I love you, Dad" liner.

Bring to school a man's size shirt, tie, shoes, hat. Dress each child and take photo , send home with caption "Dad, no one can fill your shoes".

Bake together, maybe cinnamon buns or carrot muffins with cream cheeze icing. Wrap nicely and send home for Dad.

I too am short on Mom's day ideas, but I have a fathers day idea that is a winner year after year . .

The kids bring tos chool a SMALL plastic peanut butter jar - CLEAN

I bring in a few bags of roasted pea nuts STILL IN THEIR SHELL . .

We then PAINT the peanut shells . .all bright primary colors . . .

when dry they kids assemble a PILE of bright colord nuts on the lid . .use lots of glue . .

when dry, I spray paint the nuts clear

WHen dry the kids fill the jar with nuts that have NOT been painted . .

Then we add a tag that says . .

Dad, I am just NUTS about you!

Hope this helps . .

enjoy

I think a writing project can be meaningful. I had my kids paint a portrait of their fathers and then write a paragraph about them. I attached the paragraph to the painting.

I also have had my kids write books patterned after the Charlotte Zolotow books called "When I Have A Little Boy" and "When I Have a Little Girl" . These books are about all the kinds of "rules" kids would like to change. Both books follow a simple pattern. They make great gifts for moms or dads.