Palm trees are big and beautiful in Hawaii.
Hawaii is a tropical paradise known for sunny skies, sandy beaches, vibrant blue oceans, leis, hula dancers, luaus and lots of friendly people. Teach your teens and children about Hawaii or simply have some fun by creating craft projects that reflect the state's colorful culture and surroundings. Host a party or pretend to be on vacation while spending an afternoon creating colorful keepsakes and bonding with the kids.
Leis
Leis are often given as a welcome gift when tourists first arrive on the islands. Make your own leis with the kids and then pretend to welcome one another to Hawaii by passing them around and placing them around your necks. Trace flower shapes onto construction paper and then cut them out, punching a small hole in the center of each flower. Thread the flowers onto string or yarn, with pasta between each flower to keep them separated. Teens might also enjoy using metallized nylon--the material used to make Mylar balloons--paper for the flowers or hot gluing accents onto flowers and pasta.
Grass Skirts
Hula dancing is a popular form of entertainment on the islands of Hawaii, and these special dancers are often seen sporting grass skirts. Cut a length of brown or green wrapping paper that is 5 to 7 inches longer than your teens or child's waist. Cut fringe from top to bottom, down the entire length of the wrapping paper, leaving two inches uncut at the top to function as the waistband. Stick 5-inch strips of self adhesive hook and loop closures onto the ends of the waistband and then wrap the grass skirt around your child's waist, using the hook and loop closure to fasten. Pair the skirts with a lei and pretend to be hula dancers. An instructional video can help older teens to learn authentic hula dancing moves.
Palm Tree Paper Crafts
Even the youngest children will enjoy creating their own paper palm trees. Have the teens cut out palm leaves from green construction paper and paper trunks from brown construction paper. The younger kids glue the palm leaves onto the trunk and then decorate them with green sparkly paint. Allow the trees to dry before displaying on your wall or fridge.
Paper Fish
Snorkeling is one of the most enjoyable past times in Hawaii, with a variety of brightly colored tropical fish easily visible just under the surface of the water in many bays. Create your own fishy paradise by helping the kids make paper fish. Ask the teens to cut out small, medium and large triangles in a variety of colors of construction or hand made art paper. Glue the smallest triangle to the largest triangle in order to form the head and fin of the fish, then glue the head to the medium triangle to form the tail. Stick self adhesive googly eyes onto the head of the fish. Teens can cover a bulletin board with blue paper in a variety of colors, add metallized nylon reefs and pin the fish to the board to simulate the experience of seeing brightly colored fish while snorkeling.
Tags: construction paper, around your, brightly colored, child waist, each flower