Playful Ponies

Playful Ponies
Playful Ponies

Make these fun and playful ponies with paper cups and straws.

Ponies are smaller than horses and can be found all over the world. Most ponies are domesticated, but some wild ponies still roam free, like the Chincoteague ponies found on the beaches of Assateague Island.

Follow the directions below to make these fun and playful ponies!

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Crafty Ghost Crabs

Crafty Ghost Crabs
Crafty Ghost Crabs

Make these fun little ghost crabs with plastic Pringles lids.

Ghost crabs can be found on warm beaches near the water’s edge. They like to burrow into the sand during the day and scurry out at night to look for food. Follow the directions below to make these adorable ghost crabs.

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Sandpiper Craft

Sandpiper Craft
Recycled Sandpipers

Make these adorable sandpipers with recycled egg cartons.

Sandpipers are shorebirds that live along beaches, estuaries, and mudflats. Did you know that sandpipers use their long beaks to poke into the sand and look for food?

Follow the directions below to make your own sandpipers.

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Maryland Day Crabs

Maryland crabs
Maryland crabs

In addition to its oysters, Maryland is known for its blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. Help celebrate Maryland Day (March 25th) by making these fun crabs out of paper plates and pipe cleaners.

The blue crab is Maryland’s state crustacean, and its largest commercial fishery. Its scientific name is Callinectes sapidus, which means savory beautiful swimmer.

The second crab in the picture shown displays Maryland’s state flag–a fun way to show state pride.

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Springtime Baby Birds

Baby birds cuddle together
Baby birds cuddle together

Make these adorable birds and their nests using craft Poms, plastic Easter eggs and brown paper bags.

Spring is the time of year when birds are returning to their northern stomping grounds, building their nests, and settling down to lay their eggs. In honor of bird migration and new beginnings offered by springtime, I’m posting this fun craft that entails making a bird’s nest out of a brown paper bag, which then becomes the home of a new baby bird that kids will make out of craft Poms and plastic Easter eggs. Continue reading “Springtime Baby Birds”

Easy Oyster Craft

Students show off their oysters.
Students show off their oysters.

Oyster season has arrived! There is an old saying which espouses that oysters should only be eaten in months with an R, ideally September through April. Today, however, with modern refrigeration and oyster farming all year round, oysters can be eaten any time of year. But, some oyster aficionados hold that oysters are at their freshest and tastiest in the Fall.

In honor of the fall harvest, I’m posting this easy oyster craft. I make this craft with students when I visit schools to read my children’s book, Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay. I teach children that oysters are great for the environment because they are filter feeders and natural cleaners in the water. Continue reading “Easy Oyster Craft”