Make a Springtime Wind Chime

Ring in spring with this easy-to-make wind chime craft idea for kids. After a long, hard winter of homeschooling, this delightful homemade wind chime is the perfect project to motivate your child, decorate your home or garden, and catch the first fresh breezes of spring. Best of all, it only takes one hour to complete!

What you'll need:
Clear plastic lids (butter, yogurt, etc.)
Permanent pen
Scissors
Fishing line (any color will do, but colorful neon yellow or green looks best)
Stick or wooden dowel (find the perfect stick on an outdoor nature hike)
Jingle bells (find them at any hobby/craft store)
Carpet knife
Paper hole puncher

What to do:
• Cut the rims off the plastic lids.
• Trace your favorite leaf shape on each of the lids with a permanent pen. (If you have a very creative homeschooler, you can experiment with all sorts of shapes to make a really unique wind chime).
• Cut out seven (more if you like) identical leaves with your scissors and create "veins" on the leaves by lightly notching each one with a carpet knife. (Parents, make sure you help your kids with this step. You don't want them to get cut).
• Punch a hole in the top and bottom of each leaf. Tie a ten-inch length of fishing line to the top of each leaf and a four-inch piece of fishing line to the bottom.
• Attach a jingle bell to the short length of fishing line on the bottom of each leaf.
• Tie and hang the leaves (evenly spaced) from the stick or wooden dowel with the longer piece of fishing line.
• To hang the completed wind chime, make a small notch at the ends of the stick or dowel and tie an eight to ten-inch piece of fishing line to each end of the stick.

Springtime wind chimes are a fun and easy way to make this time of year brighter for your homeschool. For more great art ideas your homeschooler will love to do this spring, check out the book Art Ideas from Alpha Omega Publications®.