Changing-Face Magnets: So Fast, So Fun!

By Kathy Ross

This unique idea is not only fun but also will result in sprucing up your refrigerator door with one-of-a-kind magnets. The Bockler family reported this project "turned out to be one of our favorites." On the scale of difficulty and time involved to gather materials and actually make the craft, this one gets high marks for being fast and simple while appealing to a wide age range.

Here is what you'll need:

• Metal lids from frozen juice cans
• Sheet of sticky-back magnet
• Scissors
• A hole punch (If you don't already have one, pick one up at your supermarket or crafts store. They cost only about a dollar and are a valuable additon to your crafts shelf.)
• Collage materials such as thin ribbon, yarn, jingle bells, sequins, buttons, trims, beads, wiggle eyes, pom-poms, and construction paper

Here's what you do:

• Make lots of facial features (eyes, noses, mouths, ears) pieces by sticking a piece of sticky-back magnet on the back of various bits of the collage material. It is easy to get small pieces of magnet for wiggle eyes and tiny pom-poms by using the hole-punch to punch the magnet pieces from the sheet. Don't use a hole-punch with a catcher for the holes on it. The magnets get caught up inside the catcher and are difficult to get out. Stick the punched holes on the metal lid. Peel off the paper backing, and stick the feature to the magnet.

• For larger items such as yarn hair or bows, cut a larger piece from the sheet of magnet.

• For each face, cut a strip of magnet and put it on the back of a metal lid. Arrange the features and other pieces on the front of the lid to create the face of a person, an animal, or an

• Put a piece of magnet on additional metal lids to use for storing the extra facial features.

Hats for the lid faces can be made by covering a piece of sticky-backed magnet with contruction paper and decorating it with markers or by gluing on feathers and other craft materials. Six-year old Nick used green felt and a red craft feather to create a hat for his "Peter Pan" face and was "quite thrilled with the results."

Once you understand the main idea for making the craft, substituting and embellishing will come easily. When Tracy Bockler discovered she had no sticky-back magnet strips left for her three little craft-makers, she used some old magnetic business cards and crafts glue. Not only did she solve her supply shortage, she also found a use for something she no longer needed. The LaClair family added a "piece of a broken earring and small fabric butterflies" to their supplies. Imagination and creativity flourish with this project. The LaClair girls (9 and 5) "made two pretty faces" while older brother, Ryan, declared his lid "the weirdest."

Multi-age crafting can be challenging. Tracy found that making the tiny accessories for her three-year old and letting her use them to design different faces was fun for her youngest. She isn't "proficient with hole punchers or scissors yet." She provided her with novelty craft buttons, a gold bead necklace, bows and curly blond craft hair among other choices. Alli "had fun changing the faces" and came up with a "snazzy girl panda." Tracy's middle child, Nick, knew exactly what he wanted to make, but "wasn't sure how to go about it." Guidance from Tracy resulted in Nick's being "thrilled with the results." Christian, 7 1/2 years old, wanted to "model his face after his own image" and proceeded to do so "completely on his own" using such innovated touches as a jingle bell nose and a red chenille smile.

This is a project that can always be added to on another day. As more face pieces are added to the collection, the possible combinations for faces increases.

It's Also a Take-Along Game

You might want to store the pieces in an old cookie tin. The pieces can be stuck to the inside of the bottom tin and faces can be created on the lid. This makes a great portable game to take along in the car or to an appointment that might involve some waiting time.

Web Sites to Visit

• Go to the MakingFriends Website and look in crafts under F for fruit faces. You will find a colorful printout of fruit with sheets of facial features to create a fruit-face with character!

• Go to the Harcourt Website and look under art, grade 1 to find a delightful set of printable masks of the Three Bears.

Much as the children enjoyed this craft, enthusiasm is reported to be equally high over next week's project, Dinosaur Garden. Both the LaClairs and the Bocklers have already planted the grass garden. Tracy Bockler wrote "I created one of the dinosaurs and their ideas are already flowing".

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