Make Your Own Guitar

Colorful and constructive, this craft encourages creativity and an active imagination. Teach your budding artist how to mix colors to create new colors for a simple hands-on lesson on the color wheel. And since you'll use cardboard recycled from old cereal or packing boxes to make your guitar, you'll be helping the environment too!

What You Need:

• Reused cardboard from cereal or packing boxes
• Scissors
• Yarn
• Paint in various colors (primary colors, white, and a metallic or two are great for this craft)
• Paint brushes
• Glue
• Glitter (optional)

What You Do:

1. Begin by cutting out shapes from the cardboard. Have your child cut out a large rectangle for the body of the guitar and a long, thin rectangle for the guitar's neck. Encourage her to cut out other shapes such as small circles, stars, triangles, and squares to use as decorative accents.
2. Glue the body and neck of the guitar together. Let the glue dry.
3. Invite her to glue the smaller cardboard shapes on the body of the guitar in a special design or pattern. Let the glue dry.
4. Now to painting! Encourage her to mix the paint together in different combinations to create new shades and colors. Try mixing metallic paint with regular paint for pretty shimmering shades. What colors did she make? Can she think of special names for her new colors?
5. Invite her to paint her guitar using her new special colors. Try painting the body one color and the smaller decorative shapes other colors.
6. For extra sparkle, sprinkle glitter over the guitar before the paint dries. Shake off the excess.
7. Finish by adding guitar strings. Glue pieces of yarn of equal lengths to the guitar along the neck and down to the center of the body. Let dry.

Although it doesn't make real music, this guitar is great for imaginative play. Turn up her favorite song and let her rock out on her homemade guitar!