father's day pencil holder gift for kids {tutorial}

Dads are hard to craft for, so I've pretty much given up when it comes to the Father's Day gift from me. But Dads always love a handmade gift from the kids, and my kids are always up for making a crafty gift, especially when it involves Floam! Nickelodeon sent me some awesome samples of Floam to make something fun for our dad, and after lots of playing with this cool stuff, we came up with a pencil cup and covered pen that's easy for kids to make for Father's Day. Plus they've had hours of fun playing with the leftover Floam since (and that's a gift for me!).

Father's Day Pencil Cup Tutorial


  Supplies:
*Floam in colors of your choice
*Plastic mat or foil to protect your surface
*Plastic water or soda bottle (1.5 liters works best, but we used a smaller one, too)
*Scissors
*Tape
*Imagination!

1. Cover your work area. Floam is made to stick to stuff, so you don't want to use it on your countertop. The color can also rub off. So cover it with a plastic mat (which they sell) or some aluminum foil that has been taped in place.

2. When you open your Floam, it will need to be prepped before first use. You can do this easily by kneaded it for a few minutes until the consistency is even throughout (i.e. no sticky patches). If it still feels wet, press it out into a thin rectangle and let it sit for about 15 minutes. (It can be hard to work with if it's too wet.)

 

3. Cut your plastic bottle with a pair of scissors (parents need to help with this step!) so the bottom half is about 4-5" tall.

 

 

4. Press tape around the edges to make sure no one gets cut on the sharp edge of the bottle!

5. Roll out a thin layer of Floam and press it around the cup you made. Break off any excess around the edges. Press Floam to fill in holes until the entire bottle is covered.  

6. Now it's time to decorate! Floam is so cool because you can use cookie cutters and other tools to mold it into about anything you want. Or you can just use your fingers! The kids wanted a border that looked like "Charlie Brown's shirt", so we rolled out a thin strip and cut a chevron pattern with a knife, then pressed it around the center of the cup.

The packaging for the Floam includes mini molds, too! We molded little stars to put around the chevron strip.

7. Once your creation is complete, let it dry for a few hours to overnight.

The kids got creative and covered a pen to go in the cup as well. 

And since making the cups, they've been making all sorts of creatures and creations! Floam is fun because you don't just have to make permanent creations. You can play with it over and over (like Play-doh) if you put it back in the airtight container when you're done.  

 You can find out more about Floam and where to get it here. Thanks to Nickelodeon for the fun samples!