Father's Day Crafts

Create a mini golf course for your father out of cast-aside home items. Using your imagination, you'll create a challenging backyard courses that will make you the envy of the neighborhood on Father's Day.

What You'll Need:

Long stick

New sponge

Colored tape

Empty juice cans

Paint

Paintbrushes

Oatmeal containers

Scissors

Shoe boxes

Hula hoop

Sand

Corrugated cardboard

Blocks

Foil pie plates

Small rocks

Golf ball

You can make the course inside or outside your house. Generally, there are either 9- or 18-hole golf courses, but make yours as large as you have space for.

To make a golf club, attach a new sponge with colored tape to the end of a long stick. To make the course, you will want to set up obstacles before each of the holes.

To make a hole, lay a small empty can on its side. Paint the can, and write the number of the hole on it.

You can make the obstacles in lots of different ways. For example, a tunnel can be made by cutting the bottoms from lidless oatmeal containers and taping them together.

Turn a shoe box upside down, and cut an arch on either side of it big enough for the golf ball to pass through.

If you are outdoors, you can pour sand inside a hula hoop to make a sand trap. Make tents of corrugated cardboard and build towers from blocks.

Set up foil pie plates in a daisy pattern with just enough room for a golf ball to pass through the petals. Use small rocks to hold things down if you are outdoors and it is a windy day.

Keep score to see how many strokes it takes to get your golf ball in each of the holes. Challenge Dad to get a birdie -- or a hole in one!

Make Dad's day even more special with a special hug card he will warmly embrace. Learn how you can make this card for Dad to carry everywhere he goes.

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A "hug for you" card is a great way to remind your father how much you love him.

What You'll Need:

Construction paper

Scissors

Markers

Glue

To make the card, cut out a large plate-sized head shape and draw on hair and a face so that it looks like you.

Cut out an 18 x 3/4-inch rectangle. This will be the arms.

Glue the head to the middle of the arms. Now trace around your hands on a separate sheet of paper, and cut out the hand shapes. Glue a hand to the end of each arm.

Fold the arms in so that the hands overlap. Inside the arms write a message for dad, such as "Here is a big loving hug for you on Father's Day!"

Find out how much you know about your dad with an all about dad poster that you create with special images, quotes and more that tell all about his life.

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Dad will be so surprised to find out how much you know about him with this All About Dad poster for Father's Day.

What You'll Need:

Construction paper

Scissors

Markers

Cardboard

Gold or silver foil

Ribbon

Glue

Snapshots

Old magazines and catalogs

Poster board

There's an old saying about gifts: It's the thought that counts. Well, to make this gift you are sure to be thinking a lot about dad.

What do you know about him? Is he funny? Serious? Loving? Do you remember times when he did something really nice or brave? Did he scare away a bear from a family picnic? Did he rescue a kitten from a tree? Does he make delicious pancakes for Sunday breakfast?

Think of all the things you love about your dad, and write them down on pieces of colored paper cut into different shapes.

Make medals by covering cardboard circles with foil and gluing ribbon to the back. Cut out a smaller circle of paper to glue on the foil and write what the medal is for, such as "Best Hugger" or "Best Gardener."

Gather up extra snapshots of dad, or ask an adult to make photocopies of them. Cut out pictures of dad's favorite things from old magazines or catalogs. Draw pictures of the two of you together, having a good time.

When you have gathered or made all the things you want to put on your poster, lay them out in different arrangements on your poster board.

After you find a pattern you like, glue the pieces down and write the words "ALL ABOUT DAD" at the top. Add the date and your own message to dad in one of the bottom corners, such as "Happy Father's Day!"

Make Dad a sweet treat for Father's Day with giant cookies that look as good as they taste. Find the recipe on the next page.

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Make Father's day a little sweeter with these giant dad cookies painted with love on Father's Day.

What You'll Need:

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

4 egg yolks

2 mixing bowls

Cups and spoons

Electric beater

Rolling pin

Empty 1-pound coffee can with top and bottom cut out and edges smoothed down

Small bowls

Food coloring

Spoons

Paintbrushes

Spatula

Cookie sheet

Have an adult help you preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric beater until it is fluffy.

Add the flour mixture a little at a time, and stir until everything is well blended. Roll out the dough on a clean counter. Use a coffee can to cut out large circles -- make sure an adult has smoothed down the edges of the can so you don't cut yourself.

To make the cookie paint, put an egg yolk in a small bowl with a few drops of food coloring. Stir until well mixed. For each color you want, you will need another egg yolk in a separate bowl.

Now write sweet messages and paint pictures on your giant cookies. Write things such as "I Love My Dad," "Best Dad," and "Dad Is Great!"

Then carefully lift the cookies with a spatula and bake them on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes or until they are just slightly brown. When the cookies have cooled, serve dad a sweet message on his special day.

Make dad a gift he can really use. Find how you can create a key keeper that dad can hang by the door so he'll see it before he leaves for work every day.

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The key to the perfect Father's Day gift is one that you make with lots of love -- like Dad's key keeper.

What You'll Need:

5X7-inch wood plaque

Sandpaper

Soft cloth

Light blue acrylic paint

Paintbrush

Pencil

Bright blue paint pen

Old newspapers

Acrylic spray sealer

Three gold-tone cup hooks, 1/2 inch each

10 assorted coins, charms, or medallions, between 1/2 inch and 1-1/2 inches in diameter

Low-temperature glue gun and glue sticks

Two soda can tabs

(Adult help needed!)

Lightly sand the wood plaque; wipe it clean with a soft cloth. Paint the surface with light blue paint. Let dry, then apply a second coat.

Using a pencil, lightly print the words "Dad's Keys" on the plaque. Trace the pencil lines with the paint pen. (Hint: Add small dots to the beginning and end of each letter for a fun style.)

If the plaque has a raised edge, outline the edge with the paint marker. Place the plaque outside on old newspapers. Ask an adult to help you lightly spray the plaque with the acrylic spray sealer. Let dry.

Ask an adult to help you screw the three cup hooks into the wood, evenly spaced, about 1-inch up from the bottom of the plaque. Arrange the assorted coins, charms, or medallions on the plaque. When you're happy with the design, glue them in place.

To hang the plaque, glue two soda can tabs to the back of the plaque so the loops of the tabs will hang on nails in the wall. Give to your dad on Father's Day or any time of year!

Looking for another practical Father's Day gift dad will truly love? Continue reading to learn how to make a dandy desk organizer.

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Dad will love this dandy desk organizer for Father's Day -- and you'll love making it!

What You'll Need:

Cereal box

Construction paper

Transparent and colored tape or glue

Assorted cardboard food containers (orange juice cans, small cereal boxes, etc.)

Scissors

Stickers

Markers or crayons

Other craft supplies

Use tape or glue to cover a large cereal box with colored paper. Arrange the assorted food containers on the cereal box, and carefully trace the outlines.

Cut out each shape so the containers will fit into the cereal box.

Cover the containers with colored paper, insert them in the cereal box, and glue or tape them in place.

Now decorate everything; you can use stickers, markers, crayons, construction paper cutouts -- anything you think dad would like!

Dad will love his nighttime reading with a special bookmark you can make just for him this Father's Day. Find out how you can turn your dad into a bookworm with this unique gift.

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For Father's Day, make Dad his own special bookmark. He'll love it!

What You'll Need:

Self-hardening clay

Large paper clip

Craft glue

Paint

Paintbrush

Does your father have a favorite hobby or activity? Is he a golfer, fisher, gardener, or bowler? Well, make a craft that is suited to your dad's special interests. He'll know you really care because you went to so much trouble to really think about what he likes.

Using the self-hardening clay, make the object that you want to be on top of the bookmark -- maybe a bowling ball, a fish, a golf ball, or anything you think dad would like! Push the non-clipping end of the paper clip into the back of the clay object. Let the clay dry.

Once the clay is dry, add some craft glue where the clay meets the paper clip to hold the clay in place. When the glue is dry, paint the clay any way you'd like. Is dad's favorite color red? Paint a red fish -- remember, you can use your imagination to create this bookmark. Realism is great, but fanciful is also wonderful!

For more colorful bookmarks, use colored paper clips that match or coordinate with the colors you want to paint the clay. These bookmarks would also make great birthday, thank you, and holiday gifts for every member of your family and all your friends!

A Father's Day gift never smelled so sweet! Check out the gingerbread air freshener that will give Dad a fresh start every day.

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This gingerbread air freshener makes the perfect gift for Father's Day. Dad's car or truck will smell great with this hanging from the rear-view mirror.

What You'll Need:

Sandpaper

Cookie cutter

Pencil

Scissors

Cinnamon sticks

Cheese grater

Clear glue (optional)

Twine or ribbon

On the smooth side of a piece of sandpaper, place a gingerbread man cookie cutter. Trace the shape with a pencil, and cut out the gingerbread man from the sandpaper.

Over the rough side of the sandpaper, grate a cinnamon stick with a cheese grater. (Be careful when you grate; you don't want to scrape your knuckles on the grater.)

The cinnamon should stick in the crevices of the sandpaper, but you can also spread a little clear glue on the sandpaper before you grate the cinnamon.

Use the scissors to punch a small hole in the top of the gingerbread man's head. Put a piece of twine or ribbon through the hole so you can hang dad's new air freshener on the rearview mirror of his car or truck.

For more fun holiday activities and crafts, see:

ABOUT THE CRAFT DESIGNERS:

A Hug For You Card By Lisa Lerner, Kersten Hamilton

All About Dad Poster By Lisa Lerner, Kersten Hamilton

Giant Dad Cookies By Lisa Lerner, Kersten Hamilton

Dad's Key Keeper By Lisa Lerner, Kersten Hamilton