Pretty Parasol Baskets

[30 Minutes]

Encourage your child to make fancy parasols, filling them with flowers or candy. These make great spring gifts for loved ones!

You'll need:

• 1 semi-circle of cardboard • 1 long pipe-cleaner • stapler or tape • 1 paper doily • scissors • collage materials and glue and/or crayons

What to do:

1. Cut a semi-circle out of cardboard.
2. Explain to your child what a parasol is and how it is used. (It is an umbrella to protect people from the sun.)
3. Invite her to decorate the cardboard on both sides.
4. Bend the cardboard to form a cone. Staple or tape it along the seam.
5. Help your child poke 2 holes near the top of the cone and to insert the pipe cleaner as a handle.
6. Cut the center out of a doily and help your child push it into the cone. She can bend the edges over the cone edges.

How to use:

Let your child fill the parasol with holiday candy such as jelly beans or fresh flowers.

Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.

• How did you decorate the outside of your parasol?
• What things can you put inside?
• Would you like to receive a parasol as a gift?

Useful information:

While you are having fun together, this activity helps your child develop small muscle skills and eye/hand coordination.