The bright constellation

First, use this guide to measure and cut the card stock strips you'll need for each bird:

Body: 5 (1-inch-wide) strips, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 inches long
Head: 2 (1-inch-wide) strips, 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 inches long
Tail: 5 (1 1/2-inch-wide) strips, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 inches long
Beak: 1 (1- by 2-inch) strip
Eyes: 1 (1- by 1 1/2-inch) strip

Roll the body strips into circles, overlap their ends about 1/4 inch, and secure with tacky glue.

Nest the circles and glue them together. Tip: Use a clothespin to hold the pieces until the glue dries. Do the same with the head strips, then glue the head to the body.

Trim the tail strips into long triangles, then curl them a bit before gluing them together. Glue the tail to the body.

Fold the beak rectangle in half, then cut off the two folded corners at an angle, as shown. Fold in the tabs and glue them to the bird's head.

To make a yarn sunflower, first cut an odd number of petals around the edge of a yellow paper plate. Tape the end of a length of yellow yarn (we used 16 feet for the dinner plates) to the back. Wrap the yarn around the plate, going from one notch to its match across the plate. Tie the two ends together at the back.

Next, to make the weaving easier, wind up a bobbin. Start by anchoring the end of a 5- or 6-yard length of brown yarn by winding it around your forefinger a couple of times. Then wrap the rest of the yarn around your whole hand. When you have about a foot left, carefully pull the wound yarn from your hand. Wrap the loose end around the center of this yarn a few times and tie it to secure.

Find the end of the yarn inside the bobbin and tie it around the intersection of the yellow yarn on the plate's front. Weave the brown yarn around the spokes of yellow yarn, as shown. The yarn should pull neatly from the inside of the bobbin. If you run out of yarn, make and tie on a new bobbin.

Print all of the pages of the Butterfly Bow Mobile on regular paper or white cardstock. You can print out the pages as many times as you like to get your desired number of butterflies.

Fold each sheet of paper along the grey line and cut out each butterfly. Be sure to leave the butterflies attached at the line.

Cut a piece of fishing line, ribbon, string, or twine as long as you would like your mobile to be.

Tape the top end of your string or ribbon to a flat working surface to hold it steady. Remember to leave some room at the top so you can tie your mobile to the object it will hang from. Next, choose your first butterfly and open it so that the blank side of the butterfly is facing up. Lay the string or ribbon directly in the middle of the butterfly. Tape the string or ribbon to the center then cover it in glue. Fold the other half of the butterfly over and press down firmly to ensure that it sticks to the string or ribbon.

Repeat Step 4 with as many butterflies as you desire, adding them down the line. You can put them in any order. For a fun effect, fold the butterfly in half to make it appear like it is flapping its wings.

When you finish, you may cut the excess string below the last butterfly to complete your vertical mobile, or you can tie both ends of the mobile.

Print out a large color photo — portraits have the most dramatic effects! Cut it into long strips, vertical and horizontal pieces, or various geometric shapes (as shown).

Reassemble the photo on a piece of colored paper, spreading out the pieces to let some color come through.

Once you're set on a design, glue the pieces in place.

Simply place liners in a cupcake pan and fill them with mud batter, then decorate the cakes with natural objects, such as berries, flowers, and pebbles.

Trace a notebook onto a paper bag. Cut out the shape and use a glue stick to adhere it to the front of the notebook.

Cut shapes from the decorative papers and arrange them on the notebook, adhering them with a glue stick or glue dots.

If your child wants to make a truly eye-catching summer fashion statement, simply have her use tacky glue to stick googly eyes on the frame of her sunglasses.

Remove any labels from your jar and wash it with warm soapy water. Let dry.

Then place tape in vertical strips around the jar.

Time to paint. Experiment with colors—go for bright and bold or soft and pastel. It's up to you. Let the paint dry overnight.

You can fill the vase with water and flowers or pencils for your desk.

You can find more of Jennifer's playful ideas on her blog Classic Play. You can also find her on facebook and twitter.