Halloween costume - the Neighborhood Trolley

Halloween is an excellent opportunity for making things. When my pre-schooler asked if we could make a costume for the Neighborhood Trolley (from Daniel Tiger's neighborhood), how could I say no?

We started with a cardboard box. Mom cut out the window and printed out characters from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (from pbskids.org). 

 She colored the characters and taped them in the windows.

We added some paper and some extra cardboard behind the characters for support.

 Finally, we used LittleBits to make a working headlight.

Now we just need to put the wheels back on and we'll be ready to roll around the neighborhood.

Moving drawings

This week, my pre-schooler folded the edges of a piece of paper toward the center and colored the pieces folded in and the center area. I had no idea what she was doing. When she was done, she told me that it was a butterfly and demonstrated its flapping wings. I am ridiculously proud of this paper butterfly. She came up with the idea of constructing a "moving" drawing all on her own and figured out how to fold the paper to accomplish her goals. Or perhaps she folded her paper and accidentally discovered that it resembled a butterfly.

A month or so ago, we were at a children's museum where my daughter saw (and tried) origami. The instructions (and example) provided were of a bird with flapping wings (see below). Perhaps this experience planted the seed that led her to experimenting with folding paper this week.