Turn the living room into a temporary studio, and the bedroom into an inspired artist's garret. Pull out pencils, pens, clay, coloured paper, glue - whichever materials your kids call favourites - and encourage them to recast their setting with bursts and blends of colour.

If you're looking for projects to kick start their imaginations, here are several for a variety of moods and personalities: haiku for a poetic spirit, a cardboard car raceway for an adventurous disposition, and a funny-face maker that's good for a laugh.
-Mimi Sherman



TINFOIL CHARACTERS

Unlike your average tin men, these foil characters have plenty of heart. All it takes is a pinch here and there to make them strike any pose your child likes. Here's how to shape one.

1. Tear a rectangular sheet (about 25 by 40 centimetres) from a roll of aluminium foil.

2. Make two cuts down from the top of the sheet and one cut up from the bottom, as shown. (For a pet, make two cuts up from the bottom.)

3. Scrunogether the centre of the sheet to form a torso.

4. Pinch and mould the upper corners into arms, and the lower corners into legs and feet. Shape the upper midsection into a head and neck. (The lower midsection makes the tail of the pet.)

CARDBOARD CAR RACEWAY

You don't need cement mixers and bulldozers to construct this motorway. Cut from empty cereal boxes, the pieces fit together so easily that the road will be open to toy traffic in no time.

To cut sections of straight track from each box, draw a line all the way around the box 1.5 centimetres up from the bottom. Cut along the line, then snip away the 1.5 centimetre walls on the narrowest ends. Cut additional pieces from the sides of the box. Use the remaining scraps to cut out corners and guard-rails, as shown. For a curve, cut out a pie-slice-shaped piece of cardboard and a narrow guard-rail.

For roadside realism, create an overpass by cutting an archway through a tea box or use a few boxes to build a petrol station. Finally, lay out the track any way you like, using tape to hold the sections in place where needed.

HAND-PAINTED UMBRELLA

During wet weather, your child can stay dry and make a big splash with a hand-painted umbrella. All you'll need is a pencil or soft chalk; a solid-colour nylon umbrella; foam brushes, one narrow and one broad (sold at most hardware shops); and fabric paint (sold at most art supply shops).

First, have your child use the pencil or chalk to outline her design on the open umbrella. Then she can use a narrow foam brush to paint over the outline and a broad brush to fill in larger shapes. Once the paint dries thoroughly, the umbrella is ready for rain. Here are a few sample designs:

NIGHT SKY: Use a sponge cut-out or a rubber stamp to decorate a navy blue or black umbrella with yellow stars.

FULL BLOOM: Use a paintbrush to create a gardenful of colourful flowers or one giant sunflower.

AROUND THE WORLD: Paint the continents on a light blue umbrella.

THE SOLAR SYSTEM: Paint on a golden sun surrounded by all the planets in orbit.

SPRING HAIKU

Invite your child to share what she loves most about Spring - whether it's watching a robin at the bird feeder or splashing through muddy puddles - by trying her hand at writing haiku. Then she can turn her favourite one into a gift for a grandparent or teacher by printing and illustrating it on a home-made scroll.

WHAT'S A HAIKU? First, explain to your child that the challenge of this Japanese form of poetry is to use three short lines of unrhymed verse (and no more than 17 syllables) to describe something in nature so clearly and simply that the reader will feel like he sees it, too.

PICKING AND CHOOSING WORDS: Once she's decided on a Spring event to highlight in her haiku, your child should try to describe it in the first two lines. In a third line, she can add a personal comment or a surprising twist. When the first draft is done, help her total the number of syllables in each line - the aim is to end up with five each in the first and third lines, and seven in the second line. She may have to cut out words like "the" and "it," or rewrite a phrase, but assure her that this will make the haiku stronger and more interesting.

WINDING IT UP: To craft a scroll for the finished haiku, just use clear tape to attach plastic drinking straws to the top and bottom of a sheet of stationery. Next, thread a button onto a piece of string, and guide the string ends between the straw and the paper in the scroll's upper left corner. Make another tie for the upper right corner. Then, reprint your haiku. Finally, roll up the scroll from bottom to top and wrap the string ends around the buttons to hold it closed.

HONEYBEE TEA SET

If soggy weather puts your child in a sour mood, sweeten things up with a honeybee tea set just right for hosting a party for her favourite dolls. To make the set, you'll need a wooden bead with a 3cm or smaller diameter, cornstarch, polymer clay (such as Fimo) and a toothpick.

TEACUPS AND CREAMER: Dust the wooden bead with cornstarch and stick it to a tabletop with a ball of clay. Next, use your hands to roll some clay into a long, half-centimetre-thick rope and coil it around the bead, spiralling about halfway down. Remove the clay from the bead, then shape the cup by gently pressing the coils together and flattening the bottom. Attach a rolled-clay handle, using a toothpick to press on the ends. To turn a cup into a milk jug, just pinch one side to form a spout. Bake the clay pieces according to the manufacturer's directions.

TEAPOT AND SUGAR BOWL: Follow the directions for making a cup. Once you've removed the bead, add two more rows of coils, decreasing the diameter of the opening as you go. Attach a teapot spout (hollow out the end with a toothpick) or sugar bowl handles. For a lid, top a coil disk with a ball-shaped handle or a bee fashioned out of bits of clay.

SAUCERS AND PLATES: Press some clay into a half-centimetre-thick sheet, and use a bottle cap or a jar lid to cut out saucers and plates.

LAYER CAKE: Stack brown and white clay circles to create layers. Then, frost the whole cake with a thin sheet of white clay and decorate with mini clay flowers. Use a sharp blade (adults only) to cut it into slices.

FUNNY FACES

This felt man is a master of disguise - just give him a shake and he'll put on a new face. With a marker, draw a profile of a person (all but the front of his face) on a felt-covered piece of cardboard. Use a nail to poke a hole in the forehead and the neck, then loosely thread through a length of ball chain, taping the ends to the back of the cardboard. Now hold the drawing flat and jiggle it - the chain will form a nose and chin.

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