Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Popsicle Stick Puzzles

In our house, we love puzzles... well, toddler puzzles, that is! Inspired by Pinterest and Sara at Mom Endeavors, and my new-found love of Mod Podge, I decided we would make our own popsicle stick puzzles.  The concept is simple enough, and honestly the trickiest part is cutting the pieces apart at the end - but we'll get to that.  Here's how we did it:

Popsicle Stick Puzzles

Materials:
Mod Podge
Brush
Popsicle sticks
Printed image or photo
Scotch tape
Snack baggies
Craft knife

Instructions:
We found our images online... my son's new favorite shows are Doc McStuffins and Octonauts, so I simply 'Googled' those titles under images.  I printed them on cardstock paper, then cut them out.  We also used a few photos for puzzles.  I thought Olivia would enjoy those ones especially.

Lay out the popsicle sticks to see how many you'll need for each image.  Bonus - this is a good counting exercise for your  little one!  Tape the sticks together, then flip it over so the taped side is down, and then cover the sticks with a layer of Mod Podge.  I found that a wide paint brush worked better than the foam brush, though it was harder to clean.

Carefully lay the image on top of the sticks.  We used a Mod Podge brayer to get get rid of any air bubbles - I think this was Ethan's favorite part!  Then let this dry about 30 minutes.

Add a thin layer of Mod Podge on top of the image, and let dry.  (You could repeat this step one more time, but I found one layer was ok).
Once the Mod Podge has completely dried, flip the sticks over and remove the scotch tape.  Use your craft knife to carefully cut the pieces apart.  I recommend using a cutting board or craft mat so you don't cut your work surface (ahem, some lessons are learned the hard way... even for Mumma!)

The puzzles can be stored perfectly in snack-size baggies, and are a perfect take-along to restaurants or other travels since they're so lightweight.

This is my entry into The DIY Dreamer... From Dream To Reality sponsored by Appliances Online and their best Range Cookers.  

I'm also linking up with a bunch of great fellow bloggers today, come along for the party!


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29 comments:

  1. I will definitely be making these for my puzzle loving girlies. Thanks for sharing!

    Erin @ crafty-biggers.blogspot.com

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  2. Very cute idea! new follower!

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  3. What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. What a great craft! These look just about my kid's speed. Pinning in hopes I'll actually get around to making them.

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    1. thanks for coming by, and thanks for pinning! :)

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  6. Such a cute & fun idea! Thanks for sharing

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  7. I love this! What a great idea! Do you mind if I pin it?

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    1. pin away, my friend! :) thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I don't even have kids, i bet you could call me a kid myself and i still love these!
    -myfairbaking

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  9. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! What a great idea and looks so easy to make!

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  10. What a cute idea! You were my 100th blog follower and I'm your 99th! Thanks for stopping over @ ramblingsfromutopia.com.

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  11. What a great idea! Need to try that with my four year old!

    XO,
    Zhanna

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  12. This is a brilliant idea! Can't wait to try this with my little boy when he gets bigger =D ... I'm your newest GFC follower. Looking forward to reading your posts xx

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    1. thanks so much for stopping by, and following! :)

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  13. Found you via Raising Bean. This is great...I'm about to do a busy bag exchange with my twins club, and I think this is one of the activities we will do. I'll share the link with my club. Thanks for sharing! Happy to be a new follower!

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  14. Hi, Thanks for stopping by at craftionary. You blog is so informative for kids activities. This I have to try for my lil guy. :)
    Have a nice day!

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    1. thanks for your kind note :) you made me smile!

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  15. Oh LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! So much fun!

    Thanks for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!

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  16. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such a nice comment. I've been perusing your blog. It's so cute. I love this puzzle idea. I've seen them before, but I've never made one. I like the one with the picture of your kids. That would be so fun for a kid to put together a puzzle of himself.

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    1. oh you're so welcome, and thanks for visiting me back!

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  17. So glad my post inspired you to make some! :) They're so easy & perfect for the kiddos! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! :)

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  21. Cute puzzle and a simple craft. Great idea! P.S. - I love your blog tagline :)

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    1. thanks so much for your sweet comment! :)

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