Kids Calder Mobile – Todd Oldham’s craft ideas for homemade gifts

By Todd Oldham | October 5th, 2010 at 12:00 am

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Alexander Calder was the king of mobiles. This center-hung mobile is a breeze to balance.

• Assorted colors of adhesive foam
• 6 feet of string
• Scissors
• Wire cutters
• 2 wire hangers

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  Ask an adult to cut 2 hangers using wire cutters into 3 pieces each. 4 short and 2 long total.
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  Place two sheets of adhesive foam back to back. Cut through both layers of foam at the same time, making leaf-like oval shapes in various sizes. You’ll need a total of 12 pairs.
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  Remove the sticker from the back of the foam piece and lay a wire 1 1/2 inches in. Remove the sticker on the matching piece and stick the two together.
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  Match similar-sized foam shapes to the ends of each wire. Make a slight bend in the middle of each wire and stack them as shown.
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  Double-knot at the bottom of the wires, bend and trim. Tie knots around the wires every few inches, leaving 4 feet on the end for hanging. Adjust the balance by lightly bending the wires.

For more great kids crafts check out Kid Made Modern.

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