Ten Easy Riddles for Kids Part II

Hope you enjoyed part one of the riddles for kids. These riddles with answers are seriously silly and yet fun. You may make faces while reading them, but trust me not everyone can guess the answers in first try. You definitely need to scratch your heads for few of these questions. Enjoy!

Ten Easy Riddles for Kids

Q.1 What has many keys but can't open any door?

Ans. A keyboard


Q.2 What has killed elephants, defeated lions and attacked soldiers, but yet gets imprisoned in the spider's web?

Ans. A housefly


Q.3 What everyone of us has and can never lose it?

Ans. A shadow


Q.4 What goes up and doesn't come back down?

Ans. Your age


Q.5  What type of fish can never swim?

Ans. Dead Fish


Q.6 What has two banks but no money?

Ans. River


Q.7 What type of bed can fly?

Ans. A bed bug


Q.8 What is the center of Gravity?

Ans. The letter V


Q.9 Which letter of the alphabet has the most water?

Ans. The letter 'C'


Q.10 What comes in the center of American and Australia?

Ans. The letter 'r'

Ten Easy Riddles for Kids Part I

Kids love riddles. They enjoy thinking about the answer and challenging friends with riddles. Such silly yet head scratching questions are always enjoyable and can be a great way to spend quality time with kids.  Here are ten riddles that are easy and fun.

Ten Easy Riddles for Kids

Q. 1  What do policeman apply on their bread?

Ans. Traffic jam


Q.2  Who drinks water and dies?

Ans. Fire


Q.3  Who looks like half chopped apple?

Ans. Other half of apple


Q.4  Two rooms in which we can't enter?

Ans. Mushroom and Broom


Q.5  Which is the brightest day of the week?

Ans. Sunday


Q.6  Who has a head but cannot think?

Ans. Coin


Q.7  Which city shocks you?

Ans. Electricity


Q.8  What can run but has no feet?

Ans. River


Q.9  What has a face and two hands but no legs?

Ans. Clock


Q.10  What has thumb and four fingers but is not a living thing?

Ans. A glove

How To Make A Water Filter

This is a simple activity for kids, that help them learn about water purification process and how it is carried out. This could work as one of the best summer engaging activity for kids, as they not only make the water filter right from scratch, but understand and learn science. The making of water filter with this activity is easy and the kids will have lot of fun making it. The wonders of science can be learned through such simple techniques. The technique is pretty simple and kids can carry on themselves, with adult supervision.

Materials Required For Making a Water Filter

Pet bottle - 1(2 liter capacity)
Gravel
Activated charcoal
Cotton ball
Dirty water

Method for Making a Water Filter

1

With the help of an adult, cut the bottle in half.  Put the bottle upside down resembling a funnel inside the bottom half. This is what the use is - the bottom half would work as the collector of the filtered water and the top half will be where we build the filter.

2

Place a thick layer of cotton ball inside the filter, i.e. the top half of the bottle. Now continue to add one layer of thick crust of activated charcoal on the cotton ball.

3

Place the third layer of gravel on the sand. Lightly shake the filter, so that all the layers are fixed firmly in their place. Your filter is ready.

4

Pour the dirty water through this filter. You can make your own dirty water by adding bits of paper, small leaves, little mud or dirt in the water. Once you pour this dirty water in the filter, wait for the filtration process to happen. Do not pour all the dirty water, but keep some as a specimen which you can compare later with the filtered water.

5

You will soon see that once the water starts moving through all the layers, it gets much cleaner than before.

6

Gather all the filtered water and compare it with the dirty water you have kept. You will notice the difference in both the water.

How it Works

Activated charcoal is often used in the water purification process, mostly in commercial water filters. As the water travels through each layer of the filter, the dirt gets stuck in each layer. The bigger pieces of dirt like paper bits, get stuck on the first layer. The small pieces pass through the first layer but get stuck in the charcoal layer. The cotton ball layer gets rid of the fine dirt and the result you get is the filtered water.

Tip

If you do not have activated charcoal, make use of sand. Add a thick crust of sand instead of charcoal on the cotton ball layer. 

How to Make Your Own Terrarium

With few simple steps one can easily make a beautiful terrarium right at home. Making your own terrarium can be perfect DIY activity to be carried out with kids or for school projects. Terrarium both open as well as closed can be perfect decor to lighten up your house as well as office. It is all about selecting the plants for Terrarium, the right terrarium container, getting the right materials and planning some landscaping around it. Once you have all the materials you need to make the terrarium, then the steps to follow are pretty easy. You needs to find a glass jar or a glass bowl or even a wine glass as a desired terrarium container in which you wish to make your own terrarium.

DIY Terrarium kits are nowadays easily available online which can help out novices to make their own terrarium. These DIY Terrarium kits come out handy when you are not sure about the right material to use as well as selecting the right terrarium plants. For the first timers who wish to learn making their own terrarium, DIY Terrarium Kits are really useful. These DIY Terrarium kit comes with either one or two succulents, gravel, a terrarium container, some decorative items, sand and charcoal. The kit comes with easy step by step instruction manual which helps you to make your own terrarium. But for those enthusiasts who do not wish to buy a terrarium kit online, can definitely give it a try by just gathering some simple materials and make their own terrarium garden. These materials can be easily made available from a plant nursery. Terrarium Containers can be selected as per your own wish. People who are in the habit of collecting pebbles and decorative materials can use their imagination and make a beautiful terrarium garden of their own. Follow these simple steps and learn how to make your own terrarium garden.

Materials to Make Your Own Terrarium

Terrarium Container - 1, any of your choice
Spoon - Preferably with a long handle, depending on your terrarium container
Plant - 1 or 2 succulents or any other small, slow growing plants of your choice
Gravel - preferably small pea gravel of any color you prefer
Activated Charcoal
Moss - Some sphagnum moss (optional)
Potting Soil
Vermi-compost
Sand
Decorative pebbles or rocks
Small toys or clay items

Method to Make Your Own Terrarium

1

Let us start with a clean, clear open top glass bowl. I have used a fish bowl for my open terrarium. Make sure that the terrarium container you are using is clean and dry.

Clean and dry terrarium container

2

Depending on the length and opening of your terrarium container either with the help of a spoon or with your hands start placing gravel at the bottom of the terrarium. Add gravel at least 1 to 2 inch layer. This gravel layer works as a drainage for your terrarium. The small rocks that you add in your terrarium container collect the water drainage.

Adding gravel as the first layer

3

Add a thin layer of activated charcoal on the top of the rocks. This activated charcoal layer should be at least 1 to 1/2 inch placed evenly on the gravel. The activated charcoal layer is an important part of any terrarium both open or closed, as it prevents bacteria to develop in the terrarium and also prevents bad odour. Learn more about How to take care of your terrarium

Adding activated charcoal to the terrarium container

4

Once the activated charcoal layer is evenly placed, add a layer of potting soil with help of the spoon. Mix a potting soil with vermicompost and start adding it over the top of the charcoal layer. Make sure that you do not add too much of vermicompost, as you do not want the plants to grow fast. The soil layer should be at least 3 to 4 inches, depending upon the size of your terrarium container. Before adding the potting soil make sure that the soil is evenly moisten but not soggy.

If you are planning to plant moss in your terrarium to prevent the soil from mixing into the gravel then place the moss over the activated charcoal before adding the potting soil.

Adding potting soil to your terrarium container

5

With the help of the spoon stem, make a hole within the soil and place your first plant. The hole made should be big enough for the plant to root into the soil. Remove the plant from its pot, gently tap the plant to remove the excess soil and then gently nestle the plant inside the hole you made and tap lightly on the soil for the plant to hold up firmly in the place where it is planted.

Planting succulent in your terrarium container

6

If you are planning to plant more than one plant inside the terrarium, start doing so. Continue planting the plants that you have chosen to plant within the terrarium container. These terrarium plants could either be succulents or any other  terrarium plants of your choice which grow slow. You can also opt for flowering plants. It is advisable to start planting at the back of the terrarium container and then move your way forward. Or you can plant sideways depending on the size of the terrarium container. If you are planting tall plants in the sides, you can use extra layer of the potting soil for tall plants.

You can place more than one plant in a terrarium

7

Once all the plants are been potted and arranged, place one layer of sand over the potting soil. This layer should at least be 1/4th inch in thickness.

Adding a sand layer

8

Once you have done planting, you can start decorating the terrarium by adding accessories that you have collecting for your terrarium garden.  This could include a moss carpet, toys, glass beads, buttons, pebbles, sea shells, shiny objects, etc. Use your own imagination and finish the landscaping. This landscaping will complete the look. You can always change the landscaping afterwards and replace the decorative items.

Decorate the terrarium with pebbles and sea shells

Your terrarium garden is ready!


Learn more about Open Terrarium Care

How to Grow a Cress Caterpillar

School projects include various activities such as growing plants for science projects or even craft projects which asks for growing plants in recycled pots. Such DIY projects helps children learn and understand in fun way as well as it turns out educational. Involving kids in such projects encourages a child to understand the importance of recycled products and also help them learn growing plants.

Cress plant grows quickly and hence can be part of a DIY project where one has not much time altogether. Not only it grows quickly but can also be used in salad preparations or even sandwiches. Thus using cress plant can pretty much make sure that your project completes in time.

Materials you will need for growing a Cress Caterpillar

Egg shells - 4 or 5
Cardboard egg box cut outs - 4 to 5
Scissor
Googly eyes
Paint - green, red and black
Paintbrushes
Glue
Cress seeds - 4 to 5 tsp
Cotton wool
Red pipe cleaner or red card paper

Method for growing a Cress Caterpillar

1

Take four or five eggs shells and clean them. Remove any dirt or stain and wipe out clean. With the help of scissor, trim the top of the shells.

2

Pain each egg shell green with help of paint and brush. Once the paint dries, put red spots on each shell using red paint and brush.

3

Select one egg shell which you plan to put in front and stick googly eyes on it. If you do not have googly eyes, make out eyes with help of a card paper and stick on the egg shell. With the help of black paint and brush paint a mouth. Allow to dry.

4

Paint each egg box cut out with green color and allow them to dry. Once done place each egg shell in each egg box. This cardboard egg box will act as the dishes for the egg shell planters.

5

Place a wad of cotton in the bottom of each egg shell. Sprinkle 1 tsp of cress seeds on top of this cotton wad. Pour spoonful of water over the wool.

6

To make the antennae for the face of the caterpillar which has been glued googly eyes, twist the pipe cleaner and stick on both ends of the egg shell. If pipe cleaner is not available, you can cut out a spiral shape on red card paper and stick it on the face of the egg shell.

7

Place the caterpillar in the desired area and add little water daily. The cress plant takes about one week to grow and then you can just snip it out whenever you wish. Your Cress Caterpillar is ready.

Handy tips

1. Take care that you do not dry out the cotton wool.

2. Do not add too much water

3. Add water with help of a spoon.

How to Build Your Own Hovercraft Toy

Making a hovercraft toy is a DIY fun activity for kids. This simple activity where the children make their own hovercraft using simple materials available easily at home would keep kids busy and entertained during weekends and holidays. The best part about making this hovercraft toy is that you could use it as a toy made from recyclable materials and thus label it as a recyclable craft.

Materials required to build your own Hovercraft Toy

Old CD - 1
Balloon - 1, big size
Pop-top cap - 1 (from used drinking water bottle)
Glue

Method for Hovercraft Toy

1

Take a pop-top cap and with the help of glue, stick it in the center of the used CD right around the hole. Ensure that before sticking, the pop-top cap is closed. Allow it to dry completely.

2

Stretch the neck of the balloon on the pop-top cap.

3

Once done, blow the balloon from the other end of the CD. Now open the cap. Place this hovercraft on a smooth surface and watch how it glides away. It is important that the hovercraft toy you made is placed on the smooth surface to allow smooth gliding.

How this Works?

A hovercraft is a vehicle that is known to glide over a smooth surface by hovering on an air-cushion. And hence it is also known as a Air Cushion Vehicle. The air currents trapped beneath the vehicle's surface allow the vehicle to glide smoothly. 

Paper Cutting and Pasting Craft Ideas for Kids - Leaping Frog

Simple paper cutting and pasting ideas always interest kids. Such activities are also part of school projects and usually turn out to be much creative. Cut and Paste craft worksheets are readily available at all leading stationery stores. But it is fun for a child to draw and cut out a craft and then paste it himself on a drawing book and make it part of a whole picture. Such simple cut and paste activities ensure kids to be free from boredom and engages them in creativity.

Making a leaping frog out of paper cutting and pasting activity is one such simple draw, cut and paste activities which kids may enjoy doing. The material required are just few, readily available ones and time required is just a few minutes. It is easy and fun making this leaping frog out of scratch and then pasting it to a drawing paper. Once completed, kids can use the picture as part of a photo frame or could use it as a gift to someone.

Materials Required for Paper Cutting and Pasting of Leaping Frog

Green Card Paper - 1 sheet
White Card Paper - 1 square sheet
White card paper - 2 small round cutout for eyes
Child friendly scissors - 1
Pencil - 1
Black marker - 1
Sketch pens / felt pens - green, blue, brown and any other of your choice
Adhesive or glue

Method for Paper Cutting and Pasting of Leaping Frog

1

Draw a circle on a green card paper and cut out with the help of child friendly scissors.

2

Once done, with the help of pencil roughly draw out the shape shown below.

3

Darken the shape with a black marker, and continue to join the shape as shown below with the help of dotted lines.

4

Now start cutting the shape from both the sides until you reach the dotted lines. Once done, fold this line so that the body of the frog turns upwards and the hind legs of the frog come out from the backwards. You can also cut the whole portion if you like and stick the hind legs behind the back of the frog. Also stick the eyes on the top of the head.

5

Cut two front legs of the frog on the green card paper and stick them to the back of the body of the frog with the help of adhesives.

6

With the help of sketch pens or felt pens of your choice, add some features on the frog, like spots or zigzag lines. Kids can also make use of stickers or glitter if they wish to use to add decorative features to the leaping frog.

7

Now stick the frog in middle of  the white card paper. Do not apply glue to the whole body of the frog, just apply it in the center of it's back and stick it. This gives a 3-D effect. Now draw water, plants, stone or any other drawing of your choice to finish the landscape. Your leaping frog is ready. 

Paper Craft Ideas for Kids - How to Make a Spiral Snake

Kids enjoy craft ideas which help them be creative. Such simple craft work with paper should be encouraged to help a child enjoy his free time skillfully. Craft ideas using paper, paint or clay can, not just help a child be creative but also engage them in a productive way. Making simple craft activities can be introduced and encouraged as a hobby. Who knows starting with simple paper craft may just boost your child's talent and help him explore his capabilities.

Spiral Snake 

Making a spiral snake is a simple paper craft idea which can be a fun activity for kids. This spiral snake is easy to make and needs few material which are available at home. A child can make this spiral snake himself, but may require some help with cutting the paper depending on his age, though you could make use of child friendly scissors.

Materials required for making Spiral Snake

White Card Paper - 1 sheet
Child friendly scissors - 1
Pencil - 1
Black marker - 1
Sketch Pens / Felt pens - all colours
Glitter pens - any colour of your choice
Wool thread(of any colour) - 1/2 meter

Method for making Spiral Snake

1

Place a stencil or a circular plate on the card paper and with help of a pencil, draw a circle. Cut the circle with scissor.

2

Starting at any point on the rim of the circle, start drawing a spiral with a pencil slowly and continue working your way up to the center. Once the spiral is completed, using a marker carry on the pencil line to make a permanent spiral. The spiral should be drawn such that it should resemble a coiled-up snake.

3

With the pencil, lightly start marking sections along the spiral, dividing the spiral into different portions. Start from the tip or the tail or spiral snake and slowly move towards the face. It is not necessary that the portions or sections of the spiral should be of equal shape, you can divide them into uneven sections of your choice.

4

Once the sections are marked, start filling each portion with colours and designs of your choice. Try to include different patterns and colours in sections which are placed side by side. Try and use imagination while filling in the colours. Designs can be made by using glitter pens also. There is no specific rule of how you should fill in the colour and draw the designs. The children can use their imagination while doing so. Only remember that each spiral section needs to be coloured differently than its earlier section.

5

Remember to keep little space between each section while filling colours. Once you are done making designs and colouring all the sections, fill in the little space between each section with the help of a black marker.

6

Once the design is complete, start cutting the spiral shape from the tail area along the spiral made with black marker, till the mouth of the snake. Be careful while doing so, as you don't want to cut the snake in the middle.

7

Once done, tie a wool thread by making small hole on the center of the snake face. Tie the other end of the thread to any window curtain rod or any other preferable place, where the snake would get some breeze which will help it move. This spiral snake can be a perfect craft idea which works as a decoration for your child's room.

How to Make Ladybug Rock Painting

A ladybug is an easy rock painting design for kids. You can try doing it with water clours or acrylic colours as you wish. Once a child gets a general idea how to do it, he can try making it with different vibrant colours. A ladybug rock can be a perfect gift for special occasions, you can gift it to mom and dad who can use it as paper-weights for their offices or you can gift it to grand mom who can place it as a decorational piece in her living room. They can also be made for school projects or DIY projects for kids as cultivating hobby. You can also make ladybug rocks using various colours and decorate your garden by placing them side by side near pot and plants. So lets learn how to paint ladybug rock art step by step. 

Materials required for making ladybug rocks

Stone, preferably flat, small and circular - 1
Acrylic colours of your choice
Acrylic colour - black
Acrylic colour - white (optional)
Glue
Wiggly eyes - 2
Sketch pen - black colour
Sketch pens of your choice
Rough paper sheet - 1
Rough cloth

Method for making Ladybug Rocks

1

Try and use a flat and circular stone for making a ladybug rock. Once selected, first wash and dry out the rock thoroughly with a rough cloth. Set aside.

2

Draw a rough model of the ladybug on a rough paper sheet and colour it with the desired colours you wish to give by means of the sketch pens. Note that you would be using the same paper sheet as a model to paint the rock. So try and use the same colours on the paper as you would use on the rock. Here I have painted a rough sketch on the paper, which would act as my model for the session.

3

Paint the whole stone (top portion) with acrylic black colour. Allow it to dry thoroughly. You may need to add one or two coats of paint to get the proper smoothness and texture. It totally depends on the rock.

4

Now simply paint 3/4th portion of the rock with the other colour of your choice. You can select any colours other than red, such as yellow, blue, green or orange. Leave topmost portion of the rock black, assuming it is the head. There is no exact measurement of how much you should paint, just look at your model drawn on the paper and accordingly colour the rock.

5

Draw small circles with help of black sketch-pen on the body of the rock. Fill it with black colour. There is no exact numbers of how many circles you should draw, you can draw many circles if they are small dots, and if you wish to draw big circles then keep them very few. 

6

Once you are finished with the body, lets get the eyes in place. With the help of glue you can paste the wiggly eyes on the top of the head. If you do not find eyes, then no worries, just draw circles with white colour using a pointed brush.

Allow the colours and eyes to dry out. Your ladybug rock art is ready. To help the colour last longer, use a sealer. 

How to Make Paper Lantern - Easy Steps

School projects in India always include DIY projects for kids about making articles such as diyas, lanterns etc; especially during Diwali. Making paper lantern is a quick and easy craft ideas for kids. Here's an easy method of making paper lantern using materials easily available at your local stationery shop. The steps for making this paper lantern are so easy that kids can do it themselves. Let's learn step by step method to make paper lantern at home.

Materials required for making paper lantern 

Ice-cream sticks - 32
Butter paper - 2 sheets
Ruler
Scissor
Glue
Pencil

Method for making paper lantern

1

Take two butter papers. Apply glue on one vertical end of each butter paper and stick the edges to make one long sheer of paper.

2

With the help of a ruler and pencil, draw four squares on the glued butter paper. I have measured 12 cm X 12 cm. If you want to make big lantern, draw bigger squares.

3

Now With the help of scissor cut this long rectangle that contains 4 squares side by side. My rectangle measured 48 cm in length and 12 cm in breadth.

4

Now try to fold these squares at end. It would look like a cube. Now join the two ends of this rectangular butter paper.

5

In case you make a bigger square, you may require two ice cream sticks or one and half ice cream sticks. With the help of glue, stick ice-cream sticks on edges of each square. Cut few ice-cream sticks in small shapes like drops and paste it in the center of each square paper to make a unique design.

6

Stick two ice-cream sticks on top of the lantern for suspension. If you have made this lantern using bigger squares then you should use a lace or decorative thread on top of the lantern for suspension.

Your decorative paper lantern is ready.