Today I am sharing a fun patriotic craft for kids. I have struggled this summer coming up with activities that both my 7 year old boy and 5 year old girl will both enjoy. My 7 year old LOVES video games and is not really into arts and crafts. He does loves math and patterns though, so I thought it would be fun to give Perler beads a try.
They were a big hit with the kids. My sister is getting married on July 4th, so this year we are very into all things red, white, and blue.
If you have never done Perler beads before, they are a fun and simple craft. I am participating in the Michael’s Summer Blogger challenge, so I picked up all my supplies at Michael’s.
Supplies:
Perler Beads in red, white, and blue
Clear Perler pegboards
Perler heart pegboard
USA and flag template(Below)
Ironing paper(included with your pegboard)
Iron
Perler tweezers, optional but helpful
Directions:
- Print out the USA and flag Perler templates from below.
- Place the templates behind the clear pegboard.
- Follow the template to create your design. Please note that the gray colored circles should be filled with white beads. The white circles are not a part of the design, and should not be filled in.
- With a iron pre-heated to medium, place the ironing paper over your design, and lightly press in a circular motion for 10-20 seconds. You can see when the beads start sticking to the paper.
- After the beads have cooled, peel off the paper and remove the design from the pegboard. Turn the design over, cover with ironing paper, and iron the other side for 10-20 seconds in a circular motion.
My oldest son and I just tried Perler beads for the first time today. Your patriotic designs are amazing!! I’d love it if you’d share this at the After School Linky Party on my blog this past Monday (or next Monday): deceptivelyeducational.blogspot.com. Thanks!
We used to make these at the summer camp I went to when I was younger! Great memories! 🙂