Turn tacky ties into silly summer snakes

My friends don't throw things out. Instead, they bring their empty yogurt containers, milk jugs, toilet rolls, and other precious junk to my house. I'm not a junk collector, per se, but I do spend a lot of time making crafts in classrooms, at workshops and at summer camp. All of these materials come in handy.

This week at camp I'll help 25 children turn toilet rolls into parrots. We'll make pirate hats from sheets of newspaper and turn tacky old neck ties (that one counsellor freed from her husband's closet) into silly stuffed snakes.

 I'd love to share all of my summer camp crafts with you, but there's simply not enough space. I think you'll really enjoy the neck tie snake, though, so that's my pick for this week. This craft is fun and children will love the end result. An adult should handle the glue gun and help young children stuff their serpent, but otherwise, encourage the kids to be creative and decorate their own snake.

This is a great indoor or outdoor craft. Wherever you make it, have fun.

What you need

-- Old neck tie
-- Hot-melt glue gun and glue sticks
-- Filler: rice, dried beans, bean bag fill
-- Funnel
-- Googly eyes (or buttons)
-- Red felt
-- Tacky craft glue
-- Optional extras: dimensional fabric paint, sequins, glitter glue, gems etc.

Neck tie Snake

Collecting your materials: Tacky ties lurk in the closet of nearly every Canadian man; so you should be able to round up some really colourful neck ties at home (ask permission first!). If not, take a trip to a thrift store where you're bound to find plenty at a good price. You'll also need a hot-melt glue gun and glue sticks, a couple of googly eyes, some red felt for the snake's tongue, plus some fill. Try uncooked rice, dried beans, or the fill used for bean bag chairs. A funnel will make filling the snake easier. For the really crafty, dimensional fabric paint, sequins, glitter glue and gems will add a touch of fun.
 
Step One: Neck ties are like a tube that's open at both ends. Use a hot-melt glue gun to seal the narrow end.  At the opening, squeeze glue onto the bottom layer and carefully press the top layer into the glue. Make sure there are no gaps.

Step Two: Open up the wide end and pour uncooked rice, dried beans or bean bag fill into the tie. A funnel might help. Continue until the fill reaches near the top of the wide opening. Use the hot-melt glue gun to seal this end as you did the narrow end.

Step Three: Now that the snake is stuffed, it's time to decorate. The wide end of the tie is the snake's head. Make eyes using googly eyes or buttons. Glue these in place with tacky white glue. Cut a forked tongue from red felt and glue this on the underside. Add pattern, texture and colour with dimensional fabric paint or glitter glue. Stick on some sequins or gems. Get creative and have fun.

When the snake is complete and any glue/paint has dried, take your new pet outside and have some imaginative summer fun.