Pirate Eye Patch Pattern

s really quick to cut out and sew. You could easily make a whole batch of these for birthday party favors. There is so little to sew (one tiny seam) that hand sewing is just fine for this one, no sewing machine required. Once the pirate love hit my house I knew it wouldn't be long before my son started asking me to make costume assessories. You may also be interested in this Toy Pirate Sword pattern as well as my Tunic Shirt pattern.
A pirate eye patch really completes the look, don't you think? It is simple and small, just this one item added to your dress up box and you can have the makings of a pirate!

Tutorial Instructions & Pattern

Here is the Eye Patch Template in PDF format for you to print and use. It will print on one page of regular printer paper.
Materials Needed: At least 4" square of black felt and 14" of thin black elastic.
Print the template and cut it out. Cut out your the felt fabric.

Next, sew up the seam on the felt, this creates a slightly rounded shape, like a real patch. This also allows it to lay against the face better. Just takes a couple stitches so I just hand sew it. I figure the eye patch of a real pirate would have been hand sewn, right?

Finally, sew on the ends of elastic to either end of the patch as marked on the template. Just a few more stitches and you are done!

You could line this patch in cotton or another layer of felt so that the elastic attachment is hidden on the inside. I didn't bother, but it would make it more finished looking if you are giving this as a gift.
It can be worn on either side.

Arrrrrr! Happy pirate playing!


Disclaimer: This eye patch contains secured elastic which could pose a strangulation hazard for very young children. Create and use at your own risk. MakeBabyStuff.com offers these tutorials and patterns with no recommendations for age.

TOYS FOR KIDS

Parents should be careful while buying new toys for their kids. The idea of having ‘just any toy’ will not do. They need to get children toys that the baby can get the most out of. Toys are classified according to different age groups. The toys that are befitting for a toddler will not be of much use for a child of 3 years. Therefore, age appropriateness is a very important factor in choosing toys for kids. The chosen toys should always fit the baby’s level of learning. The best toy choices would be those that will challenge baby but not frustrate him. Best kids’ toys always have labelling on them. The guidelines indicate toy’s suitability as per child’s physical and mental ability along with his play needs.
A child is always curious about new thing. He wants to explore and discover new things. For that reason, it would be appropriate to buy toys that can stimulate baby’s sensory development. Kid should feel curious about it. For example, a building block set will always present challenge to the kid. Educational toys are also very important for kids’ proper development. A child will learn more if the toy has interesting sounds, sights and textures. Parents should ensure that the child has well balanced entertainment and educational toys at his disposal.

While selecting toys for kids, parents must keep safety in mind. Toys should not have sharp edges, uncomfortable fabric and loose parts. Toys should also be washable. Toys don’t have to very expensive. One can find cost-effective toys that can please both parents as well as kids.

Toys make kids happier. There are not many moments that can really match the smile on the faces of kids when they play with their favourite toys. Babies love to play and toys are their perfect ally. The usefulness of toys is not just restricted to fun and entertainment for the kids. As if these two elements were not enough, toys can be educational in nature also. The benefits of toys are visible in almost every aspect of child’s life. Educational toys help in development of child’s motor and social skills. Kids’ toys instigate child’s problem solving skills. They also help in his creativity and language skills.

Soft toys are very popular among kids of all age groups. It is believed that soft toys market is one of the most growing and lucrative one. Infants just love to play with soft toys. These toys are a wonderful tool in the hands of parents to stimulate their child’s learning process. It is the duty of the parents to choose right kind of soft toys that are not only safe but helps in child’s learning as well. As mentioned earlier, the soft toys market is quite huge and that makes the work of parents easier in finding appropriate toys for their children. At the same time, parents need to apply caution while choosing cuddly toys that their child can enjoy. Some soft toys are evergreen in nature and are always loved by the kids.

THE VORTEX

The design that's not a flop

The embedded video below shows how to heat bottle caps in a teflon pan, melt them together and drill a hole to connect two bottles together to make whirlpools.

If YouTube is blocked at your school, try this SchoolTube link of the same video.

By clicking in the "INSTRUCTIONS" box below, you'll find written directions for making making an older way I used to use to connect bottles.
There are lots of web pages that show you how to connect two soda bottles together to make a vortex. Mind you, it's a great idea. I've been mesmerized for hours watching the wavy sides of the vortex and seeing bits of ribbon accelerate into the the center of the whirlpool. But the designs I've seen all flop around and leak. Duct tape might be "handyman's secret weapon," but wrapping endless amounts around two bottle necks is not going to fix those two problems. A couple of pennies worth of plastic pipe and food-wrap will.

INSTRUCTIONS To make a vortex in a bottle click here or on the picture.

MORE ABOUT VORTECIES For explanations, activities and cool links related to vorticesclick here or on the picture.

 

Have Fun

I'd like to know how this project goes for you. I'm happy to answer questions about it. Feedback from you is an important way for me to know what works and what needs clarification.

Toy Stories

By Inger Fountain

Pixar have another hit on their hands with their latest release for 2010, Toy Story 3. Kids will love the film and will also love to bring a small part of the adventures home with them. Luckily there are a variety of Toy Story 3 toys for kids of all ages from trusted toy companies like Mattel, Fisher Price, Lego and Thinkway. Kids love to explore their own stories and use their favourite characters in new and imaginative ways. We take a look at the Toy Story 3 toys on the market most likely to inspire your child's creativity.

Following on from the critically acclaimed and hugely successful first two films, the third Toy Story film brings the main cast of the films into a different environment. With Andy off to college, the toys are accidentally thrown away, ending up at Sunnyside Daycare center. Woody, Buzz, Jesse and the gang scheme to get back to Andy's house but some of their new friends are reluctant to let them go. The following toys explore scenes from the film but allow your child to create their own stories as well.

Toy Story Lego
Without a doubt the biggest news in Toy Story 3 toys has to be the teaming up of Lego and Pixar to create both Duplo and regular Lego sets based around the Toy Story characters and scenes. If you are unfamiliar with Lego, they are the leader in construction building toys for boys and girls.

While the price point for Lego can be high these toys are made of hard plastic and so will last longer than most other plastic toys. In addition Lego is a creative toy that actively encourages children to imagine their own creations with the pieces at hand. A car can become a house or a spaceship, depending on the child's vision and the pieces can adapt to any number of combinations.

Duplo is their junior line and, with age recommendations from ages 2-6, the Duplo range features larger bricks and fewer pieces per set. The regular Lego sets feature smaller and more varied pieces in larger sets for ages six and above.

Lego has released four Duplo sets to coincide with the release of Toy Story 3 and all feature 2 inch movable figures of some of the cast. Jesse's Round Up (Set 5657 for $19.99) is a small set at 18 pieces and comes with Jesse, Bullseye and a small sheriff house structure. The iconic Pizza Planet Truck (Set 5658 for $19.99) is another small set with 13 pieces and comes with the truck, a fuelling station, Buzz Lightyear and a Little Green Alien.

Larger sets include the Great Train Chase with 39 pieces (set 5659 for $39.50) including a train engine, carriage and tunnel structure and the figures of Buzz, Woody and Jesse. This is a very fun set that recreates an exciting scene from the film and knowing how much kids love trains this is sure to be a popular set. The final Duplo set is Alien Space Crane (set 5691 for $39.99) and includes Woody, Buzz, a Little Green Alien, a crane and a garbage truck.

In the regular Lego range there are a number of highly playable sets for older Toy Story 3 fans. From smallest to largest the sets are:
Set 7789 Lotso's Dump Truck ($19.99): A yellow dump truck, Lotso, Chunk and Stretch
Set 7598 Pizza Planet Truck Rescue ($39.99): Yellow delivery truck with Buzz, Rex, Hamm and a Little Green Alien
Set 7596 Trash Compactor Escape ($49.99): Conveyer Belt, Crane, Compactor, Lotso, Woody, Hamm and two Little Green Aliens
Set 7599 Garbage Truck Getaway ($49.99): A large garbage truck, Buzz, Jesse, Lotso and Twitch
Set 7597 Western Train Chase $79.99: Train Engine with Caboose, Passenger Car and Money car with Woody, Buzz, Rex, Bullseye, Hamm and Jessie.

Lego is one of the best educational toys on the market, encouraging not only the ability to concentrate and follow intricate instructions but also creativity with sets able to be taken apart and made into anything the child can imagine. If your child doesn't have any Lego yet Toy Story 3 sets are a great place to start. You can find the sets at online suppliers like Amazon.

Toy Story 3 Mattel Toys
Mattel have made figures and play sets for all of the Toy Story films and this year they have integrated them into their Action Links series of interactive play sets which come with figures known as Buddy figures.

The small play sets all join together and interact with each other so your child can create a chain reaction of events in the order of their choosing. The small play sets retail for from $10.99 to $14.99 and include scenes such as Buzz Saves The Train, Jessie Saves The Day, Woody's Train and more. There are also larger play sets including Sunnyside Breakout for $24.99 and Junkyard Escape play set which retails at $39.99 both of which can connect to the smaller sets.

The Buddy figures that accompany these sets are also sold in 3 packs for $11.99 so you needn't purchase all the sets to get all the figures. The play sets are fun but may have a limited life for younger kids with a short attention span.

Mattel also make larger figures of Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bullseye that have various interactive and action elements. The figures are approximately 12 inches tall while their Deluxe range of figures comes in at 7 inches.

Toy Story 3 Fisher Price Toys
Fisher Price have a whole range of Toy Story 3 toys available but some of the most exiting are part of their Imaginext range which incorporates action figures with vehicles and play sets, always fertile ground for imaginative kids. The play sets and vehicles include Tri-City Junkyard (which is cooler than it sounds!), Tri City Garbage Truck, a Buzz Lightyear spaceship and the Evil Dr. Porkchop's Spaceship.

All feature the standard sized imaginext figures so can interact with other sets your child may have and are recommended for ages 3+. Their compatibility with other sets is a major boon, as figures from Toy Story 3 can interact with other Imaginext Fisher price figures like knights, dinosaurs and explorers.

Other Toy Story 3 Toys
Various other manufacturers have produced toys around the Toy Story 3 theme and the variety is endless. From ride on cars to dress up costumes there are is something for every fan. Hopefully though, this article has been able to show you a few of the best toys to let your child's imagination soar.

Inger loves stories and loves to write. As a librarian in a previous life she also has an insatiable thirst for general knowledge. You can visit her latest website which takes a look at the best shawls and wraps to add a touch of warmth and elegance to all occasions including beautiful evening shawl options.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Inger_Fountain

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New Toys

By Nicole S.

Need some guidance with your Christmas shopping this year?

Knowing which ones of all the new toys for Christmas 2011 are the best buys is very helpful when Christmas shopping.

It is of the utmost importance that you have all of the right information as you shop for Christmas this year, especially in light of the tough economic times.

No one has money to waste.

What you need is a reliable source that has the right information to empower you to make the right choices.

These type of sources are available online.

But first, let's talk about some of the new toys for Christmas 2011.

This exciting lineup includes:

• The Transformers Ultimate Optimus Prime
• The Barbie Sweet Talkin' Ken doll
• The Fisher Price Dance Star Mickey
• The Eyeclops Night Vision Goggles
• The Vtech Kidizoon Plus Digital Camera

Here is a quick rundown of the features of these top picks.

The Transformers Ultimate Optimus Prime is an impressive robot to say the least. He transforms into three different modes; the Power Up Mode, the Robot Mode, and the Trailer Mode. There are tons of exciting features in each mode.

The Barbie Sweet Talkin' Ken doll is not only a little girl's favorite, but mommy's been caught getting Ken to whisper sweet nothings to her also. Press a button on his back to record whatever you want him to say back to you in his own smooth, manly voice.

The Fisher Price Dance Star Mickey is a family favorite. Always there to steal the show, he dances in five different genres and can even do the moonwalk. You can count him to have everybody smiling.

The Eyeclops Night Vision Goggles are wicked fun! Camping and sleepovers will never be the same once your kid gets one of these. The Eyeclops Goggles allow them to see in pitch black darkness, so they can see their enemies, but their enemies can not see them.

Loads of fun!

The Vtech Kidizoom Plus Digital Camera is the newer model of the Kidizoom Digital Camera. The new model has stepped it up with on-screen photo editing capabilities using all of the common art tools. It also has a USB attachment to connect to the computer where kids can upload and print their photos.

Be sure you get a full review of the Vtech Kidizoom Plus Digital camera; it has lots more awesome features in addition to the ones mentioned here.

Again, the right information gives you the confidence to make purchases that you can feel good about because you know what you are getting.

Be sure you don't wait!

Go ahead and snag the top new toys for Christmas 2011 before they are all gone.

Even online suppliers quickly run out of the top picks.

Be sure to get full reviews and find out what it is, what it does, and most importantly, what you should expect when you get it home.

There are lots more choices of top Christmas toys. Get the full list of new toys for babies, toddlers, girls, boys, and even those difficult to shop for teens.

Visit http://hottesttoys4christmas.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicole_S.

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