Loopy Yarn Rainbow

By: Sharon from STYROFOAM's Crafts 'n Coffee

Get creative with yarn crafts for kids. Rather than using yarn in the classic ways, have a blast being original with the Loopy Yarn Rainbow. You can also use this fun technique to make other kids' yarn crafts that you come up with yourself. The options are endless with this fun craft for kids. If you do stick with this design, though, it's sure to light up your home because kids' rainbow crafts are always the perfect pick-me-ups.

Materials:

STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam: 12” x 6” x 1” block (a 12” x 36” x 1” sheet can be cut into six, 12” x 6” x 1” blocks)
Acrylic craft paints: Blue, green, and black
Yarn: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple; curly white; and 38″ of chunky pink
Wood toothpicks
Thick, white craft glue
Optional: Sawtooth picture hanger & nails
Tools needed: Scissors; fine-line black permanent marker; stiff paintbrush; wood skewer; disposable palette, like a paper plate

Instructions:

1. Paint green grass and a blue sky onto the foam block. Let paint dry.

2. Using the fine-line permanent marker, draw a rainbow across the blue sky. Squeeze a thin line of glue onto a 1” stretch of the rainbow, starting at the base. Place one end of red craft yarn at beginning of glue line. Use the blunt end of the skewer to push the end of the yarn straight down, 1/4″ into foam. (Hint: If working with very small children, snap off the pointed end of the skewer first.)

Each color is made with two rows of yarn

3. Make your next tuck into the foam about ½” from the first, with ¾” – 1” of yarn between the two points. This extra yarn will make a “pouf”. Continue tucking in the yarn, adding 1” lengths of glue as you go and punching in your yarn every ½” or so. If skewer gets sticky, wipe off glue with paper towel. If the skewer is hard to remove from the foam, experiment with slightly twisting it as you take it out.

4. After you’ve finished the first row of yarn loops, rotate the picture and repeat in the opposite direction. Repeat for each color in the rainbow, creating two rows of yarn loops per color.

5. Punch in the sheep and the clouds using the curly white yarn. To make the legs for the lambs, paint toothpicks black and let them dry. Cut the wide ends from the picks and glue four to each sheep for legs.

6. “Frame” your picture with chunky yarn, gluing it around the outside edge of the picture.

7. Optional: Hang with a sawtooth hanger. Center the hanger on the back of the picture toward the top. Dip the nails into glue, and then insert into the holes in the hanger. Let glue dry.