Join In The Fusion Fun

Howdy and happy summertime from Barbara at 

The Corner on Character.  How will you while away the hot summer months?  When we need an escape from the subtropical heat at my house, we often find ourselves creating with fuse beads. For less than ten dollars, you can have a jar of 15,000 colorful little beads that I guarantee your little ones will get a kick out of manipulating. I've found that children especially like the Glow-in-the-Dark variety! I use these in small group counseling classes as an activity that students can do to take their minds off of their problems and refocus their brains so that they'll be relaxed and more opened to solutions. Put on some soothing background music and watch their anxiety and other unpleasant emotions melt away. It's also a wonderful way to increase fine motor skills as kids move the beads one by one onto the peg boards.

You'll need a few peg plates that you can purchase when you get the jar of beads.

Randomly place the beads on the pegs or put them in patterns.

Only go three rows around the square to make a picture frame.

Find different shades of a certain color and make a bow.

Get creative and spell out three-or-four-letter words.

The butterfly and the helicopter explode with energy.

The possibilities are endless; just look at this lovely lizard, fun flower, and cool RR crossing sign we made.

Hot glue a magnet on the back and you've got refrigerator or filing-cabinet decor.

Warning:  There is heat involved, so this is an excellent time to talk with your little learners about safety around hot items such as an oven or an iron. Make sure to have an adult on tap to do the ironing. You will need the special paper that can also be picked up when you get your beads at any craft store.

Want more sizzling summertime activities?  Click {here} to visit my guest post at the Teachers' Lounge from earlier this week.