Kids Yarn Craft: Making a "God's Eye"

It seems there's always a never ending want to entertain the kids. The kids are always wanting to do something, and you desperately want them to do something than sit in front of the TV all day. Whether it's video games or just plain watching TV, it's just sad watching your kids' brains numb out because of your need to do something other than play with them./ Don't get me wrong, it's not our role as parents to only entertain them, but there are thousands of alternatives to watching TV. There's an old arts and craft project that will bring the whole family together, and will teach the kids another way to spend their time. This is how to make a "God's eye" or an "indian's eye".

The best part about this craft is that all you need is sticks and yarn. You're going to need 2 sticks and multiple different types of yarn. As parents, you can make getting the sticks an adventure in itself. Set up a time to take a walk and tell the kids that you're goal on the walk is to find two, four, or six sticks that they like the best. They can be any kind of stick, but the more straight the better. Then you can take the kids to a yarn store and have them pick out any kind of yarn they want. If you haven't went and looked at yarn lately, it's completely different then just a few years ago. There are multicolor, tie-dye, and even day glow colors, so be ready to see some crazy colors. However, if you don't want to buy new yarn for the kids, use yarn that you have hanging around. Caution: You can use other strings, but yarn works and does the best.

After you have your sticks and your yarn, you're ready to start this craft project that goes by many different names. Place 2 sticks in a plus sign- (+). With a piece of yarn, wrap it around three times one way, and three times another, then three times a last way. Once you have wrapped it and wrapped it, the sticks should be pretty secure. Once they are secure, tie the yarn off, but make sure you have a small piece of the yarn hanging out. The color you used to tie it will be the center of your eye. Now tie another color onto your hanging string of yarn. Wrap it around one of the sticks, then (keeping it as tight as possible) thread it to the next stick. Wrap it around that piece the same way you wrapped it around the previous stick. Continue doing this around the sticks till you complete the whole circle. As you wrap the yarn around the circle, make sure the pieces of yarn are lying right next to the previous piece of yarn. In order to truly see a color, you have to go around the circle at least 2-3 times.

When you're done with a color, cut the piece of yarn. Now choose another color, and tie that color to the piece of yarn you just cut. Continue as before, wrapping around each stick as you come to it. When you get to the end of the sticks, you have run out of room. Your "eye" is complete. Tie the last piece of yarn to one of the pieces that are already on the stick. There are many cultures that will tie strings and yarn the the very edges of the sticks. These will hang off of the sticks flowing in the wind. Attach a fishing string to one of the sticks, and hang up your "eye" for everyone to see. This is a great activity for kids who love to use their hands and create a masterpiece.