How Not to Build a Scarecrow

Even though it's tempting to put off doing it, especially when every time you are reminded of it is the least possible time, such as at bedtime or when you have a big project of your own due in a few hours, you really should get started more than a few days before. Finding the right materials can take a few days, as can some of the building process such as gluing.

The old-fashioned way of stuffing the clothing with newspaper or corn stalks is probably best, instead of whatever artsy fartsy ideas you have milling about in your head. An entire package of raffia cannot be glued well to wooden dowels, as there are too many strands, and while you can get the strands on the bottom glued, those on the top and middle aren't anchored in any way. Similarly, arms and legs won't glue well either. A better idea is tying them with loose strands of the raffia.

Sure, sticking a styrofoam ball to the top of the wooden dowels can be an easy way to attach a head, but it doesn't look very "scarecrow-ish." A better idea would be to stuff something like a sock, or even covering the styrofoam ball in some manner, then attaching it.

It sure seems like gluing on tiny colored pom poms would be cute, but they just don't stick well to styrofoam balls, especially when they are being glued in a vertical position. They're just going to keep on sliding off, unless you hold them until they dry, bringing up the next entry.

With anything like this that really needs to be strong and hearty, it's best to use that hot glue gun. Items that are glued with craft glue just aren't as strongly adhered, and they take far too long to dry. The heated guns aren't the best for kids, this is true, but this is a great place for your help to come in. It's much easier to help the kids do the heated gluing, as it's much stronger and dries more quickly, and you aren't wasting valuable time waiting for something to "set."

This is perhaps the most important rule. This should be a fun project for your kids and a great way for you to spend some time with them. When you start treating it too seriously, you miss out on the chance to have a lot of fun building something with your kids, and by that I don't mean just the scarecrow, as the relationship that is built is the most important of all.