Materials:

• Hard-plastic drinking cups (clear cocktail variety works best)
• Markers
• Towels
• Hammer
• Nail
• Aluminum foil
• Cookie sheet
• Yarn
• Small branches or wood sticks in a variety of shapes

 
Developing Skills:

• Science, including observation and prediction
• Creative expression
• One way to recycle

 
ACTIVITY
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Ask your child to predict what will happen when you put the plastic cups in the oven and what he thinks they will look like.  Then ask him to use the markers to color several of the cups any way he wishes.
 
After he is finished decorating, turn each cup upside down and place a towel over it.  Using a hammer and nail, gently tap a small crack in the bottom of each cup.  This will form a hole for stringing the cups after they melt in the oven.
 
Cover the cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and place the cups on it upside down.  Put the sheet in the oven and observe closely until the cups melt (should take a few minutes).  Remove the tray and allow it to cool (about 10 minutes).
 
Your child can string colorful pieces of yarn through the holes and then choose a branch or stick to hang the cups from.  If he chooses, he can also add other items, such as small bells, large paper clips, or screws.  Hang the wind chime outdoors or in a doorway inside.