It’s no secret that children learn best under creative and fun circumstances, so today we’re offering DIY inspiration to turn their numbers education into an artistic activity that everyone will enjoy. Read on to find out how to do it by combining bright, colorful starfish with extra bold, retro number templates in just one hour of hands-on crafting! Be sure to download the Free Retro Numbers Printable here!
Download the Free Retro Numbers Printable here! Thin paper actually works best for this project. Next, lay each single numbered sheet on top of the wood pieces from the DIY Square Banner kit one by one. Try lifting both the printable template and wood square in front of a window so you can see through the pair.
Trace the outline of the number through the printed template onto the wood square using a sharp pen, making sure to press down hard on the paper. Once you’re finished tracing the number, you should be able to lift the paper away and see an indentation on the soft wood square. It’s okay if pen ink seeps through the paper as this will be covered by paint in the next step.
Use Black Acrylic Paint and a small detail Paint Brush to fill in the number using the traced edges you made in Step 2 as your guide. Allow each to dry completely for 1 hour before moving on to Step 4.
Cut equal lengths of Silver Baker’s Twine using scissors (roughly 6-8 inches long), and double knot them through the pairs of holes in each of the wood pieces. Trim off and discard the excess twine with scissors.
Squeeze a dot of Aleene‘s Original Tacky Glue on the backs of Genuine Dyed Starfish, and place them carefully on your wood squares to the sides of the painted numbers. Correlate the number of starfish to the number on the wood square (ex. 1 starfish on the wood piece with a number 1 painted on it, 2 starfish on the wood piece with a number 2 painted on it, and so forth).
Allow the glued starfish to completely dry for 2 hours. Finally, hang the finished wall art pieces from thumbtacks pushed gently into the drywall in your child’s room, and then enjoy the educational creative fun!