A (Compass) Rose by Any Other Name . . .

For us to be self-proclaimed homebodies, we sure are on the go a lot.  The car is one of our favorite classrooms.  As a matter of fact, Bug learned his left from his right by turning corners and waiting at stoplights, guessing which way to go.

Our new car-focus is directions: North, South, East, and West.  The car has a handy-dandy compass in the rearview mirror, so now, as we're tooling along, I'll ask Bug, "What direction are we going?" 

So, then I got the bright idea to make a compass rose.

When I shared my idea with Angelgirl, her response was, "A what?"

"A compass rose.  You know, the star-looking thing on a map that points North, South, East, and West."

"Oh, a compass."

"Right."

"So why not just say compass?"

"Because it's a compass rose.  Google it."

"No."

"Go ahead, look it up."

"No."

"Fine, well, we're going to make a compass rose."

"Mom, just say compass."

"Whatever."

So here it is, folks!  A step by step view of the making of our compass (rose).

The materials:

Paint, scissors, a single hole punch, yarn, sentence strips (or large index cards), 2 - chenille stems (We called them pipe cleaners in the '70's), a styrofoam ball (about tennis ball size), craft glue, foam stickers, cardstock, a pen (I wound up using a gel pen).


Step 1 - Cut the styrofoam ball in half, with a knife, and paint.

Step 2- 4 - Once the half-ball dries, trace a circle around it on the cardstock, cut it out, and glue it to the styrofoam to give it backing.

Step 5 - 6 - Fold the chenille stems in half and cut in half.  Stick one piece in all four sides of the ball.  Punch a single hole at the top and bottom of the cardstock circle.

Step 7 - Curl the ends of the chenille stems to give a wider base, and stick the foam stickers on each end.  Be sure to use a different color for each direction.

Step 8 - 9 - Thread a piece of yarn through the top hole of the cardstock and secure.  Then cut the sentence strips and label with each direction.  Be sure to place a corresponding foam sticker on each one to serve as a reference for the main compass.  Also, place the directional designation on the stickers, both on the cards and on the actual compass.

Step 10 - Punch a hole at the top and bottom of the direction cards.  Then, thread the yarn through the bottom hole in the cardstock through each card.  I put a knot at the bottom with another sticker for added security.  Voila!  A compass (rose)!

What neat things are you crafting?

Hugs 'n love