7 fun things to do as you celebrate Presidents' Day

DENVER – Many of you will be enjoying an extra day off from work on Presidents’ Day, but so will many kids who won’t be going to class on Monday.

If you’re looking to spend some quality time with the family, check out these 7 fun things you can do together:

1.) Recycled hummingbird feeder

Bird feeders add an extra touch to anyone’s garden – and you don’t have to spend much in order to DIY.

If you want to attract the more than the 11 reported hummingbird species found in Colorado, this is what you’ll need:

• Small plastic contained with a tight-fitting, flexible plastic lid
• Plastic bottle with lid
• Strong rubber band or zip tie
• String
• Hummingbird food
• Paper hole punch
• Awl, drill or exacto knife
• Pen
• Optional: Fake flowers with a hollow stem and a plastic lid with a raised rim that is about two-inches larger in diameter than the container.

Once you have all that, get ready to create your very own, recycled hummingbird feeder.

Watch a tutorial below:

2.) Button bowl

Perhaps you’ve trying to bring new life to a bowl in your living room, or want to give a gift to a friend or family member. Why waste more than $20 when you can create one yourself at more than half the cost?

What you’ll need:

• Buttons
• Glue – the type that dries clear and is strong enough to bond things for pretty much your whole life (We recommend: E-6000 or Mod Podge Finish)
• A balloon
• Ribbon
• Paintbrush
• A bowl or pot

Note: Depending on the glue you buy, it make take several hours for it to dry.

Watch the tutorial below: 

3.) Initial t-shirts

You may cringe at the idea of letting your kids scribble all over the wall, but why not let them do so on a t-shirt they own and could rock with their developing art skills?

What you’ll need:

• A white cotton t-shirt (polyester blend may also work)
• Freeze paper
• Stained by Sharpie brush tip fabric markers
• Exacto knife or scissors

If you’re ready, head on over to AllFreeCrafts for the full tutorial.

4.) Friendship bracelets

If you’re looking to give a gift to a very dear friend, you don’t have to break your head to think of what you’ll buy them – why spend so much money, when you can give them something more significant?

You’ll need a little patience and many different colors of embroidery floss (or you can just stick to one or two – really, it all depends on your friend’s tastes)

You’ll also need:

• J. & P. Coats Embroider Floss or J. & P. Coats Craft Thread (one skein of each color)
• Transparent tape or a safety pin to hold strands of floss as you work

Watch the tutorial below: 

5.) Frustrated Fred

This DIY craft is really for all the dads out there – so make sure you place one on dad’s desk so he can be reminded not to take life so seriously when he's stressed out!

What you’ll need:

• Small piece of green fun fur (available at most craft stores and dollar stores)
• 2 plastic, movable eyes
• 1 yellow pompom
• 1 yellow pipe cleaner
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions:

Grab a piece of green fun fur big enough to go around pencil with a small overlap and wrap the fun fur around the top area of the pencil.

Then, wrap the yellow pipe cleaner around the bottom of the fun fur and the pencil. Twist it together to fasten the fun fur to the pencil. Follow that by looping each end of the pipe cleaner in a bow shape. If the ends are too long, cut off the excess.

Separate the fun fur just a little bit where you want to glue on the eyes, then put just a spot of glue on the back of the plastic eyes and glue into place.

Last but not least, create Fred’s nose by gluing the yellow pompom just below the eyes.

Information from AllFreeCrafts.

6.) Free day at the Botanic Gardens

Don’t want to stay at home? Take a stroll through the Denver Botanic Gardens – they will be free on Monday.

Free Days are for regular Gardens hours only and do not include ticketed events.

7.) Free day at all National Parks

Rocky Mountain National Park, and national parks across the country, will offer free admission on 10 days in 2017.

One of those days will be Presidents’ Day.

On free admission days, entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees are waived. However, other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not waived.