Don't toss out those tired old tennis balls. Save some to make whimsical, "talking" apple puppets! "We had fun with this one. We are into apples these days since our two apple trees are ripe and filled with apples so this was fun," reports Amy who did this project with Addison (7), Kyle (5) and Delaney (18 mo.). "Even my baby had fun with this project." Here is what you need: * Old tennis ball (If no one in your family plays tennis, ask around until you find a family that does. Someone will probably have some "dead" tennis balls they will be happy to give you.

* Five or more brown grocery bags * Scissors * Ribbon, about 2 feet for each scrapbook * Yarn in your hair color * 9-inch uncoated paper plate * Markers * White glue An upstate New York Mom reported, "When I was at the store all I had to do was ask, and I got a big pile of brown paper bags.

These little dinosaurs are easy to make and lots of fun to play with, especially when you plant them a grassy, green environment of their very own. At the Bockler house, Mom Tracy says she "will probably have herds of dinosaurs very soon" based on the level of enthusiasm shown by her son, Christian (7 1/2). The LaClair family reported planting grass on a Saturday and having it sprout by Wednesday. All three children agreed the "the dinosaurs look really cool in the grass."

Here's a craft even the very youngest children can get involved in and end up bursting with pride to give away. "My husband just started a new job so we gave the paperweights to him for his new office. The kids really felt as though they were making his new job a better place to work." (a Connecticut mom)

This unique idea is not only fun but also will result in sprucing up your refrigerator door with one-of-a-kind magnets. The Bockler family reported this project "turned out to be one of our favorites." On the scale of difficulty and time involved to gather materials and actually make the craft, this one gets high marks for being fast and simple while appealing to a wide age range.