As I flipped through a recent Family Fun magazine, one particular photo caught my eye. Two happy kids running around a smiling mom, all wearing colorful capes. My boys love to dress up as superheros, so I just had to read the Capes For Kids! article and find out what this was all about.
Turns out, these aren’t just ordinary capes. They are part of a volunteer campaign to get families like yours and mine to make and donate capes to kids who enter homeless shelters. I knew right then that my kids and I were going to make capes this summer.
Kids love the opportunity to help other children, and the Capes For Kids program gives capes to help homeless children feel safe and cared for when they enter shelters. I filed the cape idea away in the back of my head until I could get to the craft store to buy the supplies we needed.
By complete coincidence, a few days later, FamilyFun emailed me to see if I would be interested in receiving supplies to host a cape-making party. Of course, I would love to! They soon shipped me a huge box filled with all sorts of fun cape making materials like felt, fabric glue, glitter, and pom poms. The boys and I got to work.
Download FamilyFun’s Capes For Kids Party Kit for a complete Supply List, no sew Cape Templates, plus emblem templates like stars and lightning bolts to decorate capes.
I am really happy that these are NO SEW capes. I can totally handle not sewing anything. The first step is to use scissors to cut a cape shape out of felt material. It’s SIMPLE when you follow the template directions. I took a few photos of our cape-making process. I used the “Simple Cape” template (from the Capes For Kids Party Kit.)
Once the cape shape is cut out, it’s ready to decorate. We used the “Robot” and “Tough Guy” templates (from the Capes For Kids Party Kit) on our capes. My son was especially excited for his chance to use lots and lots of glitter to make his robot’s face sparkle and shine. We used fabric glue to attach the felt shapes and pom poms along the collar. We also attached velcro closures as directed on the template.
We let the capes’ glue dry overnight, then the kids gave them a test run before we boxed them up to send in for donation. Aren’t they so cute? We mailed ours to the Enchanted Makeovers address (listed below.)
Enchanted Makeovers is a Michigan-based non-profit transforms shelters into safer, more nurturing places for women and children to rebuild their lives after escaping homelessness, domestic violence, or human trafficking. Founder Terry Grahl has been distributing capes to kids in need for six years and says, “These capes are like armor that fills children with strength, imagination, and hope.”
Join the cause! FamilyFun is inviting everyone to host a Capes For Kids Party. Put your crafty skills to good use, making something that’s guaranteed to make a child smile. Here’s how to do it:
1. Download the FamilyFun Capes For Kids Party Kit. It’s got everything you need, including a supply list, templates for three amazing designs, plus loads of emblem templates like stars and lightning bolts to decorate with. You’ll even find discussion guides and reflection exercises from what to do with your kids before and after the project.
2. Share your photos and videos! At the end of your party, don’t forget to snap pics and share them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #FFCapes4Kids.
3. Donate your capes! You can send them to a local shelter or directly to Enchanted Makeovers at: Enchanted Makeovers FamilyFun Capes for Kids 12663 Hipp St. Taylor, MI 48180
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