Cotton on Pitara Kids Network

What is Cotton Candy?

Sun, 09 Mar 2003 19:44:51 +0000

It’s sticky, it’s messy and it’s just the thing to eat at a fair. Children or adults, most people do not consider a mela or fair complete without the giant-wheel and the fluffy cotton candy wrapped around a stick. Or budhiya ke baal (old woman’s hair), as it is popularly known in parts of northern India.

And do you know what it is made of? Well, next time, don’t gobble up the whole of the candy. Instead, put a bit of it in water. In a matter of seconds the candy will disappear. No, it’s not magic. The candy is made of sugar and it dissolves the moment it’s put in water.

A Lucky Hunter

Sun, 16 Jan 2000 15:14:12 +0000

There was once a hunter who, on the seventh birthday of his son, decided to go hunting to get something nice for the feast. But as he reached for the gun on the wall, it slipped from the pegs, hit the stone mortar below and alas, its barrel was bent like the letter L.

“Father, that’s a bad sign,” cried the boy, “please don’t go hunting today.”
“You are silly!” said the father. “That’s a good sign. The gun hit the mortar. That means it’ll hit the game, too.”

Bunny Rabbit

Sun, 15 Apr 2001 23:12:12 +0000

If you wish to make a toy at home that does not take much time, then try this. It looks cute and can be added to your soft toy collection.

The things you need:

Fused bulb
Cotton
Adhesive
Black pepper corns
Velvet paper or the Indian ‘Bindi’
Scissors

Step 1: Take a bulb and stick cotton on it, covering it completely. Give additional padding of cotton for the mouth of the rabbit.

Step 2: Cut out the cotton in the shape of rabbit ears and stick them to the rabbit’s head.

Santa Mask

Mon, 25 Jun 2001 16:30:52 +0000

The things you need to make a Santa Claus mask are:

White card sheet and red glaze paper
Adhesive and scissors
Pencil and eraser
Cotton
Colours
String

Santa Mask [Illustrations by Shinod AP]

Step 1: Draw the face of Santa Claus on the card sheet. Colour it first and then cut on the outline.

Stick cotton to make the beard, moustache and eyebrows of the Santa.

Cone Caps

Sun, 18 Aug 2002 23:12:35 +0000

Whether it’s your birthday party or your grandfather’s, it’s an ideal occasion to make the conical caps at home. Making them can be more exciting than buying them.

The things you need:

Chart paper (12 inches x 18 inches)
Glue
Scissors
Glitter glue
Cotton ball
Ribbon
Pencil

Cone Caps [Illustrations by Shinod AP]

Step 1: Use the 12 inch side of the chart paper as the height and the 18 inch side as the base. Draw a wide triangle to get the cone shape.

Doll-making

Sat, 22 Feb 1997 03:16:59 +0000

Cotton Wool Doll

You thought cotton could be used only in bandages, or to clean wounds? Well, we found another use for it. We made a doll out of a roll of cotton.

Things you need:
One roll of cotton (ours was
Buttons.
Stick ’em stones, or sticking ‘bindi’.
Satin ribbon.
A pair of scissors.
Adhesive.

Doll-making []

Step 1:

Take the roll of cotton and unfold it.
Cut off a length of 12 inches, which is five-and-a-half inches in height.

The Sweet-Mad Hero

Mon, 29 Jan 2001 22:30:59 +0000

A North Indian folktale retold

Shyam was a worried man. He had to go to Rampur on work. It happened to
be his in-laws village. Shyam intended to stay with them. But being newly
married he hardly knew his in-laws. His wife, too, was not accompanying him. Shy Shyam was really worried!

He thought hard for a while. Then he smiled. He would force his friend, Karan, to accompany him!

“Of course I’ll come with you!” promised Karan. “But you must make two promises.” Shyam agreed.

What are Q-Tips?

Sun, 02 Sep 2001 00:43:37 +0000

Everbody has used this product at some time or other in some form or other. Sometimes it is used to clean the wax from your ears, and sometimes to clean dust from delicate instruments. Many kick themselves for not patenting it when they knew about it.

So what are Q-Tips? It is such a simple silly thingummy – a piece of thick plastic or cardboard with cotton wrapped at each end! Q-Tips are today, a registered trademark of Chesebrough-Ponds, Inc, USA. However, it was invented in 1920 by a Polish-born American, Leo Gerstenzang.

Francoise's Dolls

Sat, 12 Oct 2002 15:11:52 +0000

“I did not see the face of my child: I passed into unconsciousness after her birth. My neighbours told me she was beautiful. My mother and the nurse buried her alive. I did not even hear her cry.”

A doll depicts a girl child and the words alongside it, movingly tells the tale of a new mother’s anguish at the brutal killing of her baby girl.

The doll has been made by Belgian-born Francoise Bosteels, who made India her home over 25 years ago. Francoise’s dolls ‘speak’. They speak of the beauty of life and its celebration, but also of the injustice, anger and frustration of those in despair.

Sock Doll

Tue, 26 Mar 2002 14:43:53 +0000

Line up a few of these dolls on a windowsill or mantel, and you’re guaranteed to spread cheer to family and guests alike.

Sock Doll [Illustrations by Shinod AP]

The things you need:

Cotton socks
Pieces of foam
A few rubber bands
Red and black paint
Scissors

Step 1: Fill a cotton sock three quarters of the way with the foam pieces. Secure it by tying a rubber band at the end of the filling.

Towel Ring

Sat, 13 Oct 2001 10:55:56 +0000

Towel Ring [Illustrations by Shinod AP]

The things you need:

Plain cotton cloth (18 inches by 18 inches)
Cardboard
Needle and thread
A plastic or iron ring
Foam or cotton
Wool, sketch pens/fabric paints,
Adhesive

Step 1: With the help of a thread and needle, do a running stitch at the edges of the cloth. Let the stitches be spaced out. Do not knot the thread after finishing it.

Tie and Dye Scarf

Thu, 22 Mar 2001 00:22:06 +0000

Tie and Dye Scarf [Illustrations by Shinod AP]

This is just one way of making a scarf. The best part is that once you know the technique, you will be able to make different patterns by twisting, clipping, knotting or folding the cloth.

The things you need:

A plain white cotton cloth
Thick white cotton thread or elastic bands
A packet of 50 beads

Step 1: Wash the cloth in warm water. Starting from one end, stitch the beads the way they are shown in the picture – a big bead or two to three beads together in the centre with four beads around it.