Tag ID Necklaces

These shiny, lightweight ID tags, cut from disposable aluminum pie tins, can be worn as jingly pendants or clipped to backpacks or gym bags.

MATERIALS
• Aluminum pie pans
• Scissors
• Paper clip
• Needle-nose pliers
• Hole punch
• Ball chain
• Pencil or pen
• Ruler

To make a set, you'll need scissors, needle-nose pliers, a paper clip, a hole punch and 18 inches of ball chain with a clasp (available at most hardware stores). First, use a sharpened pencil or a pen point to mark two 1 1/2-by-2 1/4-inch rectangles on the flat portion of the pie tin. Parents, cut out the tags with scissors. While cutting, you may want to hold the pie tin with a gloved hand as a safeguard against any sharp edges. Trim the corners of the tags diagonally to create a pair of octagons.

Next, use the pliers to bend back the tags' edges about 1/8 inch. Fold the corners first, then the tops and bottoms, and finally, the sides. Place each tag right-side up on a hard surface and use a ruler to gently smooth the edges of the tags.

Your child can then emboss his initials or a design on the tags with the end of a paper clip. Place the tags on a soft surface, such as a folded paper towel, and show him how to exert just enough pressure to raise the letters without poking through the aluminum. He also can tape friends' photos or a list of important phone numbers to the insides of the tags. Finally, punch a hole in each tag 1/4 inch from the top and string the tags, back sides together, onto the ball chain.