MATERIALS

The shapes of shells often suggest other objects--limpets look like tiny parasol shades, jingle shells like pearly fingernails and a pair of mussels like a butterfly. This angel, made by gluing together three shells, doubles nicely as a holiday ornament. If you'll be making one at the beach, use craft glue; if you decide to tote your shells home to assemble them, a hot glue gun works even better.

The first step is to lay out your collection of seashells. Your child will need to try different combinations to get the right shapes, but basically she'll need a medium-size fan-shaped shell (such as a scallop, lucina or clamshell); a small, round-bodied shell (such as a moon, top, bubble or cowrie shell); and a small bowl-shaped shell (such as an ark, tellin or cockleshell). We used a scallop shell for the angel's dress, then glued on a cowrie shell for her head and a small cockleshell for her bonnet. Once the glue dries, your child can paint on a face and hair, and tie or glue a loop of fishing line around the back of the bonnet for a hanger.