It's nearly back-to-school time! Celebrate by making an apple paperweight to decorate your child's bedroom or study area. Apple paperweights also make unique back-to-school gifts for teachers. Parents will need to be on hand to help cut the soda bottle, otherwise older children can probably handle this craft on their own. Younger children will probably need assistance throughout the project.

To make an apple paper weight you will need a clean, empty 20 ounce soda bottle for each paperweight, red tissue paper, a small plastic sandwich bag, sand or rice, glue, a paintbrush, green construction paper, and a small twig.

To make your paperweight:

An adult should use a sharp craft knife to cut away most of the soda bottle, leaving approximately three inches of the bottom of the bottle. Discard the upper part of the bottle. Put the plastic sandwich bag in the bottom of the bottle. Fill the bag with either sand or rice. It should be slightly above the level of the bottle when finished. Tie or tape the bag securely closed to prevent the sand from falling out while you finish your paperweight.

Now it's time to add color to your apple! Tear some red tissue paper into small strips. Pour a bit of white glue into a shallow container, add a little water, and stir it up. You want a consistency that will spread easily. Use a paintbrush to coat the paperweight with the glue mixture. Cover the entire paperweight with glue.

Next, layer the torn red tissue paper over the entire apple, smoothing out the paper as you go along. This doesn't have to be done perfectly to look good! Just smooth down any bumps with your fingers and brush on some more glue if the tissue paper isn't sticking enough. Young children will tend to overlap quite a bit and that's fine. Just help them smooth it all out when they're done.

Apply two layers of tissue paper to your apple for the best effect. Use the paintbrush to remove any excess glue and make sure all edges are glued down.

Let the apple dry thoroughly. When it's ready, carefully insert a small twig stem into the top of the apple. Cut a leaf shape from green construction paper and attach it to the twig. Parents may wish to attach the leaf with a hot glue gun for extra sticking power. Let the glue dry, and display your new paperweight!