OK, so my friend and I are trying to start up a crafts class for children aged 5-12. Supplies have to be fairly inexpensive, (ie, bead animals that use pony beads, string, and key rings) because we have to make classes affordable. Also, we would like to keep things fairly simple, seeing as we are dealing with children. However, crafts can take several classes to complete. Classes will be about two hours long which includes a short story and snack time. I am not terribly artistic, but my partner is, so a few higher-level projects can be done, but I would like to keep those to a minimum. Please try to think of things that you may have done in summer camp, elementary school art classes, daycare, VBS, Sunday School, or other things of the sort. Any suggestions are well appriciated. Thank you!
All of us have been gifted by the almighty with some kind of creativity. Some people may be good in painting, some in cooking, some people are talented writers and poets and so on. Crafting is something that showcases your creativity and nurtures your talent, especially of your children. There are many easy craft ideas, which may be helpful not only enhancing your child’s creativity but in many other ways, as it gives you an opportunity to spend time with your child and get involved with him. This will make them involved as home craft ideas are always very interesting.
If you run short of the ideas, there is a plethora of websites having thousands of home craft ideas. You can use them as it is or modify them as per your choice. Children need support from their parents to complete any craft project and when the project is completed it enhances their confidence and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
While selecting a craft project for your child, you must consider his interest and age. It may as simple as making a ship using matchsticks, or making different masks from chart papers and so on. Making handmade greeting cards on various occasions also is a good idea of showcasing your talent and saving money at the same time. You may use different material for making these cards from paints, to glitters, to mirrors, talk sheet etc. You may not need to spend a lot of money every time, there are many craft ideas which can be made by using many waste materials from your home.
Doing creative work not only improves ones skills but also helps in the development of the overall personality of a person. Craft work also saves a lot of money too and at the same time helps you spend leisure hours doing some creative work. In their free time your children will do craft work rather than wasting their time in watching T.V. Instead of spending money on those expensive lamp shades, you can just buy some textured or handmade paper, colors and some sparkle to make your own lampshades at home. Doing this work with your children will help them gain interest in such activities and help them bring out their own imagination. Apart from that this will give your house a warm look and present your creativity.
It can be even more fun doing it with your friends and family. You can tell your child to ask his friends to come over and hold craft competitions like paper bag making competition, wrist band making competition, card making competition etc. For this you can provide them with material like paper, scissors, glue, ribbons, glitter etc. This will help them to understand community living and sportsmanship. Further it will help them in exchange of creative ideas and views. You can also hold best out of waste competitions among your family members with waste carry bags, cloth pieces etc. This way your waste too won’t go waste. At the end this will help you as well as your children to broaden their imaginative horizon and improve their skills and way of living.
Visit Crafts Advisor website to know more about home crafts and craft ideas.
Amit Kumar Verma Chandigarh.
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Does anyone have craft ideas using an assortment of items from various left over craft supplies?
I have a large tub of craft supplies from 13 years of Girl Scouting. We are doing our final camp out and I’d like to use up some of the supplies. I have yarn, floss, paints, foam pieces, fabric, popsicle sticks, glue, construction paper & probably some more odds ‘n ends. The girls are 16-18. I’m looking for some ideas to use these up. Thanks in advance!
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ALL my family is coming to our house for Christmas this year, which hasn’t really happened before and I really want to make somethign for each one of them. Nothing extremly big, just a little something they can take home and remember this holiday 
Any ideas what of homemade gifts I could make them?
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Most craft ideas are geared to individuals, whether kids or adults. Sometimes you’d like to have a craft idea that works for a group of kids working together. Making a mural together is an idea that works for a group. By working together, you are creating something to decorate a shared area. Individual crafts can be displayed, but one unique item is often more effective than a group of items that are almost identical. In addition, sometimes kids’ crafts, like it or not, just become clutter when they are taken home, and it isn’t long before Mom throws it out. This craft idea of making a group mural can be displayed for several weeks and will not become clutter in anyone’s home.
The basic materials for a kids’ group mural is freezer paper. Freezer paper is about 18 inches wide, and it is very tough. One side is plastic coated. That is the side that is designed to be placed against the food. You will have better luck drawing on and gluing things onto the other side. Class or group murals can feature a number of different design elements. You can mix up some finger paint and let the children make hand prints (or even foot prints!) on the paper. You can let them scour old cast-off magazines and color catalogs for pictures they like and let them cut the pictures out and glue them on. They can add scribbles, designs, signatures, slogans, or pictures using markers, crayons, or gel pens. They can attach stickers to the mural as well. This craft idea is very flexible!
For making the mural, choose a topic that relates to the group in some way. If the group are girl scouts, for instance, and have been learning to camp, the mural can feature pictures of items related to camping. If you’ve been learning about dinosaurs, you can use them as a theme. If you want a really messy project that makes a cute mural for fall, mix up finger paint in fall colors. The children can each make a tree by first laying their forearm in brown paint. Then they lay their arm on the paper to make the trunk of the tree. They should spread out their fingers so their arm print has five short branches at the top. To make the leaves, the children make fingerprints all around the top of the tree using paints in other fall colors. If you add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to finger paint when mixing it up, it will be easier to clean off the children’s arms. Do make sure they have old clothes or smocks for this craft idea.
Little preschoolers will like making a mural with an animal theme. You should probably find and cut out animal magazine pictures to start with, and then let the children choose the ones they like for gluing down. Glue sticks are neat to use with small children. They will paste some of the pictures upside down. Expect it and do not scold them. It is the process that is important in this craft idea. The children can also use animal cookie cutters dipped in finger paint to stamp animals on the mural, too. You may need to tape the paper to the table so it doesn’t slide around while the children work.
An elaborate form of this craft idea that adults often make is a quilt around a theme. Each person in the group creates a quilt square to represent some aspect of what the group stands for. These quilt squares can be colored with fabric pens or crafted of patchwork or applique. Again, the craft idea is to build group solidarity and not to highlight one artist’s skills over another. When the quilt top is completed, it can be a group project to tie it or quilt it. It can be hung in a special central location or given to an appreciated leader or member.
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As we near the end of summer, most of us become a bit desperate for ideas to keep our kids entertained and out of trouble. Crafts can be a great way to accomplish that goal. However, it can be hard to come up with new ideas. Since by now your fridge has been raided, your house turned upside down, and your pocket emptied, here are my top three low-budget, environmentally friendly craft ideas for kids.
CORK-LIKE VASE. Take an empty bottle, any bottle. Then, either cut newspaper into strips about 1/2″ wide and about 5 or 6″ long (make them as even as possible) or you could use masking tape. Use white glue to paste the strips of paper unto the bottle. The strips should overlap slightly. Make sure the entire bottle is covered. Thin down a bit of the glue and brush over the newspaper. Let it dry thoroughly. (If using masking tape, all you have to do is cut and stick the pieces of tape onto the bottle). When the paper is dry, use an old cloth to put a layer of brown shoe polish over the paper. The polish will be darker over the edges of the paper, giving it a cork-like look. Use the completed bottle as a vase or pencil holder!
BOTTLE CAP FLOWER COASTER. Start with 9 soda bottle caps (the plastic kind). You will need to paint, or cover the caps with fabric, so that you have one yellow, six red and two green. Place the yellow cap at the center. Then, glue all six red caps around the yellow one to make a flower shape. Then glue the two green ones, one at eaxh end to look like leaves. Once the glue dries completely, glue a pair of googly eyes to the yellow cap and draw a smile. Your coaster is ready to use!
TIN BOX SCRAPBOOK. Find an old tin box you no longer need. The size that works best in my opinion in the color pencil tin cases, but since those are not that easy to find, any relatively thin tin box will do. Measure the width and length of the inside of the box. Cut strips of paper that will fit the length of the box and glue several together to make a long strip of paper (about 2-feet long). Then, fan-fold the strip using the width of the box as a guide. Make sure to leave a piece about 1-inch wide at the end so you can glue the paper fan to the inside of the box. Use paint, charms, buttons, shells, or anything else you’d like to decorate the outside of the tin box. Then, glue the strip of paper to the inside of the box, and fill it with pictures and memories!
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