Tips About Crafts For Small Children

As a former teachers aide for grades k-4, I worked with young children on their classroom craft projects along with helping with their reading skills. Much of the work involved preparing the craft areas for each project and getting the materials together. I did a lot of pre-cutting paper strips or shapes and putting out small containers of glue, crayons or whatever was required for the days project. This also included handling parts of the project that were too dangerous for the kids, like melting wax crayons or ironing on transfers, etc.

When crafting at home with small children its also a good idea for the parent to be prepared ahead of time for when the weather is bad or the kids are bored. Start a craft materials stash just as you would for your own craft or sewing projects. It doesnt have to be large or expensive. Items you might have around the house work well (paper plates, drinking straws, paper or foam egg cartons, a small bag of newspaper strips for Paper Mache, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, cotton balls, construction paper, childrens scissors, white glue, crayons, water colors, markers, etc). You might also want to include a plastic table cloth, aprons and wipes. When you want to spend some quality time with the little ones you will be ready to craft on the spur of the moment.

Safety when crafting with small children is just as important as being prepared. Its just using common sense. No sharp objects that can cut fingers or poke eyes and depending on the age of the child, no tiny items that can cause a choking hazard. Dont let the kids handle hot items like irons or hot liquids. And make sure all products that they use are non-toxic. I havent seen very many small children who dont taste everything or at least put their hands in their mouths. We want to concentrate on having a good time and not have to worry about what goes into the mouth.

Last but not least is the craft itself. Back when I helped in the classroom it was a struggle to come up with new ideas. Most ideas were passed back and forth between the teachers. We modified projects to fit the age group. Many ideas came from the Teachers Resource Center and just plain old brainstorming. Now we have the internet. You can find almost anything if you have time to research and collect. There are many sites dedicated to kids crafts.

Heres just one example. While I was looking for ideas for project to do with my grandkids I came across a nice little e-book by Alexandra Martinez called "365 Easy Step-by-Step Kid Crafts". As the title indicates, she has included 365 craft projects that cover most holidays and general crafting ideas. As a bonus she has included a book of childrens recipes and another book of games and activities. She offers a money back guarantee and free upgrades. I purchased the books myself to have on hand when the kids come to visit. I can print out the projects that I want to use and have patterns ready to cut or color without messing up a printed book or having to go make copies on a copier (which I dont own). It saves me a lot of time searching for ideas.

I really like the recipe for play dough thats in the recipe book. I could spend a whole day making play dough animals with my grandaughter. She has to keep every one of them until they dry out and have to be thrown out. It sure saves me a lot of money when I can make my own.

Whichever craft projects you choose to do with your kids, no matter where you find them, be prepared, keep safety in mind and have lots of fun crafting away. Make the project along with them to show them how its done but dont insist that they do it your way. Let them be creative. Let them know that they have done a GREAT job, even if you have no idea what the did. They may come up with something thats even better

than the original idea. You will be creating happy memories that will, hopefully, instill a love for crafting beautiful things for the rest of their lives.

Oh! and dont forget to take pictures. Theyll look great in your scrapbooking projects.

Happy Crafting!

Tips about crafts for small children.

Charlene is an artist, crafter, craft teacher, former teachers aide and business owner. For more information and ideas visit: http://www.kid-crafting.blogspot.com

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Children Crafts balloons Bubbles balls 3

Craft: Balloon brushes

Activities: Balloon battle, balloon Yo-Yos!, Bubble Bubble Pop Pop!, scoop n throw

Snack: Coconut Balls

Selection: read Zachary the ball by Matt Tavares

Craft


Balloon brushes

Needed:

# 1 package of balloons

# sticks or chopsticks

# rubber tyres or floral wire

Collect a bunch of balloons (deflated) around a stick or stick. Take a rubber band or floral wire and securing the balloons to the stick or dowel. Have the children paint the "balloon brush" dive in and explore!

Activities/Games


Balloon battle

Needed:

# Balloons

# String

# inflated balloons.

The designation of a particular color for each team. (If you have a lot of children who have more teams you can or you have to have on all teams) A balloon tie every players only. Each team first try each others balloon burst. The team with the last balloons WINS. If your balloon burst, pull you from the game.

Balloon Yo-Yos!

Needed:

# 9 inch balloon

# Long rubber band

# Water

This balloon yo-yo is about the size of a baseball. You will need to fill it with water and air to make it that size. (Aprox. 3/4 cup of water and hit to the right size!) The air is very important because it acts as a cushion for the water. The ratio is 1/4 water in the air of 3/4.
Bind it off. Snip the rubber band and tie a loop in one end. The other end snugly around the stem balloon tie. Thats it! The children can use markers to personalize this. They are a lot of fun and about 3 cents per piece costs. They also make great party favors! Enjoy!

Note: you should always be cautious with broken balloon pieces and children. Discarding of broken latex balloons immediately.

Bubble Bubble Pop Pop!

Needed:

# Bubble solution

# White Paper

# Food colors

Take bubble solution, white construction paper, shallow pans and food coloring outside with your child. Pour bubble solution in different shallow pans. Squeeze drops of different color food coloring in each pan. Help your child dip the bubble wand in the pan and blow bubbles on the paper-make sure you have all the colors!

Scoop n Toss

Needed:

# empty litre milk jugs

# Foam ball

Two one litre of milk jugs and collect a foam ball. Cut the jars to form a scoop. The use of sandpaper to rub away any sharp edges. Take your child outside and have fun playing toss. The activity make it more difficult by the move further apart. Have fun!

Snack

Coconut Balls

Needed:

# 1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate pieces

# 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

# 1 tsp. vanilla extract

# 1/8 tsp. salt

# 1/8 Cup coconut flakes

In a heavy, 2-quart saucepan over low heat), melt chocolate pieces. Stir in sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt until well blended.

Put in the fridge for about 45 minutes, or until it is easy to form.
Shape with buttered hands, the mixture into small balls. Roll each ball in the coconut flakes.
This recipe is a delicious treat for young children with adult supervision.

Reading selection:


Zachary the ball by Matt Tavares

Be care when using balloons around small children. Balloons can be a risk of suffocation.

Pam Lester is a former art teacher and mother of 2. They is the owner and creator of http://www. -TheIdeaBox.com and http://www.. The sites offer free class-Parties.com children crafts, recipes, games and activities for parents, teachers and caregivers. Visit TheIdeaBox for more great ideas!

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Amazing Woodwork Projects Try It Now !

Amazing Woodwork Projects

Amazing Woodwork Projects: Woodworking is considered an interest, rather than a vocation, along with quick timber assignments are simply just a good method to simple in to that brand new exciting hobby; Amazing Woodwork Projects moreover, their not necessarily some sort of leisure time action pertaining to males any further, since lots of the less complicated woodworking projects can be done through or at the least by making use of the parents direction youngsters.

Amazing Woodwork Projects Review

Which i suggest some easy woodworking jobs options. As for the jobs, the best way to begin is by using e. h. Amazing Woodwork Projects many wood games along with game titles, for example because they build a couple of appliance bins or perhaps because they build a cornhole activity board, in lieu of handling crazy at first as well as seeking to begin on because they build some fine pieces of furniture like elizabeth. h. Amazing Woodwork Projects any cherry- as well as beech timber dining area desk together with ornaments or perhaps a dovetailed under-window bookcase.

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Nevertheless, woodworking could also function a remarkably practical purpose, as oahu is the circumstance as soon as creating for example display cases, that in addition is an effortless wooden challenge. Cupboards have a very common employ, for instance within your kitchens, your bathroom, as hard drive for the resources inside your shed or even in any other place in which further storage devices is needed. Amazing Woodwork Projects Your good matter with regards to a woodworking units challenge, just like a great many other woodworking tasks, Amazing Woodwork Projects can be in which constructing pantry shelves doesnt need to help cause that very complex woodworking venture, however could also bring about very well-designed in addition to revolutionary pieces of furniture, though still be a fairly easy woodworking venture.


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Childrens Bug Crafts Kids Crafts to Drive Them Buggy

There are an estimated 1,017,018 species of insects in our world, so its no wonder that children have an endless fascination with them. When theyre outside playing, insects are everywhere, and while the majority of them dont hurt people, they are extremely interesting to look at. Therefore, childrens bug crafts are very popular with kids, because they love making their own insects.

Children can make an easy dragonfly by painting one old-fashioned (not clip) clothespin and four 3/4" craft sticks pale green. Prior to painting cut each craft stick at a 60 degree angle by cutting off about 1" of the stick. Let the pieces dry, then have the children paint a veined pattern on the sticks with a darker shade of green. They can also add some darker green to the clothespin including two dots on the front for eyes. When everything dries, glue the sticks into the groove in the clothespin to form two pairs of wings.

Clay pots make great childrens bug crafts. Start this ladybug windchime by painting a 4" clay pot bright red, inside and out. While the pots are drying, have the children color 3/4" sticker circles (available at discount stores) with permanent black markers. Each child needs to make two stickers into eyes and color eight more solid black. When the pots are dry, the children will paste their stickers on the pot to form the eyes and spots. Cover the entire surface with Mod Podge to make it weatherproof and keep the stickers from falling off. Fold two black craft stems in half, link them together, and thread them through the hole in the bottom of the pot. Glue the edges of the inside stem to the pot surface. Curl the ends of the stem sticking up slightly to form feelers. Feed a string through the hole around the craft stems with both ends inside the pot. Knot about 6" above the pot for a hanger. String a few pony beads onto the ends of the string and knot the strings securely. These will provide a little noise when wind blows the ladybug pot.

A third insect craft is to make a paper plate bee. Start with a heavy duty paper plate. Draw lines across the back of the plate about 2 1/2" apart. Have the children paint every other stripe bright yellow. When the yellow dries, paint the alternating stripes black. Glue two large craft eyes on the sloped edge of the plate. Punch two holes about an inch apart in the top of the plate a little ways behind the eyes. Thread a black craft stem through the holes and twist them to form antenna. Cut four wings from waxed paper and glue to the top of each bee.

Theres nothing kids love doing more than painting, so you know theyll really enjoy doing these childrens bug crafts. Youll love seeing the delight in the eyes of the children over the cute insect crafts they have made all by themselves.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about childrens bug crafts [http://craftswithyourchildren.info/childrens-bug-crafts-kids-crafts-to-drive-them-buggy], please visit Crafts With Your Children [http://craftswithyourchildren.info] for current articles and discussions.

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Kids Craft Kits A Great Solution to Your Christmas Present Dilemmas

Christmas has become very commercial and if you have kids it can get very expensive; then after half an hour they are bored with it all. There is a solution; get Christmas presents which require input - kids craft kits are perfect to keep them occupied for longer!

If you want to guarantee that a present will be a success then you really do need to choose carefully. There are several area which need to be considered.

1. The target age. Once your kids are over three you can pretty much ignore the target age on some toys - however, this does not apply to craft kits. The age will define the expected level of fine motor skills required for the projects included. It will also define the tools required; such as craft knives and scissors.

2. The number of projects included. It is always worth getting a craft kits which has several projects. This means that if one is damaged there is always others to work on. It also means that if there are cousins or friends over during the Christmas season, there will be enough to keep more than one child occupied.

3. What is involved in the project? This may sound bizarre, but there are some kids craft kits which require placing moulds into the cooker to help them set - as all parents are aware there is more than one thing in demand at Christmas than a mother - it is the cooker! Equally anything which has smelly chemicals is not a good idea for a winter activity.

All in the kids craft kits are a great present, but there are always pitfalls. Be extra cautious with bargains as you may find that they are old stock and that the paint has dried out, the playdo is hard and the glue is incapable of holding anything together.

If you are going to invest in crafts this Christmas then make sure that you take a little time to think about them, this will ensure that you get the correct ones and that they are a success.

Discover more about kids craft kits and other great ideas for a perfect Christmas at http://greatchristmastime.com

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Crafting With Kids Top 5 Mistakes Most Parents Make

Taking care of young children is fun, but lets be honest, it can also be a handful at times to keep children entertained and learning new things while you multitask between work and life. Sometimes parents fall into the trap of letting their TVs babysit their children for them. Kids these days spend hours during the day playing video games or texting their buddies on their mobile phones. It would be easy to just let their kids find their own entertainment, but sometimes you cant help but feeling a little guilty.

As a responsible and caring parent, you know that your children deserve better. You want them to have fun without the violence on TV. You want them to experience new things and learn new ideas. You want them to create, not just to consume brainless entertainment.

This is precisely why its such a good idea for parents to start crafting with their children. As the DIY and handmade wave sweeps the nation, parents everywhere are increasingly passing on the tradition of crafting with their young children.

Crafting benefits children in multiple ways. It stimulates their imagination and unleashes their innate creativity. Crafting exercises their logical thinking as your children process the instructions. Crafting also enhances teamwork as they learn to share their resources and supplies with siblings or friends from school.

Before you start jumping onto a new kids craft project, its helpful to read some tips and advice from people who have been crafting with their kids for a long time. After all, you want all the benefits of crafting with your kids, minus the mistakes that parents usually make. Below is a list of the top 5 mistakes most parents make when crafting with their kids:


Care more about the product than the process. Many parents get too caught up with making the perfect craft project that they forget to let the kids be kids. Very often, kids will make things that bear no resemblance to the craft project instructions. As long as they had fun and enjoyed the process, parents should give kids a lot of freedom in their craft activities.
Take over the process. Many parents do not like to see their kids struggle. When their kids get stuck on a particular task, instead of suggesting and prompting the kids to work it out on their own, they feel the need to complete the task for them. And before they realize it, they would take over the entire process. Kids learn better if you let them work out a solution on their own.
Become impatient. Sometimes kids have short attention span. Instead of becoming impatient at your kids for abandoning their projects, its more effective to ask them to help you clean up and pick up the craft project at a later time.
Use negative words to describe the finished craft project. Its really not about the finished craft project. So use positive words to describe your kids projects, even if they look nothing like what they should be. Its the experience and the process that counts.
Give their kids projects that are inappropriate for their age. Surprisingly, this is a common mistake. But its easy to see why this could turn into a disaster. If you give younger kids a more complicated project, they may get frustrated. If you give your older kids a really simple project, they may get bored. Give them age appropriate craft projects to work on.

Edda Shea is the founder of Kid Craft Project: a website for people who enjoy crafting with their kids. It is an online directory that sources the best ideas for kid craft projects. Edda is a lifelong crafts enthusiast and enjoys everything handmade.

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Wrapping Up a Night of WitchCRAFT

I love a good crafting party, don’t you? And a Night of WitchCRAFT was just what I needed. It was so fun to meet a few new Seattlites, seeing a few old friends, and getting our DIY on!! Here’s a few pics from our night of witchy craft.

It was held at the lovely Trophy Cupcakes located north of Seattle. They have the perfect party room, complete with amazingly colorful tissue paper pom poms. Look at us all so busy working :)

Along with a few tiers of cupcakes… vanilla, chocolate, and apple caramel! Couldn’t have been better. It was the perfect place to hold our little event.

Working with my partner, Lyndsey of The Stationary Place, was perfect. She’s the best. I love her pink witch hat! And she shared her fun Halloween Garland with us too.

Now onto the good stuff… the crafts.

First up was a lovely Halloween Felt Wreath. We used the pattern from All Things Simple, inspired from Domestifluff. There was A LOT of felt to cut out. Many of them took the project home. But once the felt is cut, it’s just a matter of folding and pinning felt to the wreath. A really easy project with darling results.

We had to have good ol’ Scrabble Tile Necklaces, Halloween style. Here’s a set made from Dawn, so cute!

There were Stitched Spider Cards. I love this little spider card. You can give it as a gift or even frame it for Halloween.

We also had Typography Pumpkins, with tutorial by Font Crafts. Some people were lettering the whole pumpkin and some with just a few words. There were white ones and orange one. So festive!

Everyone made a Pipe Cleaner Spider as well. These little guys were to hang on your wreath, but many were placing them on their pumpkins. Such a fun little spider.

And last, we also crafted Glitter Spider Rings. I got the idea from the local morning show, New Day Northwest, with entertainer Heather Cristo. This craft couldn’t be simpler and lots of glitz! Brush on glue to a plastic children’s spider ring. Dip in glitter and let it dry. That’s it! This one was my favorite. We had skull and bat rings too.

There were 20 wonderful women who came, crafted, and cupcaked. It couldn’t have been a better group.

It was fun to see some long time friends who are Seattle locals, Jenny and Stephanie, as well as some new Seattle friends, Marja and Susan.

For a few other wrap up posts, visit Not Just a Mommy, Tangarang, Michelle Paige, and Twig and Thistle. Thanks, ladies!

And we’re going to plan another night of craft for late January with a few fun Valentine’s Day crafts. So if you’re local, be looking for that in the new year.

Tagged as: Halloween, halloween crafts, pumpkins, spiders

Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of Make and Takes. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! Read other posts by Marie

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