Activities and Crafts for 10 Year Old Boys

Paint is always fun. You can have the boys use different methods: watercolor is beautiful, regular finger paints (yes, even at age 10!), put paint in spray/squirt bottles, dot paints (similar to bingo inkers), sponge paint, etc.

Side walk chalk is entertaining. You can take a quick picture of their artwork and have the boys make popsicle stick frames for the picture.

So, popsicle stick boxes with lids, houses, picture frames, puppets, etc.

Collages are cool. Maybe they can make a themed book collage where they cut and paste pictures that are all related together.

Dioramas are super cool and the boys can make several to play with. They can use modeling clay, painted with watercolors, to create characters. You can check out some instructions at http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/curric/land/wetland/diorama.html

"Found" art, or nature art, is where you have the boys gather materials found around the yard and then glue them together to create another image. They can even do this with seashells to make mini animals.

Another real cool and challenging project is pipe cleaner animals. You can get step by step instructions at http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a...

And lastly, origami! You can purchase a kit at Michaels (take advantage of their weekly 40% off coupon in your local paper) or check out http://www.origami-instructions.com/simple-origami.html

Have fun,
F.
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hmmmm...boys, I don't have any of them, but Yoyo and airplanes come to mind. Can you get library books on yo yo tricks and how to make different paper airplanes? What about science projects and growing bean plants?

Sorry, not very much help, but that was my tid~bit.

C.

My 9 year old son is so into drawing cars right now it is great!. He makes them with all kinds of crazy modifications. Some I thought at first were too violent sounding. But I just let him go and I kept asking questions about them. Now he is into drwing just aout anything. He never liked coloring and is totally into it and can do it for a long ol time.
Good Luck
A.

How about a bug journal? You can get one of those bug keepers at your local dollar store, as well as a small journal or notepad. This is great, especially if you're outdoors a lot. The boys capture an insect, write down the day, time and location where it was captured. They then look it up online or in an entymology book, and write down more about it. They can keep the bug for a day or let it go and catch more.

It sounds boring, but my brothers used to love doing this!

You can also try making cases for their game boys out of foam sheets, letting them decorate a race car with stickers and permanent markers, or a score keeper for their video games. A lot of the crafts the younger kids do can be modified for the older kids... you just have to think of what interests them, and tie it in somehow.

Some cool and inexpensive science projects. my son just did some really cool (age 11) with he's grandmother and he loved them.

Dear M.,

I used to teach 6th grade and once a year would give each of them a nice amount of clay and they just made such wondrous things. It wasn't a formal lesson, but something for them to do when they finished their regular work. They would then display them at the top of their desks - Also, get some small hammers and nails and bits of wood that is not too hard. They can make things, my 6th graders even made a book case, maybe your boys can do things like that. They can paint whatever they make too. Also if you can afford one of those sets that they can made things out of - erector sets? do they have those anymore? They can also make sculptures from having a thick wooden base, then make an animal or person from pliable wire - and stick the wire sculpture into the wooden base by sticking the wire 'feet' into holes in the wood. I made one that reminds me of my grandson and have displayed it in my home for the last 20 years.

Go to a shop that makes cabinets and ask for their left over small pieces of wood, then have the boys make sculptures from them and paint it - it can be Picasso like or look like something real. Each piece can be painted a different color, or the whole thing can be one color. They can cooperated in making a bridge too.

Collages made of all sorts of things that you would ordinarily throw away, just put the stuff into a box and when collage day comes give them glue a sturdy piece of cardboard and the bits of things you collected. When you get started collecting you can really get into it - I just threw away a couple of boxes of stuff, and I hated to, but no kids are around to do that with nowadays. The collage picture can look like a person or a pet or building, whatever they want - or just be a design.

Have fun. C. N.

M.,
What about board games? My son loves to take out games and play with my husband and I. Games are a great way to keep their minds sharp during the summer because they provide an "invisible" education. Check out the games on my website www.sarahgrack.simplyfun.com. These games are new to the market from a company called SimplyFun. Check out "Ooga" (you hunt for dinosaurs), "Manga, Manga", "Walk the Dogs," and "Bringing Down the House," "Spy" and "Simply Catan." All these games can be played with two people and can be played by a ten and nine year old together. Good luck!!

M., I am going to plug a website here. But it's a really good one!

My friend Karen Cole has a non-profit called Big Learning. At biglearning.org you will find a TON of activities that are just right for boys your son's age. They are really fun and educational. Karen herself has 2 boys and has tested most of her ideas on them.

Woodworking with balsa and popsicle sticks, kite making, scientific investigations about bird feeders--authentically fun activities, and you don't have to pay a lot of money for a kit with limited use and shoddy materials.

If you do want a kit, though, I recommend her Toymaker's Workshop, inexpensive and with stuff that works.

Micheals' has some great craft ideas. They can paint bird houses...create a "summer" t-shirt...decorate a treasure chest. Maybe allow them to go treasure hunting in the house/backyard, leaving clues to lead them to the treasure.