Hi Moms,
So I'm not the craftiest person in the world by nature, and I don't know if my 5 year old is, but I'd like to do more creative stuff with him.
I've seen a show called Noodle & Doodle (craft and cooking) and it's a bit intimidating but also has neat ideas. One of the things they do is save EVERYTHING - plastic lids, containers, etc. which sounds great but seems crazy. I'm thinking of trying to do this to a lesser extent, and thinking of bins in the garage.
Are there any cool kinder craft websites out there that you would recommend? And have you started saving containers, lids, toilet rolls, etc as ingredients?
Thanks
Pinterest!!!
This seems to my response to several posts, recently! Probably because Pinterest rocks the house!
A friends of mine gets a "Kiwi Crate" once a month. It is a subscription (About $20 a month) and each box contains a supplies for a couple of themed art and craft projects.
I am thinking about subscribing... while it is a little more expensive that buying a bunch of stuff at the $ store, I lack in the creative department and getting a number of preset projects with all the supplies needed is really nifty.
I think there are a number of companies out there offering this...
pinterest has a lot of ideas. You can also find tons of ideas by doing a google search. I have been doing craft time with my kids since they were very little. Here in Alaska the winters are very long and harsh so we have to do inside play, and crafts are perfect!
I don't save a ton of stuff in advance. I look up crafts and if one looks neat I will save for that craft, otherwise the amount of stuff you save could be very cluttering.
I would start with looking up things your kid is interested in. For example, if he likes dinosaurs, google something like "easy kids dinosaur crafts". The first thing that came up for me was http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Dinosaur-Crafts-for-Kids... which has some super cute ideas.
My dd is into fairies and stuff, so we're making a fairy house like we saw at the Renaissance Festival here in KC. We've been collecting things at stores that look like they'd be perfect, like a gazebo like bird house, fake butterflies and flowers, a teeny tiny tea set, and next weekend we're going to start painting and gluing. It's been fun getting her involved in finding just the right thing for her fairy house.
We also like to go to Joann's, armed with 40-50% off coupons from the paper, and look at their ready-made craft kits. Yesterday we found a super cute one for fairy hairbands we're going to do this afternoon. The best part is that it came with 2 so we could each do one. :-)
I saved all those things for years! (In kindergarten they called it "imagination station.") I had a large box in the corner of the kitchen. You can toss in so many things: bubble wrap/packing peanuts, tiny boxes, berry baskets, scrap ribbon & wrapping paper, etc. The best part is YOU don't need to do anything, just hand your son a roll of masking tape and he will create all kinds of stuff :)
And if you're not on pinterest yet, join now. They have entire pages devoted to kids' crafts, many with stuff you already have around the house, and broken down by age.
Oh make those wooden and plastic glider planes. They are big enough for you to let him help you put it together and then he can paint it. They have them at all the craft stores in the model car areas.
I felt this way last week and esp. with the cooler weather coming here. I just went to Joanne's and bought a bunch of little things - stickers, pom pom balls, feathers, pipe cleaners. I spent about $50. While we haven't done one specific project yet my kids have had a blast making their own creative piece (yesterday it was "rain hats" made on a paper plate with string to tie it on). So don't feel like you have to make something specific but just have the supplies available and let them have fun!
I've found that craft kits are a good way to get started. You can save all the bottle caps and containers you want, but if you don't have specific things you want to use them for, I find they start to "take over" the house!
I think a lot of kids do well with a starter example, even if its a photo. From there they get creative on their own!
Michaels has craft kits that aren't too much. You can use a 40% off coupon on them. There are always pieces left over that you can save toward future crafts.
We have quite a collection of beads, strings, pipe cleaners, ribbon, etc. that have been saved from craft projects.
I have also found that many of the craft projects turn into clutter. After they've been made, what do you DO with them? I always feel bad throwing them away. Therefore we like to craft with a purpose! My daughter not only enjoys making things, but she also enjoys seeing them used. She has made mugs and garden stones, vases and plates. Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations that we bring out every year.
Have fun! We find lots of ideas on Pinterest.
