CRAFTS FOR CHILDREN

By Millie Reynolds, Home Economist

Kids and crafts are a natural mix! A drawer or boxes, where you can keep a supply of craft items, comes in handy. Include in your stash such things as toilet tissue rolls, egg cartons, plastic fruit baskets, milk containers, toothbrushes, baby food jars, paper plates and cups, wrapping ribbon, used computer paper, empty facial tissue boxes, crayons, washable ink felt pens, paints, glue . . . and so on.

You might consider putting your craft items into various boxes labelled "for daily use", "paper", "containers" and so on. This helps keep the mess under control.

Remember the hours you spent as a child making dough ornaments, finger painting or painting crafts. Have you lost the recipes? Maybe these will help. You will be surprised at how the ideas for "creating" will flow spontaneously from yourself or your child!

GLUING

Paper Appliqué Jars

Here's a chance to turn jars, bottles, jugs and containers into flower pots, vases, pencil holders, "lovely to look at containers", garbage cans, jewellery boxes, etc. These make ideal gifts for Christmas, birthdays and special occasions.

Materials Needed: White glue, tissue paper and various jars or containers.

Notes:

• Choose variegated tissue paper or 3-4 different colours of tissue paper. Coloured pages from newspapers or sales flyers can also be used. Tear paper into pieces about 1 inch (2 cm) square. Fabric cut into small pieces also works.
• Jars and clear bottles works well. Remove labels. Plastic containers should be sanded so the glue holds to them.

Method:

1. Cover your working surface with newspaper.
2. Put a some glue on a small area of the jar.
3. Place a piece of paper on the glue and with your fingers, smooth the paper onto the jar. Work some glue over the paper. Take care not to overwork this as intense colour from the paper may bleed and stain.
4. Add another piece of paper, overlapping on some of the first piece. Work some glue over this piece. Continue until jar is covered with paper.
5. Allow to dry. If picture is curled, it can be flattened by ironing or by putting books on it.

Yarn Balls

Materials Needed: small sized balloon, vegetable oil, yarn, glue, needle.

Method:

1. Cover your working surface with newspaper.
2. Blow up balloon and tie opening shut. Lightly oil the surface so glue does not stick.
3. Cut yarn into pieces about 20 inches long (50 cm). Longer is fine if it can be managed.
4. Lightly glue a yarn and stick to the balloon. Keep repeating until most of the balloon surface is covered (allow for somepeep holes.) Keep balloon tie end free so there is space to remove the balloon.
5. Allow to dry.
6. Puncture balloon and remove it.
7. With the needle, attach a piece of yarn so yarn ball can be hung.

Glitter Jars

Materials Needed: Baby food jars, glitter, glue gun, small trinkets (such as plastic flowers, little toys, plastic fish, etc.), water, ribbon, felt.

Method:

1. Remove label from jar.
2. Using glue gun, glue small trinkets to inside of lid.
3. Fill jar with water, leaving enough room for water level to rise when the decorated lid is added.
4. Add about 15 mL (1 tbsp) glitter to the jar.
5. Screw lid onto jar, checking water level.
6. Glue lid in place.
7. On the felt, trace the top of the lid. Cut out felt circle and glue to top of the lid.
8. Glue ribbon around edge of lid, leaving enough ribbon to tie a bow.

PAINTING

Milk Paint (Canadian Living, November 1994)

Materials Needed: Water, instant nonfat (skim) milk powder, a colouring materials, like berry or beet juice, food colouring or paint powder (from an artist supply or craft store).

Method:

1. Mix the water and milk powder about half and half, so that it has the consistency of paint. Add the coloring material, mixing colors if desired, until you have the color you want. Brush on your paint.
2. Let dry. If you want it to last, varnish it when dry. It takes about two hours for the paint to dry.

Note:

• When mixing colors remember that blue and yellow make green, blue and red make purple, yellow and red make orange. Mixing all the colors together will give brown or grey sludge.

Finger Painting

Cornstarch Finger Paint Base

1/2 cup	cornstarch	125 mL
4 cups	water	1 L

Optional ingredients:

2 tbsp	glycerine	30 ml
few drops	oil of wintergreen	few drops

Boiling Method:

1. Put cornstarch in saucepan.
2. Add about 2/3 cup (200 mL) water and stir. Add rest of the water.
3. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring constantly.
4. Continue cooking until mixture is thickened and clear.
5. Optional ingredients may be added. The glycerine keeps the finger paint base from drying and the wintergreen prevents the finger paint from going sour.
6. Cool and then divide into portions and add powder paints.

Microwave Method:

1. Put cornstarch into mixing bowl.
2. Add water and stir.
3. Microwave for short time and stir. Continue with this until mixture boils, thickens and clears.
4. Add optional ingredients.
5. Cool and then divide into portions and add powder paints.

Finger Paint Ideas (cover working surface with newspaper):

• Add a teaspoon of two different primary colours (red, yellow, blue) of paint to a sheet of paper. Work paint around the paper with fingers and/or palm, trying to blend paints in some places. Make swirls, lines, zig-zags and other shapes. Dry painting. This gives an opportunity to talk about how mixing of red, yellow and blue creates other colours.
• Try putting blobs of paints in various places on paper so that a picture can be created. For example, put a small amount of green in a spot and create a tree. A blob of brown finger paint can be turned into a horse or a bear . . . and on goes the imagination.
• Fold the sheet of paper in half and then unfold it. Place a teaspoon of finger paint in the centre of one half of the paper. Fold paper over the paint. Press and with the fingers or fist, gently move the paint between the two layers of paper. Unfold and let the paint dry. Try to imagine what has been created. Try this with two or more colours of finger paint and see the effect of mixing colours.
• Put 1 tsp (5 mL) of paint on a piece of paper. Dab a sponge in the paint and make sponge marks around the paper. Add another teaspoon of a second colour of paint and make more sponge marks. Continue until satisfied with the work. See what happens when colours are mixed. Dry.
• Put a dab of yellow on the paper. Ask what colour should be added to make green? Try the suggested colour and mix to determine the colour obtained. Try this with other combinations.
• Put a dab of finger paint base on the paper. Add a shake of powder paint. Mix the powder into the base as the design is created on the paper. Put another dab of paint base and add 2-3 shakes of the same colour. Mix in and incorporate into design. Discuss what adding more paint does to the intensity of the colour. Try this idea again, but use different colours and see the effect.
• Make finger paint designs to look like the sky or a forest, underwater, or prehistoric background scene. Allow to dry. On a sheet of black or dark coloured paper, draw an appropriate animal. Cut out and glue to the background scene.
• Spread coloured finger paint on metal sheet. Make designs. Place sheet of paper over finger paint and lightly press down. Carefully pull it off.

Spatter Painting

Materials Needed : paper, old tooth brush, jar with water, paint blocks or mix a small amount of powder paint and water together in a small jar.

Method:

1. Cover working surface with newspaper. Place sheet of paper on work surface. Dip brush in water and then load brush with a colour of paint. Hold brush over paper so bristles are downward. Run thumb over bristles so they spatter paint onto paper. Keep doing this until you are satisfied with the amount of spattering. Try different colours. Wetting the paper by dipping it in water or water spraying it before paint spraying gives a different effect.
2. Using heavier paper, draw a simple shape like a heart, tree or diamond. Carefully cut out the shape saving both the shape and the background to be used as stencils. Place one of the stencils on a sheet of paper. Dip the tooth brush in the water, and then load it with paint. Spatter the paint on the paper. Repeat this until satisfied with the amount of spatters on the paper. Remove the stencil. Place the other stencil on another sheet of paper and spatter paint it.
3. Glue or draw a picture of children playing outdoors in winter on a sheet of blue paper. When this is done spatter white paint on it to make a winter snow scene.
4. Glue or draw a picture of children playing outdoors in summer on a sheet of white paper. Spatter blue paint on it to make a summer rain scene.
5. Draw a large oval on a heavier sheet of paper. Cut away the inside of the oval. Place the outside oval stencil on a sheet of paper. Draw around the oval. Inside the oval draw eyes, nose and mouth. Spatter paint the face with red paint to represent freckles or measles.

Spaghetti Pictures

Material Needed: Uncooked spaghetti noodles, construction paper, paint.

Method:

1. Boil spaghetti until very soft; allow to cool.
2. Using cooled spaghetti, make designs on coloured construction paper. Ensure spaghetti lies flat on paper and not in a mound. When the spaghetti dries, it will stick to the paper.
3. Paint as desired.

MODELLING

Kool-Aid Playdough

Yield: 2 1/2 cups

1/2 cup	salt	125 mL
2 tbsp	oil	25 mL
2 cups	boiling water	500 mL
1 pkg	unsweetened Kool-Aid	1 pkg
2 cups	flour	500 Ll

Method:

1. In medium bowl, combine salt and oil.
2. Add boiling water and Kool-Aid; stir until salt is dissolved.
3. Add flour; knead until smooth, adding more flour if necessary.
4. Store refrigerated in airtight container.

Tips:

• Ensure water is boiling before adding to salt and oil mixture.
• For extra sparkle, add 15 ml (1 tbsp) craft glitter to dough.

Creative Clay

Use Creative Clay to make such items as candle sticks, paperweights, beads, Christmas ornaments, etc.

1 cup	cornstarch	250 mL
2 cups	baking soda	500 mL
1 1/4 cups	cold water	300 mL
	colouring

Note:

• Rite dye, food coloring, beet or berry juice can be used as colouring. (If using juice, measure it as part of the liquid.)

Method:

• Combine the first 3 ingredients and cook until it is the consistency of moist mashed potato. Add color. Shape or mold.
• Let dry at room temperature.

Cornstarch Clay

1 cup	corn starch	250 mL
1 tsp	salt	5 mL
2 cups	water	500 mL

Method:

1. Mix ingredients in saucepan.
2. Stir constantly and bring to a boil to thicken.
3. Store in air tight container in fridge.

Notes:

• Unsweetened Kool-Aid or powder paints may be added for colour.
• Glycerine may be added to keep clay from hardening.

Baker's Clay

1 cup	all purpose flour	250 mL
1/2 cup	salt	125 mL
1/2 cup	water	125 mL

Method:

• Place flour in bowl. Mix in salt. Slowly stir in water; knead for approximately 10 minutes or until smooth.
• Shape. Arrange on a cookie sheet. Let dry.
• Bake in a 120° C (250° F) oven for 3 hours. Let cool.
• Paint with acrylic paints. Let dry.

Flour Clay

1 cup	flour	250 ml
1 cup	salt	250 ml
	water

Method:

1. In mixing bowl, mix flour and salt.
2. Stir in just enough water to make a dough.
3. Powder paint can be added for colour.

Note:

• This can be painted when dried.

Things to do with Play Dough and Clays:

Coil Method (great for making bowls and pots, fences ):

1. Roll pieces of dough into strips that are of even thickness.
2. Make the strip coil around itself until the base is the desired size.
3. Stack the coil on top of itself until it is the desired height.
4. To join two strips, cut the ends with a knife and abut the two strips. Gently work with your fingers until the strips are joined together.

Slab Method (ideal for making houses, barns, wall plaques, plates, jewellery boxes):

1. Roll out dough until about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick.
2. Cut dough into shapes.

Sculpture Method:

1. Take a chunk of playdough or clay and shape it into whatever one wishes by working the material with the fingers and thumb. Pencils, spoons, wire and various other items can be of help when sculpting with clay.

Topography Method:

1. Use a piece of plywood or cardboard as the base.
2. Use Flour Clay to build hills and valleys. Build roadways using the slab method. Buildings and animals can be made.
3. Allow to dry, even at various stages of making.
4. Paint when dried.

PAPER MACHÉ

There are two types of Paper Maché

• Pulp Maché - Paper is turned into a mush and a holding agent is added.
• Strip Maché - Strips of paper are put in a paste and shaped over a form.

Pulp Maché lt

Materials Needed: paper and binding agent

Method:

1. Tear paper into small bits. Absorbent paper such as newspaper, egg cartons, paper plates, paper towelling work well. Computer waste paper mixed with water and shredded in a blender works.
2. Cover with water, and leave for 24 hours. Stir it occasionally.
3. Put mixture in cloth bag or leg of panty hose and squeeze out excess water.
4. Add just enough of one of the following to the mixture to make it feel sticky:
   • cooked starch
   • laundry starch
   • flour
   • dry wall paper paste
   • white glue

Things to do with Paper Maché

Puppets

1. Choose a tube large enough to put over your index finger or more fingers. The toilet paper core will work.
2. Crunch a fist full of paper around one end of the tube and tie it in place.
3. Add paper maché to form the head, neck and features of the puppet.
4. Allow to dry. This may take a considerable amount of time.
5. Paint face.
6. Add wool for hair.
7. Create the costume and glue or tie to neck.

Notes:

• A light bulb may be used. Put the paper machn the light bulb to form the head, neck and features. After the paper maché has dried, carefully cut the maché on half going up the side of the bulb and over the top. Remove the bulb and then tape the puppet head together. Paint the face and add the hair and costume.
• To make shakers, a light bulb may be used as the base. Be sure to totally encase the bulb in paper maché. When the maché's dry, carefully cut the maché on half going up the side of the bulb and over the top. Remove the bulb and put some dried seeds or small pebbles inside and tape the shakers together. Paint and decorate.
• Balloon may be used as the base, but sometimes it loses air before the paper maché's dry.
• Bowls or an actual object may be used as the base. Grease or put plastic film on the object to prevent the maché from sticking.
• Shaping a blob of paper maché may work if the designed object is not too large or thick.
• Soft wire may be used to form the base shape and paper maché but on the wire. This works well if animals are being made.

Strip Maché lt

Materials Needed: paper and glue or paste

Method:

• Tear paper into strips of varying widths and lengths.

Things to do with Strip Maché

• Choose an object (bowl, plate, balloon), lightly grease or cover with plastic film or make a shape (soft wire, tied newspaper)
• Dip strip in glue or paste and put on form. Continue doing this with various sized strips, placing strips in different directions.
• About 5-6 layers of paper are needed to give object being made stability. A layer does not need to be dried for another to be put over it.
• Paint.

Notes:

• To reinforce edge of maché bowl, remove it from the form and add strips, folding them over the edge of the bowl.
• For a shiny finish, spray varnish on object made.

LACING

Lacing Pictures

Material Needed: Bristol board or some heavier paper about 5X5 inches (20X20 cm), shoe lace, something to punch holes about 1/2 " (.75 cm) in diameter.

Method:

1. Draw the outline of something simple like a tulip, bunny, happy face, wheel, open book, umbrella.
2. Punch holes about 1 inch (2 cm) apart around the outline. Try for an even number so that the lace beginning and ending are on the wrong side of the paper.
3. Lace the shoe lace through the holes.

Notes:

• Colour the paper before lacing it.
• Yarn may be used instead of the shoe lace. If a blunt needle is not available, the end can be made stiff with nail polish.
• Framed Picture for Grandma - Draw and colour a picture of self. To make a frame, use Bristol board or heavier paper about 4 inches (10 cm) bigger than the picture. Paint or colour it a solid colour, leaving space in the centre for pasting the portrait. Punch an even number of holes an inch (2 cm) in from the edge and around the frame. Do the lacing. For an extra special frame, use beads in the lacing.

FOLDING

Making Butterflies

Materials Needed: Heavy paper to make pattern, pipe cleaners, paper ( tissue paper, crepe paper, wall paper, pictures from magazines, etc.), scissors.

Notes:

• Plain-coloured paper can have designs drawn or painted on to make even more beautiful butterflies.
• A number of butterflies can be hung from a hanger to make a mobile.

Method A:

1. Use a rectangular sheet of paper. Accordion fold paper.
2. Use a pipe cleaner to wrap around the centre of the folded paper. Twist.
3. Shape the pipe cleaner ends for the antennae.
4. Help the wings unfold.

Method B:

1. To make pattern, draw a large heart on the upper 2/3 of the heavy paper. Then draw a smaller heart so that the tips of the hearts overlap by about 1 1/2 inches (4-5 cm). Cut around the hearts, but not the overlap.
2. Place the pattern on a piece of paper and draw around it. Cut out. Accordion fold the paper from one heart to the other.
3. Use a pipe cleaner to wrap around the centre to form the butterfly body. Twist the pipe cleaner. Arrange the ends of the pipe cleaner to be the butterfly antennae. Gently help the butterfly spread its wings by smoothing out the edges of the accordion fold.

PLAYING

Distinguishing Shapes, Sizes and Colours( suitable for toddlers)

Materials Needed: egg carton, sheet of paper, scissors

What to do:

• For very young children, cut paper into 2 shapes that are about the size of a loonie. You might start with 5 circles and 5 rectangles. Mix them together. Place one circle in an egg cup and one square in another egg cup. Have your child sort the remaining shapes into the appropriate cup. As the child becomes capable, add other shapes to be sorted.
• Cut about 5 large circles and 5 small circles. Mix them together. Place large circle in one egg cup and a small circle in the other egg cup. Have your child sort the rest. When this is easily done add large and small variations of other shapes.
• Make the shapes out of different coloured paper and sort according to shape or size. Vary the numbers cut in each category.
• Using two colours of paper, cut about 5 small pieces of each colour. Primary colours such as red, blue and yellow are good starters. Put one of each colour into an egg cup and have your child sort the rest. When your child is able to do this, add pieces of another colour. Continue on with this. When they know the names of the colours, you can suggest that red pieces go in this cup and blue goes in that cup.
• The above ideas can be turned into a game whereby your child takes a turn and then you take a turn selecting and putting the paper in the cup. The one with the least mistakes is the winner!

For more craft ideas, check out the All Free Crafts website at: www.allfreecrafts.com