How to Make Amazing Crafts with Kids

How to Make Amazing Crafts with Kids#

Arts & crafts with kids!

There are countless reasons why it is a great idea to do arts and crafts with your kids. For one, working on arts & crafts helps to hone children's creativity. Arts and crafts can also help promote teamwork and sharing, as well as offering the perfect opportunity to bond and find new common interests. Arts and crafts also allow kids to openly express themselves, even at very young ages. Nonetheless, despite all these positives, the best reason for getting your kids involved in arts and crafts is that it is fun! If you are panicking that you will not know how to guide your child through their first craft, there is no need to worry; there are plenty of arts and crafts ideas for all ages from pre-schoolers up through teenage artists.

Best practices for doing arts & crafts with kids

1. Don't ask "What is it?" when you are befuddled as to the identity of your kid's final creation. Just ask your kid to tell you more about their art or craft, and let them explain how they see their creation.

2. There will be a mess. There is nothing you can do about it. As soon as you make that realization, the whole experience will be far more enjoyable. Indeed, sometimes it is even important to make a mess. Take that knowledge to plan ahead. Get a large clear workspace for your kids, and give them the opportunity to be creative without having to worry about getting paint on your new Persian rug

2. Making arts and crafts is supposed to be about using your imagination. For this reason, try not to show your kids a completed craft as an example. Instead, let your kids learn to interpret the instructions as they wish in order to truly be creative. This will also give your kids a good lesson on the best ways to follow and adapt instructions.

4. Making arts and crafts requires a lot of focus. For this reason, it is best to get your kids to calm down a bit before placing them in front of glue and scissors.

Basic supplies for making arts & crafts with kids

Just like your kitchen pantry, a kid's craft drawer should have a few staples. While you may need something more specific for special crafts, for the most part you will be able to get by with the following list: kid-friendly paint, scissors, crayons, etc. It's also a good idea to keep a drawer stocked with construction paper, beads, glitter, paint brushes, glue sticks, and the ever popular "wiggly eyes."

The education benefit of arts & crafts

Arts and crafts can be used to apply hands-on learning to any subject. Using crafts this way helps kids think more in-depth about the subject of their artwork or craft projects. Virtually any subject matter can be taught using arts & crafts with a little creativity. For instance, if you are learning about world geography, you could have the kids make a tissue paper globe.

Learn about holidays, history, and any other topic your kids should study. Even math can be enriched through arts and crafts. Remember that school isn't the only place kids should be learning; your kids will be much more willing and excited to learn if you make learning fun with interactive arts and crafts projects.

Some ideas for kids' arts & crafts

Kids' arts and crafts can be quick and simple to keep the attention of on-the-go toddlers. They can also be sophisticated and complex for older kids who are up to a challenge. To get an idea of the scope of arts and crafts projects out there, take a trip to your local arts and crafts store or teacher's supply shop. These stores will have pre-designed craft kits, including jewelry art, painting kits, and other craft ideas. Each kit will come with instructions and all of the materials you require.

Another good idea, once you have gained some experience, is to walk arts and craft stores to shop for kids' art ideas. Here are some ideas: try straw painting, where kids can create arts and crafts by blowing paint through a straw onto a poster board or construction paper; or let your kids dip marbles in paint and roll them across the painting surface for a messy (but fun!) painting project. If you are looking for something a bit less messy then try pipe cleaner art. This is a great craft because kids of all ages can join in. Young children can use their imaginations to create simple objects out of pipe cleaners. Older kids may enjoy incorporating other supplies such as beads into pipe cleaner art.

Mary Amos loves arts and crafts and has been creating amazing projects for kids and families for years. See her exciting new ideas at Arts and Crafts with Kids, and be sure to visit Arts and Crafts for more fun projects!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Amos

Choosing The Right Art and Craft Supplies For Your Kids

Choosing The Right Art and Craft Supplies For Your Kids#

Doing arts and crafts with your children from an early age has shown to be important in recent studies. Arts and crafts can develop your kids motor skills and imagination. You will not have to worry about by expensive arts and craft supplies for children to get them interested. As a general rule, kids love arts and crafts so even if you only get them some simple arts and craft supplies to work on, they will soon be engrossed in the activity.

Although kids love just about any type of arts and craft supplies that they can get their hands on, you should not just any type of arts and craft supplies for your kids to use. Always remember that they are some types of arts and craft supplies that contain harmful ingredients so you should be very careful when buying art and craft supplies for your kids. To help you choose the right type of art and craft supplies for your kids, here are some tips for you.

Checkout The Label

Before you buy any type of art and craft supplies, you should read their labels carefully. Look for the "non-toxic" sign on the packaging to make sure that the item is safe for your kids. When shopping online, make sure that you deal only with reliable and reputable companies. Always remember that labels are so easy to fake these days and there are many people out there who do not have any qualms about selling products that contain toxic ingredients.

Watch Out For Lead

When buying coloring materials, make sure that the coloring materials you buy are free from any lead contents. According to studies, lead can cause a lot of health problems on your kids. Lead can affect the mental development of your kids so be very careful not to expose your kids to this substance. In most cases, lead and other toxic ingredients is present in permanent marking and coloring materials. To be on the safer side of things, buy only those water-based and non-permanent markers. Moreover, buying water-based products have other advantages. For one thing, it your kids decide to use your walls as canvass, it will not be impossible for you to wipe out the markings on the wall.

When It Comes To Glue White Is Best

Although those colorful glue are very attractive, they are usually more toxic compared to plain white glue. An alternative to white glue would be a white library paste. The good thing about white library paste is that it is less messy compared to the glue.

Benjamin Brookes has an arts and crafts blog with plenty of articles and resources at Art Supplies - Fiber Optic Art Supplies

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Benjamin_Brookes

Kids' Craft Ideas - Growing Your Own Balloon Garden

Kids' Craft Ideas - Growing Your Own Balloon Garden#

Crafts will always be a very important teaching tool for anyone teaching little kids. Kids learn best by "doing." Homeschoolers and especially Unschoolers can use this balloon craft as part of a biology lesson. This is a wonderful kids' craft idea, that is fun and easy to do and also a great first lesson about plants. This craft use balloons so watch the little ones, while you are doing this craft, to prevent suffocation!

All you need for this kids' craft idea is a medium or large sized, clear balloon, a little earth and water, some seeds, a small funnel and a piece of string. Radish seeds work well, but you could use almost any seeds that are easy to grow.

Kid's Craft Ideas Step by Step - How to make your first balloon garden

1. Don't blow your balloon up yet! Put the mouth of the balloon over the funnel and hold it firmly in place (this is where an extra pair of adult hands comes in useful!) Tip in around a ½ cup of earth - enough to almost fill the deflated balloon.

2. Now gradually add water, via the funnel again, until the earth is wet through. Don't put too much water in or it will all just turn to mud and start overflowing!

3. Dry your funnel, then add your final ingredients, the seeds, into the balloon, still holding it firmly in its upside down position.

4. Still holding the balloon upside down, so that you don't get a mouthful of dirt, carefully blow it up.

5. Tightly make a knot in the top of the balloon, then tie your string around it and use the string to hook the balloon garden up near a window or other well-lit place.

Making balloon gardens is a fun thing to do at birthday parties, and will keep the kids occupied and happy for ages - as long as you don't mind the mess! On a summer's day, it's best done in the backyard.

Balloon gardens also make lovely gifts, the children can make them for an adult friend or relative and the recipient will be delighted - especially when they hang the balloon garden up and it grows green and lush.

Grandmothers and grandfathers especially love this kid's craft idea - either to do with the kids (especially a granddad who is a gardening enthusiast) or just to receive a balloon garden craft as a gift. They will love that the kids will want to keep coming back to visit them and seeing how their balloon garden is growing.

When the balloon garden slowly dies off, it is a good opportunity to explain to your kids about the cycle of life, and to help them make a new balloon garden! Use this opportunity to teach them a variety of facts about nature, not only the cycle of life. Plants need water, fresh air, good soil etc. to grow. You can also work a lesson about seasons into this craft.

Enjoy your "Balloon Craft."

Magriet is a work at home "Gran" with websites on family related matters. Visit her insightful site about homeschooling at http://www.homeschooling.topknacks.com

She also have a site on Kids Crafts that is very related to homeschooling at http://www.kidscrafts.topknacks.com

You can also visit her fun website with easy science projects ideal for the homeschooler at http://www.learnerscience.com

Many of the kids crafts can be used for science lessons and many of the easy science fair projects will actually make fun kids crafts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Magriet_Du_Plessis