Craft corner
Filed Under Tips & Tricks | December 5, 2007
Craftiness, at least in terms of making neat things, is not our biggest virtue. But we do admire those who are good at it. Which is why we asked Keri Zingle, of Craft Caravan, for some ideas for festive things to do with little ones. We love it that lots of her ideas involve reusing everyday things in crafty ways:
Make Beaded Candy Canes by shaping pipe-cleaners (cut in half) into candy canes and then stringing with pony beads (plastic beads with large holes). Twist each end to prevent beads from falling off.
Create Sparkly Pinecones by shaking with some glitter. Mix two parts glue with one part water, roll the pinecone in glue, pop it into a bag with the glitter and shake shake shake! Prop between tree boughs, display in a vase, or add a ribbon to hang from a tree.
Reuse old Christmas cards or print favourite photos to make Snowflake Picture Ornaments. Fold coffee filters or round pieces of paper again and again, then cut shapes on folds to create snowflake. Open snowflake, and glue or tape a picture on each side, loop a ribbon through the snowflake and admire your photos as they rotate.
Wrap presents with homemade gift wrap. Stamp, colour, paint or otherwise decorate poster paper, old computer paper, or even newspaper. A great way to reduce, reuse and personalize.
Encourage creativity all year long by stuffing stockings with art and craft supplies. Child scissors and crayons are great for the small ones, while coloured pencils and sketch-pads are perfect for bigger kids. And don’t forget stickers.
And here are a few great suggestions for cleaning up the holiday debris:
Save Christmas cards for next year’s gift tags or craft projects. Also think about reusing gift bags, bows, or clippings from fun wrapping paper
Since kids really do love the box as much as they love the toy, keep a few boxes around for playtime. Think castle, train, house, car, space ship. . .
Note: Urban Source on Main Street is an amazing place to pick up bulk art project materials that are less conventional and endlessly fascinating. Just don’t go in if you don’t have time to browse.
Keri Zingle is a mother of two and creator of Craft Caravan, which provides Card Making Kits and Craft Club Projects designed specifically for preschoolers.
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