When the kids get home from school, make some of these fun
and inexpensive crafts. Not ready to spend a fortune on supplies? We've
come up with some fun projects you can make with recycled materials from
around the house. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Gravy Can Wish Bank:
Have the kids cut pictures from old magazines or draw pictures of
something they want. Decorate the cans with glitter, the pictures,
stickers or anything else you have around. Cut a hole in the plastic top
of the can for the kids to deposit money. Each time they add money to the
can, they are contributing a little bit more to the "wish" item.
A great way to teach kids to save money.
Magazine House:
Using an old catalogue or magazine, cut out pictures of chairs, tables,
curtains, bathroom fixtures and other furnishings. Spread out a newspaper
or large sheet of drawing paper. Sketch an open sided house.
Have the children place the pictures of the furnishings in the rooms of their
choice. They can cut out more pictures to redecorate their house, cut out
pictures of people, toys, pets, anything they like.
Paper Towel Tube Holders:
Decorate a paper towel tube with paint, markers, glitter, stickers, coloured
paper and crayons. This becomes a colourful carrying tube. Roll
their pictures up and put inside to take to their teacher, grandparents,
friends, or relatives. Some special pictures could be for their
Grandparents, a special aunt or uncle, or even for a brother or sister.
Paper Plate Aquarium:
Colour an underwater scene on the "eating" side of a paper
plate. Glue goldfish cut out ofa magazine or coloured cardboard paper
into the scene, a couple of pieces of plastic plant for seaweed, and using
glue and a little sand or soft dirt, make the sea floor. Using a second
paper plate, cut a circle in the middle. Cut a circle of blue plastic wrap
1 inch in diameter larger than your hole in the plate. On the
"eating" side of this plate, glue the blue plastic wrap so that
it covers and overlaps the hole on the plate. Glue or staple both plates
together with "eating" side toward the inside. Punch a hole in
the top and string a piece of wool through the hole to hang your aquarium
from the ceiling.
Treasure Shoe Box: Decorate an old shoe box and lid with coloured paper, markers, paint,
glue and glitter, crayons, stickers, lace, doilies, or whatever else
you can find. Be sure to put the child's name inside the lid. This box
makes a great box for treasures found out in the garden, on the way home from
school, or anywhere else your children "hunt".
Create a Story:
If you have several children together, this can be great fun. Give
each child two or three pieces of paper. Have them each drawer a picture
and write a sentence. When finished, see if they can put it together to
form a story. New pages can be created as you go along. A book cover can
be made from two pieces of cardboard paper, a hole punch, and wool to keep
the story in.
Number Fun:
Pick a number from one to ten write it on a piece of paper. Ask the
children to draw sets of things in that number. If the child get number
four, have them draw four apples, four trees, four dogs, and so on. Have
them colour their pictures with crayons and markers.
