Tag Archives: craft project for homeschooled kids

Jun2

RECYCLED CRAFT PROJECT: VEGGIE PRINTS GIFT WRAP PAPER

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RECYCLED CRAFT PROJECT: VEGGIE PRINTS GIFT WRAP PAPER

                    

MATERIALS:

Reused paper from mailed packages or paper bags or tissue paper

Any items with interesting shapes that you can paint, i.e. sponges

Idaho potatoes

A bunch of celery

Carrots (carrots may be too hard to carve designs but can be used to stamp circles)

Acrylic paints

Paint brushes

Butter knife

Cookie cutters

 

VARIATIONS (use alone or with the celery, carrots and potatoes):

Rubber stamps

Ink for rubber stamps

NOTE*

The veggie prints (above) were done with a sweet potato and poster paints applied with a brush directly on the potato surface.

 

 PROJECT:

  1. Cut off bottom of celery. Paint the bottom of the stalk with acrylic paint and stamp it on the paper. To use more than one color, wash off the celery and start over.
  2. Slice the carrot into discs. Carrots are suitable for stamping circular designs.
  3. Peel and cut a potato in large discs. Use cookie cutters to make shapes on the potato or make your own shapes.
  4. Paint these “stamps” (using and odd number of colors like 3 or 5) and stamp them on the paper in a pleasing pattern.
  5. Use rubber stamps together with the veggies or alone to form patterns.
  6. Allow the ink and/or acrylic paint to dry before wrapping gifts.

 

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May26

RECYCLED CRAFT PROJECT: PAPER BAG BOOKS

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RECYCLED CRAFT PROJECT: PAPER BAG BOOKS
Paper Bag Books

Paper Bag Books

MATERIALS:

Brown (or white) paper grocery bags (or any unused paper)

Scissors

White glue or glue sticks

Embroidery thread (or similar thread or thin yarn) and needle

Awl

Typing paper

Decorative edge scissors (optional)

Decorations: photos, lace, buttons, pebbles, paper, pictures, fabric appliques, wallpaper scraps, etc.

 

VARIATION:

Use rubber stamps and ink pads to decorate the paper bags or potatoes cut into various shapes.

OPTIONAL EMBELLISHMENT:

Glitter dust – apply while ink is still wet

 

PROJECT:

  1. Cut the bottom off the paper bag. Cut up the side of the bag to make one flat piece. Decide how big you want your book. You can cut this piece in half or in four quarters. Fold the pieces so the writing is on the inside. Use as many bags as you need to make the number of pages you want. You many substitute typing paper or similar for the inside pages.
  2. Fold the pages in half. Stack the pages, one inside the other. Make holes along the fold with an awl for your needle to go through.
  3. If you are using embroidery thread, use three or four strands. Make a knot at one end of your thread. Sew along the fold and make a knot at the other end when you are finished.
  4. Decorate the front and back covers.

The sample above was decorated with rubber stamps, sponges, rubber stamp ink, fabric applique, markers, and decorative edge scissors.

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May5

CELEBRATE THE SEASONS! Spring is Here! Mobile

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CELEBRATE THE SEASONS! Spring is Here! Mobile
SPRING MOBILE

SPRING MOBILE

Ages: 5 – 12 years

Time: ½ hour – 1 hour

MATERIALS:

Construction paper or craft foam in 4 pastel colors

Eraser/ Pencil

One dowel rods cut to 12”

Tacky glue or glue stick

Patterns from the Banners project

Hole puncher

Ball of jute or string or wire

Scissors

 

  1. Ask an adult to cut the dowel rods so that you have two. Cross them in the middle and tie them tightly with a piece of string or jute or wire. Lay aside.
  2. Select the paper or craft foam or use a combination of papers and craft foam. Trace and cut shapes from the patterns used for the Spring Is Here! Banner. Vary the sizes of the flowers. Add a yellow circle for the center of the daisy.
  3. Poke a hole near the top of the paper or craft foam shapes with a pencil or use a hole puncher. Then, lace a piece of string or jute or wire 6” to 8” in length through the hole at the top of each shape. Poke a hole at the bottom of the flowers and have some of them cascade downward. Tie the shapes to the dowel rods. To balance the mobile, place two or more shapes on each dowel rod and be sure that some of the shapes hang lower (or higher) than some of the others. This is called balancing or making the mobile level. Ask an adult for help if you need it.
  4. Tie a piece of string in the middle of the two dowel rods for hanging. Does your sculpture move? What makes it move? How is this design different from the banner design? What are the differences? What are the similarities?
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Apr21

RECYCLED CRAFT PROJECT: PAPER BAG BOUQUETS

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RECYCLED CRAFT PROJECT: PAPER BAG BOUQUETS
PAPER BAG BOUQUET

PAPER BAG BOUQUET

 

MATERIALS:

Dried or silk flowers

Small brown paper bags

Sand, beans, rice, or bird seed for the base

Scissors or clippers

Raffia, twine, yarn, ribbon or string

Washi tape

Rubber stamps (optional)

Ink pads (optional)

Crimping scissors

 

PROJECT:

  1. Cut your bag to the size you desire.* Fill it with sand, beans, rice, or bird seed. This will hold the flower stems and keep your bag from falling over.
  2. Trim the top of the bag with the crimping scissors to give it a more decorative look.
  3. Use washi tape to decorate the bag. Or use rubber stamp designs in different colors.
  4. Cut the stems of the flowers short enough so they don’t fall over when you stick them in the bag.
  5. Tie string, ribbon or raffia around the neck of the bag.

*Any size bag will do as long as the flower stems show above the top of the bag.

VARIATION:

Use rubber stamps and ink pad to decorate the bags. Before the ink dries, sprinkle the designs with glitter dust. Shake the excess off. Allow to dry before completing project.

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Apr14

RECYCLED CRAFT PROJECT: PAPER BEADS

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RECYCLED CRAFT PROJECT: PAPER BEADS
PAPER BEADS

PAPER BEADS

MATERIALS:

Brightly colored paper from magazines, scraps of gift wrap, catalogs, etc. or craps of thin paper stock.

White glue or glue stick

Scissors

Pieces of Yarn, string, fishing line, plastic-coated wire,or pipe cleaner etc.

Additional embellishments: tiny beads, glitter, small stickers (optional)

 

PROJECT:

  1. Cut long skinny triangles of paper, approximately 1” wide and 4” long.
  2. For each bead, smear glue on half of one triangle toward the tip.
  3. As you roll each triangle up, leave a hole through the middle for your string to go through.
  4. When the glue has dried, string the beads into necklaces, bracelets and even garlands.

VARIATION:

Measure and cut long strips of paper 1″ wide and 4″ long instead of cutting long skinny triangles of paper. Roll up or not too tightly around a pencil and secure with a spot of glue at the tip.

TIP:

Pipe cleaners can be bent to the shapes you desire: circles, ovals, etc. and the pipe cleaner will hold that shape.

 

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Dec20

Holiday Craft: Iridescent Angel

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Holiday Craft: Iridescent Angel

Iridescent Angel

IRIDESCENT ANGEL

*MATERIALS:

2 wood hearts

Wood knob or ball

18” long pink or white ribbon

clay pot

Flesh, brown, black and white paint (2 more colors of choice)

1 11/2” brass ring

Moss

1(1/2 oz.) crystal iridescent glitter

2 jars or bowls for water

Brushes/scissors/white glue/plastic baggie

1. Paint the bottom and sides of the clay pot with two coats of white paint. Set aside to dry between the first and second coats.
2. Fill half a small plastic bag with glitter. Paint the two wooden hearts with white acrylic  paint. Place the wooden hearts in the plastic bag, tie it with a twist tie and shake. Be sure that the hearts are totally covered on the one side with the glitter. Remove the hearts and let them dry. These will be the angel’s wings.
3. The wooden knob is head of the angel. Paint it flesh or brown or black. Let it dry.
4. Paint the clay pot with dabs of different colors: pink and silver or any other color combination
5. While it is still wet, place the pot into the baggie filled with glitter. Shake well and cover the entire pot with glitter. Remove and let it dry.
6. Cut the moss. Roll the back of the angel’s head in tacky glue and then roll the head in the moss. This is the hair of the angel. Trim excess “hair” with scissors.
8. Cut a long piece of ribbon and fold it in half. Pull the loop through the clay pot and position it. Tie the ends in a large double knot and pull the ribbon completely through the hole in the clay pot.
9. Glue the brass ring on top of the angel’s head. Glue the head to the pot. Glue the hearts to the back of the pot with the glittery side facing you.
10. Enjoy the iridescent angel for the holidays!

Recycle materials: Cut pieces of paper (for example, leftover tissue, rice or wrapping paper) and glue them to the pot, overlapping the pieces so the different colors and patterns show through the layers.

Other ideas: Instead of a clay pot, use a spool of thread once the thread has been used up.
Replace the moss with scraps of yarn or ribbon for the hair
Do you have leftover clay? Roll it into a ball, let it harden and use it for the angel’s head

 

 

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Oct6

Art Project for Kids: Sponge Painting

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Art Project for Kids: Sponge Painting

Sponge Painting: The Sun

SPONGE PAINTING: THE SUN

Materials:

Household sponges in various shapes and sizes (Household sponges found in grocery stores can create interesting patterns and designs.)

Craft paints in various colors

Water jar

Paint palette or paper palette

Printing paper like bond or rice paper or sheets of canvas

Markers or colored pencils.

Project:

  1. Draw a design or picture on a piece of paper and use it as reference for the sponge painting. Or draw directly on the surface that you are going to paint, i.e., a sheet of canvas.
  2. Cut small pieces of the sponge from the larger sponge. To create an abstract design, snip tinier pieces from the divided pieces of the larger sponge.
  3. Squeeze the paints on the palette.
  4. Dampen the sponges and squeeze out the excess water.
  5. Dab the sponge in the paint and dab it on a piece of scrap paper to test the design and the amount of paint needed. A lot of paint on a sponge will create large blobs of color on the paper or canvas.
  6. With the design as reference, dab the paint on to the paper. Do not drag the sponge because that will smear the paint (unless smearing is the effect you want to create).
  7. Remember to wash and rinse the sponge to use again or use a separate sponge for each color.
  8. Continue until you have completed the painting. Add details with a marker or colored pencil when the paint is dry.

NOTE:  In the example above, the central design was painted first, then the background.

ADDITIONAL PROJECT:

Create a sponge painting on wood or stone.

Inspired by Arts and Crafts Activities Desk Book by Joyce Novis Laskin

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