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Craft Ideas K-3 aligatorwaves.gif (28665 bytes)

I am a Craft Director for a Summer Camp.  Most of my craft ideas are chosen with my own perimeters.  However many of the Web Sites offer loads of ideas suitable for Day Camps, energetic moms for Birthday Parties, VBS and After School Clubs, Sunday School craft times....have I missed anything?  So let's get started, like my alligator friend water skiing...away we go!

You want this age group to do the craft alone and explore their creativity.  Explain it and let them loose with supervision but never do the craft for them.  If you find a craft is too hard for them to do call it a flop and bring out your backup!

These kids LOVE making a mess, so the goobier the better.

My Perimeters, 2 cents, Big Point, whatever...the guidelines I follow when choosing a craft project:

MY Summer Camp is Bible Oriented with daily themes.  However, I don't try to connect the craft with the Bible Lesson for that day.  I think that all creativity, art, colors come from the Master Creator.  So I introduce The Lord and Heavenly issues through everything we do.  Other points I consider:

Does that craft have a use?  I don't make things for the wall or a blob that sits on a desk.  I also don't make crosses.

Can the craft make it home in one piece during the car ride from camp?

Is the craft fun i.e.:  after a few instructions can the campers get going at their own speed with their own creativity? 

I decide if it's fun by thinking hey this looks great, then I ask kids of that age what they think and then I try it out on a bunch of willing subjects. 

I'll pick an afternoon, order Pizza for all and throw caution to the wind.

This is where I hopefully learn what's a flop and what's a homerun.  Then I make the craft over and over till I can do it in my with my eye closed.  It takes a year to put my summer craft program together.

I've decided, after five years of planning a craft program,to make my own kits and to use recycled products as much as possible. 

Beaded Tiaras:  These were an absolute hit with the girls.  Pipe cleaners and pony beads. And Beadie Critters:  spiders, bugs of all sorts. Guys can use them a key chains, zipper or back pack pulls, in their sisters cereal bowl... oops!  Making Friends.Com has great pony beads projects.

Paper Mache Piggy banks:  This will be a two day craft because of the drying time needed.  find this at Enchanted Learning.

Maracas:  How can you go wrong using 'dead' light bulbs?  You can paint these when you are painting the Piggy banks.

 

 

 



Making Friends.Com is a wonderful site for ideas. It's a great place to start. http://www.makingfriends.com

Enchanted Learning:  another great site. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/

 

 

If you are developing a program for a Bible oriented camp or summer program here are my 2 cents:

I don't try to connect the craft with the Bible Lesson for that day.  I think that all creativity, art, colors come from the Master Creator.  So I introduce The Lord and Heavenly issues through everything we do.  My parameters for choosing a craft are :

Does that craft have a use?  I don't make things for the wall or a blob that sits on a desk.  I also don't make crosses.

Can the craft make it home in one piece during the car ride from camp?

Is the craft fun i.e.:  after a few instructions can the campers get going at their own speed with their own creativity?  I tried step by step paper airplane folding.  It was a great project one on one but a real flop with a large group.

©1999 Teresa K. Sturnfield

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