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Parents, make sure you keep crayons or markers, plus lots of paper on hand for your children! I think it’s every bit as important for a child to be able to draw whenever she wants to as it is to make sure she learns to read.

A child encouraged to be creative will have the best gift that you can give to her. A young boy encouraged to draw the family dog will reach beyond video games to entertain himself, and he can do it whenever he likes.

Become a family that creates for fun- so much better than TV!

Posted July 31, 2008 Comments(0)

This is one of the simplest, most satisfying of all crafts. When you pick a flower, make sure it is very fresh. Before pressing, it should be dry to the touch but not dried out. When I was a kid, we used to put flowers between layers of wax paper, and then put them in a heavy book, laid flat. Today the advice seems to be to put them between acid-free blotting paper first, the inside a heavy book (a phone book works quiet well.) The more weight on the flower, the faster the results will be.

Thick flowers are more difficult to press, but they can still be done. I’ve seen beautiful pressed roses, and I can’t think of flowers much thicker!

Posted July 27, 2008 Comments(0)

One of the easiest animals your child can make out of clay is the snake. Have her roll it out on a piece of paper; the more bits of different color the better. This seemingly simple exercise can give your child a lot of confidence in her ability to create. There is something magical about taking a thought or concept and making it appear in reality.

Who knows? You may have a budding Michelangelo on your hands!

Posted July 15, 2008 Comments(0)

I just saw a wonderful idea for a cat toy! You can use a garden glove and tie a strip of yarn on the end of each finger tip. On the end of the yarn, the part that dangles down, tie a jingle bell! Your kitty will love attacking the yarn and your fingers will remain safe.

For the playful dog, fill an old sock with 2 or 3 squeakers, and stuff the rest of it with some fiberfill. You can decorate the outside with some felt scraps for eyes. Just make sure you use a nontoxic glue to fix it to the sock. Or better yet, embroider the eyes on! It’s not that hard, and you will end up with a very clever piece of play art for your canine companion!

You can make your own necklace from melon seeds! It isn’t hard; all you have to do is wash the seeds you get from a watermelon or cantaloupe then string them using a waxy thread like dental floss.

It works best when the melon seeds are damp because it’s way easier to pierce them with the needle.

String them up then hang them to dry. This would be a great project during the summer to get a jump on some home-made holiday gifts! Inexpensive gifts , especially when crafted from the heart are fun to receive.

Posted May 22, 2008 Comments(0)

It’s not too difficult to learn some basic embroidery stitches from a book. Most kids over the age of 8 or 9 have the dexterity to hold a needle and run it through cloth in a few basic stitch types.

Sewing by hand is a handy skill to have anyway. And once the basics are down, you can create some masterpieces in thread! Embroidery thread comes in a rainbow of colors; it’s relatively inexpensive and not too hard to come by.

Purchase some muslin and an embroidery hoop- these are indispensable. Draw something in pencil on your muslin- a tree, a house, a pet or anything you want- even a simple design. Now outline your work with some simple stitches. You may end up with something worthy of framing! At the very least, you’ve created something on your own instead of following some other artist’s design.

Good Job!

Posted May 13, 2008 Comments(0)

If you have a stack of old magazines, particularly interesting and colorful magazines like National Geographic, make use of them. Even a fairly young child can cut out photographs and make a collage.

Use non-toxic glue and be sure and pick a place to work that you aren’t worried about getting a little cluttered and “gluey”. Encourage your young artist to be super creative!

This could be a fun thing to do on a rainy day, or anytime when you want to do something a little different with a child. And it can be fun for you too! It’s a good way to experiment with colors and designs.

Posted May 9, 2008 Comments(0)

Isn’t it great when people feel creative and make things that totally express themselves? When children are encouraged to fulfill themselves by being creative it really leads to a better world, starting with themselves, their families and spreading into the community.

Some children enjoy working with molds to make little 3-D shapes, animals or people. Others prefer activities with paper and cloth for their craft fun.

Taking a child to an art museum to appreciate the work of great artists is a wonderful way to get them started on the road to creation. It’s always good to start by having someone observe and appreciate art that is truly great.

It’s amazing how artistic children are naturally. If you hand a young child a piece of paper and some crayons, chances are he or she will come up with something astonishingly beautiful without any pushing.

Jewelry making can start with something as simple as a piece of strong yarn or string and some wooden beads. You never know where this early encouragement will end up!

Posted April 15, 2008 Comments(0)