Crafting Secrets

When you are planning fun activities for kids you have to maintain a balance between fun and instruction while maintaining your sanity. That can be a feat, but it is doable.

With a little forethought, preparation and tenacity, you can come up with some fantastic activities that will have your kids scrambling back to their parents recounting the events of the day with excitement and joy.

What can be better for a teacher to hear than for a student to exclaim, “Guess what I learned in school today!”

1. Make it Interactive. Kids like things that are interactive. They like activities that
“talk back” to them. This is an important point to keep in mind when you are planning
activities for your classroom.

If you are just standing in front of the class lecturing your heart out, you may not be
making the impact you would like, at least not the impact you could make.

Engage your students. Ask questions, encourage discussion and debate, get them involved in the process and you will see a whole new world of learning opening up.

2. Keep it Hands On. If they can touch it, taste it, smell it and hear it, they are much more likely to learn it. Plan hands on activities that allow children to experience the lessons first hand.

Activities that engage their senses, get them moving and get them involved, will keep
them occupied longer and help them remember the lessons more readily.

3. Be Age Appropriate. Teenagers are probably not going to be interested in climbing all over a fire truck, but they might enjoy visiting a museum where they can handle fossils. Think about the age of the children you are teaching and plan activities that are appropriate for that age group.

Coloring seems to appeal to kids of all ages, so there are some activities that are
universal. When in doubt, talk with your kids and really listen to what they like, what
excites them and what they find intellectually stimulating.

4.Stay Within Your Means. If you have a room full of preschoolers and you are thinking
of going to a museum, you are going to need help! Know what you can and cannot do.
If you are planning an activity that will have your kids moving around, you may have
trouble controlling the situation if you try to go it alone. When in doubt, get some
help.

Ask parents to volunteer. But if you go beyond your means, you will be stressed out and no one is likely to have much fun and there certainly won’t be much learning going on!

5. Have Fun! This is the main thing to remember when you are planning fun activities for kids. Kids like to have fun! Plan activities that they will enjoy, that are interesting and creative.

If you are just standing there yammering away, you won’t make as much of an impact as you would if you created an activity that engaged their senses, involved them interactively and was fun.

Learning can be fun and when you put effort into planning activities for kids in the
classroom, you can teach, have fun and maybe even learn a few things yourself. After
all, even algebra can be fun when you are playing math baseball!

Is it one of those rainy days where you are all feeling cooped up? Have the kids been acting more like wild animals than children? Art activities for toddlers is a great way to keep them happily amuzed for hours!

Art activities for toddlers can range from large all day affairs to quick little projects. Whether you need to break that toddler tantrum cycle or you yourself need a creative outlet, art activities for toddlers are a great way to pass the time. Some of the more commonly thought of activities are finger painting, coloring, or playing with play dough. Busy Moms make “art activities” tasks around the house that may have needed to be done anyway such as cooking, baking, or cleaning. Art can be made of dough, suds, or sugar. As long as you don’t mind the clean up, kids can make anything into art!

If you prefer an Eco friendly project, you can go to home depot and make creative art projects out of dirt, flowers, and water. If cleanliness and organization are important to you as a mother, you can find many projects that have all of the parts and pieces included(and most even come with smocks and table covering) in the crayola isle at Target or Wal-mart.

Finger paints are always a smash hit with toddlers. You can place their hands neatly on a keepsake paper and frame the print forever or simply let them go crazy! Most are washable and easy to remove from accidental smudging on furniture, tables, and clothing. Soft clay can be purchased at any craft store. Toddlers can squish it, throw it, or mold it into anything their little hearts desire. Clay is good for developing motor skills and expanding the imagination. You can buy brands that will harden to preserve their creativity or brands that stay mobile for use and reuse.

Art activities for toddlers can be a great way to bond with your children, let them express their creative side, and, as an added bonus, kids often burn quite a bit of energy while doing art activities which can make for a nice, long, happy nap time for kids and parents alike.

If you’re keen to keep your kids occupied and entertained on a budget this school holidays and summer, your search is over!  Here are some budget friendly activities that your children will love.

Game Time!

Your children have probably got loads of games and toys that they haven’t played with in a while.  You’ll no doubt find classics like Twister, Hungry Hippos, Monopoly, Scrabble and UNO hidden away and there’s hours of fun to be found in simple games!

Kid Friendly Exercise and Fresh Air

Trampolines, skipping ropes, hopscotch and badminton sets are all great for keeping the kids entertained, all while getting some fresh air and exercising.  It won’t cost a lot, and your kids will get hours of enjoyment from playing in the garden.

Swimming is another great option for keeping the kids busy while maintaining a budget. You might find that your local leisure centre or swimming pool has special deals for children during the summer, or that there are other activities available that they’ll enjoy.  Swimming is also a healthy activity (and they won’t even know it’s good for them!)

Picnics are the perfect way to get out of the house and enjoy the summer sun. Just be sure to slip, slop, slap as it’s easy to get burnt even on a day that’s overcast.  Every town or city has a park – take a walk there to play on the swings or simply sit and watch the world go by?

Learning is Fun

Library’s have fantastic holiday programs that are either free or cost next to nothing.  This will encourage your kids to read, and you can even borrow books yourself, so that both you and your children can read together. There are often different activities happening over the school holidays such as arts and crafts and storytelling that your children can join in with.

Movie Time!

Why not invite some other Mum’s and their kids around for a DVD showing.  It will keep the children entertained and you can have healthy snacks ready for everyone throughout the movie like carrot sticks and dips, popcorn and sultanas and nuts.

Family Getaway

Take a family trip.  It’s the perfect opportunity to take a break, enjoy your family’s company and really relax.  Be sure to have up-to-date travel and car insurance though, as your budget could well and truly blow out if you have an unexpected car accident or someone loses the camera or portable DVD player.

The upbringing of a child has a major effect on determining its future well being. The environment, living conditions and the family have an equal effect on the way of thinking and living of a child. Moreover, educating a child, along with the method employed, brings about a scholastically healthy life. With options like traditional and home schooling available, parents can choose either, according to their convenience.

With reference to traditional schooling, children have the opportunity to interact with other children of their age, and their teachers. The child lives with his or her parents and attends regular school. The teacher monitors progress of the child from time to time through tests and examinations. The parents in this case although significant, have a very small role to play.

On the other hand, in the case of home schooling, parents play a major role, as most of the students personal and scholastic life is spent with them. These schools could be opted for either philosophical or personal reasons. Based on the regulations of government in different states, parents have the freedom to assign tests and monitor the progress themselves. However, besides the regular syllabus and coursework, the child should also be given extra curricular activities, which would serve as supplementary aids to learning.

The following guidelines could be implemented to enhance home schooling

1. Outdoor trips to forts or historically significant places can be planned. These could serve not only as being educational, but also be a pleasant change from the home enclosure.
2. Trips to parks and visits to the country can help the child to bond with nature, and also help in studying about animals, birds, and insects.
3. To introduce the child to the aquatic world, a fishpond or tank can be made, where aquatic plants and different types of fish can be bred.
4. Art and craft exercises unleash the creativity of the child and develops interest.
5. Teach the child a musical instrument of their choice.
6. Have reading sessions with the child where easily comprehensible historical stories can be told.
7. Teach subjects like math or science formulas giving easy and identifiable examples.
8. Introduce the child to gardening. Activity like sowing, weeding, watering and taking care of plants, gives a sense of responsibility. Besides, various insects and butterflies can be seen in the garden during different seasons.
9. Religious sermons and short stories from the bible could assist in helping the child to get acquainted with religion.
10. A small carpentry exercise like building a birdhouse, or a garden supply box, can teach the child skills like sawing, stenciling and painting.

Since the child is home schooling, he or she should not be overloaded with assignments, or forced to study. The home can heighten the learning abilities of the child, as it is comfortable, and is a familiar environment. This aspect should be taken advantage of, and the parents should make optimal use of the easy availability of personal and educational resources.

Home school is a learning experience both for the child and the parents. Perceiving the areas of interest of the child helps in deciding future college options. For example a child interested in stargazing and planetary movement can decide upon enrolling for a course in astronomy. Moreover, implementing fun filled activities can augment the education of the child, making it interesting and interactive.

Vacations and holidays are times when parents get frustrated because their children pester them because of boredom. There are a variety of activities you can get your children enrolled in so that they learn something worthwhile and also are happy doing the same.

A) Martial Arts- You can enroll your children in Karate, Judo, Kung Fu or Taekwondo classes. Martial arts help to improve the health, flexibility, alertness and help to develop a person overall. Your child will be fit for life, think about it. And no one will dare to touch him or her.

B) Arts & Crafts- There are a variety of arts and crafts your child can learn.Many children love creative things. In fact, some have an inborn artistic talent. You can enroll your child in classes for drawing, painting, pottery, crotchet, origami, ikebana or flower decoration, etc. In fact there are so many different types of painting like oil painting, pencil sketching, fabric painting, etc. Your children will love to play with colors and learn something new.

C)Cooking- Yes, it may sound strange, but children would love to try cooking. You can involve them in cooking things where the usage of electrical appliances and fire appliances is minimal. Make sure you are with them. Try to bake a cake together. Or prepare Ice cream or cookies or sandwiches together. Throw a small party for their friends.

D)Computer classes – Get your children enrolled in some computer class which will help them in their school or college ahead. They can learn the different office suites, making presentations, using the Internet, email, etc. You can also get them to learn different designing softwares if they are interested.

E) Outdoor activities – If your children love the outdoors, you have a variety of options available. Swimming, horseback riding, rock climbing, cycling, etc., are very popular among kids. You could also send your child to a camp where they teach baseball, basketball, football, etc. to young kids. Just find out what your children prefer and take a decision.

Artwork and Crafting may enhance the creativity of the children. From here they will be able to discover new ideas and employ them on their art or craft activities. Toddlers and preschoolers are the most to enjoy art period. These activities may lead to a lot of opportunities to learn certain topics. Nutrition can be discussed during art activities and through this you can impose on how to have good and balanced eating habits.

Do the food pyramid out of a huge piece of card board; make a triangle divide it into 5 food groups, including the fats as well as the sweets section. Label each portion with the recommended daily allowance of foods. Let the kids do the tearing of images from magazines or utilize food stickers and place them on the corresponding food group.

Cereals would do a great art project such as necklace. Find the looped ones and place them together using a yarn and form a necklace. The motor skills of the child would develop through this. You could also use vegetables for stamping. Cut potatoes, apples, radishes or carrots in your desired shapes and sizes. Dip them on your preferred paint and stamp them on paper.

Create a healthy snack using a celery stalk smeared with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins. Simple and yet already an artwork because you made some bugs placed on a log. You can also make a colorful art piece out of bread, milk and some food coloring. Let your child play with the toasted bread and food coloring to create a vivid masterpiece. Don’t make the bread to wet because it will turn soggy.

There are lots of nice free summer actions that are planned for kids.  You may hold your children entertained and out of bother with out breaking the bank.  In the event you examine with your native library they might have many fun free youngsters summer time actions planned.    Many of those activities embody snacks and drinks for the kids.  Some libraries even have summer season clubs that embody issues similar to Lego’s and kinetics.  Libraries can even host ice cream socials and e-book readings through the summer.  All of those activities make your local library an ideal place to check out.  In case you have a community pool or a Y in your area they run great summer season actions as well.  A variety of times they may host free activities for children.
There are lots of movie theatres equivalent to Regal Cinemas and some AMC’s host children’s film festivals in the summertime with free admission.  They play films which might be orientated in direction of youngsters often rated G or PG.  Some theatres have once a week showings which might be free and a few do them each morning.  It’s a great way to entertain your children.  In case you have a state or native metro park in your space they normally have free kids summer activities as well.  They host every thing from lunch with a ranger to nature walks and animal meet and greets.  The lunch with a ranger program is very informative and fun for the kids.  They get to ask questions and study rather a lot about their local environment.
If you are in search of free youngsters summer actions that do not include leaving residence there are numerous options.  You possibly can arrange a water park environment in your back yard.  You possibly can set out the sprinkler and can even make a slip and slide for those who do not have one.  You probably have a tent you may arrange a camp out in your children.  There are additionally loads of arts and crafts initiatives you can do with supplies you may have at home.  Arts and crafts could be a good way to maintain your youngsters imaginations busy all summer.  You may be amazed at how few supplies it could take on your children to make a mini masterpiece.  There are such a lot of things that may be completed at no cost in the course of the summer.  There is no such thing as a reason to let cash stand in the way in which of having an awesome summer together with your kids.

Looking to get creative and have some fun with your kids during special holidays? These fun projects will have your children laughing, giggling and remembering those very special moments. Guaranteed!

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day Cards Age suitability: 6+ You will need: cardboard, a selection of suitable magazines and newspapers

Make the most of Valentine’s Day by fashioning some eccentric and original cards. To send an anonymous card, create a message of love using cut-out letters and words from newspapers and magazines and sticking them on to a red paper heart. If you would prefer to give your Valentine a clue who you are, find photos of yourself that you no longer need and cut them up to make a Picasso-style face with lips sticking out of an ear, eyes skew-whiff and an upside-down nose floating in a corner.

April Fools’ Day

Practical Joke Ideas Children all over the world love April Fool’s Day and, although the tricks are supposed to end at midday on April 1, your child may like to make the most of the only day of the year that you can be naughty and get away with it by playing tricks right up to bedtime. Here are some favourites for your children’s eyes only!

- Start at breakfast by removing the inside bag of a cereal box and swapping it with another one. Just as someone is expecting Shreddies in their bowl, they will pour out Cheerios instead.

- Offer to make a cup of coffee for someone, but only use cold water when you do.

- Before lunch, stick some Sellotape to the top and bottom of the fridge door so that it won’t open.

- Reset all the alarm clocks in the house to go off at 1.30pm. (Remember to reset them before school on Monday!)

- If dad wants to watch some sport on the TV that afternoon, be sure to remove the batteries from the remote control. Write “Happy April Fool’s Day” on a piece of paper, fold it up carefully and stuff it into the battery compartment instead.

- In France, pranksters stick paper fishes on to unsuspecting people’s backs. See if you can do the same, but with messages on. Things like “I never wash” or “Tell me I’m gorgeous”.

- Before bed, put a hairbrush, apple or something else a bit lumpy under someone’s sheet so that they will get another top surprise before the day comes to an end. Have fun!

Christmas

Shatterproof Christmas Baubles Age suitability: 4+ You will need: polystyrene balls, scraps of material, PVA glue, ribbon, thread and a pin

Buy polystyrene balls from any craft shop and decorate with fabric scraps: glue a small cloth circle on to each end, then working towards the middle, stick on overlapping strips of different materials. Finish off with a piece of ribbon around the middle and attach a loop of thread with a pin at the top. If you don’t have any material, use shiny coloured paper instead.

Celebrity Santa Age suitability: 4+ You will need: photos of celebrities, cotton-wool, cardboard, glitter, glue, scissors

It’s never too early for Celebrity Santa! Let your child search the internet for images of their favourite TV characters or sportsmen, then print them out. Cut around the figures and stick them on the front of a piece of folded card. Now give them a Santa makeover. Glue on cotton-wool beards and red hats; a touch of glitter on David Beckham’s shirt or some antlers on Bart Simpson’s skateboard will add to the disguise. Hand them out to school friends at the end of term.

Copyright (c) 2010 Ivana Katz

You will notice that many of the following ideas are very open-ended tasks. Your child will be led by his or her imagination. However, remember that they will be limited by the resources that you place in front of them. At times like these, it can be useful to have your own craft-box, full of odds and ends that will prove useful for craft activities. Your craft “box of tricks” can include:

Sticky stuff:

a roll of Sellotape / masking tape
glue stick, plasters,
cling film,
gummed paper,
sticky-backed plastic

The bricks to build with:

coloured paper and cardboard,
cereal boxes,
egg boxes,
clean food containers,
yoghurt pots,
polystyrene packaging,
corrugated cardboard,
tissue boxes,
cardboard tubes…
…as much ‘junk’ as you can fit into one box!

Useful extras:
scraps of material (e.g. cut up old jeans or sheets),
old magazines / comics,
string,
table-tennis balls,
elastic bands,
pipe-cleaners (always useful)
tin foil,
water-based paints,
PVA glue (as well as its sticking properties,
when painted onto a decorated surface this dries transparently and acts as a shiny varnish), paintbrushes,
scissors child friendly
felt-tipped pens (water-based),
’sticky eyes’ (these stick-on wobbly eyes are available from most craft shops and make any character-model instantly come to life when stuck on – a must!),
a selection of buttons
a tube of glitter (use at your own peril!)

Design A Bookmark Age suitability: 2+

You will need: a variety of craft materials for inspiration (e.g. magazines to cut up, glue sticks, card, pens, paint, and items from nature)

Children of all ages enjoy owning their own books. A great way to personalise their bedtime story experience is for them to design their own bookmark. Depending on their age, you will need to do the preparation yourself. Begin by cutting a rectangle of card of material and then decorate to taste. Remember that it needs to allow a book to close, so anything bulky should be saved for the end that sticks out beyond the pages. Use sticky-backed plastic, Sellotape or a laminator if you have one to cover and protect the design transparently. Feel like turning into a mass-production line? How about making one for Granny and Gramps too, with designs that suit their interests? They’ll be sure to cherish them.

Floatin’ Boatin’
Age suitability: 4+

You will need: a variety of craft materials for inspiration (the more waterproof the better), somewhere to trial the boats’ floatability (a bath, swimming pool, stream)

Suggest that your child builds a craft that is able to float. Useful materials may include plastic water bottles, lids, food containers, twigs, used matches, tin foil, etc. If you don’t have any Sellotape, cling film or even plasters can be used to stick together component parts.

Design an appropriate test for the boat to complete: Have access to a swimming pool? See how far your boat can float before sinking. The boat maker may wish to swim slowly behind their vessel and help it along by blowing a gentle breeze in its direction! Testing the boat in the bath? Why not see how many items it can carry before capsizing? Start off lightly with a sponge or a bar of soap and build up the weight.

Life-Sized Robots
Age suitability: 4+

You will need: a variety of craft materials for inspiration, a CD of electronic music

This is a great activity to keep your children busy. Not a task to complete alone, they will need your help if they are to turn into a robot themselves! Go through the recycling bin for newspapers, cardboard boxes and egg cartons. You will also need huge supplies of sticky tape. Your kids’ job is to design, then manufacture, their own robot costumes. Begin with a box for the head, cutting out eye-holes and a large slit for the mouth. Pipe cleaners, egg cartons or twisted paper all make great antennae. For the body, tape large sheets of newspaper paper directly onto their t-shirt. Cereal boxes make excellent robotic feet. Finally, if you bind their arms and legs tightly enough in newspaper, the robots will have no choice but to move with stiff limbs.

Make the most of the costumes by practicing jerky robot moves and, when ready, hold a life-size robot parade with some electronic music.

Newspaper Challenges
Age suitability: 4+

You will need:
a pile of old newspapers,
scissors,
Sellotape / masking tape

Your children don’t need snazzy equipment to keep them occupied. Just like those early Christmases when the wrapping paper holds more interest than the present, all you need is a few old newspapers and some imaginative challenges. Depending on your choice of challenge and age of your children, there are valuable design lessons to learn along the way (paper can be strengthened by folding and rolling, triangles are the strongest shape, etc). For older children, limit the amount of paper each competitor is allowed to use. This is a good test of the best design with limited resources.

- Who can build the tallest tower? Towers must be free-standing. Try piling up scrunched-up paper balls on top of one another or a tripod of firmly rolled tubes.

- Can you build a bridge that spans the gap between the sofa and the coffee table? The winner is the one that can balance the most cushions on it.

- It is also worth challenging your child to produce a whole outfit made out of paper Hats, gloves, trousers, spectacles… let them use their imaginations. The results will be impressive, I guarantee! Who can make the largest, wildest animal out of newspaper… a crocodile? an elephant?

Playing outside isn’t always an option. Whatever the weather – too cold, too much snow, rain, too hot, too muddy or too icy – sometimes we are stuck inside with young children who wish they were outside. However, you can certainly have a ton of fun by using some simple creativity and imagination. Here are several super fun ideas for indoor play that your child will delight in.

Make a cardboard puppet theater. A puppet theater can be made from any semi-large to large box. Simply find your box, cut off one of the wider sides and a large rectangular window in the other wide side. Then, with your child, be as creative or simple as you like decorating it. You can use paints, stickers, construction paper, ribbon, crayons, or markers. Basically, whatever you have on hand with work perfectly! After you’re done decorating it find a nice spot in your living room to have you and your child take turns putting on a puppet show. You can even practice one to put on for the other parent when they come home from work. You can gather a lot of stuffed animals to be in the audience and teach your child the art of telling stories aloud.

Do you ever wonder what to do with all those left over toilet paper rolls? Well, take two cardboard rolls, glue them together long ways, and you have binoculars! Let your child decorate them with either paint or markers. When it dries take your child with the binoculars on an indoor safari. Place stuffed animals or even pictures of animals all around the house in different rooms. Let your child go on a safari using his binoculars to discover these different animals. At the end of the trail you can read books together about animals.

Have an indoor snowball fight. This works especially well if you have more than one child, but it can still be fun with a parent and one child. First, figure out what you want to use for snowballs. You can blow up tons of white balloons or use crumpled up white paper. Then, construct forts out of couch cushions or chairs and blankets. Constructing this with your child can be a lot of fun in itself. When your forts are ready, begin the snowball fight!

Also, make dinner time an especially fun time. Take a large sheet of crate paper and tape it down to your table. Set the table as usual for dinner, but put out markers, crayons, stickers, glue and googley eyes, on the table. When dinner begins, and while you eat, let your children show their creativity on the crate paper. When they are done, cut out their works of art and display them. The crate paper can be used at any meal, anytime you just want to add a touch of fun to your meal. You can even make it a special Saturday morning breakfast tradition or do it every night for one week at dinner and such.

Have fun with these ideas and add your own touch to them. These ideas can have many variations and even spur your creativity bone. A good idea, if possible is to also prepare for indoor days in advance. When you’re at the store, stock up on your child’s favorite things like paint, construction paper, and other craft needs. That way, when an unexpected indoor day occurs, you and your child can make it an imaginative day!