Quick Easy Kid Crafts

It's always helpful to have a few crafts at your disposal when you have kids at home. We are lucky to have an office that is part adult, part kid, part dog. It's the most disorganized room in the house and usually looks like a colorful pit of artwork, stacks of paper, and random toys that toddled in and were deposited. The dog's crate in the corner has become the "drying rack" for paintings and gluey pictures.

Like most, I keep a lot of supplies on hand: the usual paints (dot paints are my favorite), dry erase pens and pages, crayons, colored pencils, markers, stickers, stamps, glitter and glitter glue (not my fave to deal with), construction paper, white paper, glue, coloring books, activity books, index cards, scissors, tape.

We also have a few items to pull out for special projects: pre-cut cardboard shapes (like pirate ships or flowers) to decorate, beads and string, Perler Beads, Mosaic art, and a newly received gift of Rub Art.

But a few projects sprout up in the moment. Here are some you might enjoy.

1. Leaf Man-- You can read the book Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Then get a paper bag (decorated or not) to go outside for a leaf hunt (and sticks and berries and nuts). Then go inside and get construction paper and glue to make a leaf man. If you don't have the book, just make a collage person out of what you find in your yard.



2. Hanger Fan-- Get a wire hanger that has paper on the outside. Fold the wire handle in so it's not sharp. Use dot paint or other paint to cover the white paper. After it dries, add marker, stickers, glitter, or whatever else to decorate this "fan."

3. Cloud Art-- Go outside and lay in the grass. Stare at the clouds and notice what shapes they look like. Then go back inside and glue cotton balls into shapes like the clouds.

Anyone else have some fun, fast ideas?