Spring Crafts for Elementary School Children

September 07, 2008

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Spring Crafts for Elementary School Children

by Susan E. Davis
reviewed by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P.

With their heightened curiosity, growing independence, and often impressive artistic skills, elementary school children are ideal candidates for arts and crafts. Add to that their rapidly growing understanding of the world around them, and you're practically guaranteed kids who will be eager to undertake crafts projects with you, their friends, and on their own.

A gem of an activity
Granted, spring may have arrived on your calendar, but rain or snow might continue to keep children housebound. Making jewelry is a good way for restless youngsters to while away the hours.

Bead necklaces are relatively easy to create and provide plenty of room for creative design. Your child can go to a craft or jewelry-supply store to pick out string, fasteners, and a wide assortment of beads. (Fun choices include spring colors, beads in the shape of flowers and birds, and alphabet beads for spelling out a name, month, or favorite slogan.)

Another, simpler option is a bead art kit. It provides all the elements your child needs to create such projects as earrings, bracelets, key chains, and necklaces in one handy package.

Press petals to paper
One lovely way to celebrate the first flowers of spring, whether they're sprouting up in your backyard or growing wild in a local meadow, is to press or dry them for use in craft projects.

You can buy flower presses at craft stores and high-end gardening supply stores. Or do it the old-fashioned way: Lay flowers between two sheets of wax paper and insert between the pages of a heavy book.

To dry flowers, simply wrap the stems with yarn or twine and hang them upside down in a well-ventilated area not exposed to direct sunlight.

Make collages by gluing pressed flowers onto cardboard or construction paper.

Use small pressed flowers to decorate pins. Glue the flowers onto cardboard and shellac the surface, then glue a pin clasp (available in jewelry and craft supply stores) onto the back.

If your child is interested in science, she might enjoy creating and labeling pressed flower collections.

Use dried flowers in collages or bundle them into pretty arrangements.

Bird-watchers in the making
Springtime in most areas brings with it the return of migrating flocks full of renewed vigor to mate and create nests for their young. Setting out store-bought birdhouses or feeders will attract them to your yard and introduce young ones to the delight of bird-watching. Creating your own, however, adds a personal touch--and a sense of stewardship--to the whole process.

To make a bird feeder, simply smear a nontreated pine cone or an ear of Indian corn with peanut butter, then roll it in birdseed. Tie a ribbon around the top of the cone or the corn husk and hang from a tree branch or windowsill hook. (To attract the most birds possible, keep feeders on south- or east-facing sides of your house and out of the wind.)

You don't need fine carpentry skills to construct a birdhouse; just pick up a prefab wooden one at a large craft or pet store and let your child color it with acrylic or oil paints. After the paint dries, you (not your child, just read the all the warning labels on this stuff) should apply an enamel gloss to protect it from the elements.

Note: If you don't know much about birds, someone at a local nature center or your city's chapter of the Audubon Society can tell you which species live in your area and what size birdhouse would attract them.

Put a personal stamp on flowerpots
Few things symbolize spring more than flowers, so why not invite your child to make some colorful containers for them? All you need are wooden planters or terra-cotta pots and several bottles of acrylic paint. Let your child decorate the pot or planter to his heart's content, then seal the paint with an enamel gloss (remember--you should handle this part of the project). Plant some flower bulbs and watch your child's handiwork come to life in a few weeks.

For a more sophisticated project, buy containers that have raised designs on them. Your child can use different paint colors to make the designs stand out.


RELATED INFORMATION

			Reading Aloud with School-Age Children
			Hobbies and Crafts

Created March 01, 2001
Reviewed March 04, 2001

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