Talk about Your Child's Artwork

One way to encourage children to have an interest in the arts is by taking an interest in their art. When you dismiss their creative efforts with arts and crafts for kids, you are sending them a message that these things are not important. If you don't care about their efforts, why should they care about the efforts of dead strangers?

Instead, when your child shows you something he or she has created using arts and crafts for kids, talk about the results. Ask your child questions about the color or the subject. Treat their artwork as the work of a creative mind because that's exactly what it is. Then when you go to the art museum discuss the same types of questions about the art there. Your child will be much more engaged in the conversation.

Appreciate Art from Your Child's Perspective

Children are generally very practical when it comes to art. If you've seen their creations using arts and crafts for kids, you know most of them stick to realism. That's why they may not always be impressed with some of the art you're going to encounter in the local museum. If you child dismisses an important work of art as ugly or stupid, don't chastise him or her. Instead, ask for concrete reasons for the dismissal. Say, "What don't you like about it?" instead of "Don't say that! This is a valuable piece of art!"

Remember that not everyone is entitled to an opinion and that includes your child. The more he or she feels able to express that opinion the more creative he or she will become and the less likely he or she is to hate the museum.

Learning to Love Other Types of Art

While arts and crafts for kids can help your child gain an appreciation of artwork, there are other ways to instill a love of other types of art. For example, if you want your child to love literature, don't hand him or her a dusty book. Instead, read to them from the book or watch a well-done film version or listen to the story on tape. These alternative approaches will make the literature more accessible to children and you can help explain what's happening step by step.

Learning to Love Art

One of the best parts of arts and crafts for kids is that they can give your children a reason to love the best of the world's culture and art while possibly giving them the skills to make their own contribution.

How Arts and Crafts For Kids Can Inspire a Love of Art is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

Bats

There's no need for you to buy plastic bats for Halloween since you can make your own. You can easily cut patterns or two dimensional bats from construction paper or cartolina. Bat Halloween arts and crafts for kids can also be creatively made out of egg cup cartons to hang or out of clothes pins to clip on curtains.

Pumpkins

These days, you don't have to worry about messy pumpkin carvings anymore. You can easily have pumpkin paper lanterns as Halloween arts and crafts for kids projects. If you don't like lanterns, you can still make pumpkins out of paper plates, milk containers and construction paper. One other great alternative would be pumpkin baskets made of paper mache.

Witches

Witch Halloween arts and crafts for kids can be made out of paper plates and cardboard. As an alternative, you can create a witch doctor look instead of a western witch by incorporating beaded necklaces and homemade stuffed voodoo dolls.

Spiders

One favorite Halloween arts and crafts for kids is the spider. Spiders can be as simple as construction paper or egg cup carton hangers. They can also be made of pom poms or colored cotton balls.

Vampires

Vampire masks with fangs can be easily made with paper plates. More imposing ornamental life size vampires however can be made out of coat hangers and black garbage bags.

UFO

Aliens and UFOs are not common Halloween figures but stories of alien kidnappings and abduction makes great Halloween tales. Make UFOs out of paper plates that you can hang from the ceiling. You might also want to complement the ships with cookies shaped like stereotypical aliens instead of ginger bread men.

Worms in Cans

Worms in cans can be made of brown crepe paper. They can seem yuckier to the touch though if you use gummy candies and cooked spaghetti.

Ghosts

Ghosts can also come in variations. You can make ghost Halloween arts and crafts for kids made of socks, packing foam, old cloths, crepe paper, helium filled balloons, white painted jars, tissue and clay.

Mummy

Use tissue paper or gauze and wrap it around a jar for a mummified figure. Cut out some eyes from construction paper and stick them on the jars before you put on the tissue so you can have the eyes slightly covered and just peeking.

Cats

What's Halloween without black cats? Use paper plates to create cat masks or some cotton and crepe paper to create billowing streamers.

Skeletons

White or luminous paint on a black figure would be perfect for the usual skeleton man. You can however create a good looking skeleton with different kinds of pasta.

Best Eleven Variations on Halloween Arts and Crafts for Kids is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

For super easy Halloween crafts for kids costumes, search your closet for old, new, frequently used, and discarded outfits and accessories. You'll be surprised what you can create with these. Start off by thinking of basic themes such as caped characters, princesses, and other characters from cartoons/fairytales. Here are some costume ideas:

Blood-Red Riding Hood

For a no-sew bloody Red Riding Hood Halloween costume, you can use your red hooded sweaters. Attach any red cloth or fabric (this could be from a pillowcase, old bed sheet, towel, or table cloth) to the backside of the sweatshirt with safety pins. Wear a skirt to complete the Little Red Riding Hood look. If you're going to wear a red-colored skirt, the better!

Bandages and fake blood will complete your Bloody Red Riding Hood look. Making fake blood is an easy Halloween crafts for kids: just mix cornstarch, corn syrup, and red food coloring. For your "scratches", use a red pen or marker. You can now be a Bloody Red Riding Hood who seemed to have barely escaped the Big Bad Wolf!

Batman

Kids will find this Halloween crafts for kids easy and exciting! In making the mask, simply measure the distance between your eyes and apply it on the surface of a paper plate, where you will punch two holes for vision. After punching the two holes, draw out a bat outline and cut out this outline. You can find free bat templates over the Internet and print them out. Next, paint the whole mask black with fast-drying poster paint. You can also purchase a pack of black paper plates if you can find one. Then, punch holes in the sides so you can attach garters, which will secure the mask over your face.

To complete the Batman look, don on a black or gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants or tights. Attach a black fabric to the back of the sweatshirt with safety pins.

Sleepwalker

A sleepwalker costume is another easy Halloween crafts for kids. All you need are your PJ's, a set of curlers, and a teddy bear (or voodoo doll to scare off guests).

Nature Princess

A nature princess costume is an easy Halloween crafts for kids. For this costume, you will need a nightgown, some flowers, dried leaves and some twigs. Tie the flowers together, suspend upside down, and let them dry under the sun. Make a wreath for your crown out of the twigs and dried leaves by using strong glue and your glue gun. Add the dried flowers and eggshells for more interest. You can also purchase a rubber snake to wear around your neck.

Now you realize that in finding easy Halloween crafts for kids, you need not look farther than your old closet and your very own backyard. You can think of hundreds of other themes around materials you already have in your home.

Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids: Backyard and Closet Costumes is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

A Milk Carton Cow Costume

A milk carton that resembles a cow at the same time would be a really cute no-sew costume to make! Young kids will especially love making this costume themselves. Simply cut out the flaps and a hole on two sides of a carton box for the arms to go through. Have your kid paint the box with a white base and black spots using non-toxic poster paint.

Accessories for this Halloween crafts for kids costume is a tail made of paper and yarn which you can attach to the lower part of the box. Simply cut out paper ears and horns and glue to a headband, which your kid can wear to complete the whole look.

Closet Costume

Costumes as Halloween crafts for kids does not always involve creating your own costumes. If kids will rummage through their old clothes, they will find items which they can assemble together creatively for their Halloween costumes. For example, they can use a red hooded sweatshirt for a Little Red Riding Hood costume; their PJ's for a Sleepwalker costume, and a black sweatshirt and pants for a Ninja Costume. Just add accessories like a basket, a teddy bear, or a mask made out of a plain T-shirt.

The Halloween Hats

There are easy Halloween crafts for kids that can show you how to make Halloween hats. For a witch's hat, draw out a semi-circle at the edge of a piece of black paper using a circular template. Cut out the drawing, fold the piece into a cone, and fasten with staples/glue. Cut out a circle (larger in diameter than the cone's bottom) from the same black paper and then glue or tape the cone on its center. This is your witch's hat. To make a sorcerer's hat, simply use the cone and paste cutout paper stars on it. You can also use glue and glitter to create the stars.

Making Halloween Wands

A witch is not a witch, nor a fairy a fairy, and sorcerer a sorcerer if they are without a wand. For this easy Halloween crafts for kids project, use a paintbrush instead of a pencil or straight tube for the wand stick. A paintbrush usually has a more elegant shape.

To make a Halloween crafts for kids' wand, spray-paint the whole paintbrush and let it sit to dry. Next, draw and cut out two identical paper starts. At the brush-end of the paintbrush, stick the two stars back-to-back, with the brush in between. Use other shapes for a witch's wand such as a half-moon. For a sorcerer's wand, place glue on the brush to harden it. Wind yarn or twine around the paintbrush for a Harry Potter-like wand. Spray-paint the whole paintbrush with gold or brown for that realistic effect.

To make any costume realistic and interesting-looking, always remember to add its matching accessories. Both are simple to make with easy Halloween crafts for kids.

Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids: Simple Costumes and Accessories is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

Combining Music & Art

Part of providing the right environment for encouraging creativity is by joining your child in exploring the fun of arts and crafts for kids. One activity is to take a sketchbook and some oil pastels (they produce better results than crayons) and turn up some great music. If you love classical music, that's a good choice. However, any type of music will work as long as you feel it's appropriate for your child. Now using these arts and crafts for kids create a picture of using the music as an inspiration. When the song is over, compare your efforts and talk about the types of emotions you both felt from the same song.

You can repeat the activity with different types of music and compare those results, too.

Cloud Inspiration

We all know that some people can see shapes and designs in clouds, right? Well, practice with your child for a few days and get in the habit of talking about the shapes you see in the sky. Then take your trusty arts and crafts for kids outside, including colored pencils or paints and some paper, and each of you should draw something you see in the clouds. Don't talk about what you're creating on the paper until you're both finished.

Magazine Story

If you want to encourage both your child's artistic skills and writing ability, gather some old magazines and start clipping out pictures together. Then bring in the arts and crafts for kids. Let your child glue some of the cutouts into his or her sketchbook. Then using colored pencils write a story to go along with the images. The story can be written right on the page or can be type of up neatly, printed off, and glued in as well. By combining both of these elements, along with the arts and crafts for kids, you'll be challenging your child to definitely think outside the proverbial box and come up with something truly unique. Then you can share your stories with one another.

The Story of the Day

If the two of you aren't together during the day, take about 15 minutes each night before dinner to recreate some of the highlights of your days using arts and crafts for kids. Then you can share them and talk about them over dinner. This can be a great way to work out any stress or negativity either of you are feeling if you've had a bad day. It's very therapeutic no matter what age you are.

Arts And Crafts For Kids And Other Creative Exercises is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

One of the easiest art and craft Halloween decorations is the creepy balloon ghost, which is very easy to make. All you need is white balloons and plastic grocery bags. The bags should be plain with no writing on them. Here is how to create a spooky ghost: Cut off the handles of the grocery bag. Leaving the bottom of the bag intact, with the help of scissors, cut the bag into dangling strips up to about an inch from the bottom seam. In the same manner cut up another grocery bag. Fill up the balloon with air and knot it up. Tape the seam of one bag to the front and the other to the back, leaving the knot on top. Paint a scary face of the ghost on the balloon and tie a string to the knot. Hang up these creepy balloons to trees in the yard. You may also put a few bells at the end of the strips, so that they make a sound with the movement of the wind. Enjoy the haunting chimes of the ghosts moving in your yard!

Kids can easily make a decorative garland with bats, ghosts or pumpkins. These garlands can be hung around the house or the classrooms. The materials required will be either construction paper or fun foam, depending on your choice. The colors could be orange for pumpkins, white for ghosts and black for bats. If foam is being used, patterns will be needed for all the three items. Take care to leave a tab of paper that can be folded over the string and secured with a tape. Cut out the shapes and paint the faces on them. You may need to make several of these craft items so that you can have a long garland. String up pumpkins on green string, bats on white string and ghosts on black string. If you have all three patterns, then you could use any color string that suits your fancy.

Helping kids with their Halloween crafts projects will make you very popular with them. There are varieties of craft items that can be made, be inventive and creative and let your imagination soar. There is no limit to what you can achieve in the world of art and craft.

Kids Halloween Arts and Crafts – The Kids’ Creativity! is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

The easiest Halloween craft a kid can make is a balloon ghost. All that is required is white plastic bags, balloons, strings and colored pens to draw the face. Take a balloon and fill it up with air. Place the balloon inside the plastic bag. Tie a string round the bottom of the bag to make a neck. Draw a funny or scary face on the bag. You can hang these scary ghosts on the trees in the yard by attaching a string from the top. Hang up several of these in the yard and watch the spooky atmosphere build up, as these ghosts float in the breeze!

Spooky bats can be hung outside on trees or in the house. You can involve your children in this activity. Take a clean cardboard egg carton or a Styrofoam one and cut out three cups, leaving them attached side by side. Cut out the front and back of the outer cups, these form the bat wings. Paint the carton black and stick on some beady eyes or draw the eyes with white paint. Make a hole on the top of the central eggcup and run a string through it. Knot up the end so that it does not slip out through the hole. Hang up several of these bats and watch them fly!

The best part about Halloween crafts is that you can get your children involved in the activity and encourage their creative talents. Children can also learn to create crafts from waste materials like egg cartons and grocery bags. Halloween decorations can be a good way to bond with family and friends. Websites on the internet give free access to a number of creative ideas that are simple enough for kids. Once you get some ideas, try them out with your kids and have fun creating new decorations. It can be a fun activity done together, enjoying each other's company and getting to know the creativity of your children, while experimenting with these decorations. Use these decorations around the house at Halloween and enjoy the festive spirit.

Free Kids Halloween Crafts – All You Need is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

Why Choose Art Supplies for a Trip

Although that Sponge Bob DVD may do the trick and keep your child quiet for a little while, he or she is merely being passively entertained. The show isn't providing any real mental stimulation and isn't contributing to improved physical or intellectual development. It's just a way to keep your little one occupied so you can focus on the road signs.

arts and crafts for kids are a better choice because they captivate your child more completely and actually do contribute to real improvements in overall performance. For example, some arts and crafts for kids can improve small motor movements and dexterity. Plus, these activities encourage children to be creative and to have fun during the trip. They can also still carry on conversations with the rest of the family which is a positive method of social bonding that passive television viewing can never replace.

Types of Supplies to Consider

When you're looking at arts and crafts for kids that would be good choices for travel, there are several that come to mind. One of the most highly recommended are lacing cards. These are item-shaped cards which have small holes around the exterior of the shape. Kids can string colored laces through these holes to creatively embellish the card.

There are several benefits to using lacing cards. For one, your children will improve their hand and eye coordination and their small motor skills because getting those laces through the small holes isn't as easy as you might think. Plus, it can be easy to do even over bumpy roads or in airplanes when not much room is available. They are also small and easy to slip into a carry on bag.

Other Good Reasons to Use Lacing Cards

As arts and crafts for kids, lacing cards have other advantages, too. For example, the cards can be instruments of learning. For example, Smalltime Child offers a set of lacing cards in the shape of insects. As the child works on each of these arts and crafts for kids, you can provide information about the type of bug or encourage your child to read about the bug in an encyclopedia.

Easy Travel Entertainment

Whether you choose lacing cards or some other type of arts and crafts kids for your next family trip, remember to choose something that has few parts which can be lost in the car or plane. Remember that you should choose arts and crafts for kids that are appropriate. You don't want to have to worry about your child choking on beads while you're focused on the road ahead.

Traveling Assistance: Arts and Crafts For Kids is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

Since the weather is perfect for getting out and exploring nature, kids can find objects like seeds, leaves, grass, flowers and other items to use in making a nature collage. All they have to do is glue the found craft bits onto a stiff piece of cardboard. They can add any other items they want to make the collage colorful and interesting. Spraying the collage with paint can add color and variety too. How about spraying some glue on and then sprinkling glitter on the collage? Another idea for using the nature items they collect is to arrange dried flowers into special arrangements for mom.

Naturally, if kids collect wild flowers they'll need a wonderful homemade vase to arrange them in. Making a simple vase is a great summer craft idea. Kids can make a nice, simple vase from a recycled tin can. Soup cans and small coffee cans work well for homemade vases. The best tin cans have smooth outsides and aren't too wide. Make sure you trim off any sharp points or edges that may still be on the can opening. Kids can cut a piece of colorful construction paper to fit around the outside of the can and then glue it to the can after they've decorated it in anyway they wish. Stickers, markers, crayons, paint, glue and glitter...the list goes on. A great idea for decorating the vase is by drawing a wonderful summer scene on the construction paper. They can also add their name, glue dried pasta, beans or seeds on the paper. Let it all dry well before gluing to the can. However they may want to decorate their vase is up to them. All that's left is adding some water and flowers or their dried wildflowers.

Kids can make containers and vases from empty jars as well. Canning jars make great vases, but any old recycled jar works well. Make sure to clean it really well. Let the kiddos get their hands wet by cleaning the jars themselves. After the jar is dry, add pretty ribbon around the mouth. Kids will love painting on the glass jar and maybe adding glitter, beads and buttons too.

Tin can and glass jar vases have multiple uses other than containers for flowers. Kids can put in pencils, pens and markers or any small item they want to put add.

These are just a few basic and simple craft ideas that you can help your kids make this summer. There are literally boundless ideas for summer kid crafting. You can spend some fun time with your children while preventing the boredom monster from showing itself too soon. Not only will you and your kids have fun, but you'll have some adorable items to display in your home or give as gifts to family and friends. Your kids can learn some new crafting skills and have the satisfaction of accomplishment at the same time. Stay cool and happy crafting this summer!

Fun and Simple Summer Kid’s Craft Ideas is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

Knowing the Age

Obviously, you want any gift you give a child to be age appropriate. You definitely want to make sure of that when you're buying arts and crafts for kids. However, if the product isn't listed there are some clues to look for that might mean it is inappropriate.

For example, if the arts and crafts for kids have a lot of small pieces then you wouldn't want to put it in the hands of small children. You might also want to check for anything that could be toxic. Most art supplies for children are made with non-toxic materials but it's always better to be safe instead of sorry so check those labels.

Shopping

Another question you may have is where to find these items. There will be a selection of them at almost any store but if you want a big selection with the most choices your best bet is to browse online at a store specializing in items for children. You could also go to a brick and mortar crafts store but the prices are going to be a bit higher and you may not find many things for young children that are truly examples of arts and crafts for kids.

When you're shopping online, you can always drop the company an email or give them a call (most have toll-free numbers) if you have questions about the right age for an item. Some offer free shipping and even free gift wrapping, too.

Children Preferences

When giving arts and crafts for kids as a gift, you'll also want to think about the preferences of the child. With lacing cards at Smalltime Child, for example, you can choose between three types of pictures: insects, vehicles, and pets. You want to think carefully about the best choice for the gift receiver.

The same is true with almost any arts and crafts for kids you choose. One exception might be a sketchbook and some colored pencils. A nice idea is to purchase the colored pencils in a matching tin so the child also has a convenient place to store them after being creative.

Parents Preferences

Even though this gift of arts and crafts for kids is for the children, the parents should play a small role in your decision making process. For example, some parents may prefer colored pencils over water color paints or oil pastels because they are less likely to make a mess. Think about these factors when you're choosing arts and crafts for kids as gifts.

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Encourage Free Creative Exploration

Handing over arts and crafts for kids is just part of the process. If you're standing over your children and passing judgment on their results, they are not going to feel comfortable with their creativity. Children will eventually develop the ability to evaluate their own work and others' work but now is the time for them to feel relaxed and free to use arts and crafts for kids as they see fit.

When children are given an environment that makes them feel free to be creative, they are going to open up their imagination and produce their best results.

Adapt to the Child's Ideas

In many classrooms, kids are being reprimanded when their creative vision does not match the vision of the teacher. When you're giving arts and crafts for kids to your children, you should make sure not to stifle their ideas or to force those ideas to conform to your own. For example, if the child draws a picture of the park and uses unusual colors for the trees don't criticize the child's color choice. Instead, begin talking about the choice and give the child freedom to express their creative ideas verbally as well as with arts and crafts for kids.

Encourage Children to Use Creative Problem Solving

Providing arts and crafts for kids is only one part of the process. You should also encourage your children to apply that creativity in other ways. For example, you could present your child with a problem and asked him or her to come up with a creative solution. Remember this requires thinking outside of traditional thought patterns. Not only can this be fun but it's a great extension to what your child is learning from the arts and crafts for kids. It's also a good way to work on creativity together and to express your encouragement for creative thinking.

Look for Schools that Share Your Appreciation for Creativity

If you have a chance to choose your child's pre-school, kindergarten, or even primary school, make sure to look for schools that provide high quality arts and crafts for kids but that also have other methods of using creativity in the daily activities. You also want to work with teachers who share your vision about the importance of creativity and the appreciation for the role arts and crafts for kids can play in your child's future.

Using Arts and Crafts For Kids to Encourage Creativity is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

Colored Pencils

Of all the arts and crafts for kids that are available, some of the best are colored pencils. These tools can open up whole words of creative possibilities for a young mind and small hands. They can pull out some coloring books and create their own masterpiece or they can draw their own unique picture using any type of paper you have around the house, even old paper grocery sacks!

The best part about these specific arts and crafts for kids, however, is they can be useful learning tools as well. Drawing is a good way of refining basic motor skills. The colors can be used to teach kids about their colors. They can even used for teaching counting, following instructions (color by number sets are great for this), and more.

Lacing Cards

While everyone has probably heard of colored pencils and crayons, not everyone is familiar with lacing cards which are quickly becoming another type of popular arts and crafts for kids. You can buy sets which include these cards that contain a picture surrounded by small holes. Along with the cards, your child receives colorful laces which are then "sewn" onto the card to finish off the picture.

These cards are popular because they allow kids to work on their fine motor skills and their eye hand coordination - both very important abilities for future activities, including everything from writing to sports to driving.

Sketchbooks

Another fun arts and crafts for kids idea is to use sketchbooks. Basically, these are a compilation of blank art pages which children can use for creating their own creative vision of the world. From the stick figure version of the family to a sketch of the backyard or the neighbor's dog, these books are a great and easy way to encourage children to make the most of a blank canvas and to let their imaginations run loose. That's the main idea behind arts and crafts for kids: to encourage creativity and imagination.

Enjoying the Fun

Of course, no matter what arts and crafts for kids your child enjoys the most there's no reason you should feel excluded. If you become active in these pastimes with your child then they will become even more memorable for both of you. Plus, you'll be improving your own creativity and imagination: something too many adults tend to give up once they hit puberty.

Just remember that having arts and crafts for kids isn't just a way to keep them entertained it's a way to help them have a more wonderful life and to appreciate the beauty of the world around them.

Top Types of Arts and Crafts For Kids is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

A safe and easy craft that kids tend to find fascinating is origami. There are many levels of origami from the incredibly simple to the advanced type of folding. Purchase gift wrap from a craft store or local big box store. It's fun to let kids pick out the wrapping paper that they like. Even the local dollar or liquidation store will have plenty at a low price. Easy beginner origami can be found online with no trouble. Get involved by learning with your children as you go.

Paper plates have been a great craft accessory for years. Most of us can recall using them as children in school to make great things like masks or giant flowers. Supply kids with a stack of plates and additional decorative items like pipe cleaner, glue and markers. It's always fun to see what children will come up with when set loose with a stack of great materials and their imagination.

Make use of those old egg cartons by giving them to the kids for crafts. An egg carton caterpillar is fun to create. Cut the egg carton so that there is an entire row of egg slots to form the caterpillar body. Use pipe cleaner for antenna and then go crazy decorating the body however you like. This is a great one for younger kids since it involves little cutting. Be sure to always supervise and assist small children with the use of scissors.

One craft idea that will always be timeless is making holiday or birthday cards by hand. There is something so special about receiving a home made card from a child that cannot be beaten by any store bought version. It's a true keepsake that can be kept for many years as a part of a beautiful memory.

The options are virtually endless for crafts that are perfectly suited to smaller kids. Get them involved in reading by having them create their very own bookmarks. Use sturdy construction paper cut rectangular then let them do the rest with glitter, paint or beads. Have them make one in the style or theme of their favourite story. Pencil holders are also great and related to reading and writing. Decorate a can or wooden container tall enough to hold pencils. There really is no limit to what you can do.

It's important to prevent kids from developing extreme tendencies for electronics and TV. While those things are fine in moderation, it's necessary to keep the brain active and stimulated. Crafts for kids are both fun and results in some pretty neat stuff.

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Egg Carton Spider: For this craft project you will need an egg carton, googly eyes, scissors, pipe cleaners and crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Cut one section out of the egg carton. For more details www.greateducationonline.com Poke four holes in each side of the cup with scissors. Put a pipe cleaner into each of the holes and bend them to look like spider legs. Draw a face on the spider with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.

Pompom Spider: Supplies needed for this craft are yarn, scissors, pipe cleaners, cardboard, glue and googly eyes. Cut yarn into a 2 foot long piece and a yard long piece. Cut a piece of cardboard into a 3 inch by 2 inch rectangle. Loosely wrap the yard of yarn around the cardboard piece. Take the yarn off the cardboard, being careful to make sure the loops stay together. Put 4 pipe cleaners on the yarn loops. Tie the yarn loops and pipe cleaners together tightly with the 2 foot piece of yarn. Cut the loops in half to make a pompom shape. Bend the pipe cleaners in the shape of spider legs. Glue googly eyes onto the spider.

Pasta and Beans Skeleton: This craft project is made with a piece of black construction paper, glue, dried beans and several types of pasta (small shells, wagon wheels, ziti, elbow macaroni, salad macaroni, spaghetti, spirals, etc.). Lay out the pasta and beans in the shape of a skeleton. Elbow macaroni is good for ribs. Spaghetti can be used as toes and fingers. Small shells or small beans make good joints. Lima beans are perfect for hips. After you are satisfied with the layout of your skeleton, glue it down.

Ghost Necklace: For this craft project you will need Elmer's glue, a small paper clip, googly eyes, wax paper and string. On wax paper, make a ghost shape out of your glue. Unbend the paper clip and reform it into a V. Stick the ends of the V into the glue at top of the ghost's head. For more details www.greatindustrialguide.com Put googly eyes on the ghost's head. After a few days, the glue will turn completely clear. Peel it off the wax paper and thread your string through the paper clip to turn it into a necklace.

Jack-o-lantern Pinata: Make a perfect Halloween party item by gathering a balloon, newspaper, flour, water, a bowl, a pot, a wooden spoon, scissors, orange craft paint, a paintbrush and a black marker. Make papier-mâché glue by mixing 1/2 cup of flour into 1/2 cup of water. Then stir the flour and water mix into 2 cups of boiling water. Simmer for a few minutes. Let it cool. Take newspaper and tear into 1 inch wide strips. Dip strips of paper in the glue and wrap around the balloon. Repeat process, covering the entire balloon. Let a layer dry and then add another layer. It dry completely, then pop the balloon, and remove it. Cut a small hole in the top to put in the candy. Decorate with the orange craft paint and black marker, making a jack-o-lantern face. Hang the pinata and have a party!

Arts-crafts-halloween Crafts for Kids is a post from: Watthamai Crafts

There are so many items that often get overlooked when it comes to crafting. Think back to your own childhood. The days of toilet paper roll projects and egg cartons, should come rolling back. Remember how fun it was to create something beautiful out of something so plain? Help your kids relieve that same joy and pride with these simple tips and craft projects.

Recycle and Re-Use

Teaching your kids about recycling is a really good life lesson, so why not integrate craft time and science by re-using common household items? Paper bags, egg cartons and other goodies get a second life when they are forever treasured in the form of a craft project. Encourage your kids to come up with other household items that can be used for craft projects, you may be surprised at the things that they come up with!

Here are just a few of the materials that you can recycle, discover, or re-use for your own craft projects:

-Egg Cartons

-Grocery Bags (paper or plastic)

-Cardboard inserts from packaging and boxes

-CD's

-Old denim or fabric swatches

-T-shirts that no longer fit

-Used birthday cards or bags

-Wrapping paper

-Toilet paper and paper towel rolls

-Plastic soda bottles

-Cans (use caution with sharp edges)

-Things found in nature: A rock, leaves, sticks, etc.

Gravel Art

Here is a great little project that uses items that you should have lying around! Enjoy!

Materials Needed:

-Large Cardboard Box

-Small pieces of gravel (You will need quite a bit)

-String or Yarn

-Pencil

-Simple Coloring Book or personal drawing

-White glue in squeeze bottle

-Scissors

-Crayons (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash and rinse the gravel in a kitchen strainer. Spread out on towels to dry.

2. On your cardboard, use the pencil to make an outline of a simple drawing.

3. With the glue, trace over the outline.

4. Press string or yard onto the glue lines, cutting where necessary to form corners and angles.

5. Glue gravel onto the picture filling the spaces. You can use all one color, or use different colors for different areas.

6. If you wish to have a background, use crayons to draw and color one in.

Use Your Imagination

Once you get the hang of coming up with kids craft ideas, you will never go back to the store bought kits. There is so much more creativity and freedom that goes along with recycling and re-using common household items.

Kids Crafts Ideas on a Budget is a post from: Watthamai Crafts