BlogHer - Stress-Free (?) Crafting With the Kids - Comments

Perfect Timing

Melanie Nelson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:30:54 -0500

I was just making my Summer To Do list and was looking for some crafts to include. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

I can't wait to see what the kids make this weekend.

Chilihead
Don't Try This at Home

I understand the mess

Nodinsnest — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:34:22 -0500

I understand the mess stress! my son loves to "help" me with my crafting. He's only 3, so when I'm working on an important piece this can be a challenge. He's currently learning to use scissors!

Thanks for the great site links.

http://nodinsnest.blogspot.com

Pictures! I demand them!

debra roby — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:40:48 -0500

I want to see the creations from this weekend! Please post a link to them when their done.

Glad you found Instructables. That's one of my favorite website for learning these things.

I'd say the secret to crafting with kids is to just let go and let it be. But that's the hard part for mom's to get, right? Some day I should take a picture of my work room now; crafting is just a messy piece of fun.

When I taught crafts at a summer Bible school (I was the resident crafting heathen), the letting go part is was killed the other workers, while making something fairly crappy just to make it fit a Bible saying irked me a lot more.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

Yes!

lilmommythatcould — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:10:05 -0500

I live the excitment for about 15 minutes then mommy brain kicks in, I see the mess & the stress kicks in. I love the Kids Weekly Crafts site- Great easy crafts- Thanks for the link.

From one frustrated mama to another...

Colored With Memories — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:15:01 -0500

I guess we all start out with good intentions when it comes to being crafty...but I always end up frustrated and with not much to show for our efforts!

Thanks to your great links, maybe that will change!

Kerry @ Colored With Memories www.justusgibsons.blogspot.com

Stress-Free (?) Crafting With the Kids

rocksinmydryer — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:52:55 -0500

I don't have a great track record of doing crafts with my kids.

There. I said it.

We do plenty of fun things together, but crafting + children + momma has, in the past, been a recipe for some stress around here. I don't like this about my parenting, and I want to improve (read: loosen up). One of my children is especially creative, and I know it's in his best interest for me to get over my control-freak hang-ups about having things "just so".

I confess that I get a little overwhelmed at the messes generated by a crafty day (or afternoon. Or hour). And when you’re dealing with multiple children, adjusting the same craft to more than one age level can be a challenge.

But no more. I’m committed to diving into the glue and paint headfirst with my kids. Especially with the school-free days of summer looming, I've been doing some browsing around the blogosphere lately for some ideas. I've been interested to find moms writing about crafting with their kids and providing some specific ideas and resources.

Here are some of the things I've been finding:

Amanda of Soule Mama is a mom committed to exposing her children to as much creativity as possible. She literally wrote the book on it, The Creative Family. See this post, in which she helps her son with an embroidery project.

Patricia Mayville-Cox of Green Daily has some ideas specifically eco-friendly ideas. These earth Rice Krispie treats are just too much fun.

B&B Ex Libris has offered up a book review of the book Making Stuff For Kids. She writes:

The brilliance of it is where it calls out to parents and children alike: pick me up!!! Be creative!! Get messy! Don't stress!

*deep breathing* I can do this. And I think I'm buying that book.

Design Mom guest author Maria writes an excellent and practical piece on relaxing a little where kids' crafts are concerned. She gives specific pointers about stocking supplies, and helping younger kids (use tape instead of glue, whenever possible).

Kids' Craft Weekly is a free weekly newsletter with children's crafting ideas specifically designed to be inexpensive and simple. I'm really impressed with the "do-ability" of this site. My kids are going to love these stained-glass windows. And these patty-pan flowers are adorable.

Instructables.com ("the world's biggest show and tell") has an entire section devoted to kid-friendly crafts. Check out the paper wallet! My pre-teens would love to give this a try.

Step one in my new Craft Mom Era begins this weekend. We're going to do some art on canvas for local art festival next month, in which local children are invited to make their own presentations.

We can do this.

Shannon Lowe is a BlogHer Contributing Editor (Mommy/Family), and she also writes at Rocks In My Dryer. She is hyperventilating a little at the thought of glue in the carpet, but she's pushing through it.