Getting started

Ever since I was little I LOVED doing crafts, getting messy, creating something, having fun with my imagination... So now that I have 2 kids I want to offer them this same opportunity. My daughter, Julia, is 4 now and begs me daily to make a craft. Sometimes we get elaborate, breaking out the paint, glitter, glue, pipe cleaners. Other days she just draws smilie faces on any piece of scrap paper she can find, folds it in 1/2 and gives out her "cards."

We have started getting in the habit of making gifts for people. Birthdays, Mothers Day, Christmas - I am trying, sometimes in vain, to teach my kids that it doesn't matter how much you spend on gifts as much as the love you put into it. I love watching how proud Julia is when she gives someone a gift she made all on her own.

Many times we do "crafts on the fly" depending on our day, what mood we're in and how much time we have. That being said, I have discovered it is good to keep certain things on hand - see the list below. I've also created a little craft box consisting of a medium pencil box full of crayons, scissors, markers, glue sticks, and stickers. This way, if we just have 15 minutes to play, I just grab the little box and some paper and don't waste time trying to track stuff down.

Other items to keep on hand:

Construction paper

Glue (liquid and glue sticks)

Safety Scissors

Drop Cloth (I use a thick plastic sheet/mat that is supposed to go under highchairs, it's not too big, easy to clean up and doesn't tear. We've used ours regularly for over 2 years and it's holding up great)

Paint (water colors and tempra/acrylic)

Paint brushes

Smock (old adult sized t-shirts work great)

Yarn

Stickers

I also like to keep empty egg cartons, toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes, a few old magazines, newspaper, disposable pie tins (great for painting, holding beads/small objects), paper bags. These things are basically free since they are just "trash" but can come in handy in different projects. Plus you can teach your kids some easy ways to reuse objects and help the environment.

The main thing I suggest is to have fun and get as messy as you are comfortable with. If a mess stresses you out, neither the kids nor you will have fun. Messes will happen, projects will generally take longer than you expect - especially if you have a time limit, also know your kids attention span and don't be disappointed if 3 minutes into a project they decide they are done and walk off.

I hope people find my ramblings and crazy ideas useful.