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mary
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| Posted: Dec 06 2007 at 11:51am | IP Logged
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my 7yr old ds is very creative. sadly, his mother is not. i'd like to give him some craft type gift for christmas. i thought about just putting craft supplies together but my problem is that i don't know what to do with them. i have beautiful felt and yarn and hooks and needles, but we have spent all morning trying to learn to knit or crochet a scarf or hat, and despite watching lots of you tube instructionals, i still have no clue how to make a crochet circle or save a slipped stitch. so, i need instructions for specific projects. can anyone help me with this gift?
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Matilda
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What about a wood burning kit? Very boyish, very easy... all you need is the tool and some wooden plaques. He can draw his own designs or I think they sell rub on designs.
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JodieLyn
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lots of places sell craft kits so you don't have to come up with it yourself and you have directions.
on the crocheting.. can you manage to make a chain? if so.. then to make the circle.. just poke your hook through the stitch at the beginning of the chain.. and pull the yarn through the stitch AND the loop that was already on your hook and you'll have the circle.
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JodieLyn
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Oh and one more thing to remember.. when doing crafts.. perfection is NOT part of the goal 
For instance in crocheting.. if I was doing a circle to say start a granny square.. the circle itself it going to be totally hidden by the other stitches.. so what if it looks a bit messy.
And part of the charm of handmade things is that they're not perfect..
Do you know that there are people who PURPOSELY put in a small "mistake" or two so that it is distinct from machine made (that does things perfectly and mindlessly)
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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mary
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Matilda wrote:
| What about a wood burning kit? Very boyish, very easy... all you need is the tool and some wooden plaques. He can draw his own designs or I think they sell rub on designs. |
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lovely gift idea - my 9 yr old boy already requested it this year!
jodie, i can make a chain. i can make a circle. i have no idea what they mean by double stitch through the circle. everytime i watch a video, i can't quite grasp what they are doing with the hook. don't worry about me and perfection - i gave that idea up long ago!
i'm having trouble finding kits. can you recommend something?
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stacykay
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This isn't really an art idea, per se, but science combined with art?, but no real instructions:
My 6yo ds wants to learn more about volcanos, so I am putting together a kit with a couple of books on volcanos (still deciding on what titles,) sculpey clay to make a volcano replica (with colors for the volcano, lava, island and water,) and materials to make an erupting volcano (with baking soda and vinegar included).
Last year, I bought a collection of art materials for my now 9yo ds. I included watercolor paints, pastels, oils, brushes, pencils, sharpeners, and assorted drawing/watercolor/painting papers. He loved it! He still pulls out the box and will start working on some creation. I didn't give him any instructions, he just makes whatever he comes up with.
For kits or easier to do crafts:
What about something simple like a loom for making pot-holders?
I bought a quilt kit from ?Hearth Song a few years back for my niece who was 7. She loved it, and the instructions were great. I think a lot of those kits, in Hearth Song and Magic Cabin come with the instructions that help those of us (me included) that aren't as craft minded.
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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shartlesville
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If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby they have kits you can buy and right now they are on sale 2/$10. HTH.
Blessings,
Krisann
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amarytbc
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These things were a struggle for me too. At his age my sons liked
-Leathercraft kits like these
http://www.sbearstradingpost.com/Youth.html
-plastic model cars and planes
-pinewood derby cars (boys scouts)
-other boy scout crafts like these
http://crafts.kaboose.com/cub-scout/
-Boondoggles (your craft store will sell all of the supplies)
http://www.boondoggleman.com/
-clay and sculpting supplies (try the terra cotta clay that looks and feels like real clay and air dries instead of the sculpy
-Mark Kistler's Draw Squad
and lots of legos of course
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hereinantwerp
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My 8 year old boy LOVES crafts. But usually he does not turn on to "kits" with specific directions/a specific model, he likes to invent his own things.
He does love craft books from the library, which I think for him serve as more inspiration than for directions. This is the section he goes to every time! This DK Fantastic Rainy Day Book has been his favorite book ever, I bought a copy for him for xmas.
What my son loves is a big drawer we have full of:
pipe cleaners
colored feathers
pony beads
colored popsicle sticks
googly eyes
felt
scissors (the fiskars ones are great)
glue (not glue sticks, elmers glue all)
wood pieces
string
wood "people" to paint
construction paper
sequins
air-dry clay
lots of tape and the stapler,
etc.!
You could take a clear plastic shoebox and fill it with these kind of things, which you can buy very cheap at Walmart or what you can't find, get from Michaels. Or you can order a premade "craft box" full of these kind of supplies from Dick Blick or someplace like that for around $20. It's really better when they make things out of their own imagination, though it generally looks like nothing you'd find in a magazine!! But I know some kids like the directions and the kits, too.
The few exceptions to "kits" that my son HAS liked are a potholder loom which we got recently which he has loved, and the candle-rolling kit from Magic Cabin, which we used to make gifts--that was really fun, I was impressed with it. Magic Cabin has some nice kits!
Family Fun also has great ideas for crafts, both the website and the mags & books which you can generally find at the library.
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Angela Nelson
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mary
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| Posted: Dec 15 2007 at 6:45am | IP Logged
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thank you for all of your help! i think you all are so right that supplies are better than kits. i just put the box together after trips to the fabric store, hobby lobby and an order from paper, scissors, stone. here's what i got:
wool roving
wool felt
3 skein of yarn
bamboo crochet hook
how to crochet book
stockmar modeling beeswax
non drying clay
air drying clay
wikki sticks
rock painting kit
subscription to living crafts (first issue in box)
toymaking book for children
that should keep him busy!
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Mary G
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Mary -- the "kit" sounds perfect ... lots of things that he can do or wait on doing as the interest hits .... That "Living Crafts" magazine is supposed to be amazing but I haven't seen a copy yet .... hmmmm, sounds like a trip to the craft store is in order today! 
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MaryG
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my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: what would you put in an art/craft gift?
