Guidelines for Arts & Crafts

[triplethreat]

Although I do have some experience teaching art it was not in a camp setting. I would like to encorporate some arts & crafts into my day camp but I have some questions for those of you more experienced in this area:

- Does a & c integrate well into themed camps (such as a sports camp?)

- What types of crafts are most enjoyed by the different age levels?

- Do you find there is a difference between the types of crafts that boys and girls like? And is there a specific age where their preferences start to differ?

[happy_camper]

YES a&c can integrate well into the theme of the camp!

Make sure that crafts are age-appropriate. Something very simple will not occupy the older kids, but something very complicated will easily frustrate the younger ones. I think the older kids like to make/decorate things that they can actually USE. For example, depending on your budget, if you have a sports theme camp, maybe get some cheap duffel bags (try something like Oriental Trading Co.) that they can decorate with paint pens.

[prettysocks]

http://www.crayola.com/coloringcraft/craft/index.cfm

.. This is one of the best craft sites of life. You can search crafts by Type of Craft, Theme (including Sports!), by Crayola Product (or whatever brand you have), or by a Crayola search engine. There are hundreds of crafts on here. Some are super lame, but lots are great!

.. Different age levels.. Younger kids tend to enjoy the goopy, messy stuff more than older kids. Older kids tend to like things they can use (such as jewelery) and things that take a few sessions to make (such as papier mache).

[Life_Saver]

I was the Arts and Crafts Director for a summer and I got a lot of ideas from this website. There are a lot of ideas that you can modify to make fit the camp program. Some of the activities are even identified as activities that will help the environment. Check it out! I love ZOOM!

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/

[YUrocks!]

I was the Arts and Crafts Director for a summer and I got a lot of ideas from this website. There are a lot of ideas that you can modify to make fit the camp program. Some of the activities are even identified as activities that will help the environment. Check it out! I love ZOOM!

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/

Way to go Life Saver! Zoom is an awesome site. Doing things that are craft but have a purpose like Egg Drop, or Egg Bungee Jump, Bridge Building, etc are much more popular with the boys than traditional arts and crafts.

This summer the kids had to build mopeds for this really ugly doll we had named "Maui Marsha". After they built the mopeds (out of cardboard and random supplies) we would put Marsha on and race her down the wheel chair ramp. There were prizes for fastest, prettiest, etc. These types of activities were exciting for all the kids because they incorporate so many different skills and talents.

[triplethreat]

Thanks everyone.

On a related note - where do other Canadian camps buy their supplies, particularly craft stuff? Are there some good spots online that offer bulk discounts that will ship to Canada?

[Fleur]

Where in Canada are you?

[triplethreat]

Ontario

[Fleur]

Check your private messages :)

[triplethreat]

Thanks!