Craft ideas?

[Fleur]

I started flipping through my brainstorming notes so I could start piecing together my A&C program for the summer, but this year the ideas just haven't been coming to me. I try not to repeat ideas from year to year so that returning campers get to try new things each summer, but after running the program for 3 years, that's starting to become more difficult.

Anyone have suggestions as to what has worked well at your camps?

[lifer]

Our crafts are pretty low budget, but a really popular activity we do is Tile Art. We had a bunch of old 4 in x 4 in white ceramic tiles that kids could decorate with paint/puffy paint/etc. It was a nice project because it was something they could easily bring home and hang on a wall or something.

If you have a big budget, or have campers pay for crafts, some other really cute ideas are fleece blankets (where you tie the two pieces together) or stepping stones. You can usually buy stepping stone kits that come with different molds, and campers can decorate with mosaic tile pieces and whatnot.

Oh ! And I loved making rainsticks, which you can do really cheaply with old cardboard tubes and cheap beads. They are fun to decorate with string, feathers, glitter, etc.

I was the arts & crafts director for 2 years and I'm sure I'll think of more ideas, so I'll post them as they come to me. :)

[prettysocks]

Dang you! I was going to say stepping stones. They're awesome. Sometimes kids would choose to leave them at camp, and now one of the Guide camps has a path of camper-made stepping stones. Other things to put in the stepping stone (which, a kit is not needed for.. we use 6 sided containers from Swiss Chalet - go ask them to donate them for a camp and powdered cement+water): buttons, broken plates, pennies, anything small *dollor store*.

Kites? They can be used throughout camp.

Papier Mache? You could make a pinata, and use it at a camp celebration or party.

Snow globes/Sparkle globes? Use a baby food jar and using caulking, caulk a plastic toy (army man, animal, etc *dollar store*) to the lid. When the caulking is dry, fill the jar with water and sparkles, and screw the lid on. Caulk the lid closed with a bead around the lid/jar, and put a ribbon around that to cover it up.

That's all I've got. I think everything else is pretty typical.

[Fleur]

Thanks for all of the ideas so far! :)

Ooooohhh... I like the stepping stone and tile art ideas. Those would be fantastic to have ready to display for parents night.

Prettysocks, can the Swiss Chalet containers be used for making the stones more than once (i.e. is it easy to remove the stones once they're dry without wrecking the container)?

[campnerd99]

There are some really great craft ideas on
www.makingfriends.com
the site is super easy to use, all the crafts are sorted into different catagories, age groups and difficulty level.

[Fleur]

I love makingfriends.com. The kids absolutely loved making the yarn bugs :)

[prettysocks]

Prettysocks, can the Swiss Chalet containers be used for making the stones more than once (i.e. is it easy to remove the stones once they're dry without wrecking the container)?

As far as I remember, yes. You'll want to give each stone 24 hours to dry solid, in a non-damp environment (dry basement?, not on a porch on the misty night, etc). I think I remember them shriking the tiniest bit, but just enough so when you flip it over, it comes out. You might want to make one first.. to test out the plaster, which items work for sticking in the plaster, and whether you can use the swiss chalet things. (And I said swiss chalet because i think they are hexagon shaped, but any plastic container, from any restaurant, would work!) :)

[drink the wild air]

I always loved making dreamcatchers as a camper using a stick for the ring and then a waxy string for the inside and then beads or feathers. Nature rubbings are also cheap and can be lots of fun. I also really like making candle holders out of foil or tin - you poke holes in them with pins so the light shines through in a pattern and then glue them in a circle to go over a candle. Seed bead bracelets rock esp if you know how to use the looms or make flowers with them. My camp also ran a sweet Duct Tape skill period making things out of tape like wallets, shoes, visors, etc. We charged them a bit for it cause duct tapes expensive but they so loved it. Thats all I can think of at the moment...i'm sure theres tons more in my brain somewhere.

[KiwiCRB]

Ooo the candle comment above made me think of a really cool craft.
Get some wax and melt it down. Then put a wick in a jar and surround it with ice. Then poor the wax over the ice. The ice will cool the wax and then melt. It makes super cool looking candles if you do it right! Duct tape roses are also really easy to make and you can put them on top of pens for a neat twist on the fake flower pens that used to be really big.

[prettysocks]

A more permanent version of the foil wrapped around a candle is using a can (from, like, canned food.. tall cans and fat/tall cans work best) clean them and remove wrapper.. then either in a design, or randomly, nail holes, with a nail and hammer, removing the nail after there is a small hole. then put a tea candle in it and it's gorgeous. you can also paint the outside of the can with metal paint or acrylic paint.

[drink the wild air]

OHH the candle and ice one rocks!!! Our kids loved that one!

[Pooka]

If there's some sandy soil that no one'll mind if you dig up a little bit, dirt candles are fun. Everyone digs a little hole in the ground and hangs a wick with the top end tied to a spoon, which is laid across the top of the hole. You can pour in wax, adding glitter if desired, and then dig them up when they're dry.

It might be more of a 'nature' skill, but lashing can be fun and challenging. A traditional LIT challege at my camp is to get the LITs to lash a table that'll support their unit leader, using only twine, sticks, and trees by their campsite. One unit had a mascot made of twine and sticks called 'Spike' that floated around the lodge for years.

Duct tape is great fun-- I used a duct tape wallet half of last summer.

[Flukie]

Pretty Socks - I've never down the tin can lanterns before, but that just got me thinking about them more... I'm thinking we totally can use them for CIT Graduation or Intern Dedication this summer. Add a new tradition to camp... Hmmm...

[prettysocks]

http://www.craftygal.com/archives/september/table0900.htm
(Thorough instructions, and gives the freezing step that I forgot!)

http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/luminarias.html
(Look at the picture on the right - is that what you're talking about? Also, different instructions)

[Melk]

what about scrapbooking.... you take pictures one week, get them developed over the weekend, and make a scrapbook the next week.

[rock-it]

Whenever I am stumped for a craft idea, I go to forums like getcrafty.org and craftster.com for inspiration. Some of the projects found at places like that are easily tweaked to make them more age-appropriate, and are pretty clever.