So this is my biggest source of guilt these days in HSing

[Hedgehogs4]

I HATE doing crafts with the kids. I read all these cute posts about how the kids made this and sculpted that, and did this diorama and glued these pieces, and I feel so overwhelmed.

 

I love reading, narrating, making art and interacting with the material with my kids, but I hate the planning, doing, and CLEAN UP of crafts. :tongue_smilie:

 

anyone else? What do you do instead of all the cool cutesy crafts the other moms make and make you feel bad for not doing?

[Parrothead]

I despise doing crafts. The only thing that keeps me from not doing them is I can put cool pix in the year-end portfolio.

 

I hate the mess.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't found an adequate substitute.

[patchfire]

Me too!

 

I buy craft kits for dd and tell her she's welcome to work on them on her own. I'll do the same for the others at the appropriate stage. They do, however, have an open invitation to learn to knit or scrapbook with me.

 

I'm getting better at letting go of the guilt. I may not be the craftiest, but I have other strengths that I'm sure not all of the craft people do, you know?

[jenL]

I hate to admit it, but I'm this way too. I really have to force myself to schedule crafts and to then follow-through with them. It's not just the clean-up for me, it's trying to keep my wild 2.5yo under control. He's a naturally messy child as it is, so having craft stuff out is often a nightmare. DS6 LOVES doing crafts, so I try really hard to let him create with limited supplies (NO glitter here!). He's appreciative, and it makes me feel good to see him so happy. I'm hoping that when my youngest is older, I won't dread it so much.

[melissel]

Hi, my name is Melissa and I hate crafting. :lol: Seriously, DD4 brought home a turkey picture from school with cutesy instructions to dress him up so he could disguise himself for Thanksgiving. I was so irritated! Fortunately, my mom is uber crafty, so she brought over supplies and did it with the kids. A few days later, we were at preschool for a party and I saw all the clever things other families did--dressed theirs up as ballerinas, snowmen, a cow, etc. I was like, "Ooooohhh!!! That's what we were supposed to do!" :rolleyes: I'm so not creative *sigh*

 

So yeah, you're not alone! Fortunately, DD7 is not too interested in crafts either. She much prefers to draw or do something more free form. DD4 is another story. For now, preschool fills that void, but I'm in trouble come June!

[Heather in AL]

Count me as a member. As a kid, I LOVED coloring and making Christmas crafts in school---we never did crafts unless it was Christmas...in art class we drew and painted, etc, but no 'crafts'. Why/how crafts have permeated elem. education is a shock to me. I don't mind doing them, however, as long as someone else plans, sets out materials, and cleans up---all in a location other than my house! :tongue_smilie: And I HATE glitter.

 

I did get lucky in one way because my kids have NEVER liked crafts... not even coloring. But therein lies the part that makes me feel bad. I used to LOVE coloring books, drawing, etc, and both my kids hated/hate both. :confused: My son, when he was a preschooler, put his hands in finger paint that I set out (while trying not to freak at the mess potential!), and showed me his hands and said "uuuhhhh" with an 'icky face' and stuck out his tongue. He never tried to finger paint again. My daughter just refused to try finger painting, shaving cream painting, etc.

 

They are now in 9th and 7th grades and are quite happy being bookworms and playing their musical instruments. Being 'craft starved' doesn't seem to have hurt them any, so I guess I need to learn to let go of the guilt.

[Hedgehogs4]

very funny...glad to know I'm not alone, but not a lot of people are chiming in here, so we must be the minority! (i knew i was weird)

[Guest janainaz]

Me + crafts = :banghead:

[rwjx2khsmj]

Crafts are not part of our school time. Sometimes, like when studying Egypt, the dc ask to do an extra project. I got the supplies and offered assistance on request but they did the "crafty" parts. DS made a model of a mummy. DD13 made a game and pita bread. DD10 made jewelry. That's about as crafty as we get.

 

If they ask, I'll supply the materials but I rarely, if ever, initiate.

[Garga]

We do "projects" but not crafts. There is a difference!

 

Like, this week in SOTW2, we can make a snack that is supposed to resemble the moths that aborigine people ate. It's made with popcorn and peanuts. I can handle that.

 

Back in SOTW1 (chapter 1, I think!) we did an archaeological dig (where you bury some things in your yard on Monday and then on Friday, you dig them back up.) That was easy enough for me.

 

I like to do those sorts of projects and we try to do at least one of those a week.

 

But if it involves glue and glitter, we try to steer clear of those as much as we can. I'll still do them occasionally, but I don't like it. I end up feeling like I'm doing all the work (prep, helping with glue, cleanup.)

[rwjx2khsmj]

I HATE glitter!:glare:

[LibraryLover]

Crafts? Like toilet roll covers? No.

 

Art, as in letting the children create and use materials? Yes.

 

We have an art cabinet and the kids use supplies as they choose.

 

We have various types of clays, paints, pastels etc. I don't do cutsey. I don't tell them what to do.

 

They have done art programs in the past for more formal information.

Edited December 8, 2009 by LibraryLover

[Georgiana Daniels]

I LOATHE crafts! But my kidlets adore them, and I do so love to see their busy little hands. Mostly I set out the supplies and let them do whatever they can manage on their own. As to anything that needs my help--not happening.:tongue_smilie:

[Peela]

I get burn out on crafts with kids very quickly.

I did some of the SOTW activities- they were memorable because they were rare :)

Mostly though, I have a crafty kid who I just buy materials for and let her do her own crafts. And i pay for an art class. The other kid never liked crafts anyway- he just makes his own matchbox minibombs and bows and arrows with the other kids in the street, so I figure that's his creative outlet. Sometimes he does a lot of research for them!

For me, it's the same with science experiments- burn out. It was a great relief to find a science class for my kids so they could do proper experiments, because I just found them terribly tedious- and often so did the kids, especially when we already could guess the outcome. The class, with an enthusiastic highschool science teacher, has been a godsend to me.

[Dawn in OH]

I find lots of crafts that look fun and cute, but, my problem is I don't like messy. I also have no way to keep the two year old out of our crafting, the doorway is too big for a baby gate, and nap time isn't long enough for a big messy craft.

 

I don't like messy therefore I really can't like crafts.

[IsabelC]

In this household, glitter definitely has a habit of turning up for days afterwards in all sorts of places that glitter should not be!:001_huh:

 

My kids love crafty stuff, but I, erm, don't :001_unsure:

 

Reason #1 is that I'm not all that good at them myself. That is, I can generally follow simple instructions, but I'm no good and just grabbing a bunch of supplies, doing a bit of gluing/sewing/stapling and suddenly it's turned into something amazing.

 

Reason #2 is that I have trouble just letting them do it their way. I tend to get an idea of how I want something to look and get completely anal about it. If dc's color scheme isn't quite what I'd like, I get tense and find it really difficult to let them follow their own creative impulses. Dh says I should buy enough stuff so that I can make one my way and they make one their way, but it's still difficult. I just wanna control the whole dang show :driving:

 

Reason #3 is the waste and the mess. We always end up using about 5 times as much stuff as we need, and the whole room (if not the whole house) ends up looking as though it's been bombed.

[sassenach]

I hate them, but my dd5 LOVES them. Since I have started to make myself do them, my dd has enjoyed school so much more. She previously talked about going to "real" school at least once a week. Since I started printing up crafts for her, she hasn't mentioned it. Enchanted learning is my friend!

[Ellyndria]

I like doing crafts *myself*, I do *not* like overseeing and telling someone else who is not all that crafty how to do crafts.

[Pretty in Pink]

I also despise planning crafts. I don't mind if the kids come up with and execute their own crafts. They like to borrow crafty books from the library. I don't mind. I despise lapbooks.

 

I do buy craft kits from time to time. I buy science kits that correspond to their science books and we do one experiment per chapter. I know that's not necessarily crafty, but it is hands-on. I send them to art day camp for a week every summer. If that's not good enough...oh well.

[happi duck]

We love messing around with art supplies but...my kids don't care to do school related crafts/projects. For some kids, making a craft helps them learn. My kids don't need that so we don't bother. I appreciate that about homeschooling.