KinderSafari Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I am super uncrafty and basic craft skills and logic escape me. But my kids like to do them. :) I was hoping for some ideas for some fun (self-contained kits preferably) that have projects that are practical. Like soap-making kits or stained glass mosaic kits or .....?? Something more substantial for my teenagers than the simple preschool or early elementary projects. But I need STEP BY STEP instructions and a self-contained kit would be best because if it tells me just to get a X1 rL opaque wire and strips of cortex aztec cloth etc, then I will have to be donating the book to Goodwill. Basically crafts for dummies that are nicer than gluing popsicle sticks together and decorating them with glitter glue. Do those type of things exist? Thanks! From the severely art-inept... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susancollins Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Hi, My mom is an art teacher and she gave me the idea to marble paper which is so neat and fun the kids had a blast. All you need is a plastic tub large enough to lay paper flat, marbling ink, water, and a straw. I put water and ink, in the tub then I used a straw by blowing through one end to mix the colors. I have attached a photo of the marbling we did. I hope this helps! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 If you have a nearby art museum, they will often stock kits in their store, or they will perhaps offer classes for kids or summer camps. These are cheaper than private art classes. My daughter has taken a few: learned to make prints at one, and done a lot of 3-D art at another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinderSafari Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 Your marbled paper idea looks neat! A few questions though... What kind of paper did you use? Construction paper? Regular computer paper? Did you lay the paper on top of the water then to get it to marble? Or dip it in? Or....?? Where do you buy marbling ink? I told you I need an art class for dummies. :) This would be a really fun project though for the kids and then they could make cards out of them or something. My problem is I just don't know where to start or what's going to be too complicated! This seems simple enough! Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 (edited) I was hoping for some ideas for some fun (self-contained kits preferably) that have projects that are practical. Like soap-making kits or stained glass mosaic kits or .....?? Something more substantial for my teenagers than the simple preschool or early elementary projects... But I need STEP BY STEP instructions and a self-contained kit would be best Do those type of things exist? Yes they do! Do you have a local craft store, such as a Michaels or A. C. Moore? They both have a lot of getting started or beginner kits. For teenagers, I recommend that you let them pick something - they can pick from the website or a book. If you let them pick a book, they can then pick a project, make up their own shopping list and then get the supplies all at once or from the web site. You will be able to find beginner kits for things like: manga illustration watercolor pencils comic drawing pastels drawing and sketching acrylics Their art section will also have a rack of how-to books on anything from manga to oil painting to basic drawing. You can also find a lot of these books in libraries. As for all inclusive kits, try the same stores for candle making, soap making and stepping stone kits. You can usually get a kit for these and also buy separate items for refills or to expand supplies. You can easily get an inclusive calligraphy writing kit - this will be in the art section. I am not sure if they have beginning beading kits, but it seems like they might. You should also be able to find embroidery and cross stitching kits (great for pillowcases, towels, decorative throw pillows, baby and wedding gifts (you can get bibs, tea towels, all kinds of things). There will be a variety of difficulty levels, but I know you will be able to find beginner kits. Most of the books related to these handcrafts usually have explanations and instructions at the front of them. If they get stuck, there are tons of how too videos on the internet, I noticed Michaels even has some on their web site. There are beginner knitting and crochet books that come with needles, so you would just have to add yarn. Another crafty thing they might like is flower arranging. It's a practical skill to have and if they get good at it, they could start a little business. I don't know about a "getting started" kit on that one. For a more traditional art course, you could get Artistic Pursuits - they have supply kits that go with their books. You purchase them separately. The supply kits have everything you need in them. Hope you find something that they enjoy! Edited April 3, 2010 by TechWife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynful Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 http://www.artinhistory.com/Browse-Projects.aspx Just a thought.... they sell kits for history. I've always wanted to try them but just haven't yet. I can't ever seem to get "hands-on" scheduled/done. Good luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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