Paige Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 My son likes to make things. So far, he has been making little games and things with paper but he wants to make things that are more real and useful now. I've been considering some origami or pop up book sets which I think he'd really enjoy. He has expressed that he wants to do something other than paper crafts, however. I'm having a problem finding craft ideas for him that aren't paper crafts that aren't too girly. He doesn't like the sets where you just put a prepackaged set of things together and paint it. He wants to learn an actual skill that he could then use to make things he creates on his own without a kit. He does not like to have to follow someone's directions for everything but wants to use his own ideas instead. He'll be 9 next month and I think he is too young for wood carving which is all I can come up with. He'd like to make toys for his sisters and wants to sew so he can make soft toys. I found a spool knitting kit that makes little animals but then saw a review that said it was too hard. Since I do not sew at all, now I'm hesitating to get it for him. Does anyone have ideas for what a creative, masculine boy can make? All the other knitting kits that got good reviews were way too girly. I can sew a straight(ish) line by hand, so maybe I could just give him some scrap material and stuffing and let him figure out how to draw a pattern, cut it out, and then make stuffed creatures himself? I'm a little nervous about him with needles but maybe he is old enough. He also has a snap circuits set which he loves but he feels he isn't really making anything useful and he has to follow the directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I think it's hard to make completely new things without some directions. You know you have to learn to knit and do the different stitches before you can make a sweater. He might like making a quilt, using sculpy clay, Klutz kits have lots of things that can be expanded on. Shoe box worlds where he makes the house or habitat for pipe cleaner animals or dolls. He sounds like a fun, creative kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) I have a kiddo just like this. You need to set those girlie craft ideas aside, Mom. :D Duct tape is great and comes in lots of colors (including camoflauge). Add some craft sticks, longer dowel rods, twine, and foam core and you can have swords, shields, wallets, and all sorts of useful things. Styrofoam, duct tape, and sharpies. Thinner balsa wood is very soft and you can pick up sheets at hobby stores. We just finished model rocket building last week and my guys have been making all sorts of little stuff out of the scraps. At age 9 most 9 year olds can handle a hobby knife with supervision. Tacky glue works well for balsa since it's thick and sets up quickly. Just dump it out onto a paper or styrofoam plate and use tooth picks or shishkabob sticks. Don't use school glue--too runny. The hobby store has individual sheets or packaged bundles. Painting--Of course he would need to paint his creations! I have a box of leftover spray paints which are fair game to use out in the garden area on non-windy days. Last summer was the year of primed and painted soda cans. You could play it safe with craft paints indoors, but what fun is that?! Model rocketry is my thing, so I'll also put in a huge plug for model rockets for kids like this. It's a good idea to start with a kit to learn the basics, but once they get the main idea, scratch building is a great creative outlet. Two kits I'd suggest for young beginners that want to do construction are Fliskits Thingamajig or the Whatchamacallit. http://fliskits.com/products/01prod_fs.htm Both have kid-friendly instructions plus fin units that are easy to attach and are designed to give the builder the experience of building as opposed to buying a ready to fly kit. An Estes starter kit would do the job too and would provide the launch equipement, but some of them are prebuilt. Through the years we've had rockets built from paper tubes, water bottles, cardstock, styrofoam cups (that takes hot glue)--tons of opportunity for creativity here. There are free, fairly easy cardstock rocket patterns here: http://www.artapplewhite.com/ I'd also suggest letting him put together a "parts tub" for future projects. Things that are heading for the trash usually land here--plastic parts, medicine bottles, wire, tubes, small parts from outgrown toys, etc. You may need to do some homework on the right adhesives for the job ie plastic parts need to be sanded a bit and would need model cement instead of the usual glues. Heavy duty double sided foam tape is good too. Edited July 17, 2010 by Pippen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I wouldn't worry too much about needles. My 3 and 5 year old do embroidery. They have been drilled about putting the (dullish) needles in the pin cushion when they're done. You could certainly get him into a knitting class. If he's willing to put in the time to learn crochet, he could make amigurumi. There are fun boyish things to make with needle crafts, but you certainly do have to follow directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Soap carving can be a step towards wood carving. This book gives instructions for the carving and also safe wooden tools that you make yourself from popscicle sticks (they work!). (I think this author also has other books but I think this is the one with the basics and how to make the tools) http://www.amazon.com/Soap-Carving-Children-Schiffer-Woodcarvers/dp/0764308599 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 what about clay--the real kind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Are there any pottery classes in your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Paige, we're just starting physics and I have to say, it is chock full of great "crafts" for boys. Simple machines are wonderful and ds has loved building a variety of them. Also, I've found many of the "crafts" in the Story of the World Activity Book were great for ds. You also might want to consider popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners and lots of glue (cereal box cardboard is wonderful too). Forts, castles, &tc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Oh, wait! I just had another idea: origami! There's a homeschooled boy in our town who was featured in the newspaper a couple of years ago because of his origami creations. I can see where this would be a great craft to pursue. It uses fine motor skills, visual-spatial skills, math (geometry & measurement) skills, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 We do: soap carving leather stamping robotics (not a craft but definitely putting something together) pottery terrariums (again not a craft but it uses some artistic skill to put together your tiny indoor garden) cross-stitch (look at these books for great boy patterns: http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Stitch-Dinosaurs-Monsters-Crafts/dp/0715302493 The same author has one on farm animals and vehicles.) kite making Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouzel Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Around that age, my sons had a great deal of fun making their own winter hats with a circular knitting loom. They each made about 6 or so (some of which were replacements for ones they lost). The hats are totally "boy cool." They get lots of complements on them. We have a very nice wooden loom, but also have a cheap plastic set from Hobby Lobby. They even made a few hats for some of the neighbors' little kids, as well as their cousin's kids. My husband was so inspired, he made one for himself. They were also tying fishing flies at that age and attempting to make some lures. They also liked orgami and paper airplanes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 My kids are in a 4-H club that does mostly crafts. Ds feels that most of the crafts are too "girly". The two crafts that ds enjoyed this year in 4-H were decoupage, because he made a box covered with Lego Star Wars catalog pics, and glass etching. Both of my kids have done needle crafts since they were 6, or so, with minimal damage :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 If you don't mind investing a bit in some tools, leather work might be good, or wood burning, or wood working ... If he seems to take to any one of these, the investment in tools will be a good one as it'. something he'll likely want to do for years, or even for life. I see that he'll be nine, but I think that any of these could work as long as he has supervision. If you can go to a crafts store, they should be able to guide you to tools which are more geared to kids and safer than others. The individual kits are a good way to try something out to see if it's something he likes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouzel Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I forgot to mention . . . mosaic. It's lots of fun and not too hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 If you don't mind investing a bit in some tools' date=' leather work might be good, or wood burning, or wood working ... If he seems to take to any one of these, the investment in tools will be a good one as it'. something he'll likely want to do for years, or even for life. I see that he'll be nine, but I think that any of these could work as long as he has supervision. If you can go to a crafts store, they should be able to guide you to tools which are more geared to kids and safer than others. The individual kits are a good way to try something out to see if it's something he likes.[/quote'] Yes, leather craft is another thing ds enjoyed. He made a belt clip that will hold his pocket knife and a small mag light. It was from a kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 My hubby makes costumes for him and ds, has made chainmail, done a bit of leather work and made a sprang bag for a competition entry. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in the NH Woods Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) How about weaving? He can make belts, tapestry weave original artwork to frame, bookmarks, guitar straps, place mats, you name it. Harrisville Designs has a nice sized lap loom that you string, then use yarns to weave with. :) ETA: Another poster mentioned "shoe box worlds"; my kids love to make dioramas, or assemble a castle kit which they then paint, glue tapestries on the wall, make model firepits and food out of Sculpey clay, etc. You may then mount the castle on one of those large cardboard project boards (like for science fairs), and use spray adhesive and filler materials to make fields, shrubs, mosses, rocks, roads, you name it. At one time, Michaels had a styrofoam castle kit, which when painted can look like stone. Our cat loved to climb in and sit in our castle. Every castle needs a dragon, I guess! Edited July 17, 2010 by Cindy in the NH Woods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Thank you so much for all the great ideas! He doesn't mind following directions the first few times to learn something but also wants to be able to take what he learns in the kits to do his own stuff. He likes to make the pop-ups on the Robert Sabuda site, for instance, even though it involves following directions, because he can then mix it up and make his own cards once he's learned the techniques. I think I'll let him look through these ideas, give him some gift money for his birthday, and take him to Hobby Lobby, and see what he likes. Today he said he wants to make a stuffed griffyn for his new cousin who is going to be named Griffin. :lol And he would love to have a bucket of tools and craft pieces! eta- If you haven't seen the free pop-up cards on the Robert Sabuda site, they are great and so much fun for my kids! http://www.robertsabuda.com/popmake/index.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 If you haven't seen the free pop-up cards on the Robert Sabuda site, they are great and so much fun for my kids!http://www.robertsabuda.com/popmake/index.asp OMG! Star Wars pop-ups!!!! Thanks for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 How about Native American crafts? We love this company: http://www.nocbay.com/product.asp?ID=219 Once he learns how to make something with a kit, he can order the materials separately. I like their prices too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 We'll check out the pop-ups for sure. There's also the Canon papercraft site: http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/1006/ Another fun idea is the The Amazing Book of Paper Boats by Jerry Roberts. The boats are printed on nice waterproof paper and are supposed to float. My daughter is currently working on one and hasn't tested it yet. http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Book-Paper-Boats-Float/dp/0811829391 Whitewings paper gliders are very cool: http://www.whitewings.com/ I recently ran into the idea of cardboard boats (yes, they can float!). Here's one site I found on google, but there's plenty more out there: http://www.capecoralregatta.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 If you punch "Cub Scout crafts" into Google you'll get about a bajillion ideas. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 My 3rd son enjoyed sewing and knitting, as well as building ball mills, tree forts, and fireworks. I never really taught my son to sew, but I do have a sewing machine on which I showed him the basic functions (I'm no seamstress!). He often just used a needle and thread. I still have a cute pillow he made using white satin and bright markers. He drew a Tootsie Roll, cut it out, sewed it together, and stuffed it. It's about 2 feet long! He still looks at it with pride. I picked up a knitting book (Klutz?) and some needles and just let him have them. He knitted with them for a while, but they eventually became useful elsewhere ;-). For a creative, crafty boy, just allowing him access to materials often fulfills his desire to create. You may be surprised at what he will make! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyboys Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Soap carving can be a step towards wood carving. This book gives instructions for the carving and also safe wooden tools that you make yourself from popscicle sticks (they work!). (I think this author also has other books but I think this is the one with the basics and how to make the tools)http://www.amazon.com/Soap-Carving-Children-Schiffer-Woodcarvers/dp/0764308599 One of my nephews got into soap-making for awhile when he was in grade school. Wood working would be a great option. There are prepared kits at the craft stores to get things started -- small birdhouses and various projects. There are also leatherworking kits. If one of these piques his interest, you could explore more advanced things. I didn't see the age of OP's ds -- one of mine is a big into all kinds of crafts. He's tried making stuffed animals, sewing, hand-knitting, woodworking, leathercrafts, origami, bookmaking, cooking, sculpey and modelling clay crafts, etc. Ds likes the klutz kits too. Sounds like you've got a creative kid there! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 You could try Loew's and Home Depot's kids' building projects. They're not very complicated, but some of them produce a nice product and they're all boy-oriented or neutral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 For a creative, crafty boy, just allowing him access to materials often fulfills his desire to create. You may be surprised at what he will make! :iagree: Most of what I listed in my first post were things my kiddo started doing with materials that were around the house and garage. Rarely was it something that I suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Wood or soap carving Rockets Paper airplanes Leatherwork Wood burning Boats (paper or wood) Birdhouses Bird feeders Race cars (pine wood derby type) Marshmallow blow guns Rex lace crafts Knot tying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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