mathmarm Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 What are some craft projects, suitable for 4.5yos, that are actually worth the time, energy and effort to do them? Preferably something that you can use for a few weeks afterwards or serves some educational purpose (a poster, maybe?) Nothing with, God forbid, glitter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nature girl Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I think all craft projects are worth it, haha. But if you're looking for more academic=type learning, maybe you could make letters/words out of clay or play dough or even cookie dough, make story stones by mod podging small pictures on smooth rocks (then have your kids use them to create stories), have them cut out magazine pics to improve scissor skills...My DD recently helped plan out the flowers and vegetables for our garden by going through a seed catalog and cutting out the pictures of things she wanted us to plant. (Which turned out to be almost everything, haha.) But she loved feeling like she was part of the process. You could also do a project having them cut out things and paste them in categories, like living/nonliving things, fruits/veggies/meats, healthy/unhealthy foods, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Fairy houses made from natural materials. You can talk about the rocks, leaves, flowers, etc. in a casual way as you build--or not. Just being outside and working with nature's craft supplies is plenty! This is also a good age to start thinking about nature journals. We have DD's from when she was five--precious and priceless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 The craft projects my kids have enjoyed the most are the ones in which I provided materials and they did it on their own. Sometimes they need a little guidance, such as what could we make out of x. Other times I'll suggest making something like a car and ask what materials they think we should use. At 5 my son made a robot by raiding our recycling bin. He's made masks out of egg cartons, and cars out of toilet paper rolls. My daughter is 4 she likes anything with glue. Last week she made a snowman by gluing cotton balls on construction paper. They have made boats and baskets from craft sticks, using an idea they saw in a magazine. Materials they have access too: glue and glue sticks, cotton balls, q-tips, popsicle sticks, construction paper, tape, crayons, markers, watercolor paint, scissors, stickers, stamps, and the recycling bin. Their projects will not end up on Pinterest, but they have a lot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Learning to make bread and/or foods like pasta, pie crust, puff pastry (all are very tactile) Beginning knitting (with large needles four or five is not too young). Sewing buttons, cross stitch in large x's to make patterns, early quilt making or patches Beadwork with large plastic or wooden beads for patterning or making words Learning to paint a wash and simple color mixing can really help with later writing control Story rocks are fun and you can seal them so kids can use them over and over. Nouns verbs prepositions adjectives and the like can all be introduced here in a very small, non intensive way. Parts of a story, flow, and word choice also are easy to mention without being overly dramatic. Melting old crayons into new ones is good for color recognition and sorting, solids/liquids, and recycling. Making blender paper is a lot of fun and deals with solids/liquids, recycling, the concept of transformation. Paper folding and simple origami can either be massively frustrating or gleeful at this age depending on the child Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 My 4.5yo helps himself to coloured paper, old magazines, scissors, gluesticks, felt tip pens, coloured penne pasta and string, coloured rice, and PVA glue. He has a special playmat where he does all his cutting, so the scraps aren't difficult to clean up. Sometimes I strew activities for him, or start something myself to inspire him, but most of his craft requires very little of my input. Glitter glue is a fun alternative to glitter. I share your feelings on that one! If we do crafty activities together, we might make props for the poems we recite, as they make poetry more fun, but generally I am not keen on squeezing academic educational value out of craft. It has its own value, IMO. We have also made cards and gifts for friends and family. Salt dough tends to last pretty well, and can be a project involving several stages: making the dough; forming your little creations, then baking them; painting.There are many lessons to be had in seasonal craft. We are collecting autumn leaves here, for various purposes, and they look quite lovely when we're done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg429 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 DD made a pot holder with a weaving kit that she was very proud of, and it's useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nature girl Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Yes on the blender paper! We got kits for making paper and for pressing flowers. Both were wonderful, and taught my DD a lot about patience and the reward of waiting for a finished product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Bookmarks made with pressed flowers are useful and lasting. I think I still have one from my childhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Hollyhock dolls were lots of fun! They didn't last long, but they were quick and easy. Once again, an opportunity to discuss the flower parts casually. (Or not! Just working closely with the flower and seeing different parts is both educational and good for fine motor skills. http://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/projects/make-a-hollyhock-doll/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 That's reminded me of the dolls I used to make from corn husks, sitting on the kitchen floor! They were fun. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmarm Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 Wow, so many great suggestions! Thank you to everyone who contributed, all of these ideas are amazing! I'm sure she'll enjoy it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 I don't want to hijack this thread, but could one of you recommend a specific kit for making the pressed flowers and paper/bookmarks? I love this idea! I'd love some tips on nature journals too if you want to throw that in your post. :) I have a 5 year old boy who loves all things nature...sticks, rocks, plants, weeds, flowers, etc. I'm trying to figure out a fun way to foster that. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nature girl Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 We have these: http://www.amazon.com/4M-Pressed-Flower-Art-Kit/dp/B003SN8TB8/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1400764414&sr=1-2&keywords=flower+press http://www.amazon.com/4M-3679-Paper-Recycling/dp/B002P30IYS/ref=pd_bxgy_t_text_z We also had a lot of fun with this kit, collecting things to put inside: http://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-89073-Nature-Kaleidoscope-Kit/dp/B002UB0X54/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1400764497&sr=1-2&keywords=kaleidoscope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 I don't want to hijack this thread, but could one of you recommend a specific kit for making the pressed flowers and paper/bookmarks? I love this idea! I'd love some tips on nature journals too if you want to throw that in your post. :) I have a 5 year old boy who loves all things nature...sticks, rocks, plants, weeds, flowers, etc. I'm trying to figure out a fun way to foster that. :) Here's an example of pressed flower bookmarks made without a kit: http://www.simplelittlehome.com/2012/06/pressed-flower-bookmarks.html For nature study at that age we just used a small sketch book with half of the page blank for drawings and half lined for writing a few words (could be copywork) about the drawing. http://www.amazon.com/Bienfang-Note-Sketch-horizontal-format/dp/B00DUI8INU We would pack sketch books, pencils, field guides, and snacks into our backpacks and head out into the great unknown (aka the garden, field, and woods. ;) ) Actually, we hope to do that later today... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Love it! Perfect...thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.