Kids love to cut and glue and paste!
My father is an expert when it comes to making things out of paper. He can some ordinary piece of paper and cut and fold and glue and make a wonderful star or little house or almost anything you ask him to make.
I'm not as crafty as he is, but I know that you can decorate a whole classroom with paper and tape. Taking a packet of colorful paper, I and cut it into 1/2" strips for my students. In their spare time, they would build a paper chain. We'd connect the chains and drape them around the room. Sometimes they'd get carried away, and there would be enough chains to decorate the two or three rooms! A child as young as three or four is able construct a paper chain. (I would "pre-cut" pieces of tape and stick them on the edge of a table for their convenience. Otherwise, I'd have tape everywhere!Glue sticks are the greatest invention. I just love them!)
Paper snowflakes are a little trickier, but children ages 5+ should be able to make some very nice ones. Teach them to fold a paper on the diagonal to make a square, cutting off the excess. Younger ones can then fold it in half again, dividing the square into fourths, in the shape of a triangle. Older ones can learn to fold it into thirds, dividing it into sixths. (If the paper is thin enough, you can fold it in half again, making twelfths...usually this was my job!) Cut snippets along the edges (not all the way through). As they unfold the paper carefully, they will be thrilled with the kalidescope designs they have made. Hang them by threads from the ceiling and watch them flutter in every breeze, or tape to the windows to pretend it is snowing outside.
Try some origami together. Make pop-up cards with fan-folded strips. Curl strips of paper with the edge of some scissors, as you might do to ribbon. Weave them into place mats. Curl them into tiny scrolls and glue them into patterns. Dip strips into flour and water to make something from paper mache. Once your children discover that interesting shapes can be created with paper, let them design things for themselves. An afternoon of fun can be enjoyed with just a pile of paper, some scissors, and a roll of tape. Have fun!
Do you have any paper crafts that you like to make?
2 comments:
I'm very craft challenged but these are great ideas. Between school and home, we often create ones using foot and handprints for each holiday, and it's a great way to chart growth, too!
I dessssssperately need you around here!!!! My kids would love these crafts! I can handle the paper chain, but the rest? welllllllllza...
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