Etsy Finds: Crafting With Kids

2008-07-29T09:35:00Z

Pass down your crafty skills to your kids, or learn a new technique along with them. Etsy has plenty of craft kits and artsy activities to keep you and your children entertained for hours. They are great for birthday parties too, or as an activity for your children to do with their friends after school.

Check out kitandcaboodledesign's shop for lots of fun projects you can do with your kids, or all on your own. My favorite craft kit in her shop supplies you with everything you need to make your own mama elephant and her little baby. Just be aware, this kit contains small parts, so I wouldn't recommend it for children under 8 years old.

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Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide

Top 10: Kits for Kids

2008-07-20T09:21:00Z

The power of crafting with kids using kits hit me the first time I did “baking stations” with my twin nieces (age 3!) making cupcakes. Nothing fancy, just a kit of cake mix, frosting, and different sprinkle toppings. I have never seen them sit still for that long before or since — and have so much fun. Many artisans on Etsy are dedicated to sharing their craft through patterns and kits that are perfect for kids! I did some searching to find my Top 10 Kits for Kids on Etsy that will spark creativity, cultivate a love of crafting, and (blissfully) get them to sit still for just a little while!

[moonlitbeach's nieces do "baking stations." Cupcakes, yum!!!]

When I started searching for kits, the sheer number of search results (almost 6000!) made it clear I needed some criteria…

Kits with a defined finished product attractive to kids. sewmelody reminded me, “Kids love to touch and try...But they also LOVE to have a finished product, and get discouraged when they don't have something to show for their efforts. Having a goal is so important. One of my daughters has always loved fabric and thread and all kinds of sewing accessories, but didn't develop a passion until she actually had a little finished pillow in her hand. She had chosen fabrics, embroidered it with a sweet message, sewed and stuffed it. She made it into a special gift for a friend. The next day I caught her SELLING pillows (yet to be made, of course) for $1 to her cousins and making out receipts! A born crafter!” ‘Nuff said.

Kits that requires only minimal tools to assemble. Nothing worse than getting all excited about doing something and then finding out you don’t have what you need!

Suitable for adult and child to do together. The point, for me, is to share the experience and spend quality time together.

Kit develops crafting skills. Plus, crafting can be a sneaky way to learn math (sewing measurements!), science (soap making!), and ecology (recycle materials, use scraps!).

Under $20 for the kit. Affordability is always key.

I picked kits for a range of ages that met my criteria and tickled my fancy. And, my fellow Etsians responding to my forum threads were so helpful in providing their perspective on what works with kids. Here are my picks and their wisdom!

Bookmaking Kit from greenchairpress, $10
Ah, the allure of childhood’s secret diary. Private thoughts in loopy cursive with hearts for dots on the i’s. What could make that better? How about writing those thoughts in a book you made? Divine!

Flat Herringbone Bracelet Kit from JadeDogBeads, $8.50
Jewelry kits are great for crafting with groups of kids, and this kit produces an awesome finished product with room for your creativity on the bead pattern you design.

[Etsy seller LeanneFDesigns leads a jewelry birthday party for 10-year-olds]

LeanneFDesigns recalls a kids' jewelry party she led: “It happened to be right before Mother's Day, and many of them made jewelry for their mothers, rather than for themselves — which I thought was wonderful! They'd work on their pieces and just babble among themselves about anything and everything — you'd think it was a woman's knitting club. They'd also eye each other's work very carefully — and they were so nice about telling each other how great their pieces were coming out.”

Jewelry isn’t just for girls. MFIPC’s 8-year-old son makes “surfer jewelry” for his friends with shark teeth and shells! But, watch out! BethChristinaDesigns innocently did a few beading parties and, once word got around, moms in need of a break were eagerly dropping off dozens of kids at her basement…

Travel Scrapbook Kit from NovelConcept2, $5.25
bigyellowdog inspired this choice with her story about making mini-scrapbooks with kids. A travel scrapbook is a perfect choice for summer vacation time!

Bluebird Birdhouse Kit from LittleBirdhouseStore, $15
A wonderful opportunity for basic woodworking, an end product that encourages nature observation, AND a chance for kids to paint it in their own style! Don’t fret about the painting. Embrace the mess, electricboogaloo learned while painting canvasses with her kids for an Ethiopia charity: “We painted them in our driveway on a hot summer day. My dog kept walking across the canvasses, my boys were going crazy with paint rollers and water, the neighbor kids accidentally rode their bikes across it a few times. It was stressful at first, then I decided you know what? It doesn't matter! My art will fit perfectly over that. Making messes is part of how the human brain learns. Playing around without worrying about the mess is the quickest and truest way to learn how paint works, how to mix colors. When adults try to control the process too much or to keep everything super clean and simple, they're limiting some of that learning. Plus it's fun. You stick the kids straight in the bath or shower afterwards, along with the brushes.”

To learn more about how to attract bluebirds to your new birdhouse, check out this Bluebird Cultivation Instructable. And don't forget to make a Pinecone Feeder!

Green Monster Soft Toy Kit from DIYFluffies, $15
Forget the monster under the bed — make this snuggly monster and put it IN the bed! I wasn’t sure about whether sewing kits were appropriate for kids — the sharp needles, the scissors... But, I was reassured by DragonflyStitches that, with supervision, even kids as young as 4 can sew quilt blocks! She says, “We started with some very nice blunt nose scissors from Fiskars. I think it's all in the expectations. I expect my kids to be able to do things and they do.”

Crochet Hedgehog Kit from AmyGaines, $10
Crochet? Knitting? Can kids really do handcrafts that require such coordination? You bet, says bubblegirlknits, who learned to knit at age 5 and has even taught her three-year-old, starting with finger knitting (check out YouTube for demos on this needle-free technique!) I loved this crochet hedgehog kit — such a cute lil cuddly!

Turtle Needle Felting Kit from woolpets, $16
There might be nothing more satisfying than taking a blob of raw material and sculpting it into something adorable. This beginner kit does just that with wool roving, and results in a perfect little turtle pet to pat.

Old Store Frame Kit from ormolu, $9.50
Is there a better way to display a snapshot of you and your best friend from camp than in a picture frame you made? Don't forget to send him or her one, too!

Decorative Magnet Kit from SunAndMoonCraftKits, $10
How are you going to display kids' paintings and collages on the fridge if you don’t have magnets? Kids can make their own with this chic, all-inclusive kit.

[ThriftyGoodness' son creates a fabric collage (courtesy of her blog)]

My tenth kit is — no kit at all! That choice was inspired by ThriftyGoodness, who showed me her blog entry on the art projects she does with her 11-year-old son. Just a stash of fabric scraps, a trusty glue stick, scissors, some posterboard, and a dose of creativity, and voila, a fabulous collage! Look in the Related Items below for some great supplies to inspire kids! Sometimes, there’s much to be said for planning not to plan at all.

Author’s Note: My thanks to all the Etsians who responded to my forum threads with their stories about crafting with kids. You can read the full threads here and here. It’s worth the time to read all of the great ideas, funny and heartwarming anecdotes and what CountryWorkshop had to say about her (now grown) kids and crafting.

Further Resources:
Instructables
Make Magazine
Craft Magazine
Craft Projects on YouTube

Check out the related items for fabulous supplies and patterns as “kit components” for crafting with kids!

Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide

Etsy Finds: Spring in a Can

2008-04-13T13:39:00Z

For a computer programmer, spring is the worst time of the year. The increasing warmth, colorful buds, and bright green growing things are all signs that the season is changing quickly. No longer can I sit comfortably inside, gazing out the window at the cold, feeling lucky I have a job that keeps me indoors. No, spring is a time of great guilt.

Fortunately, with help from a few great Etsy sellers, this year I can bring a little spring indoors with me. Dandeedesigns makes it easy and beautiful with her 'Spring in a Can' grass growing project. This small kit contains everything needed to have a lovely living, breathing bushel of grass in just a few weeks. Just open the lid, pop in the seeds, water appropriately, and in no time at all I'll be welcoming the new buds (oh, and don't forget sunlight, programmers).

There are many sellers offering high quality, hand picked heirloom seeds from their gardens.

Herbs possess magical properties, from cleaning the air around you, to invigorating your senses with their complex organics. Stuck on a bug? Try a pinch of mint. Having a hard time with the forums? Break off a small stem of rosemary. Looking for some creative new idea? Sprinkle some lavender on your head.

I'm looking forward to watching the progress of my own private garden. Having herbs within reach of the keyboard will also be a great reminder that not all things begin after one presses the power button.

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Etsy Finds: Crafting With Kids

Top 10: Kits for Kids

Etsy Finds: Spring in a Can