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Books for Rainy Day Craft Activities
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Be prepared to hear these words over the years: “Mom! There’s nothing
to do!” Of course grown-ups know there is ALWAYS something to do, but
at that exact second, nothing will come to mind and your child will get
frustrated and sad. No need: keep an arsenal of terrific crafts books
on hand, or a file folder where you photocopy or jot down ideas your
child might like. Pull one out on a rainy day and voila! |
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The New Jumbo Book of Easy Crafts |
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by Judy Ann Sadler, illustrated by Caroline Price |
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Kids Can Press, 2009 |
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Keep this publisher’s website handy- www.kidscanpress.com. Creative and
Canadian, they offer a wealth of material under the philosophy of “Kids
Can.” This book is exactly what it says it is: jumbo, and full of easy
crafts. For younger or impatient children, or for smaller blocks of
time, these clever projects will get the imaginative juices flowing
quickly. Every little girl wants to make a magic wand; she’ll also want
to make Kleenex box dollhouses and drinking-straw beads. Your son can
make a nifty wagon train out of shoeboxes for his stuffed animals or
cars. They’ll both love flying the plastic bag parachute. You can help
with flash cards and memory games: once finished, these treasure can
occupy hours more of educational fun. |
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Fairy World Crafts |
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by Kathy Ross, illustrated by Nicole in den Bosch |
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Millbrook Press, 2008 |
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Every generation of little ones is newly entranced by the fairy realm.
With this clever book, your kids can mingle with the winged world for
hours on end. The activities would make terrific, unusual birthday
party or slumber party possibilities, too, with truly special take-home
results. There are fairy magnets made from cocktail umbrellas; a tooth
holder for the tooth fairy to make her pickups; darling little
mushrooms; a fairy log house; wings; and more. Everything is clearly
laid out with drawings of all the necessary materials to make things
easy from the start. |
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Creative Crafts for Kids: Over 100 Fun Projects for Two to Ten Year
Olds |
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Gill Dickinson and Cheryl Owen |
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Octopus Publishing Group, 2006 |
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Here’s a compendium you’ll turn to time and time again. The Bird Clock
and the Bath Salts or the star shaped soaps on a rope will make
terrific gifts, giving kids awesome hands-on participation in family
birthdays and other special occasions. For the holidays, kids can make
candleholders out of oranges, decorated with cranberries and cloves.
Kids will also learn how to paint a skeleton onto some old clothes for
Halloween; there are intricate patterned paper flags, old-fashioned
corn dollies, potato people, and delightful chopstick wind chimes. |
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Cool Clay Projects |
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by Pam Scheunemann |
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Abdo Publishing, 2005 |
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Polymer clay, also known as Fimo and Sculpey, is a versatile and
sophisticated tool for some of the most exquisite jewelry and home
accessories the mind can conjure. With practice, skilled adult artists
can make mind boggling patterns and designs with this unique polymer.
For impatient kids or those just exploring dough creation, use much
cheaper clays like plasticine or bread dough; but for committed kids
who love sculpture or jewelry design, it’s worth investing in a few
batches of Fimo to see where their imagination takes them. This book
offers the fundamentals of getting started. Fimo’s possibilities are
too intricate and too spectacular to skip the basics: this book
outlines those basics clearly in simple language with careful
illustrations of each technique. If your child is still interested
after mastering the marbling, colour mixing, checkerboard, and
millefiori techniques, invest in a grown-up’s Fimo bible. Many artists
become very serious about this unusual product and make a satisfying
and successful career or hobby that lasts for life. |
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The Usborne Books of Masks |
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by Ray Gibson |
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Usborne, 1993 |
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Usborne Books were in vogue last decade and remain classics of crafts
or knowledge. These masks can be interesting wall pieces, Halloween
costumes, or used in kids’ drama classes or local theatre projects.
Laid out so Mom and Dad can get materials together easily, the clear
and simple directions won’t frustrate impatient kids. Make cool masks
as varied as Frankenstein to an octopus to a sea witch to a detective
to an aquarium, where little fish leap around the head, fastened with
invisible wires. This book includes templates. |
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Organic Crafts: 75 Earth-Friendly Art Activities |
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by Kimberly Monaghan |
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Chicago Review Press, 2007 |
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This thoroughly enjoyable book of earth crafts turns the outdoors into
a giant crafts room, teaching kids to really observe the kinds of
things they’re witnessing while playing outside. Then, they can turn
some of what they discover into nifty works of art. There are great
lessons on Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling, along with ways to make
nontoxic glues, find clay in creeks and streams, plant seeds, and learn
about birds and their feathers. Organic Crafts is chock full of
informative sidebars for young eco detectives getting to know their
world. This book is reprinted on recycled paper. |
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The Dough Book |
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by Tone Bergli Joner |
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North Light Books, 1991 |
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Salt dough or bread dough is one of the most economical, nontoxic, and
creative craft possibilities out there- what you can do with it is
limited only by one’s skill as a sculptor. Projects can range from
baby-friendly chunky beads to exquisitely detailed figurines to gallery
quality mirror frames. The concept is simple- combine flour, salt, and
water. Play with it, sculpt it, into whatever tickles your fancy, and
then bake it or air dry it into permanence. There are various books on
the topic, and this one is a little dated visually unless you’re into
quaint, plump folk figurines. However, the book’s thorough attention to
detail and instruction makes it a solid reference. It outlines all of
the basics, like making to dough to hanging your projects to tools,
colouring with paint or coffee or
paprika, baking and drying, colour blending, varnishing safety, etc.
There is a list of things that can go wrong and what to do about it-
say, parts falling off during baking or dough feeling gritty. Then
there are invaluable visual references to making individual parts,
showing options for making hands, hair, feet, flowers, and so forth.
Nostalgia lovers will be charmed by the folky mermaids, pirates, and
half-naked little cherubs for the bathroom. But you’ll get the idea to
help your kids make more contemporary characters, too, if you prefer. |
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Card Making |
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by Sally Henry |
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Power Kids Press,2009 |
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There’s always an occasion coming up that merits a card, and giving
kids a gift-making task means involving them in important celebrations.
This is a very simple guide to making some very beautiful cards. Some
projects are easy, and some are quite intricate, but there is visual
help every step of the way. You’ll find the usual suspects- glitter and
glue standards; paper weaving. But you’ll also find 3-D popups, stamp
designs, and an amazing pirate’s adventure. Ahoy! |
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