I’m so in love with this ribbon chandelier that the kids and I made together in art camp. I’ve been wanting to make one for a year, ever since I saw this one on Pinterest made with fabric strips. A few weeks ago, I was teaching a week of art camp centered around fabric and textiles,…
Open-ended Crafts for Kids
DIY Marbled Paper
Have you ever tried marbling paper with shaving cream? We’ve done it in art camp many, many times. Yes, it’s messy. But it’s also magical. The kids usually make and make until all the shaving cream is used up. This last time we went through six cans! I think they look like those beautiful Italian marbled…
Bird Finder Binoculars
I love a simple craft that is completely child-led. These bird binoculars were such a hit with the kids during our “BIRDS & BUGS” week at art camp. They loved being able to pick out their own color combinations, wrap yarn and cut tape (two skills that take lots of concentration and make little ones feel…
Paper Mâché Mobile with Kids
In the summers I teach art camp, as you may know if you read my blog. We do lots and lots of very cool things which I photograph to death. The photos get downloaded to my computer, and then I forget about them because life moves fast. I just recently found these photos of a project we did…
Milk Carton Bird Houses
Milk cartons have so many possibilities for crafting. Just their shape alone is a work of art! I love that they already looks like a house, with a little chimney and everything. We use milk cartons a lot in art class (I haven’t written about them yet because sometimes I’m just a lazy blogger, mmm hmm),…
58 Summer Art Camp Ideas
Summer is in full swing over here! As some parts of the world are in the middle of winter (which I can’t fathom), I know this list of ideas will come in handy for indoor creativity as well. I teach art camp at my house all summer. I make long lists of crafts and activities to do with…
Melted Crayon Butterflies
My girls and I tried something new over the weekend. They are twelve and fifteen, and it takes a lot of convincing for them to sit at the table and make art these days. But when they saw there was an iron involved, they did not hesitate, ha! This project was so fun. They did it…
Washi Tape Leaves
Recently, we went on vacation to a beautiful Caribbean island for a family reunion. We ate, slept, hiked, visited beaches, laughed with family, took a million photos, made some t-shirts, and just had the time of our lives. I brought with me a bag of washi tape (as most people do) because I thought it would…
Paper Mâché with Kids // Ice Cream Sundaes
There is always a very strong reaction from the kids when we do paper mâché. Some kids love it — i mean really love it — and others do not want to get that oozy stuff on their hands. But all of them say “ewww!!” the whole time they are working! It’s quite funny actually, how…
Pipe Cleaner Flowers
Mother’s Day confuses me a bit. I mean, not as a mother. But as a blogger. Am I supposed to show my kids how to make crafts that they will then give to me? It’s weird. But now that I teach art classes, presenting this craft to you as a teacher makes more sense. And…