Kids Choose

The Craft Box concept is simple. Boxes of supplies in various categories are made available to students. The students are let loose to CHOOSE their own materials and their own projects.

Before we started the Craft Box approach at the John Gloucester House after school program, the children were a bit afraid of arts and crafts. Most of the children do not get art in school. They had not developed many art skills or very good small motor control. They lacked confidence in their abilities. They obediently followed the steps of our preplanned craft activities, but half heartedly, getting done as quickly as they could. Coming up with projects every time was a burden on the adult leaders. The finished projects usually had a very short life span. The projects rarely were of any actual use to the kids or to anyone else. It was lucky if they even made it home.

Our craft time transformed once we implemented the Craft Box concept. We were relieved of coming up with craft ideas and the kids became passionate about craft time.

Kids learned about their natural abilities and inclinations when they were given the opportunity to choose. Kids made things they had a personally significant reason to make, so the projects were very meaningful to them. Creativity and self expression were nurtured.

Kids got the opportunity to problem-solve. They had to solve real design/structural problems as they tried to make constructions that were not already planned out by adults.

We wanted our kids to be capable of getting involved in projects independent of adult direction - leading to self-starting outside of school. It worked. Kids started borrowing materials and tools to take home to work on their projects on their own. One pair of girls spent the weekends into the summer creating over fifty stuffed creatures of their own invention (see Gallery).

It was initially scary for the adult teachers to go into craft time without a plan. We wondered if the kids would actually come up with their own ideas. Without fail the kids got completely absorbed in projects of their own invention. We had a hard time closing up when it was time to go home.

You'll have your own ideas about the best way to make this approach work at your program. The following is just the basics.

Four things are needed to make the Craft Box approach successful:

1. A source of ideas
2. Good materials
3. Enough time
4. A way to give appropriate attention to each project.

Source of ideas:

In our experience kids rarely were at a loss for project ideas. Even if we hadn't offered them the items listed below they probably would have had little trouble coming up with ideas.

• Craft Library: (See our craft book recommendations) Students' imagination is stimulated by high interest project ideas suggested by a craft library. Give the kids the time to explore these books on their own. The kids can also help make a craft scrapbook of favorite ideas found in magazines or with photos of their own work. Exposure to innovative and exciting projects other people have created will excite children. Excitement stimulates creativity. A child might be captivated by a clever idea from a book, or an idea in a book might be a springboard for a student's own creative thinking. Even if a child doesn't choose a specific project from the library, seeing interesting projects designed by someone else can stimulate a child's own creativity, and expand a child's idea of what is possible. You can also have project samples and photos displayed around the classroom. Put the library in a comfortable spot with a soft carpet or bean bags chairs or a small couch for seating.

• Daily Projects: Children like novelty. Every day a new, simple, but interesting and novel project can be offered as an OPTION for children who haven't yet caught the fever of a project of their own, or who are in a holding pattern with their current project (paint drying/ waiting for supplies, etc). These ideas are very simple, requiring little or no preparation on the leaders' part and little or no instruction/introduction. These can be things as simple as interesting coloring sheets, bead-making, clay. You can find some projects in the Just Fun, the Crafts and the Drawing Starter pages on this site. We will publish more of these simple novelty projects in future issues of HHH.

  The kids like looking forward each day to what the new project might be. Anticipation is created by this regular introduction of new project ideas, even when they are very simple. This functions to keep the atmosphere of the craft time alive and exciting. (Though generally these projects are simple, you can occasionally use this to introduce more interesting crafts and techniques you want the kids to be experience.)

• Peer ideas: Often children catch a peer's enthusiasm for a particular project. In a non-competitive atmosphere, children enjoy sharing their own ideas and expertise with other students. Students often like to work together on a mutually compelling project. If there is someone in your organization who can create a web site, that is a great way to showcasing student work. This can serve as a way for students to inspire each other. If you can't make a web site, maybe you can buy a digital photo frame to display the photos in the classroom. We sometimes printed the photos on business cards. We would mount these on the wall or give them out to the kids like trading cards.

• Individual interests: The main source of project ideas will be the students' own personal interests and needs. Look for, encourage and celebrate individual kid passions. These individual interests will readily lend themselves to project ideas. Beyond project making, children's confidence and self esteem is nurtured by adult encouragement of their unique interests.

• Making gifts for others: Children also love to make gifts for loved ones. Thinking about the needs and interests of the gift recipient will yield many project ideas.

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Time allotment:

The Craft box approach works best with at least one hour and a half allotted for crafts. Kids get very absorbed in their chosen projects and require at least that much project time. It also works best if you can string two or three craft days together for kids to complete unfinished projects. Kids feel very frustrated or lose their enthusiasm if they are kept from completing a project they are engaged in. We wanted to encourage in the students the capacity to get "lost" in a project. This goal is undermined if kids don't have enough time; if they are wrenched away from a project they are fully engaged in.

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Materials:

The Craft Boxes are large bins filled with materials in different categories. We had the following boxes (you might have other ideas):

• a Wood Box
• a Cloth Box
• a Yarn Box
• a Paper Box
• a Miscellaneous Box
• a Junk Box
• a Perler Bead Box

Getting interesting materials and keeping the boxes organized and well stocked is important.

Wood box: Our wood station was very popular. Real wood working (hammering, sawing, drilling) is a very viable activity for after school, but that will be a subject for another HHH issue. For now we are just talking about small wood scraps and low temperature hot glue guns.

• Work surface: A large piece of corrugated cardboard on the floor makes a good work area for hot glue. We got our cardboard from a local bike shop. One bike cardboard board box opens up to a nice surface area which can accommodate 3 or 4 kids.

• Hot glue guns: Hot glue guns encourage a lot of creativity. Be sure to use low-temperature guns. The small low-temperature guns work well, but go through glue-sticks very quickly. You can buy large dual temperature hot glue guns, if you can trust your students to keep them on the low-temperature setting. The high setting will cause bad burns. The full size guns are easier to work with than the mini guns and hold more glue for longer. They cost between $6-15. You will need a lot of glue sticks. Get a power-strip so you can plug in several guns at once. With 20 students we made three guns available. You can also provide white glue, though the kids will prefer to use the hot glue guns.

• Wood: Stock the box with a lot of popsicle sticks. Single piece wooden clothespins are also popular (local craft store). Find a local woodworker who can donate wood scraps. You'll want small pieces: blocks, sticks and interesting shapes. Avoid the precut wooden shapes available at craft stores. They put the kids in a mentality that they need to be dependent on someone else's creativity for a successful project.

• Sand paper: If you are willing to put up with the dust, some children will get very interested in sanding. Have them start with a medium grit and work down to fine or extra-fine or even extra-extra fine (400-600 grit) for a very smooth surface. The items can be finished with furniture oil or wood wax (car wax works, too).

Put the Wood Craft Box near the Miscellaneous Box described below. Kids will often use materials from both boxes for their projects. (Materials from the Cloth Box and Junk Box will also frequently be used in conjunction with Wood Box projects).

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Miscellaneous Box: You will enjoy thinking up things to put in this box. The possibilities are endless. Most of these are sold in bulk quantities at local craft stores. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• feathers
• small pom pom balls
• buttons
• wooden beads
• pipe cleaners
• plastic beads
• gimp
• straws
• ribbon
• tooth picks
• Q tips
• colored foam sheets
• paper plates
• tooth picks
• pasta
• balloons
• Nature items-Stones, seed pods, twigs, etc.

White glue will work for most of the projects kids come up with in this box, but you might also like to have a low temp hot glue gun on hand.

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Cloth Box: Along with the Wood Box this was our students' favorite box. The key to making this box successful is having attractive cloth scraps and keeping it organized. Without regular sorting this box becomes a snarl of thread and cloth - booby-trapped with stray needles.

Basic sewing supplies in the Sewing Box:

• needles
• threaders
• cloth scissors
• pins
• thread
• attractive cloth scraps
• old socks and knit gloves (see Gallery for examples of stuffed creatures made with socks and gloves)

  

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Yarn box: Some kids are very interested in learning knitting and crocheting. Kids who aren't quite ready for knitting can make very attractive hats and scarves with "Knit Wit" looms, available inexpensively at craft stores.

• yarn
• knitting needles (size)
• crochet hooks(size)
• potholder looms and loops
• scissors
• Knit Wit looms

 

(For a Baby Bobby Fashion Show, go to www.jghwebclub.com and click on Doneisha)

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Paper Supply Box: There are a lot of great paper materials available in the scrap-booking section of your local craft store:

• stacks of patterned paper
• paper crimpers
• decorative edged scissors
• regular safety scissors
• glue sticks
• white glue
• novelty markers (color changer markers, glitter crayons, glow in the dark markers etc., etc.)
• construction paper
• pencils
• sketch paper
• watercolors/brushes
• origami paper (you can also cut square paper, origami paper is expensive)
• oak tag

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Junk Box: Kids' imaginations are stimulated and challenged with a collection of recycled materials. With supervision, kids can take apart old appliances (make sure there is nothing toxic or dangerous inside). Ask for donations. Just a few possibilities:

• bottle caps and tops
• oatmeal boxes
• photo film canisters
• small wooden clementine boxes
• cardboard tubes
• incomplete decks of cards
• wire coat hangers
• plastic bottles
• egg cartons
• newspaper

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Perler Beads Box: Perler Beads are small colored beads which are placed on a plastic grid and then fused together with a hot iron. These beads require an amazing amount of patience and small motor skill, they are time consuming and require a tremendous amount of focus. Almost completed projects are often knocked and the child has to start all over again. Inevitably you'll have a mess of these hard-to-pick-up beads all over the floor ... and yet Perler beads are all worth it. In spite of everything, kids love Perler beads, even kids who otherwise have attention and focusing issues. If a child does not have time to finish, the beads can be carefully wrapped in plastic cling wrap and saved for the next session.

• iron
• towel (ironing surface)
• shallow bowls for holding beads
• Perler beads
• Perler boards (come in many appealing shapes)
• heat sheets (to cover beads while ironing. These are supplied with the beads, you can also use waxed paper, though that doesn't last too long)
• magnet strips (to attach to back of projects if kids want them mounted on refrigerator door)

 

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Giving attention:

Children's creativity is encouraged when adults and peers stop and take notice of their work. It is crucial that kids get engaged feedback on their projects. Be careful about adding or asking too much before the project is finished; that can undermine a child's own vision of the project. As the project is being created a child can be encouraged with general comments like "That is a really cool idea, I can't wait to see what you are going to do with that." When the project is completed an adult should then really stop and really look at each project, asking questions, noticing details ... Have a digital camera with you. Even the simple act of photographing completed projects gives children needed adult attention. Projects that might get broken or lost will continue to live in photos.

If there is someone in your organization who can create a web site, that is a great way to showcase student work. If you can't make a web site, buy a digital photo frame to display the photos in the class room. We sometimes printed the photos on business cards. We would mount these on the wall or give them out to the kids like trading cards. This can serve as a way for students to give attention to each other.

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