Craftings of The World

A well-stocked craft box has saved many a parent from despair on snow days, rain days, days a child is sick at home, and just the universal, "There's nothing to do!" What we're talking about is a box of arts and crafts materials reserved for special occasions. Give the average child a box of craft supplies to keep in his room and you'll soon have a child who's bored again, as well as your carefully assembled materials all over the house. Keep this box put away and out of sight for those moments when your child needs a little extra magic in the day.

If you toss something new in from time to time it will be new and exciting every time you open it up. Assembling a craft box needn't be expensive, but you will need a few purchased items to start. Buy these one or two at a time when you grocery shop or when you're at the dollar store and it won't be painfully expensive. Fill in with "found" items and odds and ends that you can pick up very inexpensively here and there. The most costly item you will need is a sturdy plastic box with a lid that seals. Make sure your box is large enough to store craft paper flat. Curved or creased paper is not nearly as much fun. To start you will want to include the following items in your tote box:

A pack of plain white or newsprint paper
A pack of multi-colored construction paper
New crayons. Get the largest box you can afford
Glue stick(s) for younger children, white glue for older children
Scissors, rounded or pointed according to age
Washable markers
Paint. The typical child's water colors are fairly insipid, but inexpensive. Tempura costs more, but covers much better.
Extra paint brushes
Tape

Now comes the fun part. You will have numerous items at home that will make great additions to a craft box. Start collecting these and soon you'll have more than you'll need.

Re-sealable plastic bags in various sizes to keep supplies controlled
Flat pieces of cardboard (cut up your cereal boxes and other cardboard packaging)
Toilet paper and paper towel rolls
Stickers and "stamps" from your junk mail
Old cds
Yarn remnants
Greeting cards
Buttons and beads
Fabric and felt pieces
Q-tips (for spreading glue)
Cotton balls
Magazines and calendars with age and gender appropriate pictures
Plastic lids
Baby food jars
Corks
Berry baskets
Paper grocery bags
Egg cartons
Pasta shapes
Clean, empty tuna or pet food cans (check for sharp edges)
Large and small plain paper plates
String
Toothpicks (for older children)
Old socks (make great puppets)
Your only restriction is your imagination and the space you have to store these items.
If your budget is slightly a larger and you want to purchase a few extra fun crafting items, look for:
Chenille sticks
Craft sticks (what used to be called tongue depressors)
Feathers
Pom-poms
Beads
Googly eyes
Ribbons
Doilies
Crepe paper
Tissue paper in assorted colors

Avoid glitter, sequins and plastic or paper confetti-like decorations unless you have extreme patience for clean-up. These will get everywhere and re-surface for days or weeks after the project is done and forgotten. Be sure you always have several old sections of the newspaper handy for protecting work surfaces. An old adult shirt with the sleeves shortened will serve nicely as a work smock. Try to resist instructing your child on how to use these craft materials. Instead, sit back and watch the creative process at work as your child explores the materials at hand and uses his unlimited imagination. Whatever emerges from the contents of your child's craft box will be a treasure.

Source : ezinearticles.com