8 Spring Craft Ideas for Kids

Hand Painted Flower Pots.

Flower plants are a fun way to make a house look brighter, and what better way to dress up flowers then a unique pot that your children made.
To start you will need Terra Cotta pots, as many as you want to paint. For a pretty little African Violet flowering plant, a 4-6 inch pot works very well. You will also need Acrylic paint and a finishing spray. Set up somewhere well ventilated, placing newspapers over anything that you don’t want to get painted and have children wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting messy. Put some paints into small containers and lay out an array of brushes. I like to use one brush for every pot of paint, that way you don’t need to clean the brushes. Then let your children go to work. However the pots end up they will be beautiful. Another idea is dip children’s hands in paint and put their hand prints on the pot, then pen in their names and ages when finished. After the paints dry, spray the pot with an clear Acrylic paint to seal in the colors. This helps prevent them from fading over time. At this point you can plant your flowers or you can let kids decorate the pots with craft pieces such as ribbons, bows, buttons, beads, sequence and yarn to name a few ideas. Or you can just have them glue craft pieces to their pots instead of painting.

Painting rocks into bugs and animals.

This is a fun idea that keeps us very busy. Throughout the year i hunt for rocks that remind me of things. I collect round ones mostly. Sometimes i find rocks that are shaped like hearts and even stars. Then in the spring we bring out our rock collections and wash them with soapy water. And the fun begins. I paint the round rocks into bumblebees and lady bugs, Oval rocks into dragonflies. Sometimes ill paint and then glue 2 or 3 rocks together with super glue and make a bear. Hearts are painted red and pink, and funny shaped stones are painted with designs. My 2 year old adores painting rocks. We put them in our gardens, in our potted plants, and use them as paperweights around the house. Its a fun and easy craft to do for any age.

Floral Wreaths

Wreaths are pretty crafts. They are easy to make and can be done year round for various seasons and holidays. But the Spring wreath is one of my favorites. I buy a large metal hoop from the craft store and let my children pick out silk flowers. Which ever ones they like. We also pick up fake grape vines or ivy vines. Then to make the wreath we wrap the metal hoop with layers and layers of the vines and ivy. Then using pipe cleaners we tie the silk flowers into the vines. We wrap one edge of the pipe cleaner around the flower stem and the other around the wreath. No gluing needed. other fun things to put on your wreath are fake birds, eggs, and butterflies, Though you can put any imaginable item into a wreath.

Milk Jug Bird House

Many parents of boy or girl scouts have seen this craft. A milk jug bird house. However its very simple to use. Buy a half gallon or quart of milk in the cardboard type jug, Not the hard plastic. Orange Juice also comes in these containers. When the milk or juice is all gone, wash it out well and allow to dry. Staple the top shut again Then cut a small hole in the center of the jug to allow the birds to get in. Next step is painting! Have children paint the milk jug a plain white color to hide all of the markings on the sides. When that dries, let them go to work, decorating the jug however they see fit. Last push part of a dowel into the jug right below the hole to make a stand. Put some glue around it to make sure it t doesn’t fall out. To make a tight hole i often poke a sharp pen through the jug, or use the tip of narrow scissors and then push the dowel through. To hang. Poke a hole a good ways into the top of the jug. You don’t want it breaking. Use some sturdy but narrow rope and tie it in a large circle. This makes it able to hang from whatever tree you choose. In a week or so birds will be investigating your new birdhouse. Putting a bird feeder out near it will attract then quickly.

Pine Cone or Bagel Bird Feeders.

To go with your new birdhouse. You should make a few easy bird feeders to attract the birds quickly. This is a very fun and rewarding craft. First hunt up some large pine cones. There aren’t any naturally where I live they are only an inch or so long, so i buy them in a craft store. Make sure if you buy them that they are unscented. Or you can get some old bagels from a bakery, often times if the expiration has passed they will let you have them discounted. First tie a long string around your pine cone or bagel and leave the tails hanging. This will be the way you hang them up. Next roll your pine cones or bagels in melted lard or even peanut butter, then directly into birdseed. Visit a local pet store to find a verity for wild birds. Let your pine cones or bagels set overnight to harden up a bit and then hang up. To make your lard or peanut butter. Melt shortening or suet and mix with cornmeal or peanut butter to thicken. Make sure its not too watery.

Pinwheels

I know that every time i go to the store my son starts asking for one of those foil pinwheels to run and play with. And while I’m happy to let him have it, they often get lost or broken quickly. So i decided to make my own. That way he can have one whenever he wants. You will need strong construction paper or craft foam, a Pin, a long slim dowel and things to decorate your pinwheels with. Cut your paper or foam into a perfect square. Let children decorate. Draw straight lines in the diagonals, corner to corner. Put a coin in the center and trace it. Then cut the paper along the diagonals to the circle in the center. Fold paper without creasing to the center of the circle and secure with a pin preferably one with a large head. Then push the pin into your dowel leaving a bit of space between the dowel and your pinwheel and put a bit of glue around the edges to secure the pin. Viola. Easy and fun.

Coffee Filter and Paper Butterflies.

I love making these. its so much fun and so easy to do. First you will need some round coffee filters .pipe cleaners, and some watercolors. First flatten out the coffee filters. Cover all surfaces. I like to dip mine in water and then in the water colors, letting them soak up the colors. But they can be painted on as well. Remind children to be gentle as the filters can tear easily. Once you have your filters painted let them dry fully. Overnight if necessary. This part is a matter of opinion. I really like to fold mine in half and add a bit of a twist to the center before adding my pipe cleaners. However you can fold them into a paper fan and twist the pipe cleaner around the center as well. After you wrap the pipe cleaner around the filter, twist it together a few times and clip the pipe cleaners to about 1-2 inches long for antenna. If you want to you can also make legs for your butterflies out of pipe cleaners. Simply run 2 inch long pieces through the center pipe cleaner. The “body” pipe cleaner. An alternative to using coffee filters is buying tissue paper from the gift wrapping isle. You can often find patterned tissue paper, or make the wings out of different colors.

Beaded Sun Catcher.

This is a really fun craft idea that is great to give as a gift or to hang everywhere. You will need thin beading wire and an assortment of translucent beads. Picking the beads is one of the most fun parts of this. Start with your beading wire and bend it into a spiral. It helps to use a large cup to wind the wire around. When its as long as you want, cut the wire and make a loop out of the ends. String the beads on one at a time, crimping the wire before and after each bead until the end. The last bead should rest against loop without falling off. You can vary the length between the beads. Often after stringing you will need to reshape it a bit, so rewind the sun catcher around the cup again. Use the loops to tie it up. One end can be the top and the other the bottom. I use fishing wire to tie them up. Experiment with various shapes and sizes to make your sun catchers. Anything is possible.

A little imagination and creativity can allow these fun and easy spring crafts to become your own. Happy crafting.