Thursday, November 14, 2013

Crafts for Boys

Raising 5 children can be extremely difficult...plus Homeschooling, plus house chores and the list continues to pile from here on in...and you have got the perfect recipe for a very tired Mama!
To ease up frustration and to get a little more fun back into your day, I recommend doing some really fun crafts!! Four out my five kids are boys! So having crafts that are interesting and easy for them to do can be a struggle. But I found three that were a lot of fun to do and had many benefits for our Dyslexic son as well as all the other boys in the house! Warning...lots of giggles and fun Alert!
Doing these projects is highly recommended. Not only does doing crafts stimulate the Dyslexic's creativity, but you will also learn more about their individual strengths. Ask them what they want to build and go with it. Find something to do in their strengths. Also, doing things that are small helps with fine motor skills which are very helpful for any student. Keep in mind that their were areas that I would help or assist them in. Showing them how to do something and then letting them do it on their own while still vocally guiding them through the task. This is also helpful for the Dyslexic learner.
So here is the first craft:
This was perfect for our Oldest!
Note: another idea is to set up a mini-market with some other Homeschooling buddies using all the crafts your children made to enhance knowledge about Businesses and money concepts.

These were leather bands that came in a set (including the leather strips for fastening). I believe the cost was $13. We then found some gift bags and made our own raffia out of recycled material. We then took the task of designing the bands and the display. Very easy and very fun!
Tip: You can also tie these into Native Studies! ...no pun intended :D

Second was:

This one had to be one of my favourites and super, super easy.
Note: Very addicting to play with!

We found the recipe from Domestic Charm's Blog. http://domesticcharm.blogspot.ca/

Very cool and very fun. My son said it looked like Teanage Mutant Ninja Turtle Slime. We actually don't have T.V. or watch them at home...however I think that Grandpa might have had some influences on him! So I looked up how to draw one on a gift bag and voila! You can buy those gift bags at any Michael's I think...maybe even a dollar store. And the little jars were actually spice jars from a dollar store! On a side note....it says slime but doesn't quite act like it. It holds together well, almost like playdough but not really? This one we made to glow in the dark which I believe is on Domestic Charm's website :)


And the last:

Last but not least, a mini bow and arrow set. This one will take a lot more of your help, but will be well worth the efforts. I was very amazed at how well these shot! You can probably google search these to get direction's. I found them on many different blogs so you can pick and chose which one you prefer but it is so simple I can just tell you...

Get basic wood pieces found at dollar store or a store similar to Michaels. (look like tongue depressor's from the doctors). Get more than you think. I started out with Twenty Two and ended up with Sixteen....you will break some by accident.

Notch out little groves on either side of each end.
Soak the wood over night or for at least 2 hours.

After it is done soaking, take one and tie a not with dental floss around one end. Wrap it with the dental floss many times.
Bend the wood slightly and hook on to the other end in the notches you had made before soaking.  Pull till it is tight and not lose and then quickly wrap to secure. Tie a not and set to dry on a clean dry surface. Start the next one and so on.

For the arrow; it is just q-tips with one end of the Q-tip cut off. We coloured the Q-tips and made quiver's for them. It was a lot of fun for us and hopefully for you too.

Let me know if you would like me to upload a video of any of these for demonstration. I work better with visuals, so just let me know and I will do my best :D

Doing Crafts like these are not a lot of mess and simple for supplies. They can relieve stress and get you one on one with your children in something they enjoy doing. Now if only I can get them to think laundry is a really super fun activity...now, that would really relieve some stress!

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