Teaching Arts / Crafts to children - Ideas !

NeVeR

Hi all,

My girlfriend will be starting to teach kids arts and crafts in a few months ( work experience ).
She has a degree in fine art from IADT but she has never taught children ( or anyone for that matter )

The age groups will be from 10 years old to 16 years old.
She has some ideas on what she will be teaching but needs more to fill the day/weeks

It’s a 1 month work exp. For about 5 hours a day.
Can you guys help me with some ideas on what this age group might like to do.


Thank you for your time.

snowey07

glass painting , t shirt painting , knitting, sewing , - theres so many !

why doesnt she pop into your local craft , art shop and see what they sell for kids . Some small local book shops sell kids art supplies so might have some ideas.

Jellybaby1

Check out the library for craft books for children, the Usborne books were always good. Don't forget Youtube is always great for crafts - loads of ideas there too.

looksee

Check out papier mache - loads of possibilities from puppets to huge models - and very cheap.
Recycle supermarket boxes and other recyclable stuff to build robots.
Air dry clay for (possibly themed) modelling.
Magazines, fabrics etc to make collages.
Themed scrapbooks using photographs, greetings cards, wallpaper sample books.
Weaving on card looms using fabric remnant strips, yarn, string, paper, straw, twigs
Garments from unusual materials - newspaper, fabric scraps.

Go to interior design shops and ask for fabric and wallpaper sample books. Repair and alteration places and ask for scrap fabric - even the smallest bits of offcuts can be used for weaving.
Ask in local newspaper offices - if they do their own printing - for roll ends of newsprint (this is great if you can find the right place, but they are getting a bit rare now) good for paper mache
Collect newspapers for all sorts of uses
Ask if you can put up a sign in the local library asking for old glossy magazines for collage etc.
Make a nice container with a sign on it asking for donations of unwanted knitting yarn and ask if the local library will have it somewhere handy (check it frequently people tend to use them as litter bins)
Collect cartons from supermarkets, apple trays; egg boxes for paper mache, and those trays that hold a dozen small jellies or custards are great for mixing paint.
Ask in fabric shops for the thick card tubes that fabric comes on (then think of something to do with them! - basis for totem pole?)
Look in charity shops and ask if they have any knitting needles or wool - very often in the store room rather than the shop - I got two big packets of mixed knitting needles for about €5 each like that.
Also check in charity shops for sheets, quilt covers, curtains that might make garments or painting 'canvases'.

If she has a budget this is a great way to spread the cost. A big bucket of white emulsion is also a great buy, there are all sorts of uses for it, undercoats for paper mache models, painting cardboard boxes etc.

For the older children a roll of 1 inch chicken wire (wire netting) is great for making formes for paper mache.

Jellybaby1

Just an aside.......I have come across complaints on blogs from parents/teachers etc., regarding using certain items for crafts for children. The old reliable toilet roll cores seem to be banned unfortunately so when you say get bed linen from charity shops, just check with the principal of the school if this is acceptable. You don't want to have to face any complaints after you have gone to the trouble of planning a great fun project. These are the days we live in sadly. I still use the toilet roll cores myself anyway.

NeVeR

thanks for the replies.

I'm sure she will be able to design a lot of classes with them. Thanks

looksee

Yes the toilet roll inners and also egg boxes are gone. I would be thinking of older children using those kind of fabrics though - their immune systems should be up to it, but they can always be thrown in the washing machine if they look suspect. The sheets not the children!