I asked for space for craft's and organization ideas for kids and Big granted :D (you gotta love that guy).

I don't know about you folks; but, personally I am tired of "Momma I'm bored" So, due to the wonder's of modern technology I have found many inexpensive and easy to do craft's to keep the kid's busy for hour's and also help motivate them to complete task's anywere from homework to chores at home.

I think it would be great fun to share craft and organization idea's with each other. Were better to get an endless source of activities to keep an ADD child happy then by an ADD forum?

Crafts:

Cracker Castles

What you need:
Cookie sheet
Assorted crackers
Mortor (peanut butter, spreadable cheese, marshmellow spread)
Plastic knife
Edible decorations (raisins, chocolate chips, cereal, etc.)

What you do:
1.Spread a foundation of "mortor" and set the crackers into it.
2.To make walls, set crackers vertically, gluing them to each other with the "mortor"
3.Glue small crackers onto the larger ones to make doors, windows and shutters then cement graham crackers in place as a sloped roof.
4.Decorate
5. Take a picture of your artist with their craft.

A fun craft for the whole family, very cheap and edible you can't beat that.


Book Worm

This craft is a good way to encourage and reinforce beginning readers (it also works for my older children ). You can make it competitive by giving each child their own worm and seeing whose will get the longest. The children add their circles to the worm (it's great fun to see if you can wrap it all the way around the room so that it "eats" its tail!)

Materials you will need are a printer, paper (I prefer white construction paper or another heavier paper), scissors, glue, something to colour with and a pen or marker.
Print out the template of choice.

Colour pieces, as necessary.

Cut out the pieces.

Hang the worm's head on the wall somewhere the child(ren) will see it fairly often.

Each time a child reads a new book (either on their own or with adult assistance, depending on the age of the child), fill out the name of the book on one of the circles and attach it to the worm.

You can also add the date and name of the child to the circle, if desired.


These are just a few I will try and keep them coming...

And as an organization idea we bought an old card table for $1 at a garage sale and use plastic table clothes that you get at the dollar store for under the table to help protect from spills. All craft items are kept in the same place and are given as gift's to the ENTIRE family therefore there is less fighting over whose is whose and are stored in plastic totes on wheels so they are easily shoved into a closet when company arrives.

Happy crafting and any craft's or hint's are greatly appreciated.

Cherity(the template for the bookworm is included in this post)

OMG futs that is soo awesome...I am proud of you!!!!!!! Congrats..I told BIG would like the idea, and the drawing looks very cool...you have a great idea hun. YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!

Love ya lots

lol TY Mel but crafts really is my only deffense against boredom for the kid's. Or I'm driven nuts

I do all sorts of stuff with mine, including paper airplane launchings from the loft... :-) I used to have a really good book on different varieties of paper airplanes. I can't remember the title, but I am sure you could find it, or similar in a book store or hobby shop. For boys, and girls alike this is a great way to pass some very entertaining hours.

I also used to save various stuff I found here and there on paper airplanes. Ones my friends made that worked particularly well, or even one I found in popular science magazine that set distance records and had a weird inverted wing shape that puzzled aeronautics experts for months before they puzzled out the physics of how this thing could fly. A father invented it for his bored kids. :-)

Fascinated by paper airplanes? Not really, just think they are cool. There are even a few that have sufficient stiffness to fly in wind outside and on a good day you won't be seeing them again once launched. Anyway, worth a try.

<<just fascinated with the concept of flight. And your post is a good one I don't know one child who is not fascinated with paper airplanes. Unfortunatly the entire concept of building one is past me.:(

What the heck is the carrot for?

I actually wrote something behind it but I"m such a stupid I forgot it doesn't print it.

What it said was I'm interested in flight any shape or form and I do not know any child who isn't.

Well, Paper airplanes rock. ;-)

Also you can do the little paper chinese stars. We used to turn out all the lights and run around the house having Ninja fights... I can't believe I am admitting this... Heh.

Someday I will explain the concept of Dinosaur hunting and YES I still play!!!!

You can also buy kite string from the store, and some wooden dowels from any craft or hobby store, along with some of those little paper re-enforcing rings you use for binders and make your own kites, with either trash bags (plastic works well, but can be a pain to work with) or News paper. I used to do this as a tot, and had a good deal of fun.

Actually that is a good idea you wouldn't know exactly how to go about building one would you. I think it would be something I could do with Dakota's cub scout pack.

Well, my five year old is the only one who still wants to play with me... :-( Everyone else is too old and "mature" now. Joey isn't ADD, but he does enjoy beating the crap out of Daddy. :-)

It's pretty simple, really. I could send you how I did it if you like.

lol I don't know any kid who doesn't; unfortunatly, ADD children are hard to stop until someone is mad.

yes, thank you

Ya gotta love the internet. I just popped in here after finding a cool craft for my 5-y.o. to take to show-and-tell (this week's topic is Japan). It is a Japanese demon mask, which is traditionally worn at the Setsubun festival in February. Accounts of the tradition vary slightly, but in my favorite version Daddy wears the mask and everyone else throws soybeans at him to drive away the evil he represents. :D (Who doesn't enjoy beating the crap out of Daddy?) Each person is then supposed to eat one bean for each year of his/her age to ensure good luck for the coming year. This link will take you to a menu featuring the mask and other nifty paper crafts.

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/eng/papercraft/seasons/index.html

TY Krisp I book marked it lol I love the educational craft's best...Their learning and do NOT even realize it.

One of my hair brain, boredom relief tools from childhood turns out to be useful... Who knew?!

I just hope I remember it well enough that it works when you are done assembling it! ;-)

For the record, you can find books on this in the same place as the paper airplane one. I started doing it because of a school project long ago.

One more note on the link I posted ... if you make the mask, I've found it works best to use quick-drying glue and/or tape. It's a little beyond a 5-y.o.'s abilities, but it is a cool project. ;)