creative jewish mom

Milk Carton Frogs Craft For Passover

 

I've pulled this one out of the archives because it is just too cute not to share once again! Enjoy!

With Passover less than a week away, it is certainly time to get crafting, if you can squeeze it in of course. Then again, maybe keeping the kids busy with some fun crafts for Passover may be the best idea right about now while you spend time getting the house and most importantly, the kitchen, in gear? My kids are now teens so they are helping big time, so no crafting for us, whaah. I am reposting this to share with you and reminisce myself! Enjoy!

These milk carton frogs couldn't be cuter and also make great party favor boxes or flower boxes any time! Of course, they are perfect to use in a variety of ways for the Passover seder, as the frogs represent the second plague discussed in the seder. And red frogs? Well that could represent the first two plagues, blood and frogs, right? And then how about using these milk carton frogs to hold other object representing the remaining 8 plagues, could be adorable! If you don't end up finding time for that, so just fill these frogs with little prizes to keep the kids occupied during the seder, and call it a night!

My ten year old made 19 of these fun red frogs, and I was so proud of him. And really happy to use up so many of those milk cartons I've been saving! So you or your kids certainly can make a bunch too, just do the project in a few stages as the paint does require drying time.

TP Roll Clowns Craft For Kids

Purim is quickly approaching, so now is the time to turn up the heat with some creative projects to keep the kids busy, and give them something to be proud of in their own preparations for the festive holiday. This tp roll clown craft that I did with a group of 11 year old boys is a perfect craft to encourage creativity! Give them the idea of the clown, and let them create a stand or environment for the clown with recyclables and of course, colored paper. The stand shown here was a great idea, and received first prize (between you and me) for creativity, plus the results are downright professional! Okay, whether you make clowns from tp tubes, and/or tall clowns using paper towel rolls, the more the better, lets do it!

Recycled Plastic Bottle Vase Craft For Kids

How do you make a vase to hold various paper flowers, pomegranite branches and Rosh HaShana symbols on skewers? Well, I've just come up with a really fun way that has great results and is so very enjoyable to make. The room was almost silent as my group of 9 year old boys got to work, meaning this was perfect for them. And I'll admit, I had fun making a few as well! For kids whose confidence level is low when it comes to crafting, something like this is perfect! I of course am against buying pre-made crafting elements to glue onto things as there is no creativity in that, but arranging pre-cut paper strips in a great range of colors is a few steps above that, and to encourage kids to craft sometimes you've got to encourage them with projects that are relatively easy! These vases got an extra boost of cuteness with a t-shirt yarn rim and a row or two of bobble yarn. Aren't they truly just the sweetest?

Recycle Plastic Bags and Make Yarn For Crafting!

Aren't these imperfect balls of "plarn" aka plastic bag yarn just the sweetest? They were made by a group of 8 to 9 year old boys, and truly it was a great activity for them, and nicely filled an hour plus crafting lesson. We secured the balls with a rubber band and each one added a tiny note with their name on it so as not to confuse them. Plastic bags are unfortunately used plentifully around here, as honestly we have more important issues as the moment, so at the very least I am trying to educate kids about re-use and not to just throw them away as they make great yarn for crafting!

I have often started a ball and added to it as the plastic bags came into our home, which is a great idea and satisfying to boot. Plus then no one can call me a bag lady, or accuse me of hoarding when all those bags are cut up and made into balls? Plastic bag yarn is a great activity for kids as young as even 6 or 7, with a bit of help, so make some today or use the tutorial to make yarn from loops of pantyhose or tights! Let's do it!

Fun Cardboard and Paper Collage Cut-Outs For Rosh HaShana

We are in the heart of our short summer vacation here in Israel, and with war and so much heartache looming over our heads, crafting and preparing for upcoming holidays and happy occassions is a wonderful way to spend a few hours. Get the whole family together or even take time for yourself, creativity is my solution to managing stress and it truly works! Now, if I could just bury my head in the art supplies around the clock! In the past I created lovely doodle apples and doodle bees, which still look great a few years down the road, but yesterday I decided to make a more younger child friendly version using cereal box cardboard, some colored paper and a glue stick! Of course my version does look a bit too perfect maybe, so can't wait to see the charm that the little crafters I'm working with will bring to this project. But in the mean time, get to work and start preparing for Rosh HaShana, it is quickly approaching and apples and pomegranites and honey and bees and fish all make great subjects for crafting, right?

TP Tube Vases With An Origami Butterfly & Flowers Craft For Kids

I've already shared with you the toilet paper tube vase and separately, the magazine flowers, that I made as an example for my students, and now it is time to share their work! This was truly a fun and successful project for 8 to 9 year old boys, who then proudly took their projects home with the instructions to give the vase to their mothers and say "Ima, thank you so much for everything!" I'm not sure how many actually followed through, though one mother reported that her son left the present on her pillow and the next day thanked her for something that he would ordinarily not. "Now I know it was because of you" she said.....and that of course totally made my day, and is just added proof that when you get together with a group of kids and talk to them about many things, not just the project at hand, you can truly make a difference in their lives! And yes, it is true that this group of 3rd graders are a handful, but loving every minute and it is so wonderful to hear back from their mothers (most of whom are friends of mine) how much they look forward to our crafting session. Okay, lets take a closer look at the results of the project!

Cut Paper Western Wall (Kotel) Craft For Tisha B'Av

Another craft from way back when showing my boys tiny hands ten plus years ago......back then I posted this on the eve of the fast, this year you have at least three days to plan and execute this family friendly project! Here is what I wrote:

Tonight is the solemn Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, (which commemorates the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem) and as with all holidays we try to get in the mood, whether it be joyful or the extreme opposite in this case, by doing a little crafting. Yesterday I had four boys hanging around and decided to engage them with a little cut paper collage, with the theme being the wall of the Kotel, the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The green plants represent the bushes that grow from between the cracks high up on the wall.

I just love the results and the simplicity of cut paper, always one of my favorites regardless of the topic.

Recycled TP Tube Designer Vases Craft

I have to say, when I came up with this recycling craft idea for making artful vases from tp tubes I wasn't expecting the results to be this wonderful! I have started crafting with small groups of boys twice a week, which means coming up with projects that will satisfy them, and the idea here was to create a present for their mothers in addition to coaching from me for saying "thank you for everything." So it turns out, that with tp tube/rolls and some glossy recycled cardboard in a bright color, one can really create something fun and unexpected! I will share the boy's projects in another post, and heads up that for younger kids these handles are too difficult to cut, at least from cardboard. You can also make mini magazine page flowers, or insert small shot glasses and fill the vases with some cuttings! Have you been saving tp tubes? Lets make some sweet vases!

Let's Draw The Airport Craft For Kids

This week with my small crafting club of 8 year old boys we spent some time learning how to draw airplanes, airport control towers, and other things one might see in the sky like parachutes and blimps, together with some trees and clouds to set the scene. Sadly, these sweet boys do not draw very often so their skills are lacking and some of them found this exercise to be somewhat difficult.....I told them they'll thank me when they are older! We be using these long strips to wrap around recycled oatmeal cans with tops, and next week (though I didn't reveal the next step to them, shhhhh) we'll be making Q-tip airplanes that really fly to put in the can! I love the results of this drawing exercise, most of the items are courtesy of the greatest book ever, Ed Emberley's Make A World, something I loved as a child and is a must! The top version is mine, not to copy but use as inspiration!

7 Craft Projects To Help Kids Develop Math Skills

Summertime is a great time to get the kids involved in some projects that you may not have had time for during the school year, so lets think about how to help our kids who may have challenges when it come to math. Yes, many kids and teens may need some extra help with math, and this is perfectly normal. Math is quite simply a part of life, though it really doesn't have to produce groans from those who find it challenging! When children (or anyone really) start to understand that math is so much more than numbers on a page, and that it applies to the great world around us, especially when geometry comes into the picture, it can take on a new light altogether. Higher levels of math such as algebra help develop critical thinking skills which conversely can be developed via crafts and DIY projects of many kinds.

So when a child or teen delves into projects that require planning and construction of any kind, their abilities to understand math can also benefit! And of course, creativity in general helps everyone in life in so many ways, including building confidence and finding joy in color and pattern just for starters. So lets take a look at ten craft projects that are not only enjoyable to make,  teach math to kids and develop skills and understanding when it comes to all things numbers.