Is anyone else as rubbish at arts and craft as I am?

[helendee]

Truly I am awful and your average chimp could make better things than me. I do not have a creative bone in my body, except for knitting which I love, but along with a lack of imagination, I really struggle to think of craft activities to do with my los who are aged 2and a half and nearly 3.

Some simple suggestions would be much appreciated!!!:panic:

[PixiePetal]

Have a look at the activity ideas bit on the forum :thumbsup:

Good place to start.

Luckily the crafty bit is the easy bit for me, but paperwork and policies don't come easy :(

[sue m]

Truly I am awful and your average chimp could make better things than me. I do not have a creative bone in my body, except for knitting which I love, but along with a lack of imagination, I really struggle to think of craft activities to do with my los who are aged 2and a half and nearly 3.

Some simple suggestions would be much appreciated!!!:panic:

ME ME!!! I'm totally useless and have no ideas! :o I'm definitely with you there. :D

[Tiger Lilly]

me to, i never know what to do, we end up doing lots of colouring......

I have even gone out and bought LOADS of crafty things....

still no good...
lol

[cher25]

I am the same. Totally useless at thinking of ideas.

There are some good websites for ideas though. :)

[nannymcflea]

www.dltk-kids.com (http://www.dltk-kids.com)

I use this for all ages and topics.

[charleyfarley]

I too am hopeless :panic: I was on a course recently where we had to make a tiger mask and I even messed that up :laughing:

I'm not too bad if following instructions though so have got several craft making books and there are some great ideas on here too :thumbsup:

Carol xx

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I am terrible and worse than you could ever be.

I always need step by step instructions too!!

[Hebs]

I am the same. Totally useless at thinking of ideas.

There are some good websites for ideas though. :)

luckily Cher has me :laughing:

i love the arty side of this job, love it love it love it lol

[Pipsqueak]

I am useless too. No a crafty bone in my body!

I recently let myself go and created a tree out of lentils, pasta and matchsticks - I was very engrossed and engaged (to quote words) and the kids had long finished their sticking and glueing.

Plus I hear that our own Monkey (resident Chimp) is pretty arty-farty:laughing:

[mandy moo]

Many moons ago whilst training for my NNEB, I brought myself a few books on arts & crafts and stuff, I still use them today, good investment :D

[The Juggler]

me too. I do structured stuff at certain times - clay model stars at christmas , easter and autum stuff. Other than that do junk modelling, general cutting and leaves in autum etc.

However, mostly I have the same things available for children to experiment with - I give very little input other than language about what they are doing (as I am also creatively challenged!!!). So free painting, water play, scissors, magazines, cellotape (in a dispensor) for those who love wrapping and enveloping) and all sorts of pens and pencils. I don't do enough playdoh really and I know this is fab for creative/physical development.

I cut up all my old bits of paper (coloured) and materials into different shapes and use them for free gluing activities. The kids sometimes spend hours on it. It helps with colour classification, naming, shape recognition and naming, creative art and mark making as they watch the glue, drip spread and move or using the twist up glue sticks. This is my mindees favorite staple in the arts and crafts dept.

It's great for all physical skills needed for mark making (scissors and cellotape, pen grip) as well as being creative with the pictures they create - we have some lovely mosaics from the shapes they make.

Don't worry to much. I don't even spend much any more - use leaves, twigs and left over bits from other art, my biggest spend is glue and glitter.

[David Sheppard]

Have any of you visited a modern art gallery recently? If you have then you will know that anything, and I mean anything, you or your children create - whatever it looks like - is definitely a work of art.

Remember that the greatest enjoyment comes from the jouney of creation not the final article. That goes equally for the children as well as us adults. Our talent does not have to be in being a proficient artist, sculpture, modeller or designer - it has everything to do with being a facilitator of expression. Provide copious amounts of materials, most of which you can recycle from your own shopping or collect from a materials bank via your local network, provide plenty of room, and allow total free reign for the creativity to just burst forth. :clapping:

You will be pleasantly surprised. And may even feel you can match the 'stuff' filling places like the Tate modern in London, Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris or Reina Sofia in Madrid!

Regards

David Sheppard EYP

[ChocolateChip]

Would say that at that age it's mostly 'free design' anyway, just give them all sorts of bits to stick and make collages with, pasta, cut or ripped up paper, ribbons, wool, cotton wool, cellophane sweet wrappers, tinfoil, leaves, etc....
I've done things like winter scene- light blue paper covered in bits of tinfoil, cotton wool and glitter gel, covers different textures, techniques, materials, the season etc, also decorated cut outs of hats and gloves by scrunching up tissue paper. You could get them to stick eyes or draw on faces and stick on woolly hair, or cut up catalogues like Argos, seed brochures, supermarket flyers and make different sorts of pictures, 'my shop', 'my garden', etc.
I've even used shapes cut from old wrapping paper or cards, to make pictures or new cards.
Also playdough is always a favourite, and painting (veg or sponge shapes, things like cotton reels, building blocks, etc for printing)
I find as I go out and about quite a bit I only have time to do a couple of things a week anyway, but there are some good ideas in the activity section on here.
Don't forget it doesn't really matter what it looks like as long as they've enjoyed it!

[patevans]

Truly I am awful and your average chimp could make better things than me. I do not have a creative bone in my body, except for knitting which I love, but along with a lack of imagination, I really struggle to think of craft activities to do with my los who are aged 2and a half and nearly 3.

Some simple suggestions would be much appreciated!!!:panic:

I am rubbish with a capital "R" :(

[grindal]

I have quite a good imagination and in my head my ideas look fantastic!! However, when i try to translate them into an actual object everything looks more than a little bit c*** :blush: :blush:
On Friday I had a halloween party for my mindees - we had spent the week making pumpkins from paper plates and tissue paper and witches hats. Then I tried to cut out some ghost shapes to go on the walls that looked like sperm! I also made some ghost sandwiches that looked like sperm as well and some cucumber aliens and severed fingers from quorn sausage and red peppers. However, my 3yr old DS1 thought it all looked "really spooky" and told me he had a fantastic party - which is good enough for me :laughing:

[mandy moo]

I have quite a good imagination and in my head my ideas look fantastic!! However, when i try to translate them into an actual object everything looks more than a little bit c*** :blush: :blush:
On Friday I had a halloween party for my mindees - we had spent the week making pumpkins from paper plates and tissue paper and witches hats. Then I tried to cut out some ghost shapes to go on the walls that looked like sperm! I also made some ghost sandwiches that looked like sperm as well and some cucumber aliens and severed fingers from quorn sausage and red peppers. However, my 3yr old DS1 thought it all looked "really spooky" and told me he had a fantastic party - which is good enough for me :laughing:

Im having a belated Birthday party/Halloween partyfor DS2, and im sorry to say Ive brought all my wall freizes etc:blush:

[youarewhatyoueat]

Had to lol at your post as you can't be as bad as me, but thats the great thing about working with toddlers they are always so impressed by what you do and the parents can't tell if you've helped the children finish their masterpiece.