5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

Judee — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:58:54 GMT

A bleach pen is something you find in the Laundry Department. I have one by Clorox. Its a tube with an small opening for thickened bleach. The other end has a brush type opening. You can use it on colored t shirts or any colored fabric that will bleach (test inconspicuously first). You can make dots, draw lines and pictures. Think geometric, squiggles, circles and other shapes. Since the pen has bleach in it, do supervise kids carefully. Follow label instructions and wash out in the appropriate time (my pen says immediately ) Would be really fun to use after dying t shirts.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

kata@12 — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:03:52 GMT

I watch four grandchildren all summer. Ages 2, 4, 7, & 10. We do puzzles, planted a garden, but the most fun they have is when we are beading together. They have made simple necklaces with whatever beads they want in my extra bead stash. The most fun they had was stringing pearls and seed beads to make lovely book marks. A 12 inch piece of fire line then pearl bead pearl bead. Add a charm of their choice to each end and it is something they are so proud of. Then a trip to the local library and they pick a book to use the book mark in.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

DebbieD@35 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:34:07 GMT

I love the paper bead idea. My kids and I have been making them for a while and I recently added page to my web site showing with photos how we make them - www.earthlyexpressions-jewelry.com/paperbeads.html Another idea we do is making a home made bead board. All you need is dinner size paper plate(10 1/4 inch), a regular 8 5/8 inch paper plate and some glue or a hot glue gun. Simply glue the smaller plate into the middle of the larger one. If you want to get fancy, use a measuring tape and mark off 7 inches with a marker on your plate.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

AndreaK@18 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:14:11 GMT

To go along with the shrink-a-dink comments... get some base metal chain, jump rings and lobster clasps and they can make a charm bracelets (with a little help for the clasps) I am on my way to the craft store to pick up some more shrink plastic so we can do this project tonight. Also, if you look in the polymer clay section of hobby lobby or michaels, they sell eraser clay. I personally have not tried it yet but it seems like kids would love it. You could also get large pieces of craft paper and craft paint and let the kids make pictures were you fold the paper in half ...unfold it and put drops of paint in various areas then refold (don't rub or you will smear the paint) then open and let the paint dry.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

Carly@6 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:11:20 GMT

I can't quite follow the paper bead instructions from Barbara Elmquist. Is there somewhere where I can get written instructions perhaps with pictures? Love the idea. And I played with a button jar too for hours while my mom sewed. . Thanks for the great memory.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

mariaolay — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:55:44 GMT

Although im not mum yet i remember when i was young and had lots of time to waste making daisies necklaces singing them into a a piece of wool with a round wool needle passing it trough the center I remem ber i loved how soft the petals will feel on my skin. They wont last long but they looked amazing!! I also remember that my dad used to give us large rolling stones he found by the river and gave us paint to make very nice paper or book holders for our rooms. But if they dont like any of these they can also try the friendship bracelets plating away with some leftover wool for those friends that went away on hollidays and will not see again until the end of the summer. I remember that one of my first things i made was a pasta necklace and you can also paint the pasta beads with your prefered colors! I did one in pink by submerging it into beetroot it was a bit messy but make sure your kitchen table is available and they have some old t-shirts on! i also loved the stars for the soup that have a little hole in the midle and if they are old enough to use a pan they can toast them slightly in the pan to change the color into toasty brown...With pasta posibilyties are endless and so cheap to keep them bussy :)

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

CalicoJo — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:11:14 GMT

make original beads, pendants & small critters to string from fimo or sculpey clay - no kiln necessary - it is "fired" in the oven. b/c your making beads only a few dif colors of blocks of clay are needed.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

Martee3 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:21:51 GMT

Ok, I'm in...how do you make a bleach pen t-shirt. I'm intriqued.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

jlndesign — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:49:07 GMT

Kids love to make useful things for gifts. Try making a beaded keychain. It's a good way to use up one of a kind beads & charms, leather scraps, etc. Another great useful item is a beaded eyeglass chain, great for Mom, Grandma & teachers.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

GeeterBeader — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:56:50 GMT

Bug Rocks! The 1st thing u need are some little smooth round or oval rocks. Dont use sand stone b/c they just fall apart in no time at all. After u find ur perfect lil rocks u need to wash the dirt off of em and let em dry. Now go to ur paint stash and grab some acrylic paint and brushes. Lay down some newspaper or whatever to keep the paint off the table. A couple of tips: 1- if using a lighter color of paint start off with a base coat of white. 2- To make perfect little circles for like eyes and ladybug poka dots use the end of the paint brush. Just dip and then dot. Dip N' Dot! Huh Huh... Good luck, Have fun. Oh, and when they are good and dry you can spray or paint them with a clear coat to make them last a very long time. They are perfect for little flower gardens. Just try to keep em out of babies reach.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

Orionova — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:32:45 GMT

I love the comment about the button jar, though mine is a box (several of them, in fact), and includes buttons from both Grandmothers. It's all about history. For the kids I find in my company, I usually keep a few pieces of memory wire in the basket that already have a loop on one end. I give them my box of "bead soup" and help make the finishing loop when they are done. This can keep them busy for hours, making things for themselves and their friends. Natasha

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

Mary Ann @43 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:15:11 GMT

When I was very young my mother would keep me busy while she was sewing by giving me her large button jar and a piece of crochet cotton thread with a button tied on one end. I would happily spend hours stringing button necklaces and sorting buttons. My mother is now gone but her button jar is now one of my treasures. Including her own, it has now served 3 generations of early beaders and hopefully at least one more.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

dbElmquist — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:39:09 GMT

At art camp this summer, I had the kids (ages 8-14) make paper beads. I began with plain white copy paper and made a black lined template for them to cut out. I made both a barrel--straight line and a tapered shape. After running off copies, they color with markers and cut out. I gave them wooded skewers 6 inches long to role their beads on. They stuck each stick in a glob of clay and when finished, sealed them with matte medium. They loved it so much they asked to take extra materials home so they could make more.

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

EmmaR — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:38:10 GMT

There was one wonderful year, kids age end of 3rd grade through end of 7th grade, when I announced that anyone who claimed to be bored, with nothing to do, would have to wash the kitchen floor. End of summer, 4 happy kids, and only two times was the floor washed, by a smart-aleck friend!

re: 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects

MyLadyK — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:21:27 GMT

My five year old grand daughter loves to draw and paint. I have given her a bead box of her own. She uses the beads to embellish her drawings. I have printed out some princess items for her to embellish (flat backed crystals for her tiara). She is becoming very adept at using her scissors as well as controlling the amount of glue she needs for each bead. I had saved several small boxes for her to use. I punched a couple of holes in the side of one box and she strung the beads to create a handle. We slid the small box inside of a slightly larger one to make a drawer for her creations.