December Craft Ideas by Craft Caravan

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016 admin

Winter Wonderland – December Kids Craft Club

Winter Wreath craft, Winter Garland craft

Craft a winter wonderland with crafts from the Kids Craft Club! Only one week left to subscribe for this craft package.

Brighten up your indoor space with some fun winter crafts! This month with the Kids Craft Club, decorate a festive wreath to hang on the door to your room or even the door to your house, and then make a fun winter garland to brighten up any window!

Subscribe by November 23rd to receive this craft package at the beginning of December

Planning a Holiday Party? Christmas Party Crafts!

Just in time for the holiday season, Craft Caravan is pleased to introduce our party craft kits! If you’re planning a holiday party for your kids, include some craft time. We make it easy with prepared kits that contain everything you need to get crafty at your party! These kits are also great for families who want to decorate their Christmas trees with lots of home made ornaments! View our selection here.

Christmas Cards & Christmas Gifts

Season’s Greetings Cards & Christmas Cards

Sending Christmas and seasonal cards is usually one of the first tasks on the holiday list of things to do. Making cards by hand gives your Seaosn’s greeting a personal touch and it’s a great craft for the kids! Our Christmas card making kits and Season’s Greetings Card kits are now online for purchase – check them out!

Kids Craft Club – PreORDER for Christmas Gifts

A Kids Craft Club subscription is a great way to extend Christmas excitement throughout the year! If you’re shopping for a Christmas gift, sImply wirte ‘Christmas’ in the comment section of your order form, and your child will receive their first craft project right after Christmas!

Crafty Idea – Pine Tree Forest

This is a really simple way to make an interesting table or mantle display. Vary heights and sizes of trees for your own pine tree forest!

Supplies: construction paper in shades of green, green card stock, scissors, tape or glue, piece of cardboard or paper to use as the forest ‘base’

Directions:

1. For each tree, cut two identical triangles from green cardstock. Bend wide end over to make a 2.5 cm (1″) flap that can be glued to forest base. Glue or tape triangles to forest base so they’re facing each other, approx 1.5 cm (~ 1/2″) apart

2. Cut circles from various shades of construction paper or paper, starting with a large circle that is wider than the base of your triangle tree, and making additional circles that are smaller than the previous. We made 6 circles per tree.

3. Fold largest circle in half, and cut two crosswise slits on either side of centre, approx 1.5 cm (~1/2″) apart. Slide largest circle over top of tree triangles, settling at the base. Note: younger kids will need help with this!

4. Continue adding slits to circles and sliding them onto the tree base until the smallest circle is fitted to the top of tree.

5. Decorate your trees with stickers, tissue, etc if you want to, or make more trees to create a forest.

Did you try this craft? Send us your comments and photos and let us know how you liked it! For more winter craft ideas, visit our craft articles.

Crafty Idea – Sparkly Snowflakes

A simple twist to the ever-famous paper snowflake! Great for kids who are too young to cut an ornate snowflake – you do the cutting, they do the sprinkling!

Supplies: white paper, scissors, glue, sugar, sponge or cotton swab, string

Directions:

1. Fold your square or round piece of paper into half, then again into quarters. Use scissors to cut small shapes out of the paper. When you open your paper you will have a snowflake shape

2. Mix one part glue with one part water to create a thin glue. Place snowflake on a vinyl placemat or splashmat, and dab glue onto snowflake.

3. Sprinkle sugar over glue covered area. Flip your snowflake, dab with glue, and sprinkle again. Let your snowflake dry by hanging or clipping it up, or by letting it rest over the lid of a cup or bowl.

Did you try this craft? Send us your comments and photos and let us know how you liked it!For more winter craft ideas, visit our craft articles here.

Five Minute Fun – Popcorn Snow

If you’re looking for an easy crafting medium to fit into winter themes, don’t forget about popcorn! It’s always on hand, simple to make, and great for crafts. Think popcorn snowman or popcorn garland. Simple and fun!

Contest Winner: Season’s Greeting Card Making Kit

Congratulations to Amy, who won this month’s card making kit draw from our homepage! We’ll be contacting Amy by email to get shipping information for your Season’s Greetings Card making kit! You can enter next month’s draw here.

Be sure to join our Facebook page and follow our Twitter feed as well – for quick craft ideas, interesting articles, and giveaways

Craft Ideas by Craft Caravan – December 2008

July 7, 2016 admin

Visions of Christmas!

Visions of Christmas have already begun dancing through the air, and as we move into December the kids are already asking about Santa’s arrival. Channel their excited energy into some simple Christmas time craft projects. Give these ones a try:

Feather Boa Winter Wreath:

Supplies: Wreath form (cut one from cardboard, or purchase at craft store), feather boa (white, red, or green), ribbon, other decorations (pine cones, berries, or bells), tape or glue

Directions: Starting with one end held at back, wrap feather boa around wreath form, pulling up through middle and around. Continue wrapping until wreath s entirely covered. Tape or glue boa end in place at back. Tie ribbon into a bow at bottom. Add berries, pinecones, or bell (Shown). Tie second ribbon at top of wreath for hanging.

Tip: if you want to reuse the feather boa after the Christmas season, simply tuck one end under as you wrap, and use one piece of tape to secure other end at back. Remove tape and unwind boa to use.

Christmas Tree Cutout:

Supplies: 2 pieces of cardstock of construction paper (one of the pieces green, if possible), regular scissors or scrapbooking scissors, glue, decorating supplies such as stickers, pompoms, acrylic jewels, sequins, etc

Directions: Using the piece of paper that is not green, fold verticall y and cut triangle tree shape down the fold line, so that when you open the picture it will be a complete tree. Glue tree outline onto second piece of cardstock (green, if possible) and decorate the tre e with sequins, glitte r glue, etc.

Kids in the Kitchen – Clove Orange

Not for eating, this simple scented project is one from back when I was in kindergarten! Makes a lovely table display or poupourri replacement.

1 orange
Whole Cloves
Toothpick, darning needle, or wooden skewer
Ribbon in contrasting colour

Using toothpick, poke holes into orange. Make a pattern, or simply poke holes to cover the entire surface. As you poke holes, ask your child to insert cloves into each spot. When you have finished inserting cloves, tie a ribbon around the orange. Place on a decorative plate or in a bowl for display

Simple Science – Christmas Tree Scent

Use your Christmas tree for a quick science experiment with the kids. Cut a sprig from the tree, and then have them carefully rub the sprig between their fingers. Can they smell the scent on their fingers? Why do trees smell? Apparently the plants that give off minty, oily, or sharp smells do so as a defense mechanism. The smells come from chemicals that smell and taste terrible to animals that might consider the plant for lunch!

Letters to Santa

If your child is expecting Santa to arrive with gifts they’ll want to let Old St. Nick know what they’d like to see on Christmas morning. Turn their wish list into a chance to practice writing or pre-writing skills. Make a Christmas wish letter to Santa; they can draw pictures of what they’d like for Christmas, or find pictures in magazines and flyers. Bigger kids can write what they’re hoping for as well! To complete the project, put the letter in an envelope and send to Santa at North Pole HOH OHO. The Canada Post reply program recommends getting your letters in the mail by December 5th. Remember to include your return address!

Five Minute Fun – Christmas Cards and Wrapping Paper

Fight boredom the entire month of December by having a stack of card making and wrapping paper making supplies available to your kids. Magazine and flyer clippings are perfect for decorating, in addition to old Christmas cards, stickers, and crayons or markers. The kids can work on hand made cards whenever they have a few minutes. A great way to tackle your Christmas card list in addition to giving the kids some hands on fun! Check out our Christmas Card making kit – a great way to get started!

Simple Party Planning for January

If you’re trying to take a breather from the Christmas chaos to plan for your child’s winter birthday party, we can help!! Craft Caravan is pleased to announce our new party crafts. Available in minimum order quantities of 5 crafts, simply choose the craft that’s right for your party, and we’ll send you everything you need to entertain. Order before Christmas to ensure arrival in time for your party!

Craft Caravan on Living Vancouver

Want to learn more about Craft Caravan or how to get crafty with your kids at home? Check out these clips from CBC’s lifestyles show Living Vancouver. View ‘Getting Crafty with Kids’ (Nov 20 Episode 3049) and ‘Craft Caravan’ (Oct 9 Episode 3019)

Kids Craft Ideas: Five Easy Homemade Christmas Ornament Crafts for Kids

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016 admin

If you’re putting up a Christmas tree this year, put the kids in charge of decorating by crafting handmade ornaments and hanging them on the tree. Handmade ornaments also make great gifts for Grandparents and other family, especially if they involve a picture of your kids in the centre! Here are a few handmade ornament ideas:

1. Salt dough ornaments – we looked forward to making ornaments every year when I was a kid. If you’re not quite ready to put the tree up yet, this is a great way to channel the kids’ excitement into a Christmas project! Roll out the dough and cut shapes with cookie cutters. Place shapes on baking sheet and make a hanging hole in each, using toothpick. Bake and cool. Decorate ornaments with paints, decorating supplies, clippings of old Christmas cards, family photos. Let dry. Hang with wire or ribbon. Here’s the recipe:

1 cup salt, 4 cups flour, 1 ½ c warm water, 4 tbsp salad oil
Mix dry ingredients and then wet ingredients; combine all and knead for 10 minutes
Roll to ¼” thick and cut shapes. Prick bottoms, bake on greased pan at 350 for ½ hour to 3 hours, depending on thickness

2. Edible ornaments – no one likes ‘undecorating’ the tree at the end of the season, so make yours a tree that naturally becomes more sparse as the days of Christmas-ing go on! Before baking your gingerbread men and sugar cookies, use a toothpick to make a hole at the top for hanging. Popcorn garlands can be strung, and of course candy canes can be added to your tree as well.

3. Pinecones! A great natural addition to your Christmas tree. Go outside to collect pinecones, remove any dirt, debris, or snow, and let them dry if necessary (you can dry them in the oven at low temp ~200 degrees). Add small dots of glue and sprinkle with icing sugar, sugar, or sparkles if you have them. You can also roll them in glue and then put them in a brown bag or resealable bag full of sugar/sparkles and shake shake shake to decorate. Glue or tie a ribbon to the top for hanging.

4. Ribbon ornaments: if your child is ready to learn how to tie bows, use wide ribbon to tie several bows for the tree. You can also fold ribbon back and forth in a zig zag (about 1” per zig…or zag), and then pull a needle and thread through all thicknesses to make a small stack of ‘ribbon candy’

5. Bead ornaments: Candy canes are a simple beading project – all you need are some wooden beads and a pipe cleaner (chenille stem). Bend the pipe cleaner into a cane shape and slip on the beads! Icicles are just as easy – simply string 6 or 7 beads and buttons, and loop onto a tree branch.

If you have any special handmade ornament ideas that you use year after year, let us know about it!