H’s school project assignment this month was to make a musical instrument. (Don’t get me started on the monthly project thing.) I was expecting something along the lines of last year’s great ancestor doll debacle, but it actually turned out to be simple and fun.
Since H started school, I always try to save baby food jars, shoe boxes and paper towel rolls. These seem to be the most requested items for craft projects. I had to help with cutting the holes in the shoe boxes, because the cardboard was so thick. The kids were able to assemble the rest. They used ribbon and markers to make stripes. They have been playing with them ever since we made them on Sunday.

This was the second Rick Riordon book signing we have attended at BookPeople. Papalibrarian took this picture of H and I waiting in line to get our 39 Clues: Maze of Bones books signed. I love the look on H’s face-a little bit of author awe! Exactly what I would expect from the son of two librarians.

Last school year, my son, H, took art lessons in our home from Laurie Mann. She teaches private lessons, as well as teaching a bunch of other classes through the art museum and studios. For our lessons Laurie not only taught the basics of drawing, she also read art-based stories to the kids, and picked out appropriate supplies for them to use.
She focused mainly on the fundamentals of drawing with him. Like a lot of kids, H is interested in comics, and drawing things that interest him, so they incorporated those elements into the lessons. Henry likes to draw pictures of birds. Here are two birds he drew during last year’s lessons.



This year, C, decided she would like a lesson also. Laurie is great about working with both the kids on their individual levels, as well as sometimes having them work together. This year Laurie is going to expand beyond just drawing to include some other types of art projects.



We just had the first lesson the other day. Laurie is having them make mosaic tiles. Each child picked out their own tile selections and glued them on the larger tile. Next week they are going to finish them with grout. C also worked on drawing a dragon with Laurie. The kids had a great time getting to use the caulk to glue on the tiles and sorting through the big bag of pieces to pick just the right one. Here are pictures of their works-in-progress.

For all those kids who run off with the empty toilet paper rolls, the new book Make It, by Jane Bull is for you. Make It is filled with crafts to make with recyclables. It is divided into sections for Paper Crafts, Metal Crafts, Plastic Crafts, and Fabric Crafts. The book is filled with brightly colored photographs of the projects. The photographs inspire you to come up with ideas of your own. The tools and supplies needed to make the crafts are simple and most likely already on hand. All you really need are glue, scissors, tape, and whatever is in the recycle bin. My daughter, C, is currently stockpiling plastic bottles in her room to make into a birdfeeder.



Another book that is great for kids who like to build things is Amazing Leonardo Da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself, by Maxine Anderson. Geared toward an older age group, the projects in this book require adult supervision. Each project is prefaced by a section that describes the historical and scientific basis for the project, and the relationship to Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches and techniques.



My son, H, has an entire plastic bin filled with paper airplanes he has folded. He likes to get them out and throw them, so that they cover his room. They are all different sizes. For inspiration he gets out his Super Simple Paper Airplanes, by Nick Robinson. The illustrations for folding in this book are very detailed, but still some require adult help. The planes range in complexity, so there are planes that you can fold right away and others that require more time.



And in the crafty department, I recently added Making Stuff for Kids, by Victoria Woodcock to our bookshelves. It has crafts for kids as young as three. It also has instructions for teaching kids basic sewing, knitting, cross stitch, appliqué, felting, paper mache, and pompom making. Each chapter is grouped by age. There is also an “Adult” section at the end of the book with such craft projects as a child’s tea dress, apron, and birdhouse. The magnetic button spider caught the eye of the kids right away.