Kid’s Crafts at the Farmers Market Revisited

I wrote this almost two years ago and as summer break is starting here  and I thought it might be helpful for those involved it summer camp or vacation bible camp or for parents with lots of kids to entertain for the summer. It has some great tips for those working with the younger kids.  I hope you can make your summer a crafty one. 

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For the last two summers I have volunteered at one of our local Farmers Markets (Rose City Farmer’s Market in Tyler Texas, to be exact).  Every third Saturday is Kid’s Crafts with Miss Cheryl.  I have easy and quick crafts that kids can make for free.

Tomorrow we are decorating braided yarn weather forecasters.  Little yarn figures you hang outside to tell you the weather.  If yarn forecaster is dry, it is sunny out.  If it is wet, it’s raining.  If it is blowing around, it’s windy.

I have learned a lot about what to do or not do with kids.  For one thing most of the kids will be about 6 years old and younger so it has to be very easy with not a lot of steps.  I often do some of the boring prep work. So for our forecasters, I braided the yarn and glued the googly eyes and felt mouth on.  With that done, the kids do the fun part by gluing on the sequins.

Also due to the age of the children, using a bottle of glue can be hard for their little fingers to squeeze and control.  So I put a little glue in an empty peanut butter jar lid and the kids apply the glue with a small paint brush.  I use the jar lid because it is heavy enough to not blow away and it’s free.  Paper plates would work too (but if you are someplace breezy, tape the plate to the table).

I only use a little bit of glue at time – maybe a teaspoon or less.  If you don’t have a steady stream of children to the table, the glue will dry before it can be used.   I also have a jar of water to keep the paint brushes clean and moist.  If the glue dries on the brush, it is hard for the kids to use them.

I let the kids use sequins to decorate the weather forecasters.  The shapes are fun and they sparkle in the light.  But again because the kids are young and may not have the dexterity in their fingers, I use shapes that are about ¼ to ½ inch in size.  It is easier for them to pick up.

I have copy paper to use under what the kids are gluing and then I wrap the paper around the weather forecaster and tape it closed so that they won’t lose any of the decorations before everything dries.   

I rely on money donations at the market with a little donation jar. And last year when I started this, I asked for craft supply donations from others.  My local quilt guild was very generous.  Give a crafter an excuse to clean out a drawer or closet and she will always donate (gives her room for new fabric).

I have a great deal of fun doing these crafts.  What ideas these little ones come up with are amazing.  Plus it lets me do a little kid crafting myself. 



                                                                          



 © 2016, 2018 – Cheryl Fillion