Crafts from the 50's and 60's part 1

Spending quality with our kids is such an important part of child rearing, yet we don't always make room for it in our busy schedules. Between homework, extra curricular activities, friends and work, it can seem a bit overwhelming. Having 4 children myself, (one being developmentally delayed) I too, find it challenging to find the time, patience, and most of all, the energy.

However, I make no excuse and diligently set time aside just for them every week. The one thing that I find very rewarding is crafting with my kids. Even though they are getting older (1 teenager and 2 pre-teens), they still like to sit down with mom and create stuff. No worries though, I still have an 18 month old who will give me plenty of crafting years yet.

Another great thing about crafting is, it doesn't have to be expensive or complicated and can be educational when appropriate. For this reason, I've decided to create a series of crafts that go back many years. I thought it would be fun to revisit the old days and revive some of the classics.

Now, I'm not a child from the 50's or 60's, but I've bought enough magazines and books from that era over the years to know a thing or two. Remember what I just said, a thing or two, I don't profess to know it all. (LOL) My goal is to publish at least one craft per week, perhaps more, if I have the time and energy.

Anyways, to kick start things, I'd like to begin the series with a popular paper crafts.

This was probably a part of every school curriculum back in the day and since valentine is right around the corner, this will be the focus of my article.

Enjoy!

The idea of this craft is to create a picture card or postcard using various shapes like circles, squares, triangles, rectangles and ovals. (No curves aloud, some exceptions apply!) Even older children and like minded adults will enjoy the challenge of producing a work of art utilizing the fundamentals of geometry, so without delay, gather your materials and spend some quality time with your kids.

• Construction Paper (various colors) or Recycled Newspaper
• White Bristol Board (Card Stock)
• Scissors
• White all Purpose Glue
• Hole Punch (Optional)
• Assortment of Crafting Accessories (Optional)
• Black Marker

To make things a heck of lot easier, I pre-cut all my shapes using scrapbooking templates. This way, the kids can just dig in the pile and find the appropriate shape for their picture.

Next, you need to determine if you're creating folding cards or just postcards. I prefer the latter. Using your white card stock, take a C.D. or any other method you prefer and draw around it, then cut it out. This will serve as your base card.

All that's left now is to assemble a picture with the shapes, just like a puzzle and glue it on. You can add glitter like I did, or just about anything you have on hand to embellish the card. I also used a black marker to write some quotes.

One more thing that I found very useful was to create a list of suggestions to get their creativity going. Here is a sample foe your use.

• Crocodile
• Lady Bug
• Flower
• Teddy Bear
• Scenery (trees and houses)
• Robot
• Night Sky (Stars and Planets)

Hint: You're out this world, be my valentine

Another way to find ideas is to look at books with your kids. Perhaps you can ask them what shapes they can find in the various parts of the pictures. Then you can use this as a guideline. I think if you create a few of these, you're kids will know their geometry shapes in not time flat.

If all else fails, I've taken the time to create one for you step by step below.

Did you think that I had all the fun? Of course not. My children also created their own cards as well as the neighbor's child. My daughter didn't quite like the way hers turned out, but I told her it was great, after all, it's the effort that counts and the spirit!

I hope that you enjoy this article as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. Remember, there is always time for your kids. Stay tuned for more crafts from the 50's and 60's coming your way!

Chantel