Mobile phones and tablets are keeping children inside and seated now more than ever. A quick, creative way to get children either outside or away from gadgets is through DIY crafts. With these five low-priced craft ideas, parents can connect with their children without connecting them to technology.
Squirt Gun Painting
Make a splash with squirt-gun painting because, let’s face it, painting with brushes or fingers is overrated. Squirt guns add more animation and physical activity to a traditional pastime without costing parents more money. Keep in mind, a tree or outdoor wall can easily replace the need for an easel.
Materials needed:
- Squirt guns
- Watercolor paper
- Liquid watercolors
- Easel
Slime Recipes
Metallic Slime
Turn Nickelodeon’s green slime into an at-home production with this DIY slime recipe. Slime is easy to modify and personalize, which provides parents with an activity that caters to each child’s preferences. Whether your child wants slime that glows in the dark, sparkles like a unicorn or smells like candy, the following recipe can adjust to any style.
- Combine clear glue and a preferred hue of watercolor in a bowl. Mix well.
- Add 1/4 of liquid starch to the mixture and stir. Don’t forget to shake the bottle of the liquid starch first.
- Once fully mixed, add in 1/8 cup of liquid starch and stir.
- Finally, add the remainder of the liquid starch and stir.
- Knead the slime until it reaches a slime-like consistency.
Toilet Paper Roll Crafts
Monsters. Bracelets. Bird feeders. These crafts and more are easily made from toilet paper rolls, which are inexpensive, eco-friendly and multifaceted. Using toilet paper rolls to make bird feeders is an interesting craft that not only keeps children entertained but also teaches them about the importance of recycling and taking care of animals.
What you can create:
- Duct tape cuff bracelets
- Bird feeder (includes: peanut butter and bird seed)
- Make cars
- Make teacups
- Make little monsters
- Make planters (teaches recycling)
Paper Glass
Another inexpensive household item used for DIY crafts is the coffee filter. Coffee filters are most commonly used to create paper snowflakes at Christmastime, but paper glass can be made anywhere at anytime of the year.
Instructions:
- Use scissors to trim the edge of a coffee filter to create an uneven, organic shape.
- Make lines, spots, and blobs on the coffee filter with non-permanent markers.
- Drape the coffee filter over an upside-down plastic cup or yogurt container.
- Apply spray starch to the filter until the marker colors bleed together and the coffee filter is completely wet.
- Let the filter dry.
Water and Oil Experiment
Oil and water don’t mix. With this craft experiment, children can explore the science behind the idiom. Crafts that double as entertainment and a learning opportunity is a win-win for parents. In addition to the experiment, parents can expound on its results by showing children the difficulty of washing oil from their hands without soap or dishwashing liquid.
Materials needed:
- Water
- Food coloring
- Cups
- Shallow bowl
- Cooking oil
Instructions:
- Add food coloring drops to water.
- Pour cooking oil in a shallow dish.
- Pour the colored water into the oil and observe.