Paper Crafts

From LoveToKnow Crafts

There’s nothing more simple and fun than making paper crafts with your kids. Paper is incredibly inexpensive and there are so many things you can do with it: draw or paint on it, decorate it with stickers, fold it into a paper airplane, a box, or an origami shape and much more. Here are some ideas and resources to get you thinking about all the paper crafts you can do with your kids.

Paper Airplanes

What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn’t love paper airplanes? This paper craft can go from easy to complicated in no time as people alter their designs to try to make their crafts stay in the air longer.

If you’re looking for patterns for paper airplanes, visit the website of Ken Blackburn, who holds the world record for keeping a paper airplane aloft. In case you were wondering, the record is a whopping 27.6 seconds and was set in 1998 in the Georgia Dome.

There are links to his paper airplane books here, but there are also a few patterns that you can try, including the one that beat the world record.

Other paper airplane patterns can be found on the following sites:

Origami Crafts

In a similar vein to paper airplane crafts is origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding. People who are skilled at origami can create beautiful designs, from cranes to dragons to boxes and just about anything else they can imagine.

You might have stayed away from origami in the past because it seems like it is very difficult. It can be challenging, but there are some more basic folded paper objects that you and your kids can make together.

Children are great at picking up things that may seem too difficult for grownups. Odds are you’ve got a child who will be great at origami. Here are instructions for making a classic crane, which don’t look all that difficult, though there are several steps involved.

Other beginner’s origami sites:

  • Tammy Yee has “origami” that’s not at all traditional but does involve folding. Print her designs and make your own paper crafts.
  • Folds.net has great instructions and lots of easy projects that are supposed to only take a few minutes each.
  • Here are instructions for an origami swan, with an essay about why origami is good for kids.
  • Origami USA has a few good projects, including a paper cup.

Body Art

When I think about paper crafts, for some reason my mind wanders to those big rolls of newsprint that you used to be able to buy all over the place (and still can, it appears, on the Internet, of course). Those big blank rolls of paper are a great way to inspire a child’s imagination.

Roll out a big sheet of paper and put it on the floor (with a sheet or something underneath) or on the wall. Better yet, do this outside in the grass or on the driveway. Spread out all kinds of paint supplies, markers, crayons, stickers, glitter, anything your kids love to make messy art with.

I called this section body art because if you put the paper on the ground there’s sure to be a crayon outline of each of your children before the day is over. If you’re using paints, handprints and finger-painted masterpieces will be in store. See what kind of designs you can make just using your body to get the paint on the paper. (Make sure you’re using washable paint and in messy clothes, of course.) Or use the large paper to make a giant collage to hang on the wall.

Making Paper

Perhaps the best paper craft out there is to make paper. I know this sounds like more effort than you want to go to for an afternoon of fun, but your kids will love it. Children of all ages seem to be fascinated by how things are made, and anything that gives them a hands-on experience of creating something will become a cherished memory.

Making paper at home is pretty easy. You only need a little bit of special equipment, some of which you might already have in the house:

  • window screening
  • a wooden frame (an old picture frame will work)
  • a plastic tub big enough to immerse your frame
  • a blender that is not used for food (which you can buy at a discount store)
  • tacks to attach the screen to the frame
  • white felt or flannel fabric
  • a sponge

Almost any kind of paper can be used to make paper, from computer printouts to old magazines, even newspaper, toilet paper, paper bags, egg cartons made of paper, construction paper, tissue paper and non-waxed boxes (soak these first so they are softer and easier for the blender to get through.

Rip the paper into small pieces and fill the blender about halfway with paper. Fill the blender with warm water and blend, starting out slowly, until you have a smooth pulp. Make your mold by stretching the screen on your frame and tacking it into place. The size of your frame will determine the size of your paper. Fill your tub about halfway with water, add three or more blenders full of pulp and stir. The more pulp you add the thicker your paper will be.

Place the mold in the tub and level out the pulp while the frame is submerged. Swish it around until the layer of pulp on the screen looks even. If you want to use the paper for writing, add two teaspoons of liquid starch before this step. Lift the frame out of the water and allow it to drain.

Gently ease the mold, paper side down, onto your felt or flannel piece. Use a sponge to get as much excess moisture as you can out of the paper. Wring the sponge into the pulp tub as you go. Hold the fabric flat and slowly lift the mold away from the paper. Do this slowly, and expect it to not work perfectly every time. It takes a little practice to get out enough water and not pull the mold away too quickly. If your paper doesn’t come out perfect you can always tear it up and start over.

Make multiple sheets and stack your layers of fabric and paper together on a cookie sheet. Add another cookie sheet to the top to help press more moisture out of the paper (do this outside or in the bathtub). Separate the sheets and allow them to dry on newspaper or even on the clothesline. When the paper is dry, pull it off the fabric. Use this paper on greeting cards, in scrapbooks, or any other way you like.


 


Comment on Paper Crafts



(Displayed with your comment)                        (Will not be displayed)
Verification Code:   
    

Crafts Categories
LoveToKnow Tools
More Articles