Ten Craft Items To Keep Around For Kiddos

Lists.

I think they’re fun.

Have you seen the journal book The 52 List Project? It’s terribly fun! I got one last year and I’ve filled out some of the lists. It’s a great gift idea for any booky-journal-y person in your life. Or any list maker or lover!

Today’s list of ten has me thinking about a craft box we had when my kiddos were younger and shorter and smaller and shared a Happy meal and in general, WEREN’T teenagers yet! 🙂

We went through a season when they were always coming and asking me for string. I didn’t really have string tucked around my house. But little man needed it for his farm stuff or Miss Punky needed it to make reigns for a horse or to tie around my dining room chairs for some pretend or other.

One day I was struck with the brilliance of buying four fat skeins of yarn at Wal-Mart.

Red. Yellow. White. Blue.

We tucked them into an over-the-door organizer inside our toyroom/sewingroom/schoolroom closet, in easy reach of short people.

It worked like a charm.

Now, they had yarn! Whenever they needed string, they knew where to head.

They quit asking me for the string that I didn’t have tucked away anywhere to pull out for them.

Somewhere along this same time, we started collecting a bit of this and some of that and a craft box was born!

We found a handy-dandy Rubbermaid box with a white, snap-on lid and we filled it full of craft stuff tight up to the brim and tucked in on a shelf in the same closet where it could be pulled out for little crafters.

NOW. I admit there were times the messes drove me a bit crazy.

Some days, I really didn’t want to find ANOTHER bit of yarn tied around ANYTHING.

Sometimes I would turn around and find what I thought was a freshly swept floor was now littered with bits and pieces of debris left behind from SAID craft box.

BUT, what season doesn’t have its messes and distresses along with its “blesses”?!

I loved the creative play these simple things encouraged. I loved the art and heart they sparked and the time spent in concentration over some project or paper.

If you’d like to start a craft-box stash, I’m making a simple list of a few things that were fun in ours!

Ten Craft Items To Keep Around For Kiddos

1. Paper. Colored. Construction. Cardstock.

2. Stickers. Any and all variety! We had some foamy ones that were fun! {And yes, I often found the stray one here, there and everywhere!!}

3. Kid friendly scissors. A couple of pairs that cut edging designs are fun.

4. Stamps. Look for them at garage sales or use them for a gift idea!

5. Yarn. Invaluable.

6. Markers and pens and pencils and colored pencils. {We love Prismacolor pencils.}

7. Googly eyes. {Small pieces, so obviously use age-appropriately.}

8. Pom-poms and chenille stems/pipe cleaners.

9. Glue and Tape. All the washi tape we have now is so fun! This wasn’t available when my kiddos were little….or I wasn’t aware of it yet, anyway.

10. Felt squares or pieces.

Or simply go browse a craft aisle or craft store…..or check out Hobby Lobby or Amazon online.

Definitely keep an eye out at garage sales!! I picked up different crafty finds from garage sales.

You can really get a craft box started without having to invest a lot of $, if you want.

These items also make terrific ideas for Christmas lists, birthday lists, and Easter baskets!

Tape was a regular stocking stuffer item at our house for several years! {I should have bought stock in Scotch tape! 🙂 It was used about as much as our yarn!}

Tell me what your kiddos like to craft with!!

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We’re still out of electricity today. We had ice over the weekend and our electricity hung in there until 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning. We have a generator powered by a trusty John Deere, so we’re faring quite well.

Winter days and no electricity or limited usage makes for some good crafting weather!!! I have a wreath I want to finish.

The ice was so beautiful despite the damage it causes . I posted a few pics on Instagram.

Is it winter for you? Or are you soaking up sunny south sunshine? IF you have the sun, savor some for me!!! 🙂 We do have sunshine today and much of our ice fell yesterday and is quickly disappearing today. Good moisture for our wheat fields! Praise God!