Posts Tagged "Camp Crafts"

Personalized Ribbon Keychain

Personalized Ribbon Keychains are an all-ages project, suitable for both young girls and still a fun, quick project for older girls.  These instructions on aimed more for younger girls, but older girls can easily also do this project with access to more craft supplies to snazzy up their key chains a bit more.   This can easily be done in 30 minutes and is very clean, as long as the fabric paint is kept under control by younger girls.

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Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Cut a piece of ribbon 28″ long and two coordinating pieces 2″ long.
  2. Slip the key ring onto the long piece of ribbon.  Fold it in half over the key ring and glue the ends together.
  3. Use the small pieces of ribbon to wrap around and glue over the seam of the other ribbons.
  4. Lightly draw the name onto the ribbon.
  5. Use the dimensional fabric paint to personalize and let dry.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. Adult supervision is required.
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Clay Heart Necklace

This Clay Heart Necklace is a super girly project, and should be best suited for older Brownie and Junior troops, ages 9-12.  It’s a little messy, so make sure you have smocks or spare crafting shirts to cover up a bit.  You should not use a toaster oven for this project that you actively cook in – it’s best to buy a cheap oven just for crafts or use an older toaster oven you plan on replacing in your kitchen.  Some clays are toxic and render a toaster oven unsafe to cook food in from there.

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Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Condition the clay by kneading it in your hands.  Roll out the pink clay to about 1/8″ thickness.
  2. Use the plastic knife to cut out the heart, smoothing the edges with your finger.
  3. Knead the lavender clay and roll it out into 1/8″ thickness.  Cut a second heart, making it about ¼” smaller than the pink heart.
  4. Carefully place the lavender heart on top of the pink heart.
  5. Knead just a small amount of the black clay.  Roll it out to about ¼”.  Cut a strip of clay and wrap it around the edges of the lavender heart, making an outline.
  6. Use other strips to make a peace sign inside the lavender heart.
  7. Use a toothpick to make two small holes at the top of the heart.  This is where you’ll later lace the ribbon through.
  8. ADULTS: Follow the directions on the clay packages and bake in the toaster oven for the time indicated.  Let cool.
  9. Cut an 18″ piece of ribbon and thread one end through the hole at one side of the heart.  Tie a knot.
  10. Tie a knot 2″ from the first knot.  Slip on a pony bead and tie another knot so the pony bead is held in place by knots on both sides.
  11. Continue knotting about every 2″ and adding beads to the desired length.  End by tying the ribbon to the second hole in the heart.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. Adult supervision is required at all times.
  2. You can also use cookie cutters on the clay, but they should not be used for food ever again once it’s used in a craft project.
  3. An adult should use the oven only and complete that step in the process.
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Summer Sand Bucket & Water Bottle

In truth, this is less of a creation craft and more of a decoration and personalization craft.  This is IDEAL for a Daisy troop… perfect for that young age range, not very messy, and no real construction required.  This can easily be completed in a 30 minute meeting.  Depending on the size of your troop, you can also get them involved in picking out the decorations you use by taking a field trip to the craft store to get the supplies the week before you do this activity.

Want to share photos of your troop and finished projects? Contact Us!

Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

  • Plastic sand pail with shovel.
  • Permanent markers in various colors.
  • Foam glitter stickers.
  • Self-stick gems.
  • Plastic water bottle.

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Use permanent markers to draw loopy flowers onto pail.
  2. Remove the backing from glittered foam flowers and place in the center of the drawn flowers.
  3. Embellish the flowers and leaves with self-adhesive gems.
  4. Remove the backing from the wave pieces and place at the top and bottom of the water bottle.
  5. Remove the backing from the fish and starfish and place on bottle.
  6. Embellish with the self-adhesive gems.
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Pinwheels

This is a great project for younger girls, as the pinwheels work pretty well but older girls might be a bit disappointed that they don’t work perfectly but they’re still awesome!  That doesn’t really matter since, in my experience, pinwheels are really a toy more suited for younger girls anyway.  You can spice up the project and colors by getting a pack of assorted colored drinking straws instead of plain white ones.  The best straws are straight and not the kind with the bend in them.

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Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

  • White construction paper
  • Crayons, colored pencils, or markers.
  • Plastic drinking straws
  • Scissors
  • Pencils
  • Brass paper fasteners
  • Pinwheel pattern.

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Print the pinwheel pattern. You can reproduce this pattern on white construction paper with a copy machine. Be sure to cut the construction paper to 8½ in. by 11 in. You can also print the pattern out onto thicker colored paper directly.
  2. Cut out the pattern along the solid lines.
  3. Decorate the un-folded paper. Stickers might not work so well due to the folding and aerodynamics, but any other crayons, colored pencils, or markers should be fine for decorations.
  4. Cut the dotted lines from the four corners to the center circle, doing your best not to cut into the center circle.
  5. Use the sharpened pencil to poke a hole through the four tiny dark circles. The pencil point also works well to poke a hole into the straw, though you can also have an adult use a nail or a very small diameter hole punch. Carefully push the pencil point through the straw about ½” inch from the top.
  6. Make the tiny holes on the four points meet at the center circle.
  7. Push the brass fastener ends through the holes on the pinwheel. then push the fastener through the center circle.
  8. Place the straw on the back side of your pinwheel and push the ends of the fastener through the hole in the straw. Open-up the fastener by flattening the ends in opposite directions.

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. Adults should always make the holes when using a sharp object and working with younger girls.
  2. DO NOT allow the girls to punch holes with a nail if that’s the only implement you have.
  3. Adult supervision required when younger girls are using scissors.

Quick ShoppingQuick Shopping for This Project

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God’s Eyes

God’s Eyes

I wish I knew of a non-religious name for this craft, but this is what they’ve always been referred to as long as I’ve known how to do them.  The project originates in Mexico and Bolivia and is known in Spanish as Ojo de Dios, which translates to God’s Eyes.  These can be used as decoration anywhere or even ornaments for a Christmas tree during the holidays.  The way I’ve written the directions, you’ll have to tie off colors to switch cleanly between them, but in the Quick Shopping links at the bottom I’ve found some multicolor skeins of yarn.  These types of yarn vary throughout the skein in different colors, so that might be an interesting way to vary the color but avoid the tie off of the different colors.  It’s a handy trick when you don’t have a lot of time to complete the project or when working with younger girls who might not have the patience or dexterity to tie off between colors.

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Materials NeededMaterials Needed:

DirectionsDirections:

  1. Cross the sticks at the center. Tie them together with the end of a piece of yarn, making an X, but don’t cut the yarn off its skein. Tie the yarn IN BACK of the 2 crossed sticks.
  2. With the pencil, number the sticks at the ends, in the center.  This isn’t necessary, but will make these directions much easier to follow.
  3. Bring the yarn to the front between sticks 3 and 4. Pull the yarn over stick 3 and the next one too (stick 2), and bring it to the back between sticks 2 and 1. Wrap it behind stick 2 and bring it to the front again between sticks 2 and 3. Pull it over stick 2 and the next one too (stick 1), and wrap it behind stick 1.
  4. Pull the yarn over stick 1 and the next one too (stick 4) and wrap it behind stick 4. Pull it over stick 4 and the next one too (stick 3) and wrap it behind stick 3. This is one complete round. Always lay the yarn next to, NOT on top of the yarn already in place.
  5. Keep on wrapping the yarn behind each stick, over that stick and the next, and around behind that one, then over that stick and the next and behind that one. As you continue making the rounds, always be sure that the yarn lies next to, but never on top of the yarn in the previous round. After the first few rounds, you will see the woven pattern of the “eye” beginning to form.
  6. When you have an “eye” in one color of yarn, you can cut the yarn and tie on another color, and continue weaving. Make sure that the knot that you joined the 2 colors with, stays in the back.
  7. Keep weaving the “God’s Eye” until you are about ½” from the ends of the sticks. Cut the yarn, leaving approximately a 7-8″ tail. Tie the tail in a knot in back.

This diagram from About.com should help:

God's Eye Craft Diagram

Safety TipsSafety Tips!

  1. This is an all-ages project, but adult supervision is required of younger girls when using the scissors.
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