Arts and Crafts on a Budget

With the recession still in full swing we’re all feeling the pinch. And with the money expected to stretch ever further things like art and craft supplies are falling far down on the list of things to buy. Here at ELHQ we are always looking for ways to help you stay within your budget (at home and at school), so I have compiled a list of fun arts and craft ideas that will cost you practically nothing but that have to potential to entertain for hours.

–  Melting old crayons together: This is a great way of putting any old crayons you have lying around to good use. Simply soak the crayons to remove the paper and then break them up and put them into over-proof cake tins or moulds. Then set the oven at a low temperature for about 15 minutes or until the wax begins to melt. And there you have it, new crayons!

– Mosaics from old china: Simply collecting together any old plates or teacups that you have and put them in a plastic bag, and gently smash them up. The child can now use the pieces to make a mosaic. This activity is better suited to older children as some pieces could have sharp edges, but you can always file them down first to make them safe.

– Blackboard paint: If you have any unwanted furniture lying around, like an old table or cabinet, then don’t throw it away. Simply paint the top or side with some blackboard paint and put it in your craft corner or playroom.

– Salt dough: Salt dough is a great way of making decorations or ornaments quickly. The dough consists of water, flour and salt (see our salt dough recipe for the exact measurements) and can be either slowly dried in the oven for about an hour, or just popped in the microwave for about 3 minutes. When it’s completely hard ask the children to pain it and voila, ready-made decorations that can be used for gifts or Christmas decorations.

– Make paper beads: This is a great activity that I saw on the My Make-do and Mend Year blog. All you need to do is take some old magazines (or coloured paper) and cut it up into triangles. You then cover one side of the triangles in glue and wrap them around a straw (with the sticky side up so it doesn’t stick to the straw), then wait for them to dry. When you take the paper of the straw you will have a cylinder of colourful paper that can be used as a paper bead on a necklace or bracelet.

– Empty toilet rolls: On Pintrest I found a great board called Toilet Roll Crafts, which has lots of craft ideas for using empty toilet rolls. With ideas ranging from robots to toy cars I’m sure you’ll find something to do with your unwanted cardboard.

– Origami: Origami is a great way for you to help your child improve their dexterity and to learn to follow instructions. This website has a lot of simple origami designs that you can try at home, you can find it here.

– Rubbings and Collages: These are all very simple activities that can be done with the minimum of preparation and are ideal for including in a trip to the woods. Ask the children to collect a variety of woodland objects (like leaves and twigs) and to make rubbings of any interesting tress they find. When you get home (or back to school) the children can put all of their object together into a collage that can be displayed on the wall.

Whilst I was looking for fun craft ideas I came across a Pintrest board that I think is brilliant, with everything from forks made into photo frames to Pringles tubes made into castles. Have a look and see what you think: //pinterest.com/ArmaDei/recycle-crafts/.