A teacher friend and I were talking last week and she told me about crafternoon. Instantly I loved the name. Doesn't it sound cosy? My first grade teacher let us have crafternoon every Thursday except it was called 'craft with the mums'. About 7 helpers came into class to help us learn everything from paper mache to cross stitch. We were 7 years old and loved it all. Some of those skills and experiences have travelled and evolved all the way through life with me.
As a teacher, I've always infused craft into my classrooms wherever possible too. I've used it as a teaching or learning strategy, not a learning area. Letting students make or create something as a way to express their knowledge or understanding within a content area. It can also be a part of your handwriting program, visual arts program or technology program.
If it's possible for you to have a crafternoon you may like to incorporate both structured and free tasks. Structured tasks may take advantage of templates and guides. Free exploration can give students a chance to be creative and inventive. They can design, test and revise their making efforts.
To make craft and making in the classroom more practical think about having a storeroom or shelf to store your growing collection of supplies. Ask parents and families to donate items that could be used by the students. Be sure to check them as they come in to ensure they are clean, safe and appropriate.
I've brainstormed a list of some supplies you may like to ask to be donated.
Craft Supplies for the Classroom
Here are 62 inexpensive or recycled items you could use for making and craft in the classroom.
- Boxes / Small Containers
- Cardboard Scraps
- cardboard Cylinders
- Egg Cartons
- Egg Shells
- Elastic Bands
- Envelopes
- Fabrics
- Feathers
- Felt
- Glitter
- Ice Cream Containers
- Jars
- Keys
- Lace
- Leaves
- Lids
- Linen Scraps
- Magazines
- Mailing Tubes
- Match Boxes
- Metallic papers
- Milk Bottle Lids
- Newspaper
- Paper Bags
- Paper Clips
- Paper Doilies
- Paper Fasteners
- Paper Plates
- Paper Napkins
- Paper Tubes
- Pine Cones
- Pipe Cleaners
- Plasticine
- Postage Stamps
- Plywood
- Raffia
- Ribbon
- Rope
- Safety Pins
- Sand
- Sandpaper
- Sea Shells
- Seeds
- Sequins
- String
- Shoe Boxes
- Skewers / Craft Sticks
- Socks
- Sponges
- Sticks
- Straw
- String
- Styrofoam Trays
- Timber Scraps
- Tinsel
- Toothpaste Tube Caps
- Toothpicks
- Twigs
- Wool Scraps
- wrapping paper
- Yogurt Cartons
Craft Item Supply List
I made a printable list with our 62 ideas ready for you - just print and send home with your students to ask for supplies to be sent to your classroom.
Find it in Google Drive:
Have fun with craft - especially in the afternoon! I'd love to hear about what you do to incorporate 'making' in your curriculum. It is so important for our students' creativity!