Favorite crafts to do with your charges?

[Anonymous]

Im a nanny to a wonderful and artistic 7 year old boy. Im making alist of activities to do over spring break. So far we are going to make giant bubbles using hula hoops, make sundials, make slime and play dough, and paint some cool wooden items I bought at Michaels. I think my favorite activities that we have done is bubble battles (i blow bubbles and he pops them with his sword) and painting wooden masks.

So what are your favorite activities/crafts to do with your charge?

[Anonymous]

MB hates kid-crafts/art so we only do things that get used up.

[Anonymous]

By age 7 I'd be inclined to teach more advanced techniques: paper mâché, knitting, crochet, sewing, etc. Also I like doing crafts that are relevant to the season; if they're christian perhaps an easter basket craft, if not then maybe a nice bird feeder / bird house? A sailboat you could use in a nearby pond or something might be fun, too.

Sadly my charges are all too young to do anything beyond very basic crafts. I do babysit for older children on occasion, but it's usually too late in the evening for crafts when I arrive :/

[Anonymous]

Take him to National Gallery and Hirschhorn and make a point of reading the description of each work (oils on canvas, etc.) then start doing projects in different mediums. Do a week of clay, a week of watercolor, a week of sewing/textiles, etc.

[Anonymous]

My charges all love making bouncy balls and ooobleck. Most craft stores sell kits to make bouncy balls and EVERY kid I've ever made them with has raved about it. I've done it while babysitting a bunch and the parents will text me days later just to tell me their kid keeps talking about me and our night. Ooobleck is made from water and corn starch and you can find the directions with a Google search. It makes a crazy substance that's a liquid when poured and a solid when you hit it or exert force. It's from a book by Dr. Seuss which is always fun to read before we make it. It's really cheap and a lot of fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My charges all love making bouncy balls and ooobleck. Most craft stores sell kits to make bouncy balls and EVERY kid I've ever made them with has raved about it. I've done it while babysitting a bunch and the parents will text me days later just to tell me their kid keeps talking about me and our night. Ooobleck is made from water and corn starch and you can find the directions with a Google search. It makes a crazy substance that's a liquid when poured and a solid when you hit it or exert force. It's from a book by Dr. Seuss which is always fun to read before we make it. It's really cheap and a lot of fun.

That sounds great. My charge loves dr Seuss so we will do this for spring break!