A Friendly Start To Kids’ Craft Club

I had ten kids making this friend card for Kids’ Craft Club this week! A little pre-planning made it so easy to run, a lot of fun and the kids went home with a gorgeous card.

Making time: under 30 minutes.

Kids' Craft Club

For these first timers it was quite directed but that didn’t stop a little bit of creative flare being shown in their final product! I taught each station to the whole group this week but now that I know my ages and number, we will split into two groups next week. This way I will get to work closely with my youngest students (six year old’s) to teach how to use glue. My older students (eight to ten year old’s) will need a little direction and then they will happily create independently.

Pre-Planning For Kids’ Craft Club

I planned for four stations. They were:

  1. Emboss the background using the Big Shot. Coloured card stock, already cut to size and a choice of embossing folders. Organised in a standard stamp case and placed in a basket.
  2. Stamp the hearts onto white cardstock with Calypso Coral. Whisper white card stock, already cut to size and placed inside a standard stamp case. Displayed in a basket with the stamps and ink pad. A photo of the stamping steps was also provided.
  3. Stamp the “friend” heart onto whisper white card stock and fussy cut the heart out. Small pieces of Whisper white card stock placed inside a standard stamp case. Displayed with the stamp, ink pad and scissors.
  4. Assembly line card construction. Photos of each step. A piece of Stampin’ Up! grid paper to designate each step’s working area with a bottle of glue or the dimensionals (when required).

Kids’ Craft Club Vocabulary

In today’s Kids’ Craft Club the kids are going to meet some new words that are specific to card making techniques and tools we are using. The following words may be new to them (or you):

  • embossing folder
  • sandwich
  • Big Shot
  • wood blocks
  • card base
  • patterned paper
  • dimensionals

The Stations

Station One

Everyone loves the Big Shot! From my previous experience with crafting with kids I knew the kids would be excited to use the Big Shot during Kids’ Craft Club.

The excited “Ooohhhsss” and “Aaahhhsss” after I demonstrated running a piece of coloured card in an embossing folder through to reveal the embossed results showed this was going to be a winner!

*SAFETY* Point out where hands need to be at all times to ensure that no-one accidentally runs any fingers under the machine.

I showed the kids how to make a ‘sandwich’ with the base, the bottom plate, the embossing folder and the top plate. There were a few giggles about it being called a ‘sandwich’ but “hey” they won’t forget this new vocabulary!

Kids' Craft Club

Station Two

I set this station up with practice paper for the kids to practice placement and applying pressure. It’s really important to let kids just have a ‘play’. At Kids’ Craft Club it is important to reinforce that play is learning and when the kids felt they were ready and confident, they can move onto the product. Some kids might want to stay in play mode and that’s okay too. So have plenty of practice paper for those little stamper explorers!

Those kids who felt confident took a piece of card and stamped their hearts. And if they made a mistake or weren’t happy with the end result? We learnt that there is two sides to every piece of card!

We are using a retired wood stamp set here. I find wood is great for kids learning to stamp but I am excited to introduce the kids to clear blocks. I think clear blocks will really enhance their stamp placement ability.

They stamped the three hearts with Calypso Coral ink.

Kids' Craft Club

Station 3

This station also gave the kids opportunity to ‘play’ with stamping. They stamped this heart using Rich Razzleberry ink.

Once they had stamped their heart onto card, they ‘fussy cut’ it out.

Kids Craft Club

Station 4

An assembly line is a good idea to have at Kids’ Craft Club.

I set up the assembly line with a photo of each step for the kids to follow.

Step 1

Glue the embossed card to the card base.

Kids' Craft Club

Step 2

Glue the patterned paper to the embossed card. The patterned paper is Petal Garden DSP (Retired).Kids' Craft Club

Step 3

Glue the stamped hearts to the patterned paper.

Kids' Craft Club

Step 4

Add a dimensional to the back of the cut out heart and attach to the centre heart.

friend card for Kids' Craft Club

Thank you for stopping by today. I am excited to share my passion for teaching kids and my love of Stampin’ Up! products with you! I cannot wait to explore how to use these quality products with your children and open up a world of creativity to them. It is my mission that no matter what your crafty background is you will have the guidance and insight to do these projects with your kids. I want to make it as easy as possible for you, so you are as free as possible to enjoy being crafty as much as your kids.

And rest assured. You don’t have to be an art teacher or have been crafting for years to do these projects. I will guide you through using my experience as a teacher with years of experience doing crafty projects with kids in the classroom (particularly in the early years). I’m also a parent and a crafter at home. I’ve learned many tips and tricks along the way, and it is my sincerest hope that my breakdown of Kids’ Craft Club will help you get more out of your products and stamping time.

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