10 old-fashioned crafty basics to get your kids through childhood
Penny Flanagan
About three years ago, I started working for Kidspot as the resident crafting weirdo. You know the type: we post stuff on Pinterest all the time and while you admire our dedication, you actually find yourself thinking: “Who has the time?” or “How long would I have to keep THAT before I could throw it out?”
But I pressed on and now my garage is full of crafting crap that nobody wants. I even started roping in a friend and her toddler: inviting them over for crafternoons so that I could then send them home with the results. She’s onto me now and so she refuses to accept my invitations unless I promise not to send the egg shell mosaic craft home with her.
Anyway, life is all about the journey and as long as you have a garage or a senile old aunt who thinks a paddlepop stick wreath is a thoughtful gift, you should really give some old fashioned crafting a try. Especially if you are a parent: for some reason small children think you are the second coming if you offer them a table full of toilet rolls, glitter and glue.
In my early years as a crafter, I realised there were certain basics that I thought I knew, but when it came to actually doing them, my memory was hazy on the details.
For instance, I couldn’t remember how to make a paper doll chain, despite the fact that my friend Petrina and I had strung manic chains of paper people all over her rumpus room one rainy Sunday in 1978.
Below are 10 craft classics you really should know if you are a parent. If these things ring a bell but you’re not convinced you could actually execute them, let me refresh your memory …
1. How to make a paper doll chain
I can hear the seasoned crafters laughing at me. “You didn’t know how to make one of these? You’re a lightweight!”
(For the record, I often hear them laughing at me.)
Well, I had to think about it and there were a few failed attempts that didn’t link together. The clue is in the mirror imaging and the concertina fold.
Be warned: once you start, you won’t be able to stop …