Original crafts for school

Original crafts for school create an opportunity to captivate children with independent creativity. Of course, at the initial stage you need the help of adults (parents or teachers), but then this can give a real impetus to this type of activity. Making crafts is useful for acquiring certain labor skills, and if the work is properly organized, it creates the prerequisites for aesthetic education. If they have practical value, then the child will also feel the usefulness of his work.

Crafts for elementary school

It is especially important to develop creativity and imagination in children of primary school age (7-10 years old), when You can engage your child in an interesting activity, praise for work results, a competitive principle. The making of various crafts can be carried out at home with the participation of parents, in labor lessons under the guidance of a teacher, or in clubs with the help of specialists. It is not the place where they are done that is important, but the child’s interest.

The idea for a craft for a primary school student should be proposed by an adult, and it is better when the advice is unobtrusive, and the child thinks that he himself came up with this option. Of course, the work should be carried out exclusively voluntarily, but interest in it must be aroused. In this direction, the following ways can be distinguished: getting a good grade; participation in the exhibition; utility; use as a gift; surprise at its originality. It is best when the work itself gives the child pleasure, and the result of the work receives an approving assessment from peers and teachers.

The material for the craft plays a special role. It is difficult to call a thing assembled from ready-made elements a craft. This will already be a “constructor”. For original, original creativity, natural materials, improvised means, waste from “parental hobbies” (carpentry, sewing, knitting, etc.), easy-to-process materials (wood, paper, cardboard, plastic, plasticine), unnecessary household “trash” and old rags, containers, etc. are suitable. Natural ornamental raw materials are especially valued in crafts. You can use branches and driftwood, straw, cones, leaves and pine needles, flowers, plant fruits (acorns, nuts, fruit seeds), vegetables and fruits.

The child is interested in doing some little thing that is most relevant at a given time. The most common direction is to coincide with a holiday or some important event. Look especially attractive - New Year, March 8, Christmas, Maslenitsa, Easter, Victory Day, Cosmonautics Day, Teacher's Day. Seasonality should also be taken into account. For this purpose, spring, summer, autumn and winter crafts are distinguished, which have their own specifics.

What requirements should be considered when choosing crafts for elementary school? First of all, they must be easy to manufacture. All basic operations must be carried out by a child who does not have the skills to do the work. You need to rely on simple and standard tools - scissors, jigsaw, pliers, screwdriver, burning device, hacksaw, file. Even a sharp knife should be used under control and sparingly. Safety is the most important element of work organization. The craft itself should be bright, durable enough, without the use of harmful materials.

Crafts for school from natural materials

Nature provides an opportunity to maximize the imagination and talent of a child. A variety of crafts can be made from natural raw materials, which can be found in the garden, forest, on the banks of reservoirs, in the field. The best time to collect material is autumn. Such a variety of shapes and an impressive palette that nature gives is very difficult to find in a store. She can also suggest an original idea for a craft. You can use fallen leaves as an ornamental material; pine, spruce, cedar cones; pine needles; ash and maple seeds; nuts (walnuts and hazelnuts); watermelon, pumpkin, melon seeds; sunflower seeds; acorns; original stones. Trees can give a variety of elements - branches, roots, bark, fruits. It is worth taking a closer look at moss, reeds, dried flowers, and shells. It's very difficult to list everything. You just need to walk through a park or forest, using your imagination.

Here are some ideas for elementary school students:

1. Web with a spider. This craft is made in the following order. First, two branches are fastened with a strong thread in the center to form a cross. Then thin branches are fixed in a radial direction, and a white thread is stretched between them, forming cobweb cells. A spider can be made by cutting a chestnut fruit in half and attaching small branches with a break to form insect legs. A small leaf is attached to the center of the web, and a “spider” is glued to it.
2. Dragonfly. This craft is more suitable for girls. For one dragonfly you will need a small twig 4-5 cm long, any round fruit with a diameter of 8-12 mm and 4 maple lionfish, as well as sparkles. 2 lionfish are glued to the branch on different sides, and a round head is fixed at the end. The “wings” are thickly coated with glue and sprinkled with glitter.
3. Three-dimensional picture. If in the summer you managed to visit the seashore and collect rapana shells, then you can collect a very beautiful picture. The base can be thick cardboard. Shells of different sizes are attached to it using glue and wires. A sailboat, for example, looks impressive. Its layout begins with a fairly large shell that forms the body. It is usually fixed using plasticine. Masts can be “built” from sticks, and sails can be formed from shells, decreasing in size as they are laid out upward. You can simply paint the sea with gouache, but an uneven surface imitating waves looks more original. For this, tinted semolina and a thick layer of glue are used.
4. Figures on sticks. You can create entire compositions on durable twigs. At the ends, beetles, spiders, and butterflies look original. Small fruits of plants of different shapes are suitable for their production, for example, prickly seeds of burdock, string, and buttercup. Dried boxes of poppy, snapdragon, physalis, and nigella make beautiful flower bouquets. They are fixed along the length of the twig, and between them you can place linden, maple or ash wings, small leaves or oblong leaves of reeds, and sedges.
5. Figures made of driftwood and branches. Among such raw materials, if you look closely, you can find bizarre shapes reminiscent of various animals and even people. As a rule, you need to work with them a little with a knife, bringing them to complete imitation. If the finished figurine is varnished, it will be preserved for a long time and will look noble.

Crafts from leaves for school

The bright colors of autumn leaves make your imagination turn on, and you want to do something to preserve this beauty. For crafts for school, you can offer the following options:

1. Bouquet of roses. Flowers are made from fresh leaves when they can be easily bent. Maple leaves work best. Each flower will require 7-10 leaves, depending on the planned size. First, the core of the rose is formed. The sharp ends of the leaf are bent inward, and then it twists along the axis of the cutting. The formed bud should be fastened with thread to simplify further operations. Other leaves are folded over the core, and the sharp ends are also bent on them. After reaching the required flower size, the folded leaves at the bottom are fastened with thread or narrow tape. A composition or bouquet is created from such flowers. In the first case, roses are attached to a base, which can be decorated with unfolded leaves. To obtain a bouquet, each flower is fixed on twigs (twigs), preferably green. It is worth attaching small green leaves to them. Several roses are collected in a bouquet. Using this method, you can make roses of different colors - from yellow-green to dark brown. The most impressive colors are bright, yellow, red, and orange.
2. Wreath of leaves. A plastic plate is used as a base, in which the middle is cut out, i.e. a ring is prepared for attaching the leaves. For reliable fastening, wire and a stapler are used. Leaves are selected in different colors, sizes and from different species of trees and shrubs. The first layer is formed from the largest elements, and they partially extend beyond the border of the base and are fixed with a stapler. Then, another 2-3 layers are laid with a gradual decrease in size. A certain decor is provided by a narrow ribbon that imitates the tying of a wreath, i.e. located spirally.
3. Applications. The most common type of crafts made from leaves is appliqués. By choosing colors you can create a rather complex pattern. Various animals (including fabulous ones) are especially popular - fish, birds (especially parrots), hedgehogs, butterflies, peacocks, roosters, turtles and many other animals. Still lifes with fruits, flowers, as well as magnificent landscapes are often created.
4. Frame for a photo or painting. It is made similarly to a decorative wreath, but the base is thick cardboard, which is cut out in the shape of a rectangle or oval.
5. The simplest craft is a bouquet of leaves. When compiling it, it is important to select leaves with long and strong cuttings. The color combination and sizes are determined by the “master” himself. Green leaves go well in such bouquets, especially narrow, long “swords”.

Crafts from pine cones for school

Fir and pine cones, as ornamental materials, deserve special attention. They are used to make original trinkets that are not embarrassing to bring to school and present at an exhibition. The list of such crafts is huge. We can highlight only a few of them:

1. Squirrel. A composition such as “Squirrel on a Pine” can be considered a school exhibition exhibit. The animal is assembled from 3 cones of different sizes. The largest, open cone of a Christmas tree is a ready-made squirrel tail. You should choose it with a slight bend. The base of the “tail” is pierced and a slightly smaller cone is attached to it. This is the torso. The squirrel's head is made from a small pine or larch cone (you can use a large acorn instead of a cone for the head).  The elements are fastened to each other using pointed branches. If you want to strengthen the figurine, the joints are glued. The paws can be formed from twigs, wire or thick felt. The squirrel's eyes should be expressive, and therefore small shiny plant fruits (for example, peony seeds or cherry pits) should be used.  The basis for the composition can be a large pine branch with a branching branch. A pine branch with needles should be strengthened on it. A squirrel is attached to a knot. As additional decoration, you can use small cones and multi-colored leaves. Cotton wool can imitate snow.
2. Turtle. It is made from a large pine cone, preferably in a fully open state. An acorn is used for the head. A slightly rounded base is formed from below by cutting off the protruding elements. The legs can imitate maple lionfish.
3. Fish. A dense rounded cone is selected for it. The eyes are made from beads, seed beads, and small acorn caps. Bird feathers are suitable for the fins and tail. They should first be painted in the desired color. The golden hue is very attractive.

Paper crafts for school

Paper and cardboard are the most common craft materials. You can use simple movements to form flat and three-dimensional shapes, while the elements from them are easily connected with glue or a stapler. You can use multi-colored materials or paint them in any color with paints or gouache.

Different technologies can be used in the manufacture of paper crafts:

1. The most common are applications and postcards. The task is very simple. The necessary figures are cut out of colored paper and glued to a cardboard base. Volumetric cards are made using corrugated paper or by adding filler (for example, cotton wool). Some elements of the design are applied with a brush directly to the base, and then the prepared elements are glued. Small details (eyes, mouth, etc.) are also applied with a brush.
2. Volumetric figures and objects. A very popular example is caskets. They are glued together from cardboard and then decorated. Beads, beads, braid, and natural materials can be used for these purposes. The volume in the figures can be formed by various fillers - foam rubber, cotton wool, polystyrene foam, etc.
3. Trimming technique. Volumetric things can be created from paper or thin cardboard using a special method. An example would be making a rose. In this case, take a sheet of thick colored paper, colored on both sides (different colors are possible). The most suitable colors for a flower are red, pink, yellow, and orange. A spiral is marked on a sheet of paper along which the cutting occurs. The result should be an uneven spiral-shaped tape. It twists starting from the end. After receiving the flower, the free end is secured with glue. Such roses are then attached to a cardboard base in the intended composition.
4. Scrapbooking. Using this technique, thematic photo albums are created. For this purpose, woven scraps, velvety paper, bows, ribbons, and foil are successfully used. A variation of this technology is embossing, when convex images are formed. Another technology is distress, based on artificial aging of the album.

Pumpkin craft for school

Pumpkin, with its size and shape, allows us to talk about itself as a raw material for crafts. It is easy to process with a knife, and the skin can be dyed. The main thing is to carefully remove the soft insides to prevent rotting. You can offer the following ideas for making pumpkin crafts:

1. Mask. For elementary school students, the greatest interest is in making a scary or funny face out of a pumpkin. Making them is quite simple. After all the pulp has been removed with a spoon, the shell is cut with a knife to form the eyes, nose, and mouth. Such a face can be given a different character - from a very kind cutie to an evil monster. In the latter case, the effect is enhanced by internal illumination using a flashlight.
2. Vase. For older students, you can offer a more elegant option - a flower vase. At the top of the pumpkin, the “cap” is cut off and a depression is made. It contains a glass or plastic container into which you can pour water. The pumpkin itself can simply be varnished or some kind of design can be applied.
3. Ball with sparkles. Pumpkin can be used as a purely decorative element. For example, when decorating a classroom for the New Year, you can make a pumpkin ball with sparkles. To do this, use acrylic paints to paint the pumpkin completely white (you can give it another delicate shade). Glue is applied to the surface of the vegetable in certain areas where the glitter is attached. They can be in the shape of a rhombus, circle, star, etc.
4. Various figures. You can also use small pumpkins for crafts. By connecting them together you can imitate various animals. For the New Year, white painted pumpkins can be a good material for making “snow women”.

Autumn crafts for school

It just so happens that the autumn season, rich in various craft materials, falls at the beginning of the school year, when the children meet together after the summer holidays. How I want to surprise my peers at this time. Autumn opens up great opportunities for creativity. At this time, the above-described leaf products are popular. Various fruits can be used.

The composition “Golden Autumn” can leave a good memory of this period. You can propose the idea of ​​​​creating an applique with a tree in autumn decoration. It is made as follows. A tree trunk is drawn with dark paint on a sheet of cardboard. Next, small plant leaves or fragments from large leaves are glued onto it. They are attached at one edge to make it possible to lift the other edge of the leaf. This creates a voluminous effect

Crafts from vegetables for an exhibition at school

You can make original crafts from vegetables and fruits, which may well qualify for victory at school exhibitions. The following vegetables can be used:

1. Eggplant. The dark color of the peel and the light tone when peeling it off make it possible to imitate various animals, combining these effects. Penguins and dolphins are especially popular. Combined with Chinese cabbage you can make a cute duck. A vase made from a large eggplant looks good.
2. Zucchini. From this vegetable you can create such figures as penguins, sharks (from zucchini), and shoes.
3. Cucumbers. The green color of the vegetable immediately creates the image of Gena the crocodile. Fairytale shoes look very beautiful.
4. Cauliflower. A white furry hat, when combined with other vegetables, allows you to make different figures - Dolly the sheep, a swan, ice cream and much more.
5. Radish. This small vegetable makes beautiful little mice, fly agaric mushrooms, and flowers.
6. Carrot. Its bright color is great for creating flowers. It goes well in composition with other vegetables.

DIY crafts on the theme “School”

Of course, for students the topic “School” is close in spirit and includes many concepts. Particularly noteworthy are sections such as “My school”, “My class”, “What is needed at school”, “School of the future”, etc. Most often, such crafts are based on applications, albums, products made of clay or plasticine, paper and cardboard.

A photo album, especially one made using scrapbooking technology, leaves a memory for many years. What is the effect of this approach? The technique involves non-standard design of the cover and each sheet of the album. The cover is designed lushly and brightly. Three-dimensional images and embossing are welcome here. Each inner sheet usually contains only one photograph. But there can be original and succinct comments and cartoons for it. It is important that the decorative elements match the theme. It is this approach that ensures great interest in the craft many years later, when surging memories cover a person who has long since matured.