Multi cultural childrens crafts?

February 3, 2011 6:09 AM

I am looking for inexpensive, multicultural, childrens crafts to use with the summer reading program at our library. Any suggestions?
posted by haikuku to Education (10 answers total)

I did a program at an art museum that cycled through art/crafts from India and Mexico. I can't remember most of the crafts we did, but a few were Ojo de dios, drawing henna style designs on a paper hand, and punched tin style ornaments using silver cardstock.
posted by geegollygosh at 6:21 AM on February 3, 2011

Maybe start at the Crafty Crow?
posted by cda at 6:26 AM on February 3, 2011

Puppets of characters from the books. Sock puppets are always a hit with kids. We have even done cut out of paper puppets glued to popcicle sticks of the people from books (hand drawn and colored, not cut from a book!)
posted by maxg94 at 7:23 AM on February 3, 2011

collage is fun and easy. collage + paint is fun.ner and more messy. collage + paint + quotes from books sounds like something i would want to do tonight at home.
posted by anya32 at 7:38 AM on February 3, 2011

Family Fun magazine has a deep online archive of kids crafts and projects, sortable by material, occasion, age, etc.

Martha Stewart Kids does as well. The MS projects tend to be a bit more time & money intensive, but not always, so dig around there before dismissing them.
posted by apparently at 8:37 AM on February 3, 2011

Some of these are suitable for older children - not sure what age ranges you're looking at.

Have the kids draw out Rangoli patterns on paper, and fill in either with colored powder (you can put glue on paper first, to have it stick) or crayon. Use patterns from different regions in India

Make mini 'Persian' rugs using fabric scraps, or drawn on paper

Embellish clear plastic cups in the style of Moroccan tea glasses, using ribbon, fake jewels and beads. Serve iced mint tea :)

Beaded jewelry from different parts of the world - Maasai comes to mind, but I'm sure there are others.

Origami!
posted by darsh at 8:38 AM on February 3, 2011

Corn husk dolls (there are easier or harder versions for various ages) . . .The book "Earth Festivals" by LaChapelle has nature/ native American themed kid's crafts and programs. . .
posted by grizzled at 12:47 PM on February 3, 2011

Second Origami, for sure. Focus on useful origami -- napkin folding, hats, letterfolding (making letters into their own envelopes), boxes and containers, toys (like "poppers" and "fortune tellers"). Modular origami would be very cool if you had a lot of kids and could have them all fold part of a big thing that you could display at the library.

Teach them to make and play their own games -- Mancala, tabletop airhockey (using straws and a folded paper "puck," tiddlywinks, various board games from recycled/found objects like Parcheesi, Go, etc.

Or you could teach them a craft that would be a skill they could use later. Weaving mats and baskets from rolled up strips of magazine paper, making lanyards, friendship bracelets, and other knot-trying projects that don't require special equipment.

Found object art and collage are cheap and could take on a variety of multicultural themes.

Button and String Whirligigs are cheap and fun for kids.
posted by cross_impact at 12:59 PM on February 3, 2011

My son enjoyed making and playing with a shadow puppet at a museum recently. Something like this from the link above. Bit of thick paper, straw, some kind of paperclip attachment.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 12:08 AM on February 4, 2011

Sand painting!
posted by JesseBikman at 12:21 PM on February 4, 2011