Crafts are a great way to keep yourself busy, especially if it’s a rainy day! It’s also a good excuse to get a little messy and let your imagination run wild.

Try creating one of the following crafts, how about sending us a photograph of a finished craft which we’ll publish in the 'Kidz Creations' section.

Think you’ve got a good idea for a craft? Why not share it with others? Send us ideas and we’ll publish them here for you with your name!

Send all ideas or photos of completed crafts to: kidz@bath.co.uk

 
 

 




Try the online Draw Fast 'n' Easy tool.




 
Egg Heads
You will need:
  1. Cress seeds
  2. One egg
  3. Egg cup
  4. Felt tip pens
  5. Cotton wool/tissue
  6. Water

Instructions:
Tap the top of the egg and remove the insides (this can be quite messy, you may need the help of an adult). Next rinse the inside f the egg so that it's clean and ready to use. With felt tip pens draw a face on the egg (see picture) and fill the inside with either cotton wool or tissue. Sit your 'egg head' in an egg cup and sprinkle a pinch of cress seeds on to the cotton wool/tissue. Add a few drops of water and leave it some where sunny, over the next few days you can watch as your egg head grows a full head of hair, which you can eat! You can trim the cress into all kinds of funny haircuts, or even use the cress in sandwhiches!

Magazine Holder
You will need:
  1. Large cereal box
  2. Scissors
  3. White paint
  4. Light green acrylic paint
  5. Other paint colours
  6. Paint brush
  7. Magazine cut-outs (optional)

Instructions:
Cut off top of cereal box. Halfway across top of box, cut at a 45 degree angle down to front of your magazine holder, cut straight across then back up other side at the same angle.
Paint the outsde of the box white - covering any print etc.
Now your magazine holder is ready to decorate - you can paint patterns, pictures or even stick on magazine cut-outs.

Juggling Balls
You will need:
  1. Plastic bag
  2. Bird Seed
  3. Balloon
  4. Scissors

Instructions:
Fill small plastic bag with bird seed. Cut end off a balloon. Stretch it around the bag of seeds. Cut end of second balloon. Stretch it around the bag of seeds in opposite direction of first balloon.

Pebble Pets
You will need:
  1. Smooth stones
  2. Fine felt tip pens
  3. Embroidery thread
  4. Thin white paint
  5. Paints in a variety of colours
  6. Glue
  7. Craft varnish


Instructions:
Decide what kind of animal or insect you are going to make.
Wash and dry stones.
Paint them white and let them dry.
Paint the background colour and let it dry.
Paint main body markings and details (like stripes on a cat or spots on a lady bug).
Draw small details like face and whiskers with a felt tip pen and let dry.
Paint with varnish

Salty 'Sandscape' in a Jar
You will need:
  1. Newspaper
  2. Small jar with lid
  3. Spoon
  4. Pencil
  5. Large tray
  6. Plastic cup
  7. Egg carton (optional)
  8. Candle (optional, and only with a grownup's help)
  9. And, for each colour of sand you want to use:
  10. One-half cup of salt
  11. Food colouring
  12. Plastic sandwich bag

Instructions:
Pour one-half of a cup of salt into a plastic sandwich bag and add several drops of food colouring. Close the bag tightly, making sure that most of the air is out.
Use your fingers (on the outside of the bag) to mix the colour into the salt. Pour the salt in a thin layer on the newspaper and let it dry.
Repeat this for each colour, giving each colour its own piece of newspaper. (You can use half a page.) When all colours are dry, pick the papers up one at a time and pour the salt back into separate plastic sandwich bags or into separate compartments in an egg carton.
Using your hands or a spoon, sprinkle each colour, one at a time, into the jar, forming colour layers. (You can make them as thick or thin as you like. Making them uneven thickness can make your work look more "natural.") Repeat these steps until you reach the top of the jar. If you want really interesting layers, you can use the pencil to "poke" the sand layers into the layer beneath as you go.
Once you're done, you can get an adult to melt wax over the top layer of sand before you put on the lid. (This is an optional step, but it can make the project a lot more permanent because it prevents the "sand" from moving around as much in the jar.) If you don't have an adult and a candle handy --- put on the lid and enjoy your "sunset."

Bubble Pictures
You will need:
  1. White Paper
  2. Water
  3. Liquid Dish Soap
  4. Food Colouring
  5. Plastic Straw

Instructions:
Put a little water in a plastic cup. Squeeze in some liquid dish soap and two or three drops of food colouring. It can be any colour you like. Put a plastic straw in the cup and BLOW!!! If you press a piece of white paper on top of the cup very quickly before the bubbles pop you can print a picture of them.

Glitter Storm
You will need:
  1. Empty jar
  2. Glitter
  3. Small toy/ornament (that fits in the jar)
  4. Blu-tac /plasticine
  5. Water (enough to fill jar)

Instructions:
Remove any labels from the jar and make sure the lid fits tightly.
Take a small toy or ornament (must be waterproof) and secure to the inside of the lid using plasticine or blu-tac.
Fill ¾ of the jar with water, pour in one large tablespoon of glitter and screw the lid back on tightly.
Now, when the jar is shaken your toy/ornament will be in the middle of a magical glitter storm!

Condensed Milk Paint
Condensed milk paint is very easy to make, safe for kids of all ages and lots of fun to use. Condensed milk paint is very shiny, and makes a great picture, especially on construction paper.

You will need:
  1. 2 cups condensed milk
  2. 4 small bowls
  3. Spoons
  4. Red, yellow, green and blue food colouring.

Instructions:
Divide the condensed milk evenly into the 4 bowls.
Add a few drops of red food coloring to one bowl, a few drops of blue to the next, green to the next, and yellow to the last.
Mix food coloring into milk with spoons.
Store in jars, will keep for days if kept in a fridge.