If there is one thing I am not, it is crafty. Even just the word crafty gives me a bit of anxiety. A trip to Michael’s requires a cocktail and a translator. And don’t even ask me what that thing called “Pinterest” is. Other than some basic coloring and stickers, we never EVER do crafts at my house. Luckily during the school year, my toddler gets to do crafts at preschool a few times a week. But now it is summer, and after catching her doing a sticker project with my postal stamps (not a cheap craft I might add), I suddenly realized she might be experiencing what I will call “Summertime Craft Withdrawal Syndrome.”
The solution? CRAFT SWAP!!!
The swap is simple, and the crafts can be as simple or as complex as you’d like. Here’s the plan:
- Poll all your crafty and not-so-crafty friends to get a head count of participants. Be sure everyone knows that they must really commit since others will be buying supplies based on the final head count.
- Tell each person to come up with one craft idea and buy enough supplies for everyone in the group.
- Have each person prepare a craft bag for each of the other participants that include the supplies needed, instructions (usually you can just print this from wherever you find the craft idea) and maybe even a picture of the final craft. You know, for those of us with no vision.
- Schedule a playdate or maybe a fun Moms-Night-Out party to do the exchange.
- SWAP!
I just recently coordinated a craft swap with my playgroup and I’m happy to report my daughter is no longer suffering from Summertime Craft Withdrawal Syndrome!!! We have had a blast doing the crafts and it’s so convenient to be able just to grab a bag and get to it.
No prep work involved, no trip to the craft store, no digging around in the craft supplies, no leftover craft supplies to store away afterward. Just plain awesome. I also want to point out how much fun the actual swapping of the crafts was. I felt like a kid in a candy shop! Not to mention one of the craftiest moms in town, well at least for the day 🙂
What are some of your summertime solutions to crafting?
Thanks for blogging about this! Brendan had so much fun with all of his crafts. Especially helpful when he was sick and stuck inside 🙂