How Often Do You Do Group Crafts?

[Unregistered]

How often do you do crafts as a group? Just wondering if I'm doing enough crafts. I have had parents bring crafts with out them asking if they could. Heck one mom comes walking in with a tub of cookie dough and said thought you could make cookies with the kids today. I suppose I should be grateful for the supplies given. It makes me feel like I don't do enough or the parents want more. I have a mixed age group 6 weeks to 5 years. I hate when we do make crafts and parents leave them in their child's cubby for a week or they just decorate the floorboard of the car with it.

How often do you do crafts?

[Blackcat31]

How often do you do crafts as a group? Just wondering if I'm doing enough crafts. I have had parents bring crafts with out them asking if they could. Heck one mom comes walking in with a tub of cookie dough and said thought you could make cookies with the kids today. I suppose I should be grateful for the supplies given. It makes me feel like I don't do enough or the parents want more. I have a mixed age group 6 weeks to 5 years. I hate when we do make crafts and parents leave them in their child's cubby for a week or they just decorate the floorboard of the car with it.

How often do you do crafts?

I don't do any type of organized craft project.

Kids have free access to the art supplies (what/how much is dependent on age/development) and they are welcome to make whatever they wish to create.

As for the parent with the cookie dough.....nope.
I would have taken the cookie dough and said thank you but I would not have made cookies simply because the parent told me to. I would have told the parent that I plan my daily routine and decide what to do and when. If the parent wants to make cookies with their child, they are welcome to do so with their child in their home.

I might even be inclined to say turn about is fair play and might tell the child (of parent that brought cookie dough) that their mom was taking them to get ice cream after pick up and see how mom likes when I dictate HER time.

[LostMyMarbles]

I incorporate crafts with my curriculum. So pretty much it's at one craft a day. We were working on primary colors all last week. We mixed paint and made purple, orange, and green,. After we learn to mix paint we made a rainbow with the paint we mixed and our primary colors paints. That was part of our St Patrick's Day project.
As far as the cookie doughs I would have been heck yeah we'll make them. We bake about once a week. The kids love to work on that kind of a project.
You, of course, need to do what works for you.

[storybookending]

Some holidays not all. I hate crafts, esp with a mixed age group.

[e.j.]

How often do you do crafts as a group? Just wondering if I'm doing enough crafts. I have had parents bring crafts with out them asking if they could. Heck one mom comes walking in with a tub of cookie dough and said thought you could make cookies with the kids today. I suppose I should be grateful for the supplies given. It makes me feel like I don't do enough or the parents want more. I have a mixed age group 6 weeks to 5 years. I hate when we do make crafts and parents leave them in their child's cubby for a week or they just decorate the floorboard of the car with it.

How often do you do crafts?

I plan to have an organized craft each day. Usually we make it happen, but I don't stress if we can't get to it. Having an infant enrolled can make it difficult to stay on schedule every day. I hung up one of those "It's Not Just Play" poems on my fridge to remind the parents and me that the kids are still gaining important skills when they "just" play.

I know what you mean about seeing crafts in their cubbies and on the floor of the car. The truth is, it used to bother me to see it, too, but I've learned to choose not to let it get to me. The important thing is how much fun the child had while doing the craft and what he/she learned.

As for the donated crafts and cookie dough....I'd use them if I had time and it looked like it might be fun for the kids. If not, I'd either hold on to them and use them another day or just hand them back to the parent at the end of the day and say, "Sorry. We were too busy today and didn't have a chance to get to it. I'll bet you'll have fun making them tonight."

[flying_babyb]

art daily, a process project. product "craft" art? holidays pretty much, cause I really dont have time or patience to make the same craft with 14 kids (even with my assistants help). We bake alot though, the kids love helping make snack! (simple stuff, think cupcakes, muffins, ect).

[racemom]

I usually on do crafts one on one. During center time one of my centers is a craft. But, I try to find things we can work on for more than one day. This week we are working on a spring rain craft. Monday we colored a picture of a duck with an umbrella. Tuesday we glued the duck onto construction paper, today we painted blue raindrops with a q-tip. Tommorow is creative arts, I put out ribbon, small pieces of paper, glue, crayons, markers and they can make whatever they want. Friday we usually play a group game. I don't do it as a group because I have aged 1-3.

[Ariana]

I only do "crafts" for Christmas and maybe the other holidays depending on the project and whether I think my kids can handle it. We do art every week at least one day.

[LK5kids]

I do process creative art about three times per week with a mixed age group.

More what I consider Crafty I do maybe 3-4 x per year. I love providing a simple, easy going curriculum. Short circle time, creative art, story time, cooking.

I often cut out or have older kids do the cutting of a basic shape and have the kids either add collage material, decorate with dot daubers, stickers, paint, etc.

I've posted this on other threads - I love to sprinkle dry unsweetened kool-aid on paper ( I tend to use white card stock) and the kids paint over it with water! Color changes to a bright hue and smells great!

I have crayons, scissors, glue sticks, markers, paper, coloring books, and play doh available most of the time as a free time choice.
Here's a picture of kool-aid painting. Child in blue bib ( I was using these as a smock) is about 18 mo. And child in green is 2 1/2.

[LK5kids]

Oops! I guess I wasn't supposed to post a picture of kids. I thought I had the faces cropped off.. I wanted to just show their hands painting.

[CalCare]

I don't do any adult planned crafts. I do have basic supplies always available and I do put out special (higher supervised) supplies for a short time on various occasions when I can supervise closer (within hands reach).
With cookie dough, well I don't use mixes or premade dough because I don't like it but if a parent brought some sort of supplies for anything, I would say, "Thanks, I'll see when we can fit it in" (if I philosophically agree with it, not if it was like totally developmentally not appropriate) and I would actually see if I could or want to fit it in sometime that day or week. For example- When a parent brought me pumpkins to paint, we didn't, but I did leave them out with markers. Also that parent brought bubbles and I never got around to it that day and actually forgot to ever use her bubbles or return them. I just have them with my outside supplies.

[CalCare]

I do think it would be hilarious to do as BlackCat suggested and give the kid a craft to take home and do with families! But still, makes no sense since I don't believe in crafts I guess I could give them a recipe for play doh and say, "I thought you and Junior would like to make this at home!"

[TheMisplacedMidwestMom]

I have a mixed age group of only 5 kids. I've tried group crafts and it never pans out. If I have a craft planned then they can choose to participate or not. Mainly I do offerings of art supplies and let them explore. Currently we have the easel "open". It changes all the time. Me and the kids are both happier this way.

As far anything donated I will gladly accept it. I just let them know we may not get to it that day. The cookie dough would have went in the fridge/freezer until we had a time for it. If they're sending craft kits I'd offer them like I do any other crafts and the kids can participate or not, or piece them out and use the materials.

[Play Care]

I have a mixed age group of only 5 kids. I've tried group crafts and it never pans out. If I have a craft planned then they can choose to participate or not. Mainly I do offerings of art supplies and let them explore. Currently we have the easel "open". It changes all the time. Me and the kids are both happier this way.

As far anything donated I will gladly accept it. I just let them know we may not get to it that day. The cookie dough would have went in the fridge/freezer until we had a time for it. If they're sending craft kits I'd offer them like I do any other crafts and the kids can participate or not, or piece them out and use the materials.

This has been how I've done it for the last couple of years. It's just been too hectic with under 2's.

[Justjoy]

Usually once a week, sometimes twice.