I baby-sit a lot of children. I’ve had a lot of clients since I was in approximately seventh grade and they all require my services almost all of the time. If I’m not picking up toys or cleaning I’m almost always trying to find something fun to do with the kids. Their ages range from six months to ten years, so there is a lot as you can see, to deal with. Some of the kids are too young to do certain crafts, but I’m able to do a wide range of crafts with all of them. One craft that I created with a couple of the kids was custom printed coasters. The coasters were really exciting to make and some of them were even paper coasters, making it very inexpensive and easy to entertain the kids.
The coasters were a quick fix to a bored spell and a fresh new craft to add into some of our daily routines. The kids were used to finger painting or coloring but the coasters were a nice surprise that I could afford. We drew out our ideas and thought about what we wanted to draw on our coasters. The kids wanted to draw pretty flowers and goofy animals and they even wanted to make something for their parents, which was great. We used paint and pencils and markers and crayons, so the kids had a wide variety of supplies to work with. I think that the coasters, especially the paper coasters, were a great idea as far as crafts go. We’re so used to making boring crafts, but the coasters were great!
I also think that the coasters were a great way for the kids to release the artsy side of the brain. Some of them aren’t old enough to be in an art class in school, so making these crafts at home is a helpful outlet to let out those artist expressions. Plus, the coasters were officially custom printed coasters that their parents could use everyday. Another great thing is that the coaster craft is a simple cleaning job. I didn’t have to try extremely hard to clean everything which was awesome. I think that getting the kids involved in such an awesome art piece really makes them feel more involved too.
The coasters were really simple to complete when the kids were finished with their designs. I didn’t have to use a kiln or the oven or anything like that. All that we had to use was a simple and easy to use painter’s gloss. It was really inexpensive and made the crafts seemed really genuine. The kids really loved their finished product and now that I know that this craft is a hit, I know what to do when the other clients’ children that I baby-sit grow up and get a little bit older. These crafts are not only great for fun but they are great for a bad snow day when you are stuck inside too. Your kids or even kids you might know at a pre-school or that you may baby-sit will really enjoy this craft too.
In today’s world it feels great to do something that is fun while using re-purposed items and saving money.