Jewelry Making With Kids - It's Easier Than You Think!

Last summer I posted a tutorial for making pendants out of flat glass marbles – and I’ve been having so much fun lately making a LOT of jewelry that I wanted to revisit the idea with you. The process is so darn simple – all you need are jewelry findings and beads or cabochons. For those of you that have never, ever made jewelry before, jewelry findings are the metal chains, connectors, pins, clasps, etc that actually enable you to wear your creations. Beads have holes in them for stringing – and cabochons are essentially flat back beads with no holes in them and are glued in place instead of strung.

The other reason I wanted to post about jewelry making again is some pretty cool news. Long time readers know my kids have grown up crafting in our home, and all of my tutorials and projects for Craft Jr. have gone through a full age-appropriate trial run right here in my studio/crafting room. My oldest, who has always been a great source for teen craft ideas, is now in college. Since she is studying business, she and I hatched a plan to give her some real-world experience – in a wonderful full-circle sort of way. She and I have started an Etsy shop where will will be selling our creations – AND offering up kids crafting kits if you don’t have the supplies for Craft Jr. tutorials! Don’t worry, we’ll still post plenty of projects to make with things you already have around the house. And from now on, I will also try to make sure that if we create a tutorial from non-everyday materials, I will put together affordable kits with everything you need to complete the projects. I might not be able to get my hands on everything we use at wholesale prices, but I promise that whatever kits we put together will be both kid-friendly and wallet-friendly!

Getting back to this jewelry making tutorial – I was talking about the materials we used for these earrings, hair pins, and brooches. Here’s what we used:

Jewelry Making Supplies - Earrings, Hair Pins, Brooches, Cabochons

The findings we used were a filigree safety pin style brooch, hair pins with a glue pad, and earring post blanks. For cabochons, I got some lovely resin flowers, some good quality rhinestone flowers, flat backed pearls, and I also found several great buttons in my sewing stash that made this extra cute (my ten year old specifically asked for button earrings… she’s got her mama’s creativity, too!). You can find all of these items separately at any craft store: Joann, Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. I also put together some of those aforementioned craft kits in our shop, with everything listed above:

Kids Jewelry Making Kits in our Etsy Shop

Even though I’ve made jewelry since I was a teenager myself, even I was a little surprised at how easy it was to make these, especially the post earrings. The trick is making sure you use the right glue. This isn’t something that Elmer’s or your hot glue gun can handle. Gluing metal to plastic or glass won’t really work too well unless you use an adhesive specifically made for the job. And after a lot of experimenting, I can only honestly recommend two of them:

Jewelry Making Glue: E-6000 and Devcon 5 Minute Epoxy

I actually prefer the Devcon epoxy, even though it’s a little tricky to work with. That stuff is almost like a weld! To use it, simply squeeze out a TINY bit onto a paper plate, making sure that you get an equal amount of stuff from both sides of the plunger. Then use a toothpick to mix the two together thoroughly. That toothpick, by the way, also acts as the perfect glue applicator to the backs of tiny buttons and beads!

Mixing Epoxy for Jewelry Making

Then you have to ACT FAST. In fact, I should probably back up and say that you should make sure you have all your findings and beads/cabochons ready to go, and that you’ve planned out what you want to glue where. Because when they say “5 Minute Epoxy” – they mean it. You literally have 5 minutes or less to glue your items in place before the compound hardens.

E-6000 is a much more forgiving glue, but is also much stinkier and sometimes doesn’t hold as well as the epoxy does. With E-6000, you put some of the glue on each part you want to put together, let them dry slightly, then stick them together (read the package directions for more detailed instructions). Then wait 48 hours to do anything with it – bummer. I’d recommend E-6000 for younger tweens, mostly because rushing to work with the epoxy is probably too much for a kid to do in such a short amount of time. But anyone 12 and up would probably want to use the epoxy, especially because it ends up being a stronger bond that will last longer.

Gluing earring posts to jewelry cabochons

But no matter what glue you use, once you’ve glued, well, you’re done! That is why this is such an easy yet totally satisfying project – glue, dry, and suddenly it’s like you have just taken a trip to Claire’s Accessories, but handmade – and prettier! See what I mean?

One happy little jewelry making lady shows off her work!

And just in case you were curious – remember when I said my kids grew up crafting? Here’s the same little lady, the very first time we made jewelry together:

I told them not to grow up. THEY DON'T LISTEN TO ME.

9 Summer Writing Prompts for Kids

These writing prompts are great for before, during and after summer vacation. The first set is three writing ideas to get kids thinking about the school break, and also to remind them about how school ‘ain’t so bad’ after all!

The second set would be great to send home with kids for the summer. They are patriotic and themed for the 4th of July, and will help your students get at least a little bit of creative writing in over the summer months.

The third set is perfect for back-to-school and the first day of school, and even includes a page to get the children thinking about their goals for the new school year.

Summer Vacation Writing Ideas for the End of the School Year:

Writing Prompt: "This is what I would do on my perfect summer vacation"

Story Starter: "The three things I miss about school during the summer are"

Creative Writing Idea: "If summer vacation was only 2 weeks I would..."

4th of July / Independence Day Creative Writing Prompts:

Independence Day Writing Idea: "There were unicorns in our 4th of July parade and..."

4th of July Creative Writing: "If we had to watch fireworks under water..."

Patriotic Writing Exercise: "If I could give America a present on Independence Day, I would..."

End of Summer and Back to School Story Starters:

First Day of School Writing Idea: "I’m excited to be back at school because..."

New School Year Goals: "My new school year resolution is to..."

Back to School Story Starter: "The most interesting thing I did this summer was..."

These printable Mother’s Day poems for kids would make great reading practice, and also double as Mother’s Day coloring pages.

Mother's Day Kids Poem - Mother's Day Game

Mother's Day Kids Poem - Mom Always Knows

For younger children, check out these zoo babies and mamas coloring pages!

Related Pages: Cinco de Mayo Coloring Pages, Kids Mexican Crafts

Come to the Puebla Cinco de Mayo Poem

A Dress for Cinco de Mayo Kids Poem

More Cinco de Mayo Kids Activities

Make Tissue Paper Dasies

Cinco de Mayo Coloring Page

Eat Mexican “Dia de los Muertos” Sugar Skull (Calavera) Sandwiches

How to Make a Countdown Calendar for Your Kids or a Good Friend

I realized that this idea could be used for a lot of other occasions – for when a parent travels far away, for when a educational goal is met (the end of the school year is fast approaching!!), or for any number of times when kids need a little help building patience while they wait for something important to happen. I would also even do something like this for an adult friend who needs a little support through a stressful time in her life. When I have done this in the past for an Advent Calendar, I came up with 24 mini-activities for each countdown day. Most days it was something simple, such as having an extra dessert or renting a favorite Christmas movie. On the weekends, the activities would be more involved, such as baking cookies.

What You Need to Make a Countdown Calendar “Waiting Jar”

• Paper – plain or scrapbook paper, whatever you want
• A mason jar – or even simply recycle a pickle jar. Just wash it well first!
• String or ribbon to tie the messages into little ‘gifts’

I wanted to fill up my daughter’s jar with empowering and positive messages so that she wouldn’t dwell on the fact that her boyfriend was gone. I also borrowed my own activity idea and came up with a handful of “assignments” for her to do, encouraging her to keep her thoughts positive. Examples were: “Write down 5 things you like and appreciate about yourself”, and “Write down 5 FUN things you will do between now and the 4th weekend in September.” Then I searched the web for appropriate fun quotes to remind her of how much we love her. You can see some of them in the image below:

Daily Inspirational and Motivational Message Ideas

I counted the days until her boyfriend’s visit, (33), I typed the quotes onto my old advent calendar template, and spaced out the activities so that she’d get them about once a week. Then I cut and folded each one so that only the number was showing, and tied them up with some colored thread so that she couldn’t peek ahead too easily:

Folded and Tied Daily Messages for the Countdown Calendar

Before I put them into the jar, I traced the lid onto a piece of perfectly-themed scrapbook paper and simply sandwiched the paper between the lid and rim. If you’re using a regular jar with a one-piece lid, you could decoupage it to the top, or even skip this step altogether.

Trace a circle from the Mason jar lid to decorate the top

Lastly, I loaded the messages into the jar in order, putting #33 on the bottom, all the way to #1 at the top. Though now that I think about it, it would have made more sense to put the numbers in reverse, so that it would be easier for her to know immediately how many days were left.

Add the dated messages from last to first so that #1 is on top.

I can unequivocally state that the Waiting Jar was a huge success, and truly made the wait to see her boyfriend easier for her to handle. She even took her favorite quotes and stuck them up on her bulletin board in her room! Below are 36 days worth of countdown calendar day templates that you can print and hand write your own messages for whatever your countdown occasion may be.

Days 1-12 Personalizable Countdown Calendar

Days 13-24 Personalizable Countdown Calendar

Days 25-36 Personalizable Countdown Calendar

And in case you were wondering – yes, the boyfriend is still around! We’re both pretty pleased about that!

Until I come up with a cool tissue paper saving system, I figured I should do something with the scraps right away, because, you know, it’s not really the right week to throw things away like that! So I had already set aside my kids’ raisin boxes and Jello boxes, and somehow making aliens was the logical next step!

You can totally make these cardboard box aliens without tissue paper scraps and without the mess of decoupage. Just use paint instead.

What You Need to Make this Easy Alien Craft for Kids

• Jello, raisin, or other small empty carboard boxes
• Pipe cleaners for the antennae and legs
• Googly eyes
• Tissue paper scraps
• Wire cutters
• Decoupage glue
• Glitter glue (optional)

How to Make this Easy Alien Craft for Kids

First cover the boxes with the glue and tissue paper. Lay down a thin layer of glue with a paint brush, then lay down the tissue paper, then cover it with another layer of glue. The silver alien used scraps of silver tissue paper, which is very opaque compared to regular tissue paper so I only needed one layer of it. With the purple monster, I had to use about 4 layers of purple tissue paper to ensure you couldn’t see the artwork on the food boxes.

I then added some cut circle scraps for the eyes, and found some other colored triangles or rectangles to make the mouths. These I glued on just like the rest of the tissue paper.

After the decoupage is dry, use a razor blade to cut four tiny x’s into the bottom of the box, and two tiny x’s in the top as shown. This is where you will insert the antennae and legs.

Cut two pieces of pipe cleaner for the antennae, and three to four for the legs. It was a bit easier to make them stand up on their own with more legs.

To make the spiral antennae, wrap the pipe cleaners around a pencil or paint brush, then pull it off.

Make tiny feet by simply bending the pip cleaners into an oval on the ends.

Then simply stick the ends of the pipe cleaners into the tiny slits you cut with the razor blade.

All that’s left to do is glue on your googly eyes. This is optional too, because you could just as easily decoupage or paint on the eyes. I wanted to use glitter glue to make them, well, more alien-y. I also used two different sized eyes, because I thought it was cuter that way!

A gorgeous pile of home made paper beads from cut up magazines. A pretty classy craft project, if I do say so myself.

I remember making paper beads from magazine pages when I was a teenager and have always wanted to do it again.  (Yes, I’ve always been crafty.)  Back then, I’d never heard of Mod Podge, so it was clear nail polish to the rescue!  Handmade paper beads are actually really beautiful and you can make all different styles by cutting the paper into different shapes.

What You Need to DIY Paper Beads from Magazines

• Old magazines
• Scissors
• Mod Podge
• Toothpicks
• Small paintbrush

DIY Beads from Magazine Craft Supplies

Pull out some magazine pages that have a color scheme you like.

You don’t have to worry too much about what the picture is, as it won’t really show, but words and letters might look a little funky. Cut them in strips that start at about 1″ wide and get narrower at the top.

Start rolling the wide end around your toothpick.

Continue until you get to the tip. You want to center the strip as you roll your paper bead so that it comes out even on both sides.

Brush Mod Podge over the entire home made paper bead.

I had a foam wreath in the craft room, so I stuck my DIY beads on there to dry without sticking to anything.

Gently remove your hand made beads from the toothpicks.

I thought they would stick really badly, but they didn’t. We put ours on a piece of elastic so the necklace would stretch, but I’d prefer to use something stronger so it will hold up better.

What I Learned the Hard Way:  This craft was a little beyond my kiddos, so I ended up doing pretty much all of it myself.  I would definitely recommend it for pre-teens and teens more than younger ones.

I’ll share up front that if I can ever locate the original set again, I’ll be happy to send visitors back their way. But for now, here’s the new alphabet!

Since we have had printable bubble letters for over four years now, our readers have used them for so many projects – lots of students use them in their school projects for presentations and banners. Others use them as embroidery patterns, or even as sewing patterns for alphabet initial pillows. You could also use them for any crafts you want to personalize with someone’s name, or use a projector to trace the letters onto a wall or piece of furniture to paint words in a mural. Got any more ideas? Leave them in the comments below!!

How to Make a Crayon Wreath

I’ve seen this craft around Pinterest, but I never came across a good tutorial for how to make one.  So, I got all creative and dove in on my own.  To be honest, this isn’t exactly a kids’ craft, but my little one did “help” by handing me the different colored crayons as I used the hot glue gun.  I’m so excited to give it to her teacher later today!

Makes the Coolest Teacher Gift!

What You Need to Make a Crayon Wreath

• Crayons (we used two boxes of 64 plus a few extra crayons from a third box)
• Two different-sized embroidery hoops (mine were 12″ and 8″)
• Strong string or floral wire (I used embroidery floss)
• Hot glue

Crayon Wreath Craft Supplies

Place the embroidery hoops on your surface with the small one inside of the big one. Placed a dab of hot glue on each and lay the crayon across so it is stuck to both.

The hardest part for me was to get the spacing down.  They need to be angled so that there is more space between them on the bigger embroidery hoop.  Really, it just took a while to get the feel of it down, and I went back and pulled off a few once I had a good idea of the correct angle.

Glue crayons all the way around your embroidery hoops.

Because there is so much space between the sharpened ends of the crayons, you can’t lay the second layer right on top of the first without creating something for them to rest on.

Wrap your string around the crayons, getting it as close to the outer edge of the larger embroidery hoop as possible. Once you've gone all the way around, tie it off and snip the long ends of the string.

Notice that the string crosses over the TOP side of the crayons rather than the bottom.  This is so you have a level place to glue your second layer of crayons.

Add the second layer to your crayon wreath by gluing the next crayon at the bottom where the two from the first layer meet. Glue the sharpened end to the string or floral wire you added in the last step.

Since ours was a teacher Christmas gift, we added a bow and poinsettia to our crayon wreath.

Besides spring break and Easter, the other great thing about April is Earth Day, and we have a ton of great material for your classroom for this very special day! Earth Day was started in 1970 by Wisconsin U.S. senator Gaylord Nelson, inspired mostly by his first hand experience with the environmental devastation of a 1969 oil spill in California. Supposedly the holiday was first celebrated mostly by schools of all grade levels, including colleges and universities. But I honestly don’t remember hearing about Earth Day until the late 1980′s, which is such a shame. And I’m honestly not surprised that someone from Wisconsin started Earth Day, because that state is really one of my most favorite places to visit. They like to call us in Illinois ‘flat-landers’, and they are right! The rolling hills of Wisconsin are just plain beautiful!

The mission of Earth Day is to teach our children about how humans affect the environment in detrimental ways. Topics to discuss with your students could include how power generation causes pollution, environmental disasters, the use of pesticides and harmful chemicals, animal habitat loss of wilderness, or the importance of recycling, reducing consumption and using renewable resources. It is celebrated every year on April 22, and you can always get a ton more information at the official Earth Day Network website.

Be sure to check out our page of activities from Dr. Seuss’  The Lorax and Craft Jr.’s recycled kids crafts.

Printable Earth Day Poems

Earth Day Kids Poem - What You Can Do

Earth Day Kids Poem - Earth Day Mixup

Here are all of the Woo! Jr. Earth Day kids activities in one place!