|
Activities and Crafts |
|
|
Go to Page Index
These activities and crafts are a pathway to a number of skills. Many are free or inexpensive. For games and outdoor hobbies such as walking or canoeing, see What's Free or Cheap in NYC: Phys. Ed. and Summer Phys. Ed., and Physical Activities. And see also some Crafts perfect for the winter season Many of the activities listed here come under the heading of "practical arts" or "life skills." According to the board of ed. this includes: industrial arts, home economics, business, and agriculture. So you could teach your child to mend clothing, cook a dinner, plant a garden, and so on. If you have a suggestion for an addition to this page, please send an email. Page IndexGeneral Crafts Links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Many a notable scientist got his or her first start from an interest in ham radio. Talk to people around the world, help with communication in crisis situations, gain an understanding of how electronic equipment works.
Astronomy is the study of the stars. It's a fascinating hobby, and you (may!) get to stay up late. See our list of resources at Science: Space Sciences. Edmund Scientific has some great Astronomy Products.
Bird-watching can be fun for all the family. See What's Free or Cheap in NYC: Science and Math (including Economics) for some expedition suggestions.
You'll never forget a birthday or other anniversary again if you make your own Birthday Calendar. It's just like a regular calendar, but with no days of the week, so it will last for year after year. Personalize it with pictures of the birthday person or pet. And remember to look at it each month!
| When my kids were very little, I made big cardboard books about them. These were simple books, with one sentence per page, and an illustration on the following page. I bound them together by punching three holes in the sides and using binder rings (very inexpensive). The books were approximately one-foot square, maybe eight or ten pages long. They had titles like Johnny Goes to the Zoo, with photos or postcards from our zoo trip for illustrations. These books became our early reading primers. |
| – from Education Uncensored, by Laurie Block Spigel |
Making a book of your very own is a great activity. You can make any kind of book, from your own dictionary or encyclopedia to a book of poems or stories to a book on your favorite subject, creature, or whatever. You can keep a record of your vacations. And who knows? One day you may write a book for general publication!
Practicing calligraphy (it means "Beautiful Writing") can improve anyone's handwriting skills. See also Handwriting on our Language Arts page.
Like stamps, coins tell us a lot about other countries and our own. Collect a full set of coins from the year you were born, or the complete set of quarters for every state. Ask friends who travel abroad to give you the loose change they brought back.
Everyone should have some idea of how to cook, and it's never too early to start.
Interested in knowing how and what people in other countries eat? Check out The Global Gastronomer from Yale University.
Nothing gives quite so much satisfaction as growing something, either to eat or for its beauty. And even in an apartment, you can grow bean sprouts.
And not just for girls! Traditionally, all the British fishermen's sweaters were knitted by the men, during the winter when they couldn't fish. All these crafts aid hand/eye coordination, design skills, and math (counting stiches).
See also:
|
See What's Free or Cheap in NYC: Music for some opportunities for joining a chorus.
Writing your own songs can be a lot of fun, and it's quite easy.
|
Original Words: Three blind mice, Three blind mice, See how they run! See how they run! They all ran after the farmer's wife Who cut off their tails with a carving knife Did ever you see such a thing in your life As three blind mice? |
Dum-tee: Dum, dum, dum Dum, dum, dum Dum, dumtee dum Dum, dumtee dum Tee dum, tee dumpitty dum, teedum Tee dum, tee dumpitty dum, teedum Tee dumpitty dumpitty dumpitty dum Tee dum, dum, dum. |
It's amazing what you can find to turn into a musical instrument. Rhythm instruments are easiest – a jar or can with a few beans becomes a shaker (you can decorate with paint, decals, etc.) and any can makes a simple drum.
See What's Free or Cheap in NYC: Music for some free or inexpensive concerts and performances. Remember Etiquette for Live Performances.
You can listen to music with a stereo, or on an i-pod or Walkman, or on the radio or TV.
Origami teaches manual dexterity and offers insights into geometry.
See What's Free or Cheap in NYC: Art & Architecture for places to see art; Art & Architecture Resources; and Art by Kids on this website.
See our page on Penpals and E-Pals.
Pets are not a hobby. Pets are a commitment. See the ASPCA's Animaland, the website for kids who love animals.
"A picture is worth a thousand words," and photographs can illustrate reports as well as bring back cherished memories.
All you need is a couple of sheets of absorbent paper, a heavy weight, and a flower! Starting a pressed flower collection, making greeting cards, pictures, or bookmarks, kids can find out about botany and produce lovely things.
Quilting is the art of sewing two pieces of cloth together with a layer of padding between. Scrap pieces of fabric can be joined together in patterns or abstracts.
A scrapbook is literally a book of scraps -- photos, bits clipped from magazines, pictures, drawings, poems -- in fact anything you like. You can make a scrapbook about your vacation, your pet, your family (see Genealogy Resources), or a scrapbook on a particular subject such as history. There are lots of ready-made scrapbook kits available, but it's more fun to create your own, maybe in a loose-leaf binder so you can continue to add pages. Tip: Stick with pages that are 8-1/2" by 11" -- anything else becomes too large to store easily!
Knowing even a little about sewing can save you heaps of money! Replace your own buttons, darn a hole in your favorite sweater, turn up a hem on a garment that's too long. And make your own clothes or Halloween costumes.
There are stamps that illustrate every conceivable subject from art to zoology.