Kid Crafts Magazine

Kid Crafts Magazine is the only digitally delivered magazine dedicated to children's crafting. We strive to bring you the best craft projects for younger children from throughout the Internet. This newsletter can be viewed online. Read previous issues of our newsletters located in our Newsletter Archive.

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Featured & New Crafts

I've probably mentioned before that my oldest started kindergarten this week. (She absolutely loves it!) She's getting ready for her first 'Back to School Night,' and of course there are apples involved.

It got me to thinking... that would be a great theme for the site. I bet there are a lot of teachers and parents out there who have 'apple issues' right about now... so here's my contribution to the apples. Hope you like the new theme!

• Fingerprint Apple Tree - Use a paintbrush and brown paint or brown marker to make a tree trunk long-ways on a piece of paper. Dip your index finger in green paint and stamp it several times at the top of the trunk to make the tree. You'll have to re-dip your finger several times. Dip your pinkie in red paint and stamp it on your tree to make the apples.

• Terra Cotta Apple - This project would definitely be for kids who are a bit older, but it's very cute. Basically, you paint a terra cotta pot and saucer red, put the saucer on top of the pot to make an 'apple,' and then add some leaves.

• Apple Counting Book - Draw a basic tree shape on a piece of construction paper. (you can color if you want or skip). This is the cover -- Write "My Apple Counting Book" on the cover. For each number you want to do, draw an apple tree. On page one, you'll write "1 apple in my apple tree" and the child will either draw an apple in the tree or you can use a sticker. They you would do "2, 3, 4, etc. apples in my apple tree" with a new page for each number. You could try do the book all at once, do one number a day, or just do the number you are working on for the week and save them. Eventually, you'll have several numbered pages to put together and staple on the side to make an apple counting book.

• Apple Writing Paper - If you're working on writing your name, or the letters of the alphabet, doing it on apple writing paper makes it much more fun! You can also get in a little cutting practice by cutting out the apple. This link above is the color version, this is the black and white version.

• Apple Stamping - Cut an apple in half. Dip the cut side of the apple into paint and dab it on a paper towel to wipe off the excess paint. Stamp it onto paper. You can experiment cutting the apple different ways for different ways, especially through the middle to make a star print.

  When the paper dries, you can use markers to outline the apples as a variation to the project. You can also use larger sheets of paper and use it for wrapping paper when the paint dries.

  Here's a little stamping tip I just learned. Fold a paper towel into quarters and lay it down in the middle of a styrofoam plate. Pour paint into the center of the paper towel. When the paper towel soaks up the paint it will act like a stamp pad. It wastes a little paint, but it's also a little less messy.

• Apple of My Eye - Use the templates to create apple pictures using posterboard and tissue paper. You could glue a picture in the middle to make a frame, or put your favorite apple recipe on the back and give it as a gift.

• Paper Bag Apple - Fill a small paper bag with newspaper and twist up the end to make the apple. Paint the apple part of the bag with red paint and paint the stem (the twisted up part) brown. Let dry. Cut out a couple of leaves from green construction paper and glue them onto the stem to make an apple.

• Apple Necklace - Draw a simple outline of an apple on red construction paper that measures 3 to 4 inches across. Cut it out. Draw 2 simple leaves and a stem on green construction paper and cut them out. Glue the leaves and stem onto the apple. Cut a piece of yarn long enough to go over the child's head. Glue, tape, or staple the apple onto the yarn to create the necklace. I stapled mine and then helped the kids draw faces where the staple was the nose.

• Apple Connect-the-Dots - This is a connect the dots apple where the dots are letters of the alphabet instead of numbers. The letters go from a-s.

• Paper Plate Apple - Paint the back side of a paper plate red. Let dry. Cut out a stem and two leaves from construction paper and glue it on to make the apple.

• Apple Collage - Tear up a bunch of pieces of red paper and glue them onto the back side of a paper plate. Glue on a stem and a couple of leaves.

• Fingerpaint Apple - Cut a large apple shape out of fingerpaint paper. Fingerpaint the apple with red paint. Let dry.