Kid-Approved Pinterest Crafts

This is the nine year old. She is constantly wanting to bake, cook, mix baking soda with something for an experiment, paint, craft aluminum foil into a project, use yarn and beads to make everything from zipper pulls to bracelets, sew, and more. Sometimes I have a hard time finding the energy to plan, create, and clean-up alongside of her. So I finally decided it would be okay for her to download the Pinterest app onto her Kindle Fire and allow her to explore the vast world of projects and creativity at her fingertips. 

These are some crafts and projects that she picked out from Pinterest and then I let her do them her own way, at her own speed, with materials we already had on hand. We kept things pretty low-maintenance and still had a lot of fun!

 So the following is our list of (Mom and) Kid-Approved Pinterest Crafts: 

Pet Rocks

Inspiration on the Web: Ladybug Painted Rocks
Supplies: rocks, paint, paintbrushes (various sizes)

Process:  We found some rocks in the back yard and left-over paint and paintbrushes in our craft drawer. My little creative got to work and you can check out her completed ladybug inspired pet rocks in the photo below. Once they dried, we promptly returned the rocks outside, to add a little color to our landscape.

Pro Tip: You can also create “kindness rocks”, with words or sayings that are inspirational, (i.e. “you are beautiful”) and then leave them in a public place for someone else to find. I did not get a picture of the kindness rocks we created before we hid them. A lot of people are creating these kindness rocks, so be on the look-out and/or join in the movement as well!

Volcano

Inspiration on the Web: Easy Volcanic Eruption for Kids
Supplies: cup, water, food coloring, baking soda, vinegar

Process: Fill a cup (or container) with water and food coloring. Add baking soda to the water and food coloring, and then pour vinegar into the container as well. When you add the vinegar, you will witness the volcanic eruption.

Pro tip: The higher the water is filled; the higher the explosion will be. This also has the potential to be messy, so we put the container on a baking sheet with rimmed edges, to collect the overflow.Pencil Caddy

Inspiration on the Web: Summer Pencil Holders
Supplies: empty aluminum can (without lid), decorative paper, markers, tape

Process: Peel label off the aluminum can. Trace decorative paper (we used scrapbook paper) the same size as the can. Cut paper into the traced shape. Adhere paper to aluminum can with glue or tape. Decorate the paper in a way that pleases you. Fill with pencils. Now you’ve just added some personal pizzazz to your desk or work space.

Pro tip: Make sure there are no sharp edges from removing the lid from the can. Safety first!

DIY Lava Lamp

Inspiration on the Web: Lava Lamps – Insanely Easy
Supplies:  vegetable oil, water, food coloring, Alka-Seltzer tablets

Process:  Fill a container 2/3 full with vegetable oil. Add water to top off the container. Pick the food coloring of your choice and add several drops. Break up Alka-Seltzer tablets and add to the container a little at a time, and watch as the “lava” rises and falls.

Pro Tip:  This only works as long as you are adding the Alka-Seltzer, so stock up if you want this to entertain for more than a few minutes!

And there you have it, folks: some real-life Pinterest projects that pleased both the nine year old and me.

Let this be proof that you can have fun with Pinterest without the perfection!