paper offers a wealth of opportunity for creative expression. It can be delicately crafted, modelled, constructed or simply painted or drawn on.
Children absolutely love to draw and create images of real and fantasy worlds.
By the time children have reached the age of five most will have developed the basic skills that are needed to hold and manipulate small tools such as scissors. This gives out-of-school workers the opportunity to promote more advanced crafts and design ideas.
Many out-of-school settings provide a table that is permanently designated as the craft or drawing table. This means that children have constant access to an abundance of paper, old boxes, pens, glue, paint, rulers and scissors. To encourage and stimulate the children you could also provide a range of drawing, craft and modelling books, or books that show children how to draw cartoons and so on.
Alternatively if you are aware of somebody who draws cartoons, illustrates books, paints or makes crafts for a living or hobby, then why not ask them to come and work with the children? I invited a local cartoonist to demonstrate his skills at our club - he wowed the children with his quick and comical sketches. Drawing cartoons became an everyday occurrence in the club after this!
Below I have outlined some simple, and some more advanced, paper projects and activities. But do remember to leave the children alone to doodle. You will be amazed at the level of artistic skill!
Make a Paper Helicopter
Making this very simple paper helicopter will take about five minutes.
Children will then enjoy watching it spin as it is dropped.
1 First, enlarge the template shown and draw around it on paper.
2 Cut out the shape.
3 Hold the template with the short edge away from you, and cut a slot at each side.
4 Fold in the flaps on each side.
5 Tuck up the bottom of the folded flap, and hold it with a paper clip.
6 Cut along the vertical line at the top to create two 'wings'.
7 Fold out the wings, drop the helicopter, and watch it spin.
Fabulous Fans In Japan people hang fans around their doors to bring them good luck in the coming year.
For centuries, fans have been an important accessory for Japanese men and women. There are two kinds of Japanese fans - ones that fold and rigid or flat ones that don't.
Koreans use one of the oldest styles of fans to keep themselves cool. The design is based on a palm leaf. The pattern on the fan is one of the national symbols of Korea.
Here are two examples of fans that children can make: You will need: * Thin card or stiff paper
* A smaller piece of thick card for Korean fan
* Scissors
* Felt-tip pens, paints or crayons
* Glue
Japanese Fan
1 Cut a rectangular shape out of stiff white paper. Draw a Japanese looking tree and patterns with felt-tip pens.
2 Leave the background white, if you wish, or colour it.
3 Fold the fan into a concertina and pinch the folds at one end together.
4 Paint an ice-lolly stick black and tape it on to the back of the pinched folds.
Korean Fan
1 Enlarge the design shown to the size you require using the thin card.
2 Cut it out and colour it - red, yellow and blue are the most popular colours in Korea.
3 Enlarge the handle shape and draw this on to thicker card twice.
4 Cut out the two handles.
5 Decorate them to look like wood or black lacquer.
6 Glue one handle on to each side of the fan in the position shown.
Paper ladder trick This simple ladder trick is made out of newspapers and will definitely impress the children!
You will need: * A newspaper
* Glue
To prepare
Glue together several pages of your newspaper at the edges.
When the glue has dried roll up the paper from one short end (not too tightly).
Glue the other short end to the roll.
Now impress your audience with the ladder trick: 1 Flatten the roll. Tear out and discard a rectangular shape from one long edge.
2 Open the paper into a roll again but flatten the two ends.
3 Bend down both ends. Put your fingers inside these rolls and pull upwards.
4 Tell a story incorporating the ladder into your tale as you pull up the ladder.
Flick Books
Do you remember making flick books? These small books have the different stages of a cartoon drawn on the front of every page. When you flick through the book quickly the drawings animate to look as if they are moving.
You will need * Paper
* Pens, pencils
* Glue, sticky tape or stapler
* Ruler
1 Cut out 20 small rectangles of paper the same size (approx 5 x 6cm) or to whatever size you want to work with.
2 Draw a figure or cartoon at a different stage on each page, make the changesvery small and keep the drawings simple. Draw on only one side of the paper and don't draw too close to the edges. Each sequence must have a beginning, a middle and an end.
3 Now pile the pieces of paper together. Placing the first cartoon at the bottom. When the book is flicked it is done so in reverse.
4 Now glue or staple the top together.
5 Now flick your book from the bottom to see the results.
Ideas for flick book animation
Sun and cloud Draw a cloud to one side of a yellow sun. Slowly move the cloud to the other side so that it blocks out the sun. Add a face with the appropriate expressions!Note: Why not design the top page of your flick book to include the title of the book and who the author was?
Puzzle madness
You can make a jigsaw puzzle from a favourite picture or photograph by enlarging the picture on a photocopier or designing it on the computer.
When you have your picture, glue it on to fairly thick card and let it dry.
Now laminate the picture using clear sticky back plastic (available at most DIY stores).
Using a permanent marker pen draw your puzzle design on top of the picture -don't make it too easy! Now carefully cut out your puzzle pieces.
Then try to put it back together!
Note: Make a box to keep your puzzle in.
Snake Charming - a simple science experiment
By using static electricity, you can charm a paper snake into the air.
You will need
* Tissue paper
* Plastic pen
* A small piece of silk fabric
* Metal tray or plate
1 Cut out a spiral from a circle of tissue paper.
2 Lay the tissue paper spiral on the metal plate.
3 Rub the plastic pen vigorously on the piece of silk, so that it becomes charged. The plastic pen will become static by picking up electrons from the silk.
4 Now place the charged pen on the centre of the spiral and gently raise the snake into the air.
Note: A similar science trick can be demonstrated by running a plastic comb through your hair and then using it to pick up small pieces of tissue paper.
