Customer Reviews

Hands On Crafts For Kids Crafts Around the World

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My 2nd grade son and I are "traveling the world" this school year, and this is one of the books I just happened to find at our library. There is a nice selection of projects from each country. The countries featured are: China, the UK, Australia, USA, Canada, Egypt, India, Morocco, Mexico, Italy, Africa, and Japan. The only snafu with this book is that it is over-complicated by lenghty lists of craft supplies and some of the projects/directions are difficult and may outlast your student's patience. I took the projects we wanted to do, pared them down and simplified them, and tried to use as much around-the-house stuff as I could. While studying China, we made the Chinese Dragon Mask, and it was a blast, definitely a keeper for the scrapbook! When I originally went to the craft supply store to buy the suggested items on the list for this project, I was horrified to figure out that it was going to cost $20-$30 just for this one project!!! I kind of took a second to rethink the project and ended up using scrapbook paper instead of foam (it was on sale for half price that day), and glitter glue instead of jewels. While the example in the book is impressive, what we ended up with is still cool and my son is so proud of it. Obviously whoever authored this book must be heavily into the complicated craft stuff, but don't let that deter you from buying the book. You can simplify and modify as much as you want, and you will end up with great looking results!! Have fun!

For a craft trip around the world this is an excellent adventure. There are crafts and ideas of projects to make from countries around the world, just like you are going on the cruise ship on the front cover. In China we made the Chinese Dragon Mask, and in the United Kingdom we took the opportunity to weave some fabric on a loom. In Australia we used pony beads to make a crocodile, and in the US we made some Native American jewelry with beads and safety pins. For our adventure to Canada we made a fantastic walking stick, but made ours out of a real stick and decorated it, and while in Egypt we made some wind chimes. In Mexico we made some worry dolls from old fashioned clothespins, and in Italy we made our beautiful mosaic tile. We made Kwanzaa beads in Africa and a Plum Blossom fan in Japan. When we started on our adventure we decided that we would do something from each country, but we would try to use items we had at home to substitute for specific items called for in the directions. It was a wonderful adventure.