Going to Michael's in 3 Hours, Need Craft Ideas?

If you want to make something for your daughter, how about creating an art center in the corner of one room? Spread old plastic shower curtains or plastic tablecloths on the floor and set a cheap folding table in the middle. Buy some large plastic bins and fill with craft supplies and recycled materials to build with.

Here are some things my kids have enjoyed creating with:
Gallon of elmers glue from Home Depot
Felt squares rather than precut felt shapes.
Colored paper, construction paper, junk mail on colored paper or with pretty pictures.
Scissors, regular and decorative edged.
Craft sticks, drinking straws, toothpicks.
Feathers, googly eyes, sequins, beads.
Yarn, buttons, pipe cleaners.
Paint and markers.
Brushes and rubber stamps.
Fimo dough, we went through tons of this stuff!
You can make puppets from socks.
Brown paper bags, small for puppets, large ones go over the head to create crazy masks.
Cardboard boxes are great. I do the cut outs with an exacto knife following kids' instructions.
Recycled materials: fabric scraps, milk cartons both the gallon plastic jugs and the smaller cardboard size, soda can pull tabs, wine corks, cardboard toilet paper and giftwrap tubes, twigs and plant materials from the garden. Foil, gift cards, styrofoam pellets. Old clean plastic tubs and foam trays make good containers for sorting, mixing paints or holding glue.

The library is a great resource for ideas. Bring home some kids craft books and see what your daughter is inspired to create.

Sock puppets are great. Be sure and get some wodden knobs for the TV!

Get those brown boxes she can paint.

For the TV, buy some frabric remnants for the curtains & tie back w/gold
rope.

Buy googly eyes.

Get foam letters & shapes to glue on things.

Get popsicle sticks (plain & colored). She can glue them around an empty soup can to make a pencil cup etc.

Updated

Get those brown boxes she can paint.

For the TV, buy some frabric remnants for the curtains & tie back w/gold
rope.

Buy googly eyes.

Get foam letters & shapes to glue on things.

Get popsicle sticks (plain & colored). She can glue them around an empty soup can to make a pencil cup etc.

Oh my goodness! After reading this, I think that I'm going to take the kids to Michaels!

I was thinking that you might want a little curtain for her puppet stage.

I love sewing, so I have done small projects for my little ones so that they will love sewing, too. There are preboxed sets of felt animal (bear) with all that you'd need, but you could also do it yourself. We have used the sets, and they are fun, but I also have just cut out any shape they want out of a fun fabric, and they can stitch to their hearts delight. It is a great quiet project that they can take on a long car trip or something. I don't know if this would be appealing to your daughter. She sounds like she likes to build, which I liked when I was young; I also liked to take things apart (radios).

Either way, crafts are great!
Thanks for your question, and all of the great responses.
KATIE

Sorry, no ideas, but I just think that's such a cute idea!

For the stick puppets:
Craft sticks
Googly eyes
pompoms (get a multi pack which has a variety of sizes)
Alene's Tacky Glue (holds better than Elmers)

Buttons (for the tv 'knobs')
Glitter glue

You can get craft sticks, googly eyes and then find leaves, rocks and sticks and make 'woodsies', little critters.

Craft sticks and small wooden shapes/blocks... have her stack and glue them on a piece of cardboard or a small tray.

One thing to remember is to try to be as open-ended as possible. What you think will be a 'great' pretend tv might be more detailed than what she wants to do. If you have a chance, check out Preschool Art by MaryAnn Kohl from your library. There are a lot of art supply recipes in that book, and loads of ideas.

If she's super interested in building, then blocks or duplos should help with this yen. (Probably needs another year or so for the fine-motor skill/strength Legos require? Depends on the kid.)

Playdough is also great. Add some craft sticks to the cutters and rollers.

I also have a Found Objects drawer in my house. You can use a box for this. In it goes all sorts of random things: clear containers, small boxes, flattened cereal boxes, spools from tape/thread-- anything, ribbon bits, beads, metal lids from jars, tea tins... the list goes on. This is the most valuable 'art' supply I have... my son is five and rummages through that drawer at least twice a week for his 'creations'.

Have fun!