Need Craft Ideas for Kids/Teens Esp Boys

[Whitney]

Sunday my job will be keeping the kids occupied for about an hour during craft time while they are taking turns using a pottery wheel.  I figure the 5-7 kids can cut and paste, maybe draw on coloring pages and things like that..pretty simple to keep them happy.  However I don't know what to do with the 12-15 year olds...esp the boys.  I figure I could teach the girls crochet (depending on how many of them there are since I have to worry about supplies too) but the boys probably won't like that idea.  They probably also wouldn't like friendship bracelets, which is something I was thinking of doing with the 8-11 (what do boys of that age like?)  I don't know what sort of craft/art things boys like which could be done on a farm with no access to computers (my husband said they would like digital art).

One thing I remember doing at an art day camp when I was younger was digging a hole in the dirt then pouring plaster of paris in it...you ended up with what is kinda a reverse sculpture.  That could be fun for probably the 5-11 year old (obviously the younger ones would need more help) but I would also need to get permission to let the kids dig small holes somewhere (and I can't think of a place that wouldn't be disturbing existing grass).

The only thing I know about boys is that they like to hit things together and get messy (and I'd rather they not get too messy).  So...ya...I need ideas.  Crafts which are meant to teach something about reason or science are a plus.  They have to be inexpensive and able to complete them in about 45 minutes and any drying would have to be done in no more than 2 hours.  

If you have anything, just throw the idea out there.  If we can't use it this year we have a week long sleep over camp planned for next year (which would allow more crafting and drying time).

edit:  just thought of oragami..would boys like that?  I'd have to brush up on how to fold some things like a frog and bird, but that shouldn't be too hard.

[Heretical Rants]

For some simple origami, this isn't exactly purist, but there is this jumping frog.

It takes about 5-10 minutes to make for someone who isn't good at origami.
Anything that takes longer is definitely not for beginners, though.  This hat I made in middle school comes to mind .

[AlP]

12 - 15 year old boys... Give them supplies to build a simple bridge: paper, drinking straws, tape, balsa wood, stuff like that. Then at the end have a competition to see which bridge can hold the most weight. Have a rule like it can only touch the ground beyond two points. Add one weight at a time and the last one to collapse wins. I remember doing that when I was that age and I thought it was fun. The idea is probably on the Internets somewhere.

Edit: adding things as I come by them...
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/for_fun/MakeyourownCompass.pdf

[Whitney]

12 - 15 year old boys... Give them supplies to build a simple bridge: paper, drinking straws, tape, balsa wood, stuff like that. Then at the end have a competition to see which bridge can hold the most weight. Have a rule like it can only touch the ground beyond two points. Add one weight at a time and the last one to collapse wins. I remember doing that when I was that age and I thought it was fun. The idea is probably on the Internets somewhere.

That is a good one...I've actually done that for a college competition (against engineers so of course mine was among the first to fail since I just stuck things together instead of doing calculations).  For ours it was Popsicle sticks and wood glue...so tape would be a good way to speed it up and we could use found objects.

Oh...that also reminds me of a competition I did in high school where we were given straws and had to build the tallest self supporting tower.

[AlP]

I think I like my compass idea better now. You could have them build a working compass and then go on to show them how to navigate with a map and compass. I know it's a little outdated with GPS and everything but I will never forget when my Dad taught me to navigate with a compass. I remember every detail. And that kind of knowledge can save a life. A map and compass doesn't run out of power.

[Ninteen45]

12 - 15 year old boys... Give them supplies to build a simple bridge: paper, drinking straws, tape, balsa wood, stuff like that. Then at the end have a competition to see which bridge can hold the most weight. Have a rule like it can only touch the ground beyond two points. Add one weight at a time and the last one to collapse wins. I remember doing that when I was that age and I thought it was fun. The idea is probably on the Internets somewhere.

Edit: adding things as I come by them...
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/for_fun/MakeyourownCompass.pdf

I remember doing something like that... It was easy and boring. Perhaps it was the fact I'm good with planning, perhaps it was the fact I was too interested in other things...

Try multiple things, but be careful... I 14 year old may be more intent on a catapult than a windmill.

Try to get them to build a moving sailboat or something more interesting...

[Whitney]

I talked to the organizer.  We are going to offer them multiple choices of activities since we aren't sure what they will like.  If they don't want to build a bridge they can make a boat (there is a pond to test it in if they want) or just color.

[rlrose328]

Some type of leatherworking... Leather wallet?  I know my dad made them when I was a kid, cutting out the leather pieces, punching holes and lacing the edges together. Must be a pattern on the web somewhere.  These aren't patterns, but there is a lacing kit that makes 50 crafts for $38.

Or there are duct tape crafts and more duck tape crafts!  Home Depot has a few colors of Duct Tape, but Michael's has about a dozen.  I've made a duct tape book cover for Brendan's math book the past 2 years and it lasted ALL YEAR.  Didn't have to replace it once.  That link has bracelets (duct tape ones would be tough, right?), cell phone case, tie, wallet, and for that special girl (mom!), there's a duct tape rose.  There are some videos for duct tape crafts here.

[Kylyssa]

Sand candles are kind of cool - you make a shape in sand with your hand, a pine cone, your face, or whatever and then you insert a wick (if the shape is something you will usually want the wick to stick below the sand "mold") then pour in heated wax to fill the shape.

My favorite to teach would be salt water metal etching.  Get a bunch of assorted tins and strip off any paint on them.  Then draw on the tins with grease pencil, oil pastel, or crayons.  Use a dry cell battery and two lengths of copper wire to provide the electricity - I can provide more details if you like.  The battery isn't strong enough to give anyone a major shock even if they screw around with it and the salt and water are not toxic.  I do this all the time to make steampunk type etched metal cases.  You can just skip the part I do with the copper sulfate finish to avoid toxic stuffs.  The kids would take turns using the battery and the salt water bath.

Is there a lake, pond or stream?  If so, then you've just got to make some boats!  Woven grass boats with leaf sails, paper boats, popsicle stick boats - etc - anything that floats.

They could make dream catchers and you could tell the Native American story of grandmother spider to go with it.  You wouldn't need to skirt the fun mythology due to religious sensibilities.

Plastic bag crocheting?  Tie Dying t-shirts?  Model rockets?  Potato guns?  Marshmallow guns?  Papier mache?  Spray paint clothing stenciling?  Painting a mural?  Wood burning?  Junk reclamation/re-use/junk sculpture?  Tombstone imprints?  Candy making?  Soapstone carving?  Macrame?  Gardening?          

Man, if I weren't sick, I'd volunteer for Michigan's Camp Quest in a heartbeat.  I basically am a teenage boy at heart.

And all these things are unisex - girls could do them too!

[buttercupbaby]

I ran a girl scout troop what feels like a hundred years ago.   All I can say is good luck and plan on drinking heavily when you get home.

[skurry]

Erector sets and Legos are probably too expensive. Relating to my boyscout years, Popsicle stick bread baskets, napkin holders, birdhouses, etc, were really fun!

[-43-]

My leisure time activities as a 15-16 year old probably don't fall into the category of "arts and crafts", model rockets would be best for those kids, most would be bored by certain activities (like crocheting). If it's loud and somewhat flashy they should have a decent time.

[Whitney]

We had a lot of extra clay so we ended up letting them make pinch pots (and whatever else they wanted to make) while waiting to use the wheel.  The little kids decorated their pinch pots with sticks and glitter glue (It was amusing them so we didn't care if they didn't do it correctly)....very interesting to see what happens to those if they are put in the kiln (I wouldn't fire them).  Main thing, they all seemed to have fun.

Rockets were going to be part of the plan but we wouldn't have had time for them anyway...but they will be on next year's schedule.