Ready to Craft?Kelsie WadeChildren’s LibrarianAbilene Public LibraryMain BranchFebruary 29, 2016

Why craft?•Obvious answer: it’s fun•Get teens thinking outside the box•Fine tunes motor skills•May not have the opportunity to craft at

home or in class like when they were kids

Crafting Programs•May not get the same attendance as

children’s craft programs will•Materials often more expensive; more

time to put together•Should you still do them?•YES!

Tween Time: Gross Out Foods

Crafting Programs•Perfect for:

▫Socializing▫Showing what the library has to offer▫Integrating library materials with hands-on

applications▫Bringing teens away from the digital world

Crafting Stations•Next hour and a half•Opportunity to try

10 different crafts or club activities

•Each station visited or activity completed will receive ticket for raffle prize

Tween Time: Duct Tape Party

Passive Activity: Black Out Poetry

•Choose specific words from a page of an old book

•Black out or decorate the rest of the text so only those words remain

Passive Activity: YA Book Crossword•Familiarize yourself with popular or

unique YA books!•Each placed at your table

Station: Lego Building•Admire some of the creations from our

previous Lego Club meetings

•Build something yourself! Work together or by yourself

Lego Club

Station: Edible Lip Scrub•Delicious craft that teens

will just eat up •Uses edible household items•Can be messy•Used cheap plastic

containers from amazon.com to hold scrub

Station: Duct Tape Creations•Although not inexpensive, duct tape is one

of our favorite resources•So many different things to make with it!•Learn two different techniques: flower

pen(cils) and bowties/hairbows

Tween Time: Duct Tape Party

Station: Minute To Win It•Get teens

unplugged!•Can look up game

ideas online easily•Group activities•Uses items

already on hand or easy to get

•Hilarity sure to ensue

Tween Time: Minute To Win It

Station: Temporary Tattoos•Various ways to do it•Sharpies, baby powder & hairspray =

fewest items needed•Brings in artistic teens•Does not last for more than a few days

Station: Masquerade Masks•Two different ways to

do it: plastic or paper with die cut or template

•Paper = much cheaper•Other materials:

sequins, feathers, beads, glue

•Teens LOVE this craftTeen Time: Masquerade Masks

Station: Jellyfish Bottles•Inventive way to talk

about recycling and/or oceans

•Most of the materials can be collected or donated

•Best ages: 10-14Tween Time: Jellyfish Bottles

Station: Paper Crafting•Can find templates

online of almost anything

•Varying degrees of difficulty▫Smaller = harder

•Can cut out for teens/tweens if they are younger or craft session is too short

Minecraft Ore template; white tabs are what you glue together

Station: Gross Out Wounds•Not for the faint of

heart!•Uses common

household items and paint/makeup

•Can be messy!•Huge draw for boys•Can also do scars

Tween Time: DIY Scars & Gross Out Foods

Station: Appetizer Bar•Requires a lot of

materials and prep•Most popular with our

teens/tweens•Food is HUGE draw;

will always get some numbers

•Wide variety of ideas to chose from

•Can be expensive

Grilled cupcakes & Burger and Fries