Candis Reade
Kids and circuses go hand in hand. Children love everything about the circus – from the elephants, to the lions and high trapeze acts. They love the cotton candy and the clowns jumping out of cars. But usually, the circus only comes around once a year. How much fun to put together circus crafts for kids right in your home where they can enjoy the circus any time of year!
Megaphone Be A Ringmaster!
Items needed for this craft are scissors, construction paper, stickers and markers. The child should decorate the construction paper first with the stickers and markers. When they’re done, roll the paper up in a funnel shape. Voila! Instant megaphone. Perfect for playing with outside where they can use their loud,outdoor voice.
Cages for the Animals
One of the best parts of a circus is seeing the animals. Not the usual squirrel or dog the kids can see everyday, these beasts are wild and dangerous and kids love them! This craft gives them the opportunity to cage their own, even if these are just made out of cookies. Items needed are animal crackers, glue, pipe cleaners and foam food trays. The first step is to have the children glue the animal crackers to the trays. If the trays are circular, they (or the adult) can cut the trays into a square (more cage like) shape. Glue pipe cleaners over the animals making sure the pipe cleaners run the length of the tray to resemble a cage. If you incorporate some yarn into the mix, you can string these cages together to look like a little circus caravan.
Circus Crafts for Kids Clown Hats
What kid doesn’t want to dress up as a clown? Now they can look like one, even without the big rubbery nose. Items for this project include scissors, construction paper, glue, pompom, toothpicks, and holes punched from a hole puncher (yes, the actual tiny circles, in various colors works best!). First cut a large triangle out of the paper, and round out the bottom so it resembles a hat. Have the child glue the pre-punched holes by using the toothpicks to pick them up (or they will stick all over the child’s fingers!) The pompom gets glued onto the very top, of course!
Circus Crafts for Kids Neck Tie
Now that your child has the hat, why not have him create a neck tie to create his clown look! Items needed are construction paper, stickers, markers and a big paper clip. Since clowns wear bowtie neckties, have the child cut out two triangles of similar shape then arrange them so a necktie shape is created. Decorate the tie then use the paper clip to attach to their shirt.
Whats a Circus without Cotton Candy!
This craft may look so lifelike the children will want to eat it, so be forewarned! For this craft you’ll need a bag of cotton balls, of course, pink is best, however, any color can be used, most especially your child’s favorite. Pull the cotton apart slightly then mesh them together with fingers. Glue the nonsticky cotton candy conglomeration onto an empty paper towel roll.
Utilizing all of these circus crafts for kids will allow one child to be dressed as a clown while speaking into a megaphone to a crowd full of children pretending to eat their cotton candy!
Sandy Dean
I’ve been obsessed by vintage quilts for the last decade. Once I finally had a family of my own, the warmth, history and values that antique fabrics represent has been very appealing. The idea of someone lovingly and artistically cutting, arranging, and sewing beautiful fabrics together is simply too strong for me to resist. I love the history of old textiles and quilts and I have become an eager student on the characteristics and significance of each kind.
Information about most types of quilts is pretty straightforward, but I still find cutter quilts to be very subjective and mysterious. That’s because the phrase means different things to different collectors, artists and crafters.
Some see a true cutter as a unique piece made out of scraps of vintage fabric. Usually, these textiles are old, treasured clothes like neck ties, christening gowns, wedding dresses, suits, and scraps of lace or velvet. Sometimes the scraps are more common and utilitarian like feed sack. Occasionally, these pieces are also called crazy quilts. Dealers who have this view of cutters usually see them as not defined by their damage but by the type and shape of the fabric used.
Others view these types of quilts as nothing more than damaged pieces to be cut up and make into something else entirely. This is not as bad as it sounds. If a piece is truly irreparably damaged, it’s commendable to want to save and preserve it. There is only so much genuine feed sack or turn of the century textiles available. Many quilters and collectors love old fabrics, but find a torn or worn piece undesirable.
Still others view a cutter quilt as a bargain priced valuable antique that only needs to be lovingly repaired and restored. Because some dealers will discount pieces with flaws, many view these items as a bargain second to none.
