LibGuides: SAPL is Here For You!: Creative Ideas for the Whole Family

Short and Sweet Suggestion

Thinking of planting a garden? Whether it's a veggie garden or a flower garden, it's important to determine what type of soil you're working with. Of course, you can send it into a lab for soil testing, or you can give it the old tried and true mason jar test to determine how much sand, silt, and clay you have. Check it out here! Besides, who doesn't love playing in dirt? Dig in and have fun!

This is from the Cities Connecting Children to Nature Initiative website.

Explore and Create with Sound

Sound Challenge Video

Did you sing and make music more when you were little? Don't stop now. Keep on playing!

Did you ever imagine that music could be made from the things around your house? Experiment with making some of your own if you are feeling creative. To be safe, ask an adult for permission before experimenting.

Find and stick and make it into a one-of-a-kind instrument.

tap out a beat with it just as you found it
wrap it in bells with string or pipe cleaners for a jingly shaker
string buttons, beads or seashells for a percussion experiment

Make your own maracas with plastic eggs and spoons. Thanks to San Antonio Botanical Garden for this and other "Kids Learning" ideas.

Craft ideas with things you have at home

Looking to get creative while you're at home? Check out these ideas of ways to use things you already have to create something new!

10 Crafts You Can Make From Stuff in Your Recycling Bin
Easy crafts for kids using recycled materials.
54 Simple Kids Crafts from Household Items
Crafting using bottles, cardboard tubes, milk jugs, and other items found around your house!
Children's Book Week - Coloring Pages
Free coloring pages from 23 children's book illustrators!
Crafts with egg cartons
Looking for ways to get creative with an egg carton? Look no further!
Crafts with household items
Find lots of ideas to get started with crafts the whole family can do with household items
Crafts with paper plates
What can you make with a paper plate? This link will give you lots of ideas - and the inspiration to come up with your own creation.
Crafts with popsicle sticks
The possibilities to make something creative with popsicle sticks are endless. Need some inspiration? Take a look at these ideas.
Crafts with toilet paper rolls
Find inspiration to transform a simple toilet paper roll into a work of art!
DIY projects for the whole family
Looking for ways for your family to stay busy at home? Check out this link for projects using items you have at home.
Making Kids Toys with Household Items
Some ideas for parents to work on with their kids, to make items they can play with over and over again!
Paper crafts
Something as simple as paper can be used in so many ways - what will you create?
Tinker Around Your House
"Think with your hands" using items you already have around the house with these ideas from The Exploratorium.
Upcycle crafts
From Good Housekeeping, find a creative way to reuse items like tissue boxes, tin cans, and paper towel rolls

Other Creative Ideas

Getting Started Playing Guitar for Dummies, Enhanced Edition by Mark Phillips; Jon Chappell
ISBN: 9781118133217
Publication Date: 2011-08-02
One of the coolest things about the guitar is that you can start faking it rather quickly. You get expert tips and techniques and the integrated audio and video clips help you hone your skills as you play along. Part instruction, part video and audio play-a-long, and a whole lot of fun.

Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center
Offers detailed "how-to" instructions and creative ideas to meet the interests of virtually every hobby enthusiast. Full text is provided from leading hobby and craft magazines, including Bead & Button, Creative Knitting, FineScale Modeler, Quilter's World and many more.

Crochet 101 by Deborah Burger
ISBN: 9781610584197
Publication Date: 2012-08-01
Written with the absolute beginner in mind, this book teaches all the basics for learning to crochet with step-by-step instructions and photographs. Crocheting skills are learned by working on projects, beginning with something very easy and getting progressively more difficult as the reader works through the book. New skills are explored in depth as they are introduced. The introductory section covers all the basics of crochet-selecting yarn, hook types and sizes, other tools and accessories, crochet gauge, chaining, forming the basic stitches, reading patterns-making this the most comprehensive beginner’s book available. The accompanying DVD includes a how-to video illustrating all the crochet techniques used to crochet the projects.

SAPL is Here For You!