If you are looking for a craft that is easy for your kids, affordable for you and fun for all, beads are great! My kids and I play with beads and make some really neat things with them. Last year was tight, so for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts and other gifts, my boys and I made bead necklaces, bracelets, rings, ornaments, crosses - you name it. My boys even made necklaces for me. That's what's in the photo. We bought a box of glass beads from WalMart for I think $8.00 and we also bought a batch of stretchy string that included different thicknesses of white elastic as well as clear. Later on I bought some hemp string so we could braid, too and I bought them some lanyard clips for clasps. All in all I think I spent about $20 on all of the purchases. The boys got really creative and my oldest son came up with some really cool necklaces and bracelets with the hemp and beads, too. WalMart carries a few different types of beads from regular craft beads to glass beads to wooden beads. You can buy different sized batches from small bags to big boxes. If you want to spend more and get fancier, Michaels' craft store carries beautiful beads, too.This is another finished project from one of my boys - it's gold hemp braided with his beads and the lanyard clip for the clasp:
So you see, you don't have to spend a fortune and you can create some real works of art. Of course for my children, they might not get that fancy but I treasure every beaded treasure they create for me, and so do our family and friends. Just a creative suggestion from a Crafty Mom!
