March has a number of fun celebrations happening. From Women’s History to St. Patrick’s Day, Pi Day, and spring it is pretty busy! One of the most fun things that happens in March is Craft Month! Now, this is the perfect thing to celebrate in libraries and media centers. It supports all we do with makerspaces or the design process. But it also is a great way for us to kick our feet up and do some low- to no-prep planning that frees up time for us to do other important spring tasks. That’s why I cannot wait to share with you 4 of my favorite go to no-prep sites for Craft Month (or any time of year)!
To make crafting a success in your space, keep it simple and easy to clean up. These go-to items help you do just that!
I put this stuff out once and leave it. Once kids know the expectations, how to choose a station, and even when they can go to a station, your work is done! It’s a total set it and forget it planning situation that frees up time in your busy schedule.
A lot of kids just love to zone out and color. It is a great relaxing task. And while not super crafty, it still gives kids choice and voice in how they create!
One of my favorite sites for coloring pages is Classroom Doodles. They’ve got all types of coloring pages and bookmarks for all sorts of occasions and topics. They’ve even got some super cute coloring worksheets.
They’re super cute and they’re FREE!
One website that I’ve been using for years is Coloring Squared. This site brings pixel art to a whole new level. Children color in the squares based on the key to reveal an image.
They’ve got a range of sheets to meet all ages. Work with littles that are identifying numbers? There are printables for that! Work with older kids who add, subtract, multiply or divide? No problem—there are printable sheets for that, too!
One of the things that I love is the ability to choose sheets based on skill and the print out images that I know my kids will love!
They’re super cute. Believe it or not, they actually take time for kids to complete so they almost never finish one in one class period! Plus, they’re FREE!
When a friend and colleague shared this site with me, I was immediately in love! I love how Krakotak has plain coloring pages AND coloring pages that make 3D art!
If you choose to use one of the 3D options, definitely have an example done so kids can see what the end result is supposed to look. Also, it’s not necessarily intuitive that things needs to be cut or folded. But it’s a super way for them to learn.
There are sheets for every season and holiday, and the kids definitely love doing them once they realize how cool they look in the end.
I really like Cubeecraft for an origami alternative. Not only are they great for kids who find origami directions difficult, but there are a lot of popular characters.
Once done, they are just so adorable! Because of the cutting and folding required they do take kids—even older ones— some time to complete.
The first time I discovered some of these hidden gems was during Craft Month. In all honesty, they’re perfect for any time of year!
I love putting them out for early finishers, or “I’m done, now what do I do?” Kids grab what they want and get to it! I also really like putting out a variety one at each table, or station, for an entire class and give kids some choice in what they do that class period. It’s a good break, or transition, class in between topics. Or even when. you just need something quick and easy to plan and put out.
