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Alena Gievskaya
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Making crafts from cereals with your own hands is much easier than it seems at first glance; it is interesting for both children and adults. The main advantage of crafts made from cereals is originality, because even adults will examine the finished work, peering into the details. Not everyone will be able to guess what material was used, especially when viewed from afar. If a picture made in grains hangs on the same row with standard drawings, it will look brighter and more memorable.
Advantages of the idea
Originality is not the only reason to teach a child to make such crafts. Today, many parents teach their children to use gadgets from childhood, so that they quickly master the technology, while mental development, which directly depends on fine motor skills, suffers. Simply put, children are not accustomed to working with small parts, because of this their ability to learn and develop rapidly decreases.
The main advantage of crafts made from cereals is originality
Such problems arise especially often among families living in apartments; in such conditions, children may not even have the opportunity to play in the sand. Caring parents understand how important it is to take care of the child’s development, so the idea of making crafts from cereals attracts them. A pleasant advantage of this activity is that the finished work is an excellent gift for grandparents and other relatives, so that the child learns from childhood to please others.
Teach your children to make these crafts
Psychologists say that children with whom their parents engage in handicrafts from an early age tend to learn new things, perceive information, and develop faster in the future. Even in adulthood, they will be helped by the perseverance, hard work and diligence acquired from childhood.
Where to begin?
First, you need to make sure that the child is at an age when such an activity will be not only useful for him, but also interesting. Forcing children at a very young age to do something together is dangerous, as this may discourage them from spending time with their parents in the future.
There are no specific age restrictions. Every child has a moment when he begins to take an active interest in drawing: a pack of blank paper can last for a day, and the young “artist’s” marks appear on the wallpaper and other furniture in the house. This is the time to channel your child’s energy into creative development.
This material is very easy to work with
At the same time, children going to kindergarten and primary school also have a need to develop fine motor skills and perseverance . It happens that a child seems to be an uncreative person - nothing related to drawing arouses his interest. Then parents have to invent something, and the original idea will be crafts made from cereals.
The first thing you need to start with is choosing the right cereal. It is better not to be guided by the principle of “why don’t you mind”, but to think about how it will be more convenient for the child to work.
The main rule for choosing material is the smaller the better.
Start with choosing your cereal
Using just one grain will be boring, so after coming up with an idea for a design, you need to choose different options. You can paint the selected material in different colors; some people like to paint semolina. You also need to prepare a flat surface, it can be part of the table or a tray, dish, or other flat vessel.
Templates
Preparing the template is the task of the parents, because the child cannot cope with it. The final appearance of the finished work will depend on the selected and drawn template. It is important that the drawing consists of large parts; it is necessary to calculate that there are no more of them than there are variations of different grains available.
Advice It’s easiest to pick up a picture from coloring books or children’s books than to come up with it yourself. Most coloring books designed for children under 3 years of age contain simple pictures with large details; they can simply be redrawn.
Preparing a template is the task of parents
Along with choosing a template, you need to prepare a basis, it can be anything:
- regular white sheet;
- cardboard;
- picture frame;
- glass;
- a flower pot.
Of course, the more complex the base, the more difficult it is to apply the design, so if you are practicing the craft for the first time, it is best to use thick cardboard. For this base you will need PVA glue and a brush for applying it.
The more complex the base, the more difficult it is to apply the design.
An alternative to gluing the cereal is to press it into the plasticine. This technique also looks bright and original, but for the first time it is better to stick to it and then experiment.
Pasta topiary
This decorative element has been very popular lately. Topiary can be made from almost any material and pasta is no exception. Unusual texture and original design, accessibility and originality are the main advantages of pasta topiary.
Frame decorated with macaroni
Pasta earrings
To manufacture the product you need:
- pasta of different shapes and sizes;
- flower pot;
- glue gun;
- stick or stiff wire;
- ribbon;
- foam ball.
Attach the ball to the stick and then secure it firmly in the pot. You can fill the pot with any bulk material and decorate with pasta on top. Carefully glue the pasta to the foam ball. Leave a minimum of free space between parts. Cover the places where the foam is visible with small parts. The product can be painted or left in its original form, especially if pasta of different colors was used. Decorate the pot with fabric. Burlap, linen or cotton are ideal.
Box of macaroni
New Year's toy made from pasta
How to do it?
Let's look at an example of how to implement applique ideas using a template. The entire process of making crafts consists of several stages:
Select and print the template . This method of preparing a template is the easiest; on the Internet you can find many simple drawings with large details and print them. You can use other methods - redraw, and if you have artistic inclinations, even draw by hand, but it is important to try to ensure that the contours and lines are as smooth as possible.
Preparing the cereals . To do this, we think about which part will be made with which material, and if necessary, paint the grain in the desired color. It is important that all material is dry by the time the work is completed.
We transfer the printed template onto a thick base . You can leave it on a regular sheet of paper, but in this case the drawing will be untidy and can quickly tear. It is best to take cardboard, plain or colored.
Let's move on to the main part . We smear part of the design with a brush with glue, then put grains on this area, one piece at a time. If your child is old enough to use tweezers, it is best to use them.
We start working with large parts and finish with small ones . You can beautifully decorate the background by adding additional elements: the sun, grass, a bird, depending on the design itself.
Apply step by step
We blow off any remaining cereal that accidentally got into the drawing and leave it to dry . This may take about 10 minutes, if a lot of glue was applied, then more.
After this, you can use paints; this should be done if you did not initially paint the cereal, but there is such a need. It is also convenient to paint small details with paints :
- eyes;
- nose;
- buttons.
It is best to use acrylic paints.
After the work has completely dried, it can be hung in a frame or used as decor in a child’s room.
Advice The easiest cereal to use is semolina. It is easy to paint, it is easy to apply, and holds well in a child’s little fingers.
Fabric applique
This craft is for children 5-9 years old.
Prepare materials:
- a piece of fleece;
- scissors;
- leaf-shaped sequins;
- black gel pen;
- a tube of universal or textile glue;
- sample.
Work process:
- Using the template, prepare and cut out the necessary elements from fleece fabric.
- Glue the hedgehog's face and nose.
- Add leaves to the back of the hedgehog.
- Draw eyes, make a smile.
From cereals and pasta
Pasta is an excellent crafting tool. Many people use them for various decorative purposes, for example, decorating a Christmas tree, making candlesticks and many other crafts. And all because the variety of pasta shapes allows you to do this.
Pasta is an excellent crafting tool
Such crafts are made according to the same principle as those made simply from cereals. To begin with, a template is selected, then the parent determines which parts of the pattern will be made with cereals and which with pasta. Then, using glue and a brush, first large, then small parts are painted one by one, and the prepared material is glued.
However, some types of pasta are difficult to glue due to their weight, so the material chosen for the base of such an application must be durable; ordinary paper will definitely not work, and if you choose cardboard, it will be hard. If you can’t glue the product, you can sew it on. Pasta in the shape of wheels and spirals looks beautiful; you can simply grab them with a few stitches of a needle and thread.
Such crafts are made according to the same principle as those made simply from cereals.
Of course, this part of the process is carried out by parents, especially if the children are very young. If the child is already entering school, then performing such a craft may be a suitable reason to teach the child how to use a needle. Usually the pasta is attached to the finished drawing at the very end of the work.
The advantage of pasta is that it is easy to paint it in the desired color. Therefore, when making crafts from cereals, think about what you can decorate in it and try using pasta for this.
If you've chosen a puppy template, why not add a leash with a wheel-shaped spaghetti 'icon' on it, or why not use them for the snowman's buttons.
The advantage of pasta is that it is easy to paint it in the desired color.
Tip Many stores sell multi-colored pasta - they look great in crafts.
Crafts for hair decorations made from pasta
Pasta can be used not only with cereals, but also as the main material for work. Manufacturers of pasta seem to be specially developing beautiful designs so that craftsmen can use them not only for cooking.
Hair decorations with pasta look especially original. Few people will guess how they were made, but no child will definitely have the same accessory. There are several options for using pasta to make jewelry:
Pasta as a hair decoration
1 Hoop . All you need is to buy a plain headband, it should not be too thin so that the pattern can fit on it. Pasta in the form of spikelets glued along its entire length looks beautiful, especially if they are pre-painted silver or gold.
2 Crown . Using the same plain headband, you can make a crown for a little princess. To do this, you need to select several types of pasta; it is convenient to use wheels of different sizes. You need to design the shape in advance, and then glue them in rows.
3 Small hairpins . A suitable pasta shape for this is bows; they can be decorated in any colors, even with patterns. After this, the bow is attached with glue to a bobby pin or small hairpin so that it is not visible.
Pasta hoop
You can prepare several hairpins for different outfits. Under a blue dress with white polka dots, make a bow of that color, under a striped one - striped, and so on. The young fashionista will be delighted with such an abundance of jewelry.
Pasta accessories
Pasta can be used to make more than just hair decorations. Everything that girls love to wear, beads, bracelets, earrings, can be made from this material. How much joy a child will have if parents don’t just buy jewelry in a store, but take the time to make it themselves with their children.
You can even make beads from pasta
The easiest way to make beads is from pasta in a shape that is strung on a thread. You can use different types, painting them in different colors. It is important that the thread is strong; if it is thick and looks ugly from under the “beads”, you need to match it to the color or simply paint it.
Beads with pasta in the form of bows look beautiful. It is impossible to string them on a thread, so this work is more painstaking and takes more time.
Tip Each bow must be tied in the middle with a thread, secured to a knot, then move on to the next one.
Stylish decoration
You can make beads and bracelets by combining pasta with regular beads. You can design not just one thing, but a whole set, complementing it with a hairpin in the same style. Such sets of “jewelry” look stylish and original.
New Year's crafts
The easiest way to use cereal for New Year's crafts is to make New Year's cards with your child, which he can give on his behalf to relatives and friends. To do this, you need to choose a simple New Year-themed drawing template, print it, transfer it to cardboard, and decorate it with cereals.
Christmas tree toy option
A common idea is a Christmas tree. You can draw it yourself without using a template. The selected small grain must be painted green in advance, allowed to dry and used for drawing; in this case, it consists of one large part. You can decorate the Christmas tree with beautifully shaped pasta, such as bows.
Small crafts that can be hung on a wall, window, or Christmas tree look original. To do this, you need to cut out New Year's figures from cardboard. You can make many different options and hang them together as a continuous garland. Good options would be:
- mitten;
- skates;
- felt boots;
- Christmas decorations.
New Year's craft from buckwheat
It’s easy to draw and cut out all these shapes along the contour, and you can decorate them with grains in different ways, because each of them is one continuous piece. For example, the “fur” of a mitten can be made from rice, and the rest from any other cereal. If there are many children in the family, this idea will be a particularly good option, because every child will be able to show creativity; sometimes parents themselves are surprised at how many things little dreamers can come up with.
Christmas tree toys made from cereals
Typical glass Christmas tree decorations are a thing of the past, and there are many creative ideas that can be used. One of the popular ones is the use of cereals . For many, it is surprising that you can not only decorate a finished ball with it, but make it from scratch.
This craft won’t take much time; if at first glance the idea seems complicated, just try it. Manufacturing takes place in several stages:
- We take a newspaper and roll it into a ball. How much material to take depends on the size of the expected toy. If you are doing it for the first time, you shouldn’t make a big one right away, but you don’t need to make it very small either - it will be uncomfortable to hold in your hands.
- We give the ball the correct round shape using threads. To do this, you just need to start winding them in a circle, periodically changing direction, as if rolling them into a ball. When the shape is smooth, secure the ends of the thread by making a small knot.
- We prepare the cereal that we will use for decoration, pour it into a plate. Buckwheat toys look elegant.
- Spread PVA glue on top of the threads using a brush, envelop it in a plate. If there are empty spaces to which the grains are not attached, lubricate them with glue and add them using tweezers.
- We take spray paint, preferably gold, spray it on the toy, and leave it to dry. It is advisable to match the color of the spray to the color of the cereal used; gold looks good on buckwheat, silver on rice and semolina.
Advice Some people think that making such crafts is not profitable, because you have to spend money. In fact, one can of spray paint will last for several years, and if you have small children, you will have to think about what crafts to use it in.
Christmas tree made of pasta
When there are small children in the house, it is the parents' responsibility to create a New Year's atmosphere on the eve of their favorite children's holiday. Every child will appreciate it if parents take the time to put up not only a live Christmas tree, but also small Christmas trees throughout the house. You don’t need a lot of materials for this; everyone has most of them.
There are several options for making a Christmas tree out of pasta. Simple, but at the same time beautiful, is on cardboard or any thick paper. The product is carried out in several stages:
- Making the base of the tree. To do this, take a piece of cardboard, roll it into a cone shape, grease the edges with glue, press it tightly, and leave it to dry. You need to check that the figure is stable; some people glue its edges to another cardboard for this, but this is not necessary.
- Pasta is used as branches; it is best to take those that have an oblong shape, spirals, short spaghetti. We start gluing from the bottom row, grease the edge of each pasta with glue, press down and release after a few seconds. You should try to glue them as close to each other as possible so that there is no gap left.
Tip A good option for the base would be green cardboard, painted the same shade as the pasta. Then even if there are empty spaces, they will not stand out much.
- When gluing the last row of pasta, you need to position them so that the edges are connected to each other.
- Paint the Christmas tree green if you haven’t painted them before. To do this, you can use spray paint, and other festive colors - gold, silver - also look original.
- We decorate the Christmas tree, since it is not real, the toys must be special. You can use other curly pasta, bows, shells, spirals, painted in different colors using gouache. You can also decorate the Christmas tree with any New Year's tinsel, rain, and leftover decorations that will no longer be useful are suitable for these purposes.
Animal crafts
Animal crafts from cereals can be made in the form of applications, the technique of which was given above. This option is more suitable for young children, since such work is relatively simple. A more difficult task is three-dimensional animals, that is, not drawn, but made from different materials.
Craft fish
You can choose any animal, imagine what kind of cereal or pasta of a certain shape can be used to make it. All you need to do is turn on your imagination, look at a picture of the animal, think about what its fur, body shape, and other features look like. Let's consider, for example, a hedgehog based on puff pastry, but using this idea, you can come up with your own options:
- Prepare the salt dough: for 2 cups of flour, take 1 cup of salt and 250 water at room temperature. Knead the dough, give it the desired shape. This is easy to do, since the softened salt dough is similar to plasticine.
- For needles, oblong-shaped pasta is best suited - let's take spiral pasta. Let's paint them silver using spray paint. When they dry, you can make needles.
- Visually draw a line that separates the muzzle from the body, lubricate the edges of the pasta with glue, place a “needle,” and press down lightly. We start moving from the muzzle, because if the last row turns out to be uneven, it should not be visible.
- We paint the rest of the dough with silver spray paint, make eyes, a nose, and a mouth. For this you can also take pasta - star crayons; if you don’t paint them, they will stand out well. You can also take beads and place them on glue.
Suitable for very young children
You can decorate such a hedgehog in any way you like: make it a bow out of pasta, put some small craft on its needles, or simply make it colorful.
From grain
The most original idea for crafts made from grain is making a bird feeder. Such work will take time, require perseverance and patience, but the result is worth it. You can make a feeder from grain for your child to take to school; children are often given similar tasks in labor lessons, or you can hang it on your own balcony or in the courtyard of a private house.
The base can be anything, some people buy a ready-made feeder; the most ordinary, nondescript-looking structure at first glance will do. Others make it from wood or other available materials.
A popular method is to cut a juice can and make a hole in it for the birds. The material for the feeder is unimportant; decorating with grains will give it an original appearance and beauty.
Original idea for crafts made from grain
It is not advisable to use glue, although this is the simplest option, it can be toxic to birds. Even a small piece that comes off can cause harm to birds. Therefore, it is better to use a natural gluing agent - flour.
It’s easy to prepare such an environmentally friendly paste: you just need to brew the flour with boiling water. This method is often used in construction, for wallpapering and more; starch can also be used instead of flour.
It is best not to brew a lot of paste at once, but to do it in parts, since it is important to have time to lay out the pattern before it hardens. The design and ornament must be thought out in advance; it is better to draw it on paper so as not to lose sight of it. We treat one side of the feeder with paste, apply the cereal, simply sprinkle the chalk, and lay out the large one with tweezers, leaving it to dry.
Halloween option
Some people use such feeders only for decoration, because they are worried that birds will ruin their work. In fact, it is difficult to pick out well-glued grains, especially since they will not do this if there is always food inside.
Caskets
Incredibly beautiful boxes can be made using pasta. Select a box of the desired size and decorate its sides with pasta and cereal. You just need to carefully plan the patterns of the future product.
Vase with flowers made from pasta
A great idea is a craft box made from an egg tray. Its compartments are very convenient for storing multi-colored beads and seed beads. You can decorate only the lid and paint the entire product gold - the precious box is ready.
Vase decor with pasta
If you don’t yet know how to make a pasta craft and are looking for ideas for inspiration, look around, perhaps the answers are in the most visible place.
Pasta Christmas tree
From coffee beans
This type of crafts is more suitable for adults, because among them there are also those who like to do something with their own hands. A distinctive feature of such souvenirs is that the aroma that comes from the coffee beans is stored for a long time. This craft will be a great gift idea for a coffee lover, or you can make it for yourself.
It is believed that coffee is a drink that brings people together, so such a gift will show the right person that you value them.
It is best to choose not just cardboard as a base, but burlap or other similar material. Making crafts takes place in several stages:
- Cut out a sheet of cardboard and a piece of burlap a couple of centimeters larger on all sides. We cover the cardboard with fabric and seal the corners at the back. It is important to use a smooth cloth; if it has been lying around for a long time, it is better to iron it.
- After the glue has dried, we begin working with the grains. We measure the same distance from the edge, about 2 cm, and draw straight lines under the ruler with a simple pencil. Then we draw any design in the center; a cup of coffee on a saucer looks beautiful.
- We grease each grain with glue, first lay out the pattern inside the picture, then the frame. Lightly press down each time after gluing the grain. Leave to dry.
Using this scheme, you can design any pictures; some even make portraits from coffee beans.
How to color cereals?
Many of the proposed ideas for making crafts from cereals involve coloring them. As already mentioned, this can be done in two ways, the simplest of which is to decorate a ready-made drawing. But often it is not possible to do this smoothly; marks and unevenness still remain, so it does not look aesthetically pleasing.
This is why many people prefer to color the cereal first, although it takes more time, the finished craft will look neater and more beautiful. If you have never done this before, just try it once and you will see that there is nothing difficult.
All you need:
- food coloring;
- vinegar;
- bag.
The souvenir can be repainted in any color
Procedure:
- prepare a bag with a clip or clasp;
- pour the cereal into it;
- mix the dye with vinegar, following the instructions (usually a standard bag contains 2 teaspoons of vinegar);
- pour the prepared mixture into a bag of cereal, close it, mix thoroughly;
- pour the painted products onto parchment paper and leave to dry.
If large items are painted, it is important that they do not touch each other while they dry. This simple coloring method is suitable for all types of cereals and pasta.
Idea 7. Napkin rings
Decorate a mosaic of grains and seeds with toilet paper tubes to create adorable napkin rings, perfect for fall or holiday table settings.
Materials:
- Variety of cereals, seeds, beans and spices;
- Toilet paper tube;
- PVA glue;
- Stationery knife;
- Acrylic paints;
- Brush.
Instructions:
Step 1. Cut the toilet paper tube into three sections of equal width (about 4 cm).
Step 2: Paint each section (inside and out) a neutral or contrasting color. You will have ring blanks.
Step 3: Prepare and sort various seeds, grains, beans and spices.
Step 4. Apply a thick layer of glue to a small area of the ring and sprinkle or dot the grains and seeds onto it. Wait until the glue in this area dries and only then proceed to the next area. Continue these steps until the entire surface of the ring is formed, and then leave it to dry.
Step 5. If you are afraid that the seeds will peel off and fall off, additionally treat them with a thick layer of glue, covering even the spaces between the seeds.
Photo frames
You can use absolutely any cereals and pasta to decorate frames. Decorations in the form of coffee beans also look unusual, and some craftsmen complement their works with souvenirs brought from the sea - shells. These handmade frames are highly valued as a gift for a loved one, and can also be a beautiful fixture for your own family photos.
Regardless of the material chosen, all work will consist of several stages that require compliance with the rules:
- We buy a frame made of plastic, glass or wood of a single color. It is best to glue the cereal onto a glass base.
- We prepare cereals, grains, any material that is needed. It can be supplemented with beads, ribbons, and sparkles. If necessary, paint the cereal in the desired color.
- If we use small grains, apply glue to the frame, pour it on top, and if the material is large - pasta, shells, then grease their edge with glue.
- The top of the product can be treated with varnish, thereby securing it.
Tip A frame with handmade decor is considered a good option for a wedding gift.
