Boy Scouts have been doing crafts to earn badges from the very beginning of the organization and have proven that crafting isn't just for girls. Boys are just as good at creating beautiful works of art as the girls are. The following ideas for Boy Scout craft projects involve a variety of skills, are fun to do and don't cost a lot.

*Stepping Stones

Stepping stones are easy and fun to make. They can be made in a wood frame or in an impression in sand. Just pour in the concrete, make hand prints, write your name or add items such as marbles, beads, matchbox cars, stones, or other little trinkets and allow to set up. Once the concrete is set, move the stepping stone to its new home and enjoy it for years to come.

*Modeling Clay

Create a cup and saucer, a bowl, a peace-pipe, a movie character, beads, trivet tiles and much more with modeling clay. Some of the clay on the market today can be baked in the oven or just air dried without the need of a kiln. Some clays come in colors or you can mix your own or paint your finished product.

*Penny Stoves

Penny stoves will require adult supervision but they are a fantastic craft that you'll use over and over again. Very light weight and compact, a penny stove fits right in your back-pack and assembles in minutes to heat-up a hot drink or soup on the trail. Learn how to make one here.

*Picture Frames

Picture frames can be made of wood, sea shells, tree limbs, metal, popsicle sticks, Legos, modeling clay, leather, and many other items. You'll need a miter box if you want mitered corners but you can make a nice frame without mitering.

*Nature Pictures Or Pounded Art

Gathering items from nature such as bark, leaves, lichen, pebbles and pine cones will give a Boy Scout plenty of material to create a picture to give as a gift or hang in his room. Fresh flowers and leaves will leave their color and shape imprint on paper if laid out on paper, covered with white paper and pounded with a hammer. Then just draw in a few stems and frame your work of art.

*Bird/Bat/Butterfly Houses

Making bird, bat and butterfly houses to place in the yard of an elderly person is the perfect craft for Boy Scouts. This craft will hone their skills in measuring, planning and woodworking as well as painting and mounting something outdoors.

*Leather Crafting

Learning to tool, dye, cut and add brads and fasteners to leather is a craft that can come in very handy. With this craft a Boy Scout can make cooking bags, purses, sandals, belts, jewelry and many items to use around a camp.

*Corn Husk Coasters

Corn husks are easy to store and work with. Simply dry them in the sun and tear into strips. When you are ready to use them, soak for an hour or so in warm water to make them pliable,

Tie six of the strips together and using two at a time begin to braid them. Before you reach the end, work six more strips into the braid and continue until you have a long braid.

Roll the braid into a spiral on a flat surface, using quilting thread to tack the braid in place.. When the coaster is the desired size, cut the braid and bend the end under the coaster and stitch well. You can also make round or oval place-mats using this method.

The world of crafting is not only fun, it hones skills boys will need through life. One of these Boy Scout craft project ideas may open a door to a whole new world for a young Scout and set him on a path he will follow into his senior years.

Learn more about this author, Pamela Kay.
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