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So you wake up in the morning to yet another rainy day. "What am I going to do with the kids today?" you wonder. Through the years I have thought this countless times. With my seven children, we have some kid tested craft projects that I call our "Tablecloth Art". As art projects are inherently messy, there's really no fighting it. Before we begin I spread an old vinyl tablecloth on the floor- preferably not a carpet- on which to work and let final works dry.

Torn paper Mosaics
Kids love to tear things. Sure, usually it is the mortgage bill or important telephone number. You can actually use this skill to keep fingers busy and create beautiful pictures. The only materials needed are paper of different colors and glue. The kids simply rip the paper into various shapes and sizes and glue it onto another clean sheet. This is actually great for younger children who are practicing fine motor skills. They tend to make colorful collages of their own interpretations. My older children like to create a picture, or cover a magazine photo, with the matching colored paper as more of a challenge. With an excuse to tear things up, what child wouldn't love this?

Homemade Paint
Ah, paint. From watercolors to finger-paint, most kids love them. When there's none in the house it can be made from two ingredients- condensed milk and food coloring. Simply tint the milk to the desired color and get started. It takes a little more time, feels like cooking and gets kids involved. You may actually think, then, Ah-ha! Let's paint!

Recycled Sculptures
Reusing things always brings me pleasure. Kids can erect sculptures using empty paper towel and toilet paper tubes, aluminum foil, newspaper, magazines, packing peanuts and other odds and ends. My children enjoy scouring the house to find items they can recycle in their art. We usually keep our sculptures on the mantle to display our "Art Show."

Rainbow Crayons
Crayons are an old standby. A twist on the crayon is creating your own using old, broken ones. Have the children peel the old crayon fragments until they are free of any wrappings. Have an adult place the pieces in a double boiler, a saucepan atop another filled with water is fine, on low heat. Stir while the crayons melt, combining colors. The melted mixture can then be poured into cookie cutters laid on waxed paper, or into muffin tins coated with cooking spray. Once thoroughly cooled and removed, the new crayons are a mix of rainbow colors in new shapes. Craft project or science experiment? You decide!

Picture This
Empty cereal boxes can be turned into frames for a favorite photograph easily. After choosing a photo, cut one side of the box into the desired size and shape. Then cut out the hole in the middle in which to display the picture. Kids can decorate the frame with paper, paint, cellophane, buttons, glitter, macaroni, colored cereal...the list is endless. Mount the photo inside the frame and allow to dry. These handmade treasures make thoughtful gifts for family and friends. The cardboard makes it sturdy, but can be further strengthened if an adult seals it with a spray polyurethane to protect it.

Rain, rain go away. Actually, it can stay. Enjoy the day and your children with some of these easy, affordable craft projects.

Learn more about this author, Shannon McMahon.
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