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"Mom... I'm boooored." "Daaa-aad... there's nothing to doooo." Hear the persistent whine? Don't we all. There's no need to drop everything and entertain, not if a Craft Center is properly packed and ready.

Creating a Craft Center is a simple job and its imperative to be prepared for a rainy day, a sick day or any other time the kids are feeling handy. Start by setting aside a part of the home that's child-friendly and child-height: a plastic drawer set in a closet, a low-level shelf with bins or drawers in a playroom, or a cabinet in the corner of the kitchen all offer places for a Craft Center that will clean up easily.

A work in progress, the Craft Center will never be complete. Collect old magazines and catalogs, "safety scissors", glue, construction paper, stamps, crayons, markers and colored pencils, and add more crafty items as you find them. Pick up pipe cleaners (aka chenille stems), Popsicle sticks, googly eyes and other fun crafty items at art stores. Finally, most "junk" from around the house, such as cardboard boxes, stickers, and junk mail can be recycled and placed into the Craft Center.

With a Craft Center already set-up, children will often be drawn to craft on their own, no whining of boredom necessary. However, crafting time is a wonderful family opportunity. And with just a Craft Center and a few items around the house, a family can explore hours of crafting fun.

Some suggestions for open-ended, creative family craft time:

FAMILY TRANSPORTATION
A family favorite, recycle a large cardboard box, grab the crayons, glue, stickers and paper, and start decorating. No area of the box is safe from color when the children and parents are climbing in, out and over the latest family vehicle. Cut out extra cardboard or paper as wheels, lights and more. Not going anywhere? Use the box as a puppet theater, a house, or a store.

PUPPETS
Grab some old socks, glue, pipe cleaners, markers and yarn and begin crafting sock puppets. Not sure about using your favorite old socks? Substitute the socks with a paper plate and a Popsicle stick attached to the bottom or a small paper bag. Decorate, then use a cardboard box to create a puppet theater. Work together on scripting and invite the neighbors for a show.

ORIGAMI
Pull out the construction paper or magazine pages and have a try at the Japanese art of paper folding. An amateur will find a string of instructions through a brief Internet search. Try Tammy Yee's Origami Page for kids (http://www.tammyyee.com/origami.html) to impress and delight.

FRAMES
Find a favorite picture and create a frame to compliment. Assist the children to cut out the framed area of a piece of construction paper, card-stock, foam sheets or cardboard. Cut small pieces of paper to glue around the frame, draw pictures, write descriptive phrases, and embellish with small items such as beads and glitter.

COLOR
Its so simple, it can often be forgotten, but one of the most stress relieving and rewarding crafts simply involves pulling out a few crayons and coloring. Grab an old coloring book, draw your own pictures or print a coloring page off the web.

Family Craft Time should be stress-free and open-ended. Delight in the opportunities the adventure of imagination takes your family. But, please note, when an entire week passes without one complaint of boredom, it may be time to restock your Family Craft Center.

Learn more about this author, Julieann Pron.
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