It's All About: Arts & Crafts!

Arts and Crafts is always a favorite here at Stonybrook Day Camp.  Campers have had a great time making pillows, bracelets, picture frames, tie dyed items, spirit week shirts, and lots and lots more!

At electives, we really get their creative juices flowing. Last summer, some really hard-working campers took woodworking and they created a masterpiece.  Their work of art is the giant peace sign you see when first entering camp.  They sanded, primed, and painted and then they added a very special touch.........their hand prints.

Next week, our campers will be building another awesome "mystery" work of art and they will be sure to leave their mark at Stonybrook for 2012!

In the meantime, our latest elective has been a big hit with our campers.  It is "string art" and the possibilities are endless.  Campers transfer their design onto a wooden plaque and then hammer nails around that design.  Different color string is then wound around the nails and and their vision/art work emerges! 

Here is a short tutorial on how you can do string art at home with your kids:

First pick out the wood piece that you will use for your project. You can get them at Michaels, check the dollar bin too! If you think you want to hang it on the wall then attach at picture hanger to the back.

Draw your design on the wood. We used several examples here in our tutorial just to show you that anything goes!

Next hammer down the nails around the perimeter of your design.  They don't need to be too deep but deep enough so that your string doesn't pull them out.  Most kids really enjoyed this part, but they might need a little help too!

Next tie a knot around one of the nail heads.  Tie it nice and snug so that it is anchored. This is your starting point for the string art.  

Now weave your string around the nail pieces.  Try to stick to the perimeter of the design. Be careful not to cross over into the non-string area. A good example is like coloring outside of the lines. 

Once certain parts of the design are full of string (for example, the "Z" below. Tie off the remaining string so that that part is secure. Move onto the next part of the design (see the "A" below) and string away.

Once done, stand back and enjoy your new masterpiece.  We will be showing you all of ours once they are DONE!  

Don't forget to