Bonfire Night Craft Activities for Children

If you went camping as a kid, you might remember creating a bonfire with your family or scouting troop--eating s'mores and telling ghost stories until late at night. Stories and food keep kids busy for only so long during these fun events. At your next bonfire, plan some time for the kids to complete some craft projects too.

Make a Story Stick

People have been telling stories around the campfire since man discovered fire. Perhaps story sticks have been around for that long. A story stick is a decorative stick that designates who has the floor to speak or tell a story. Try passing a story stick around the campfire and having each person add a few sentences to the campfire story.

To make the story stick, find a sturdy stick and decorate it with yarn, crayon or markers.

Decorate a T-Shirt

Use plain white shirts, or choose a shirt in your scout or camp cabin colors. Using fluorescent fabric paint, create designs on the shirt. Have all of the children participating in the bonfire activities sign the back of the T-shirt using a permanent marker. Put cardboard inside the shirt when the kids sign the back to prevent the marker from bleeding onto the front of the shirt. Do the signing first to prevent smudging the paint on the front. Let the paint dry 24 hours before allowing the children to wear their shirts.

Create a Bead Necklace

For this activity you'll need string and plenty of brightly colored beads, fluorescent beads if you can find them. String the beads on the necklace. Double knot the string or yarn to make sure that the necklace doesn't come apart.

Friendship Bracelets

Use plastic threading, available at craft stores to create friendship bracelets. Ask kids to create a design in which each color has a significance. For example, a child could use yellow because it's the color of fire and green for her team color.

Clay Creations

Create a flat circle from a piece of clay. Search around the bonfire to find pebbles, shells, leaves or other interesting items. Press the items into the clay to create a picture. After you've made the indentation in your clay, return the items gathered to where they were found. Date the clay piece and let it dry.