Easy End of the School Year Crafts

The final days of school can be challenging as many times students and teachers are at a loss with ideas on how to fill the time. Creating fun crafts helps encourage students to create art and also makes things to share with others. With basic materials, these classroom crafts won't make a mess and will help use materials left around the classroom.

Memory book

Create a memory book with students using colorful construction paper, white paper, string, markers and a hole punch. Gather all materials needed before working with students and place in a central location for students to access. Discuss with students how books are made and how they use a binding to hold the book together. Explain to students they will be creating their own book to use for holding memories from their year in school and will create their own binding by punching holes in a pattern and threading string through the holes.

Demonstrate to students how they will need to create a template with one of the sheets of construction paper that will serve as a front or back cover to their memory book. Punch several holes in the construction paper and then place on top of a couple of sheets of white paper that are lined up together. Mark where the holes should be punched on the white paper. Punch holes in the desired amount of white papers along with another sheet of construction paper. Line up all the holes and thread with string. Tie the string tightly to secure the memory book.

Use the markers to draw pictures in the memory book and have fellow students sign the memory book.

Friendship bracelet

Give students lengths of string and demonstrate how to braid the string together to create a friendship bracelet. Allow students to braid strings together in their own design and thread on beads if available. Help students tie on friendship bracelets. Let students create as many friendship bracelets as time or string allows.

Classroom collage

Clear a bulletin board in the classroom to ready for a classroom collage. Have students clean out their desks and collect special items that are left over from classroom projects. Have students cut out images from magazines and from their own papers to help create a group classroom collage highlighting all the things they learned about during the school year. Use pencils or markers to write short paragraphs about students' favorite activities or projects and cut out to add into the classroom collage.

When the collage is finished, have the class discuss the collage as a group.

References

• EnchantedLearning.com: School Memory Book
• MakingFriends.com: Braided Friendship Bracelets
• Collage in the Classroom by Cathy Belben, Librarian, Burlington-Edison High School