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Hello ladies. I just signed on as a new demonstrator to teach childrens classes... you know get them hooked while they are young, lol. My daughter is 7 and would stamp all day!! So I have planned a Halloween and Christmas event... if you have any youth tips, please post! I am so inspired by you all!
Start by teaching them how to take care of the stamps. I taught kids to clean the stamp immediately after each use (I should follow my own advice!). I had them stamp on scrap paper at first until they got a clear image. Starting with solid images is easier and less likely to get a blurry image.
Also, kids can start with bookmarks -- easier than a card. Finally, I recommend no more than 3 - 4 kids at a time. At least that is all I could handle!
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
I agree with JoanB, first you teach them how to take care of the stamps.
You do need to give them some choices, because they'll all want their project to look unique. However, limit their choices. Ie, you can stamp the frog, the butterfly or the flower & you can have green, pink or purple ink. (At least if the kids you are working with are 7.) With older ones, you can give a few more options. I have found though, that if you give too many choices, they just want to stamp everything in every colour & cover every millimetre of paper with ink!
Oh, I forgot. I usually give a sample/s. Often I'll make two different cards and say you can choose a or b. Then I have a limited variety of stamps, inks & paper that fit that type of card.
These are great tips! Thank you. We are hoping to make a small banner and a sandwish lunch bag scrapbook for halloween photos. I planned to cut all ribbons and papers and let them choose, so I am on track there but I had not even considered the cleaning - to teach them. So thank you for that. I also, love the idea of multi inks as an option. Thank you both. Tell me, would you preassemble the book or let them? It is 3 lunch sacks and lost of ribbons and stock... we have two hours to make both.
I haven't made the sandwich bag book myself, so I'm not 100% certain how it all goes. That said, however, I think I'd do a bit of both. Ie, if there are five ribbons to tie, pre-tie 3 (in white or whatever) then when they are there, let them choose their other two & tie if they can. If they are not all identical, then the more you preassemble, the more arguments you will have over who wants/gets the one with purple ribbon & pink paper or the blue ribbon & purple paper etc.
Also, with the samples - make a sample of every single step. Ie if there are six steps, you have six samples. When they can see it, you may have to explain only 3 times instead of 30! (Learned that one the hard way! LOL!)
The cleaning you teach them will help you in the long-term. You will have to watch them like hawks at the beginning, but if you continue to stamp with them over time - it will pay off.
I stamp several times a year with my junior highs. I always teach care of stamps the first time around and usually by the latter half of the year I don't really even need to supervise anymore.
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My daughter is 7 and would
