Homeschool Theater

Setting up a special crafting zone for your homeschool material can be a wonderful boon to a child’s imaginative creativity and self-confidence, and a place to nurture family relationships. Why a special place? Rather than just getting started on a craft at the dining room table and Mom calls out that it is time to set the table for dinner, an unfinished piece can be left on a crafting table until it can be worked on later. Stray paint or crayon marks on the craft table are fine, as we don’t have to worry about them. And it is beneficial to have our supplies stored nearby, so we don’t have to run to the closet for paper, then to the kitchen drawer for a pair of scissors, and where is that box of crayons? Having a prepared crafting area means one can get crafting when the creative urge hits!

So, where will we put our crafting station? Although it is not required, one of the best places will be near a sink, such as the kitchen, or a laundry room or garage washbasin. Crafting frequently requires water for activities such as painting or papier mache, and of course some washing up. The floor will get messy, so carpeting is not a good idea. If the room is carpeted, spread out an old shower curtain liner or paint tarp, or cut a piece of vinyl flooring to lay over the rug.

The size of the room will dictate the size of the work surface. The larger, the better. It can be a card or kitchen table, a wooden work table or folding banquet table, a desk, a piece of thick plywood or particle board or a counter top cut to size over a pair of end tables, shelving units or filing cabinets or even sawhorses. During crafting sessions, the table can be covered in newspapers or, better yet, butcher paper or newsprint for a quick roll-it-up cleaning.

If space allows, a folding screen of some sort can be placed between the craft station, your homeschool material and the rest of the living space to keep a work-in-progress or a mound of craft supplies on the table out of view. Perhaps the screen can be used as a gallery of finished art.

Tissue paper has many crafting possibilities, such as collage, suncatchers, papier-mache, paper flowers, decoupage, and so on. It comes in many colors and designs, by the single-sheet or in quantity. Some tissue paper colors bleed, which means that when wetted by glue or water, the colors will run together. This can produce an artistic effect for your project, but if you need the colors to remain stable, look for paper that says “color-fast,” “non-bleeding”or “bleed-proof.”