Help! I'm the craft rotation leader!

Each year, we have an outside appraiser who takes our craft suggestions and tests them with kids. I thought some of the information she gathered would be helpful to you guys as you are planning the crafts rotation! Thanks so much to Lynn Jordan from Capital Baptist Association for being the craft tester!
Track 1
Name-a-Rang (Grades 1-2)
Time  (1st child finished – last child finished): 19 – 32 minutes
Suggestions:

• Make sure 2 holes are at the top before you print your name.
• Ink from inkpads smeared on the slick surface of boomerang from the kit.
• Younger children had trouble getting ribbon through the bells and the small holes in the boomerang. They also had trouble tying the knots.

Kids say:
“I’ll hang it on my doorknob.”
“Too many knots to tie.”
Boomerang Express Nameplate (Grades 3-4)
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 14 – 26 minutes
Suggestions:

• Use self-adhesive foam letters and tiles.
• Sort letters for the children to save time.
• Make the mounting board a little smaller.
• Use larger tiles to fill space more quickly.

Kids say:
“I’ll hang it on my wall.”
“Very Fun.”
“This craft was easy and I liked it a lot.”
Aussie Art Frame (All Ages) **Kid’s Favorite for Track 1**
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 11 – 14 minutes
Suggestions:

• Use spoon to apply sand.
• Pencils worked better than daubers or glue dots.

Kids say:
“Be careful!”
“It makes a mess.”
“I’ll hang it in my room.”
Track 2
Praise Bells (Grades 1-2) **Kid’s Favorite for Track 2**
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 10 – 13 minutes
Suggestions:

• Ribbon should be wide enough for knots to hold, but narrow enough to fit through the bell and the hole in the pot.

Kids say:
“These are good for farmers.”
“Kids will need help with the knots and getting the ribbon through the holes.”
“This is hard.”
Worship Whirligigs (Grades 3-4)
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 11 – 26 minutes
Suggestions:

• The children had a lot of trouble understanding the construction.
• Substitute less expensive yarn and paper to reduce cost.

Kids say:
“It was a good one.”
“It was very frustrating!”
“This is hard.”
“The kids might have trouble with the knots.”
Cuppa Coasters (All Ages)
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 11 – 16 minutes
Suggestions:

• Use a craft stick or stiff cardboard to squeegee the glue on the back of the CD.
• Caution the children to start at the top and avoid touching the paint.

Kids say:
“I’ll give it to my Grandma.”
“This is one you should do.”
“This was easy and I liked it a lot.”
Track 3
ABC Sheep (Grades 1-2) **Tied for Kid’s Favorite for Track 3**
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 15 – 18 minutes
Suggestions:

• Push the marshmallow all the way up the ice pick to make the hole a little larger.

Kids say:
“Putting the arms and legs is hard.”
“I’ll give this to a friend who doesn’t know Christ.”
“The tail is not easy to put on.”
Shareable Wearables (Grades 3-4) **Tied for Kid’s Favorite for Track 3**
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 5 minutes
Suggestions:

• Ask children to bring shirts from home or substitute bandannas
• Spray fabric paint didn’t work well.
• Substitute regular spray paint.
• Use dimensional fabric paint to make “A, B, C” then decorate with dots of paint.

Kids say:
“It’s messy.”
Mini-rang Game (All Ages Craft)
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 3 – 4 minutes
Suggestions:

• Probably too short to stand alone, inexpensive and quick enough to use as an extra craft.
• Make the whole room the target buy designating each quadrant A, B, etc.

Kids say:
“It’s easy.”
“Ill use it to play the game and share Christ.”
“You need sharp scissors.”
Track 4
Outback Place Mats (Grades 1-2)
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 10 – 24 minutes
Suggestions:

• Pattern will have to be altered to fit the buttons according to the directions.
• Marker rubs off the pad.
• Substitute fun foam for the shelving pad.

Kids say:
“I’ll use it to eat on.”
“You use a lot of glue.”
Service Plate (Grades 3-4)
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 14 – 21 minutes
Suggestions:

• Use plastic plates.
• Placing a second plate under the first will hold your pattern in place.
• Use permanent markers instead of paint pens.

Kids say:
“Don’t let the kids glob it on or it will smear.”
“It is fun.”
“I’ll give it to my Mom.”

Sheep Station Service Board (All Ages) **Kid’s Favorite for Track 4**
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 8 – 15 minutes
Suggestions:

• We did not find the shapes and sizes suggested, but substituted 2½ X 31/2 wooden rectangles and teardrops from bags of assorted shapes.
• Glue the ears to the face, then both to the board for a more dimensional look.

Kids say:
“It will remind me to do stuff.”
Track 5
Didgeridoo (Grades 1-2)
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 8 – 11 minutes
Suggestions:

• Self-adhesive circles did not stick well.
• Limit the amount of tape- children covered too much.
• Use bingo daubers in place of paint daubers.

Kids said:
“Don’t let the children use too much tape.”
“I liked this craft a lot, but thought it was kind of hard.”
“I’ll use it to make music.”
Outback Plant Marker (Grades 3-4)
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 2 – 4 minutes
Suggestions:

• Use for an extra craft.
• Foam shapes would cut down on preparation time.

Kids said:
“I’ll give it to my Grandma.”
“I’ll put it in a plant.”
“Too easy.”

Memory Mirror (All Ages) **Kid’s Favorite for Track 5**
Time (1st child finished – last child finished): 5 – 15 minutes
Suggestions:

• Use a bigger square to allow more room for writing the verse.
• Thicker yarn would be easier to glue.

Kids said:
“You can use it to memorize the verse.”
“Make sure the kids are careful with their string.”