This was our first hybrid program, meaning that teens could register for a take-home kit or a limited, in-person program outside the library.
Because of this, I had to work around the limitations of both in-person and kit programming at once.
I've seen this craft done in a variety of ways, and I was happy with the methods I chose.
The teens were instructed to pick a simple designs (if a word, 6 letters or less), then sketch it (AS ONE LINE!!) on a provided piece of paper that was the size of the canvas minus the area around the edge which could not be penetrated because of the wood frame. Then they took their EL wire and traced their drawing to make sure it would fit before beginning. Next, they drew their design onto the canvas in pencil so they could follow along with the wire.
The main alteration I made for what I had seen done before was using thin floral wire like staples to hold the wire down, rather than having them sew it into place. I gave about 30 pre-cut short lengths of the floral wire alongside one push pin. The teens were instructed to use the pushpin to create holes in the canvas on either side of the wire, then put either end of the floral wire in those holes to hold down the EL wire at strategic locations. They then flipped the canvas to the back and flattened out the wire to hold it in place.
Supplies:
-EL Wire
-AA Batteries (not included with the EL wire!!)
-Canvases (I painted white canvases black ahead of time)
-Floral Wire
-Push Pin
Amount of Kits: 30 (including 6 in-person participants)
Sign ups: 30
Cost: ~$6/7 per kit. This was certainly my most expensive program of the summer, but also the most popular!
Success: All the kits were claimed quickly and the in-person program was a success. I was concerned that my methods might be a bit too complex and cause confusion, but all of the teens took to the concept quickly and almost all of them finished their project within the hour!
Comments