Jewellery Making - A Great Children's Activity

If you've got a class full of 10-year-olds and you're looking for something to do, gather some jewellery making supplies and set those little fingers to constructive use! There are wooden beads, glass beads, and even Pandora styled beads available for kids to express
their imaginations.

Getting Started

Jewellery making supplies can be found at many hobby stores and are available online at crafting websites. It's cheaper to buy in bulk, so locate a seller of jewellery making supplies and pool your funds to get the big bag. Wooden beads make for a good background, which can be set off by selective use of shiny glass beads. Get a variety of small and larger beads - this will add dimension to your jewellery. Don't be afraid to get some really bright colors - that's where the fun comes in!

You'll also need wire or string. Select something that is heavy weight enough to handle the type of bead you are using. Wooden beads are lighter, but can have rough surfaces that wear down string over time. For long-lasting bead jewellery, use wire.

How Many Beads Per Child?

The best answer is: as many as they can find a way to use. But on a budget, a bracelet can be made with as few as 20 small wooden beads -but be sure to throw in a few glass beads for accents. These will be the "jewels" of your jewellery. Of course, if you like, you can make

them all glass beads - and your piece will have a lot more sparkle.

Pattern Ideas

For those kids who want to color inside the lines, you can set out specific patterns of beads for them to follow. For younger children, this can be a great exercise in following directions. Just be sure you have enough supervision with younger kids so that they don't eat the
beads!

Earthy
The Earthy look in your bead jewellery is achieved through mostly using wooden beads. If you use glass beads, pick colors in browns or greens. It'll give you a real crunchy, wood nymph feel.

Sparkly
If you like all things that glitter, then this is the look for you. To achieve the Sparkly look in your bead jewellery, use mostly glass beads to get a shiny, glittery look to your creation. You can use glass beads of a darker color for background, and a few glass beads of
a brighter color for places of accent.

Na'vi
The blue Na'vi people in the Avatar movie had their own Pandora styled beads. To get the same look in your bead jewellery, use a similar blue bead with black swirl. The kids will be thrilled to have their own Pandora styled jewellery. Then they can don them and practice a little Hollywood make-believe.

Complimentary Activities

Now that you have made this lovely jewellery, how about taking it out for a spin? The kids can use it as part of activities in which they learn about great moments in history that have involved jewellery of all sorts. How about a lesson on the Tower of London and the Crown
Jewels? Or the stories of the Maharajahs collection? Share with them the story of the Hope Diamond and its mysterious curse. They even say Manhattan was bought from the Native Americans for $25 worth in trinkets.

Leftovers

If you find you have excess jewellery making supplies, you can save your beads in plastic Ziplock bags for another day. Wooden beads are light weight and porous and therefore can also be used to be glued as decoration to the outside of other craft projects. Glass beads are heavier and require a stronger glue, but can be used in projects where a non-flammable, heat-resistent material is needed. For instance, you could use glass beads to line the walls of a votive candle holder.