Organic Crafts

April 1, 2007
This ecofriendly craft title encourages children to explore the natural world through projects based on natural, nontoxic, and renewable materials. Grouped into categories such as Trees, Leaves, and Twigs and Rocks, Pebbles, and Shells, the projects lead children systematically through the construction of items such as a trivet made of sticks and a toy boat built of bark. Age levels and suggestions for adult supervision are indicated, and given the somewhat dense layout and wide range of projects, its likely that elementary students will need help with most of the projects. Small sketches display the finished crafts, but some readers may miss the clarity of photos as well as step-by-step illustrations. Theres a wealth of creative, accessible ideas here, though, which are further supported by frequent sidebars offering helpful, basic science facts. A final section of projects focuses on recycling and reuse. The appended resource lists and teachers guides link this to the curriculum, but anyone seeking low-cost, Earth-focused activities for kids will find good ideas here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)