Pencil shavings often go unnoticed or are swept away, but these colorful remnants from sharpening our favorite pencils can be transformed into shimmery scales on a majestic fish or layered for a dynamic 3D art piece. Engaging children in fun and easy crafts is not just a pastime; it’s a way to enhance their creativity, motor skills, and appreciation for simple materials around them.
One of the most delightful and accessible projects is creating pencil shaving art. It’s an excellent way for children to upcycle something they might otherwise discard. All you need to get started is a collection of pencil shavings, some paper, and glue.
Pencil Shaving Fish
Create an underwater scene by choosing brightly colored pencil shavings to mimic the scales on fish. Have your child sketch out the shape of a fish on paper — it can be as realistic or fantastical as they wish. Then, using school glue, attach the shavings starting from the tail and overlapping them towards the head to create a scale effect. Once dry, add details like eyes and fins with markers or cut paper.
3D Rainbow
Bring a touch of color to any room with a 3D rainbow craft. On a large piece of paper or cardboard, draw an arc for each color band of the rainbow. Start gluing red shavings on the outermost arc and continue with orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet until you have filled in each one. The result is a textured rainbow that pops off the page.
Abstract Pencil Shaving Trees
For nature-inspired art, pencil shavings make perfect leaves for trees. Draw or trace a tree trunk onto paper, then let your kids unleash their inner artist by gluing different shades of green shavings for leaves. They can even create seasonal trees using autumnal colors.
What makes this craft idea even more exciting is its endless possibilities; children are only limited by their imagination! Besides being budget-friendly and quick to set up, these activities also help in developing fine motor control as kids handle delicate materials like pencil shavings.
Remember always to supervise younger children when handling sharp pencils and small objects like pencil shavings. And don’t forget to have fun with this simple yet imaginative crafts project that turns ordinary pencil shavings into extraordinary pieces of art!
