Program 2: Picture This! CD Picture Frame Craft

Time of program

50 minutes

Program Description

Pictures are an integral part of traveling. Travelers take pictures both to share their experiences with friends and family and to preserve their memories. Teens can display their favorite pictures in these frames made from CD-ROMs such as the ones that arrive in the mail from AOL. They can hang these fancy frames on the fridge, or they can give them as gifts. In preparation for this program, collect CD's from staff and patrons or ask local record stores and radio stations to donate them. (They sometimes have a supply of unwanted CDs.)

Buy a craft book at a used bookstore or at your library's book sale for a raffle prize. Have a raffle at end of program for craft book.

Decorations

Collect pictures from your vacations, staff members' vacations, teens' vacations, and the Internet. Promote the program by displaying the pictures in the teen area along with flyers and posters. Create a guessing or matching game about where the pictures were taken. This can also be a part of program. Place the name of everyone who fills out the guessing game form into a drawing for a "free" book.

CD Picture Frame Craft

Materials

CDs
Small magnets or magnetic tape
Double sided tape
Decorative items such as glitter, beads, feathers, and colorful foam pieces
Paint markers
Old magazines
Varnish or lacquer
Glue
Black felt

Directions

Bring out all of the materials listed above and let the teens choose how they want to decorate the CDs. Give them lots of options! Teens like direction but are also in the midst of a self-identity crisis and like the freedom to choose what they want to do. With this craft you supply them both direction and freedom. Teens can decorate the CDs with the crafts supplied or they can use paint markers to draw designs. They can cut out pictures from magazines, make a collage, and finish it with lacquer for a shiny effect.

Variations

At the Crafts for Kids web site, click to the second page and click on CD Photo Frame for a variation: http://craftsforkids.miningco.com/parenting/familycrafts/cs/pictureframes/index.htm

Buy unfinished picture frames and let the teens decorate them with buttons, cracked tile, and/or other decorative items. Or, try any of the easy frames in Making Picture Frames by Linda Hendry and Lisa Rebnord.

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Activity

Virtual Visit to Local Art Museum

Does your community have an art museum or school? If so and it has a web site, show the children current and upcoming exhibitions as well as art classes on the web site. List the web site on your program handouts. For example, the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts is in San Antonio and the web site is www.swschool.org/.

Books to Display

Fabulous Framing by Joyce Spencer.
Making Picture Frames by Linda Hendry and Lisa Rebnord.
Paper Crafting Beautiful Box, Book Covers, & Frames by Valeria Ferrari and Ersilia Fiorucci.

Magazines

Crafts.: Primedia Consumer Magazine and Internet Group, 2 News Plaza, P.O. Box 1790, Peoria, IL 61656.; www.craftsmag.com/; This well-designed magazine is full of gift ideas for the family. All craft projects include designer insights, possibilities, materials, and instructions.
Crafts 'n' Things.: www.craftideas.com/; Craft projects from the simple to the difficult abound in this magazine. All craft projects list skill level, time, materials and easy-to-follow instructions. The web site includes a "Project of the Week", tip of the day, and a free newsletter.

Web Sites

Crafts for Kids: http://craftsforkids.miningco.com/parenting/familycrafts/cs/pictureframes/index.htm; About.com does it again-compiling information that is easy to find. Check out this list of easy picture frame projects.
Kids Domain: www.kidsdomain.com/craft/_teen.html; A listing of craft projects for teens is included in the Kids Domain page.
Southwest School of Arts and Crafts: www.swschool.org/; Southwest School of Arts and Crafts offers program year round for teens. Check out their web site for information about their Young Artist Program Scholarships.

Table of Contents | Program Three

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