• Themed crafting can be a fun way to learn.craft a card! image by Shirley Hirst from Fotolia.com
  
  Themed crafts give children an entertaining variety of activities that correspond to important dates or subjects. Use crafts to teach children about history in a way that awakens their enthusiasm for the subject while letting them be creative. There are hundreds of thematic craft projects that you can use or create to teach kids about the world around them.
  
  

History

• History lends itself well to craft projects. For example, Teach students about Egyptian deities by making masks. Replicate cuneiform writing and murals by using large rolls of cheap brown paper. Hang the finished products on the classroom wall. Construct pyramids from LEGO or large blocks. Use cardboard to build replicas of ancient Egyptian homes. Continue the theme with skits or plays to explain Egyptian religious beliefs.
  
  

Culture

• Crafts are a great way to explore different cultures. Some people may believe that crafting cultural things is not politically correct, but it can help children learn to appreciate other lifestyles. It is best to avoid imitating objects with religious connotations because this may be seen as disrespectful. Focus instead on cultural objects, such as flutes, which can be made from plastic pipes or tubes, while complex beading can be imitated by gluing colored beads, stones or paper in patterns. Things like soap seal carving can be used to interest kids in the Eskimos. Making simple hats or bracelets out of furry material can be used to draw children into a discussion on culture and ethics, such as why certain groups eat animals like seals and whales. Explaining different living conditions, such as the inability to grow crops, or discussing people who use every part of an animal for survival may also engender craft projects and in-depth discussions.
  
  

Seasonal

• Seasonal crafts are some of the most popular and easy theme craft projects. Snowmen are easily made from foam balls, while black bats can be cut out of foam sheets and hung from the ceiling. To make a summer or ocean-themed project, use multiple shades of blue-colored paper and cut wave shapes into it. Lay the paper with the darkest at the back and the lightest in front. Leave a few inches between each color to create the illusion of a stormy sea. You can glue on cutout shapes of sea animals to add to the effect.