Just to prove I'm not all about the yarn craft, here is a simple thing we did at Master Four's recent birthday party. I wanted to have something open-ended, that could be dragged out to last a while, and that kids could jump into at any time, as an ice breaker, and also while waiting to see if anyone else was going to turn up (don't you just hate non-RSVPers?) This was fairly simple to set up, and mostly done before time too.

I cut out circles of cardboard, edged them with silver duct tape. That's it. Oh, well, I also cut out handle sized strips of cardboard, and taped along the longs sides of each, so they would be smooth for four year old hands to hold. Then I furnished the room of children with crayons and pencils, and let them draw their emblems on the blank side. (The one pictured above is Miss Six's Toothless shield, isn't she a great artist for a little kid?)
Then I taped a handle to the back. That way the young'uns could draw freely without their shields wobbling all over the place. Best part - it was all free, from the giant crayon collection my three kids have, to the cardboard from the sides of nappy boxes, to the duct tape I already had. And boy, did the kids love them!

Perhaps it is cheating to feature Master Six's homework as the second post of the week, but it was kid friendly, and crafty, and very fitting with the philosophy of this site. Which is summed up in the title really: Never mind the claw marks.

Originally what popped into my brain as a pun on what crafts made by a creature with talons instead of fingers would look like, has slowly stewed into a whole hearted embracing of the imperfect nature of handmade crafts - mine in particular. Like the dragon who can't help but leave claw marks, by my ineptitude, I can't help but make beginner's mistakes. But by sharing my pieces with the world, and persevering, I'll get better, and learn to embrace myself and my skill set as they are.

Just look at how proud Master Six is of his "sculpture" made from recyclables. It's a dog called Bruno, homework for Green week, and he thinks it is the bees knees. Who knew sticky taping boxes together could be such a source of enjoyment?

So just a reminder to the parents out there, that craft activities don't have to be elaborate, and the end result doesn't have to be something you'd hang on your wall, for it to be fun, and an object of pride.