Suzanne McNeill - Foam Crafts for Kids: Over 100 Colorful Craft Foam Projects to Make with Your Kids

W hile youre still able to easily create fun and cool-looking foam crafts with just some scissors and glue, youll definitely have more fun if you have other crafting materials and tools. This section will go over the essentials you will need to have on hand to complete the projects in this book. It also explains some techniques you will need to learn in order to have a fun and safe time while creating your foam projects. Once you learn the basics, the crafting can begin! Craft foam is usually sold in thicknesses of 2 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm. Thicker, sturdier sheets like the 5 mm are great for the important structural parts of projects, like bag sides.

The thinner, more flexible 2-mm and 3-mm sheets are what most people think of when they think of craft foam, and are great for virtually everything else. The projects in this book were created using all three thicknesses; some foam material lists indicate 3-mm foam, but you can often interchange 3 mm and 2 mm as desired.

Adhesive choices are numerous and can be somewhat confusing. The reality is that there are certain stress points in these projects, and finding the correct adhesive ensures success. Stress points are the areas you want to pay close attention to and ensure good adhesion; they include corners and the areas where flaps, straps, and sides are attached to the sides of bags. Some of the best adhesive options include double-sided adhesive tape (extra strong), double-sided adhesive sheets (extra strong), sticky glue dots, sticky glue lines, and a low-temperature glue gun.

Using a low-temperature glue gun makes assembly of the projects quite fast, and the glue is suitable for use in all steps of the projects. However, even low-temperature glue guns can cause burns, and young children should not be left alone with these tools. While the glue coming out of the gun may not be considered hot, the nozzle on the glue gun can reach temperatures high enough to cause problems. The photographs in the book show the use of a low-temperature glue gun for constructing all projects. If you choose to use a glue gun, I would suggest that you work together with the child, setting the glue gun out of the childs reach, applying the glue to the craft foam, and then letting the child attach the craft foam sections one at a time. There are many double-sided adhesive products on the market, but be sure to look for products that state they are suitable for adhesion to fabric, leather, and/or non-porous surfaces.

Products used for paper crafting do not always have the amount of adhesion that is required for the projects in this book. This is especially important when dealing with high stress points such as flaps, sides, and pocket corners. WARNING: Read and follow all of the manufacturers directions and guidelines before allowing children of any age access to a glue gun.