Crafting and making things is something I enjoy doing and actively try to encourage the children to join in with. I also like to recycle items we have around the house where possible. So when E was sent a PaperFX Upcycle Go Create set a couple of weeks ago E especially was delighted. This crafty kit enables you to transform any piece of paper or card into something beautiful and useful. You can use any kind of paper from wrapping paper to scrap pieces of card and junk mail.
E was particularly keen to get her hands on the kit and see what she could make. So she found the instruction booklet in the box and went off to study it and decide what she wanted to try first. The following day after lunch E announced it was time to get the PaperFX kit out and start making. First we laid out the contents of the box so we could see that each part was and then we found it in the instructions and identified it. The set includes a weaver unit, back bar, middle bar, tearer, creaser, instruction booklet, twizzle sticks, base maker and cable ties. Everything you could need for making anything from coasters, purses, pots and more.
E showed me what she wanted to make, the coin purse and we read the instructions to find out what we would need. I then suggested we practiced making one of each kind of folded strip we would need before E got started. We added our own glue to the set to be able to complete the closed strips needed. E spent a bit of time tearing pieces of coloured paper to the right size using the tearer and then using the creaser to crease each piece of paper. I lent a hand folding the pieces into either the open fold or the close fold depending on which were needed for the coin purse. It was a bit time consuming but by working together we had everything ready to go within about half an hour. I then helped E assemble the weaving unit with the back bar and middle bar. Then we put the right amount of strips on the unit ready to go.
We did keep refering back to the instruction booklet to make sure we were doing it correctly but once we had put the first couple of strips on we got the hang on it. E has tried weaving before in school so that made this a bit easier for her to get to grips with. But at almost ten she did need help with the fiddly bits and two pairs of hands made it easier. Once E got the hang of turning the paddle on the weaving unit it did’nt take long to complete the pieces needed. Then the tricky part, putting it all together. In hindsight I think E should have opted for one of the bigger items in the instruction booklet to make first as the coin purse was quite fiddly but mainly due to the size of it. In the end I put the bits together with E giving me instuctions on where each part went.
After two attempts I managed to get it all together and E was thrilled with the end result. She celebrated by telling me what she was going to make next! The whole process of turning pieces of paper into something usable was completed in four steps, Tear it, Crease it, Weave it, Make it!
For our first attempt I was really impressed with the end result and so was E. It did take longer than I anticipated but I think the more we use the kit the easier we will find it. I would say that younger children do need adult supervision and assistance but older children would be able to manage the process independently. I know E is planning on making a variety of items for both herself and her friends which I am looking forward to seeing.
The PaperFX Upcycle Go Create kit retails at £19.99 and is available now from Argos and Amazon. You can find it here. I think the price is really reasonable given that the kit will help you recycle paper and card and turn it into all sorts of items which you can keep or gift to others. Additionally the PaperFX kit enables you to use your imagination and get creative and that is a real draw for me especially as it means E will be have something else to do instead of nagging to spend time on devices and if that was not enough we both enjoyed spending time together doing the activity together. So it’s a defiante hit with us and something we will use again and again.
Disclaimer: We were sent the PaperFX Upcycle Go Create kit for the purpose of this post however the content is 100% my own.