Craft ideas for Bas Mitzvah party

amother

White

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 12:25 pm

We decorated wooden frames. We took a picture of each girl when they came in and then they decorated the frame and we developed the picture for them for the next day.

amother

White

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 1:22 pm

We decorated with puff paint glitter glue, puffy letter stickers and other shapes. My daughter gave out the pictures in school the next day since the party was basically for her class. You can also take the pictures right when they come in and have someone go somewhere to develop them on the spot and give them out at the end of the party.
Another idea we had was to decorate aprons and than while they are wearing the aprons you can doהפרשת חלה and make challahs or decorate cookies or cupcakes.

SixOfWands

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 1:32 pm

amother wrote:

Just curious whether the girls enjoyed making the frames. Ee did that at my daughter's 6th birthday party, so it sounds a bit juvenile to me.

I'm not a big fan of crafts for a bat mitzvah. But if you're going to do that, what about making jewelry. Or bringing someone in to teach the girls to crochet. Or cutting out foam letters to match their first names in advance of the party, and letting them create thumbtack art with it.

eschaya

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 1:39 pm

I bought glass tea light holders (thick, pretty ones from ikea, 49 cents each) and then the girls painted them with translucent glass paint (vitrea, it becomes dishwasher ams washer safe after being baked). There are a few girls is Dd class who light candles, and anyway we felt that it was appropriate being that hadlakas neiros is one of the 3 women's mitzvos.
We also decorated cookies for dessert. I made flat round sugar cookies in advance, each girl got fondant, rolled it out and put it on cookie. Then the girls used edible paint to paint them (hint: edible markers would have been a while lot easier, you can buy them at Michaels, Wilton brand)

Rutabaga

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 1:53 pm

Please be careful of messy projects if girls are coming dressed nicely for a party. I would be livid if my daughter came home with a ruined outfit.

Jewelry making is a nice idea and both age appropriate and not messy.

I remember one bat mitzvah I went to where they gave us styrofoam pieces covered in black velvet and there were sequins of all colors and sizes and pins to make sequin art.

Another idea is to make something as a chessed project for children in need, whether because they're poor or sick.

egam

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 2:34 pm

At my friend's daughter bat mitzvah, girls made no sew fleece pillows and them to sick kids in a hospital after. They also made cards to go with the pillows.

I'm pretty sure my friend got already pre cut pillow covers.

SixOfWands

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 2:47 pm

egam wrote:

I feel like Debbie Downer, but please check to see if a hospital would accept these. Without attached product information as to the fill, without industry quality or cleanliness information, they might be deemed dangerous. Like you can't donate used stuffed toys.

amother

White

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 2:51 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

They actually had a great time!

amother

Mauve

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 3:46 pm

OP here, thanks for the great ideas! I really like the sequin art - I remember doing it as a kid! I found round 6" styrofoam wreaths - we can use them as picture frames, right? What do you think? They're white - do we have to cover them with black felt? or can we just pin right into it?
My daughter loves washi tape too - do you think we can wrap it first and the sequin? maybe alternate between tape and pinning sequins?

thunderstorm

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 3:51 pm

I remember going to my friends Bas Mitzvah because I enjoyed the activity so much. We all decorated small clay planters with puff paint and then we planted flowers in them. My mother had that sitting on her windowsill for years!

amother

Yellow

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 5:12 pm

And I would like to know how people protect the girls' clothes with paint. We specifically chose a project that didn't involve paint or fabric markers; instead we used hugh end stickers. We thought about doing t shirt smocks, but that seemed like a bit of a pain and possibly not effective.

I'm also a fan of tzedakah projects. At ours, the girls donated what they made, but I know many people have the girls make two and donate one and keep one. And yes, before you make a project to donate, check with the organization first. We wanted to have the girls stuff mini- stuffed animals. But it turns out they weren't wanted.

egam

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 5:41 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

You are not. It's a very valid point. It's still a fun craft and girls can make it for themselves.

CatLady

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 6:52 pm

My suggestion would be to have a Paint Nite type of experience. You can get the representative from the company to come to your house, set up, and clean up. Alternatively, you could make mats for the homeless using plastic bags. http://www.1millionwomen.com.a.....less/

sky

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 8:08 pm

beaded serving spoons.
http://www.crafts-for-all-seas......html
like that but with larger beads.
Woodpeckers may have a kit to make it 732-363-4077
Or other kits appropriate for a bas mitzvah

eschaya

Tue, Dec 20 2016, 9:28 pm

amother wrote:

For those mentioning paint... do the girls bring the projects home wet? how do you work that out?

The glass paints I used dry really quickly, so they were dry before the girls went home. Regarding their clothing, we had plastic aprons available for protection.