Irish crafts for kids are hard to find online. Here are some traditional Irish crafts which we've adapted specially for children.
Celtic Knot Greeting Card
Have you seen pictures of Celtic knots - intricate loops of cord woven together, with no ends? There are hundreds of different shaped Celtic knots. Here's an easy one to make into a greeting card.(Suitable for age 8 and above)
What you'll need:
Felt, in two shades of green. Each piece needs to be a rectangle about 6 x 9 cm.
Scissors
White Glue
Corrugated craft card in brown or natural unbleached cardboard colour
Stiff green card about 29 x 14cm
Black felt pen
What to do:
1. Fold the lighter green piece of felt in half. Using the black felt pen, draw a shape like the point of a leaf on the back of it as shown. Draw curved lines parallel with the edges of the leaf shape, down to the fold
2. Now draw lines as shown, on either side of the centre.
3. Now draw a line along the centre of the leaf-shape, from the fold. Leaving the felt folded over, cut along the lines. Repeat for the dark green piece of felt.
5. Open out the pieces of felt. Then, for the dark green piece only, cut as shown in the photo.
6. This is the fun part. Look closely at the photo and use it as your guide. Weave the two pieces of felt together. remember that each stip of felt should always go over, then under, then over the strips it meets (some will go under, over, under...).
7. When your Celtic knot is complete, cut a square of corrugated cardboard 13 x 13 cm, and glue the knot into the centre. Make sure that you glue the ends of the dark green felt together so that no gaps show.
8. Press under some heavy books until it's dry.
9. Fold the green card in half, and glue the corrugated card into the centre. Press again until dry.10. Write a greeting inside. Someone will be glad to receive it!
Find a book of Celtic designs and try weaving a different design out of felt. How about inventing your own design?
Carve a Celtic design into the cut end of a potato, and make prints onto plain wrapping paper with it. Now you have a matching card and wrapping paper set.
