I can hardly believe it but our year-long materials series is quickly coming to a close. It’s been almost a year since we started the series with Paper Crafts. Fast forward and we are wrapping up the year exploring metal. Metals, you say, with kids? Yes! Metal can sound a little intimidating but there are many sweet little projects out there to introduce kids to this amazing, strong, and versatile material. Think tin cans, aluminum foil, magnets, paper clips, and electronics!
I actually remember being smitten with metals during college when I had to build a birdhouse inspired by the Eames house. The Eames House was built out of prefabricated metal pieces so there was no way around making the birdhouse from anything but metal…..so I learned to weld. That’s right, even a petite 19 year old girl can weld! I took up the welding thing again in my late 20’s in an art class and was reminded of how exciting it is to work with metals. That said, there will be no welding required for any projects here this month! Just metals, lots of metals. With my love of this material officially declared, I  rounded up some creative metal projects for kids from around the web.
Get to know the properties of metal through these projects:
Top Row:
- Metals can be bent yet retain a shape. Pipe Cleaner Crowns from Pink Stripey Socks
- Metals are a great material for both decorative and protective purposes. Bottle Cap Birdhouse from Kids Stuff World
- Metals can hold in moisture and temperature. Coffee Can Ice Cream from Twodaloo
Middle Row:
- Magnetism is one of the most fascinating properties of many metals. Magnetic Animals from Meri Cherry Blog
- Metal is super strong; even a thin sheet molded into durable shape can can support your weight! Tin Can Stilts from Babble Dabble Do
- Magnets make wonderful toys and games. Word Game by Tiny Rotten Peanuts
Bottom Row:Â
- Most metals are water resistant and a great choice for art that uses “wet” materials like shaving cream. Rainbow Art by Blog Me Mom
- Metals are strong yet soft. Have you ever flattened a penny on a train track?   Flattened Penny Charms by Willow Day
- Metal components make up a large portion of all electronic products including wires, solder, transistors, resistors, and much, much more. Find out just how much metal is in your electronics by deconstructing a monitor. Deconstructing a Monitor from Tinkerlab
Top Row:
- Magnetism can be used to create DIY toys that can be reused over and over again. Recycled Robots from Fun At Home With Kids
- Metal is hearty no matter how small the item, making it a perfect choice for jewelry projects. Washer Necklaces from Art Bar Blog
- Aluminum is lightweight and easily bent and a perfect medium for easy to make sculptures. Giacometti Inspired Figures from the Imagination Tree
Middle Row:
- When molded into thin wire, metals are soft and pliable. Pipe Cleaner Art from Buggy & Buddy
- Metals don’t absorb moisture. Find out what happens when you use them as a “canvas.” Aluminum foil painting from Picklebums
- Metals also don’t absorb sound, making them a great candidate for musical instruments based on reverberation. Tin Can Drums from Hands On As We Grow
Bottom Row:
- Did you know that flipping a magnet over makes it repel rather than attract? Make a bouncing magnet sculpture and see it in action. Magnet Sculpture from Babble Dabble Do
- Metals don’t burn. That doesn’t mean they can’t deform in high heat but metals are able to handle moderate heat making them perfect for cookware and lanterns. Tin Can Lanterns from Coffee Cups and Crayons
- Magnetism isn’t just relegated to small ferrous objects, learn about the earth’s giant magnetic field by making a homemade compass. Mapping with a  Homemade compass by What Do We Do All Day?
Excited about the possibilities of working with metals? I think they are an often overlooked material when we think kids projects. Let’s change that, okay?
If you have a  great metal project please share it in the comments section below!
Be sure to follow our Metal Crafts Pinterest Board where I’ll be sharing lots of projects exploring the wonders of metals this month!
Follow Babble Dabble Do’s board Metal Crafts for Kids and Grown-ups on Pinterest.
Almost Unschoolers says
I’m sure I had an excellent comment…but my mind is stuck on “dashing fungus threw up a nerdy worm” 🙂
Ana Dziengel says
Ha! I couldn’t pass that one up!
ahhhh…i love this round-up!! so clever to have a metals round-up, you are a genius. thank you for including my necklaces, and i’ve definitely been inspired by a few others!! xx bar
Terrific collection of ideas – thanks!
Thank you!
This is such a well researched piece! I was working on a page for my site on “how to teach kids to weld” and came across this post. I love the idea that you introduce them to other metal work first, because obviously welding is too dangerous to teach at a young age.
When my post goes live, I will be sure to link to this – instead of creating my own list 🙂
I love me some welding but yes, probably not appropriate until kids are much, much older 🙂 I loved researching other projects to introduce kids to metal!