Need craft ideas for 9 year old-with a purpose but low on patience

Oh sweetie, I can so relate to what you're going through. My now 19 year old niece was exactly like that. She still learned to knit, crochet, sew, garden... oh just about everything you can think of but does none of it because she doesn't have to patience to see a project grow. She wants to make and finish it right then and there. :-) :-) Plus the fact that my sister was not very supportive didn't help. Here are a few items that we do together that she really enjoys though: Handmade soap: we purchased a kit a few years ago at a craft store that had everything for making 7 soaps. We purchased a few more scents over the years, but the $20 investment has lasted me years. Everyone can use a few pretty soaps every once in a while. :-) I'm just sad that I'm too allergic to use any of them myself! :-) :-) Kumihimo: We don't play with this one as often, but we work on this one together when we make curtain ties for anyone that has redecorated or moved into a new house. You can get a kumihimo wheel for about $12 to $18 (depending on where you purchase it at) from a craft, beading or yarn shop. I like using silk thread that match a person's decor. Usually the wheel comes with instructions for a basic braid or you can find them on line but there are a few good books on this as well. My niece gets is all started and works on it for about 4 or 5 hours... then I work on it to get the final length, then she finishes it. Pretty quick and I really enjoy it too. :-) No sew quilts: I'm not really sure if that's the right name, but I got my niece a kit from Mary Maxim. It comes with this foam on a tray-like thing and bits of fabric. You then use a butter knife to push in the bits of fabric in the precut crevacis on the foam. Each section is a certain color to make a certain design. I got her a humming bird design that was really cute. I think she started and finished in less than 3 hours, then hang up on the wall. :-) Another craft that you may have already tried but I'm going to suggest anyway is cute and fun and you can always use as Christmas ornaments or a pretty decoration. It's those beads that you put on these forms and when you're done, you put a paper over them and iron them together. I wish I could remember what they're called. I got a huge bucket of those beads at Ikea for really cheap and we've made sets of ornaments for gifts over the years. It's a pretty quick project and we only work on them a little at a time to not overwhelm her. My 5 year old son also loves these, but then, he has a little more patience than my niece. It's a little difficult to teach a craft to a young person when she is not getting any support from other family members. My sister was like that and it really hindered my niece's appreciation for anything hand made until we found that she really enjoyed those hand made soaps. Haven't heard one complaint since then and that was almost 10 years ago! :-) There are also tons of food crafts that we play with but that's for another post. :-) :-) Take care and I wish you the best of luck, Pinka http://pinkap.etsy.com http://pinkap.blogspot.com http://profile.to/pinkap

How about scrapbooking...they have the little 6x6 scrapbooks...buy a few pages of pretty paper...some stickers and she can make a little scrapbook of her friends or her pets etc...she can leave it anytime and go back to it. My youngest granddaughter is four and she has done some scrapping.....also she loves to paint. So I buy a few things at the dollar store like little birdhouses that she also gives as gifts...

Sounds like you really do have a dilemma. Have you tried plastic canvas? They have some very simple patterns for kids. What about paper beads? Those turn out a lot prettier than they sound. Or maybe she would enjoy working with clay?

They have kits for dream catchers that are not too hard to put together and actually work when you put them over or near a bed that you sleep in.If she likes necklaces then get some better beads and pendants to put on the strings (I put together necklaces that i sell at pow wows that use a pendant, a few beads and leather cord, I tie the ends so that they are adjustable and they sell well for me.An aquarium coud be a thing of beauty and teach responsibilities but it does take a while to fully stock it right.If you started with a 20 gallon tank and a pair of guppies or a trio (one male and two or more females) they the tank coud become stocked in just a few months plus you might be able to answer questions about birth and other things that are not as embarrassing.

How about scented rocks? you can find the recipe online an she can make a ton an put them in little dishes to make all your rooms smell nice.

make a Family encyclopedia.Help her affirm her place in the family, and in the march of recent history, with this family album project.Build a back to school Bulletin board, good organization is always worth the effort, plus it helps limit stress during the school year.