The Kraftworks program is designed for students aged eight through fourteen. Many of our Kraftworkers have younger siblings. We know it makes things easier for parents if they can drop off all the kids at one venue. So we have introduced an Apprentices program that caters for younger siblings. The objective of the Apprentices' program is to keep younger siblings entertained in a safe environment while their older sibling(s) get on with the program.

The Apprentices program is unstructured. It's all about having fun while everyone else gets to work. It is important to note that Apprentices must be school age and attending school. They must have experienced the teacher/pupil relationship and be comfortable with it.

Apprentices may attend one three-hour session on any given day.

Painting figurines is a fascinating pastime that allows people who do not see themselves as having any artistic talent to explore their creative side. There is a degree of modelling skill in assembling the figurines, a measure of artistic skill in painting the figurines, and a touch of overall creativity in placing the figurines within a larger scene (a vignette or diorama as they are known). The great thing about figurine painting is that it is artistic yet almost entirely process-driven - making it a great choice for people who believe they have no artistic ability.

Making jewellery is a challenging yet rewarding passtime. There are many different techniques to learn. Each kit in our Jewellery Making program makes a specific piece of jewellery and contains all of the components needed to make the item. Instructions are clear and concise with photographs guiding the student through every step. We provide all of the tools needed to assemble the piece, and expert tuition is available every step of the way.

Plasterkraft is our most popular activity. It is also unique to Kraftworks for Kids. A Plasterkraft kit contains a variety of plaster blocks of various shapes. When assembled according to the instructions they make some kind architectural structure - a room or a building of some kind. These structures are often themselves modular, allowing them to be interconnected with other kits to make larger structures. Best of all, these larger structures can be used as the playing surface for a variety of tabletop games.

Plaster

Plaster of Paris has a dry compression strength of around 2,000 psi. It produces a cast that chips and cracks easily, absorbs paint like a sponge, and shrinks extensively as it dries. In our Plasterkraft activity we use Hydrostone TB. It contains gypsum and a small amount of cement, which produces casts with a dry compression strength of around 10,000 psi. It produces a cast that rarely chips, handles paint well, and doesn't shrink much as it dries.

Construction

Making a Plasterkraft kit is a three step process: prepare the casts for gluing, glue the casts, and wait patiently for the glue to dry. Preparing the casts involves a small amount of sanding of the blocks to ensure that the surface to be glued is flat. Casts are then glued together using a PVA glue called Bondcrete. This product seals the plaster and bonds the plaster. Waiting for the glue to dry requires the patience of an Ent (or access to a dehydrator, which is our Plan B).

Painting

Painting large objects utilises some of the techniques taught in the Figurine Painting activity. The plaster is undercoated, then the base colour is applied, then the drybrush layer is applied, and then the highlight colour is applied.

Plasterkraft: Fuel for the imagination!