Things That Fly

This game was a fun way of teaching the girls about 'things that fly' as well as working on some fine motor skills. We did it outside where there was a slight breeze this morning, so our balloons went an extra long way!

WE USED:

* balloons
* pictures of things that fly
(we just drew some on paper but stickers would work great too)
* sticky tape

The girls and I made a list of 'things that fly' and I traced some pictures to use for our game. Stickers would work just as well or better if you have them!
We cut out each one and attached a small piece of tape, then the girls took turns choosing a picture for their balloon.

We blew up our balloons and held them closed without tying them off. We found the side of the balloon was the best place to put the pictures so we still got a lot of height when we let the balloon go.

Red Ted Art's Blog - Get Crafty

Threading Leaves

After all the rainy weather we've had here lately we took advantage of the clear day today and headed out to a reserve. This particular parkland is under the flight path of the planes coming in to land at the domestic airport so the girls had a ball running around, having a picnic lunch, playing on the swings and watching the planes flying low overhead.

We also had some quiet time sitting on the grass making leaf necklaces, both girls spent ages hunting around for leaves they liked and they were able to thread them easily using 'safe' plastic needles.

WE USED:

* leaves and flowers
* child safe needle
* embroidery thread
* scissors

The leaves the girls collected from the reserve.

I tied the embroidery thread to their needles so it wouldn't come loose while they made their necklaces.

The threading was great exercise for fine motor development but I also loved watching the girls exploring the textures, shapes and colours of all of the natural things they found.

Bubble's finished necklace. I tried to get a photo of Squeak's which had a flower on it but they all came out too blurry, she's too fast for me! :-D

Floor Plan Treasure Hunt

My girls love treasure hunts. LOVE them. It doesn't matter if the 'treasure' is something cool and sparkly or a pair of rolled up socks, they love hunting down hidden things. And if there is a map to follow? Even better.

WE USED:

* paper
* ruler
* pencils/pens/markers
* laminator
(you could also use clear contact or a clear document slip)
* whiteboard marker
* 'treasure'

To start with I used pens and a ruler to draw the floor plan of our apartment onto a piece of paper. I included doors and fixtures like sinks, baths, showers etc...

Then I ran it through the laminator (you could also use a plastic slip or clear contact paper). Using a red whiteboard marker I then made 'treasure' crosses on the map to show the girls where to hunt.
Note; I didn't add furniture to the floor plan because I think that would have been too easy for Bubble, but they could easily be drawn in before laminating or with a whiteboard marker afterwards.

We used these cute heart shaped paperclips as our treasure.
I hid each one in a different place, then made a cross on our map to show which room they were in and the rough location.

As the girls found each treasure they added them to a tally card and wiped off the corresponding cross on their map.
We also played in reverse, with the girls hiding the treasures and marking the crosses and Mum having to hunt them out (they found some pretty tricky hiding spots I can tell you! :-D).

This was such a fun game, I can see it is going to be a favourite for a while yet! I loved watching Bubble studying the map and working out where to go, and little Squeak was adorable copying her sister and saying "hmmm" just like she did. They made such a very cute little team :-)

Shell Necklaces

Bubble spent yesterday making some simple shell necklaces for her friends, she had so much fun picking out colours for each one and practicing tying her knots.
We used pre-drilled shells but they are easy to make if you have a Dremel or a drill with a fine diamond point bit. Alternatively search your local beach for shells with natural holes in them.

WE USED:

* shells (pre-drilled or drilled with a fine bit)
* embroidery thread
* embroidery needle
(small enough to pass through the holes in your shells)

Bubble made herself an orange one (her favourite colour) to wear with her fairy costume.

Link to e-How : How To Drill A Hole In A Seashell

Warm Water Play

The weather has been a bit unpredictable here lately, one day we have sunshine the next it's overcast, wet and freezing. On cold days we add warm water to our water table so the girls can still enjoy their favourite outdoor activity.

WE USED:

* warm water
(always test temperature before letting your kids play)
* water table or plastic tub/paddling pool
* water toys
* towel

Other ideas - add food colouring, ice cubes or bubble mix for extra play value.

To do our bit for water conservation (always a priority in Australia!) we use a bucket in our shower to catch the 'warm up water' for the girls play activities (meaning the water that usually goes down the drain while you wait for it to 'warm up'). Add in the rest of the hot water from the kettle after your morning coffee and you have the perfect water play activity for a cold day.

Balloon Powered Boat

I have so many posts to catch up on in here, I'll do my best to get through them over the weekend! We've had two sick little girls with the flu bug so not as much craft action as usual, but these balloon powered boats were a big hit today while we (finally :-D) enjoyed some nice warm weather.

WE USED:

* rectangular plastic container
(we used a cornstarch food container, but an empty margarine/ice cream container would work well too)
* sharp knife/craft knife
* drinking straw
* balloon
* sticky tape
* small elastic band
* scissors
* blu tack/sticky tack

First use your knife to make a small hole in one end of your container just big enough for your straw to fit through.

Cut your straw in half and attach the balloon to one end using sticky tape and the elastic band. It should be secure enough that you can use the straw to blow up the balloon without it leaking around the sides.

Thread your straw through the hole in your 'boat' making sure the balloon end is on the inside.

Use your blu tack to secure the straw on each side so it is watertight. You could also use Plasticine for this.

One balloon powered boat ready for the water!

Using the straw blow up the balloon and then kink or put your finger over the end so the air doesn't escape.

Place your boat in the water, let go of the straw and off it goes :-)

The girls enjoyed racing their boats around the paddling pool.

Footprint Earth

Bubble is at Kindy today so Squeak and I did an easy little painting project for Earth Day together. Ordinarily Squeak isn't overly interested in painting and drawing projects, but this one involving feet and paint was a big hit with her (and the results are so cute too).
I think this activity would look fantastic done on a larger scale with even more kids involved!

WE USED:

* blue and green paint
* tape
* scissors
* newspaper or drop cloth
* shallow dish or box for paint
* paper/cardboard to make a large circle

(we made our circle by taping together sheets of recycled office paper and then using this method of drawing a circle with string and a pencil. I just held the loose end in the centre of our paper rather than using a tack though).

After we had made our large paper circle using the method linked above we squirted blue paint all over it and used our hands to cover it all over. Squeak loved this part and squelched the paint gleefully through her fingers and even used her elbows to spread it across the paper.

We left the circle to dry (while Squeak had a bath!) and then squirted our green paint into a shallow casserole dish for the second part of our earth painting activity.
Squeak really enjoyed squishing around in the green paint with her feet and then running across our 'Earth' to make her little patterns.

She worked out how to slide her painty feet around and we got some even better effects!

Our finished Earth looks even better in real life and is a very colourful addition to the lounge room wall :-)

“Come over to play at the
Childhood 101 We Play link up”

Easter Egg Roller Painting

Today we put an Easter twist on marble painting using our plastic eggs, both girls really enjoyed this activity and made quite a stack of artwork!

WE USED:

* tray
* paper
* large marbles or rocks
* plastic eggs
* paint

hint: we put newspaper and wet paper towel nearby to make it easy to remove the eggs between paper changes.

We used large marbles inside our eggs to weight them, but you could use anything really - a few smaller marbles, stones, sand etc...).

The marbles fit inside perfectly and made the eggs roll better through the paint.

Bubble rolling and tipping her tray to make Easter egg paint patterns.

Squeak loved this activity, we had trouble getting the tray off of her to change her paper before the piece she already had disintegrated into a soggy mess! :-D

“Come over to play at the Childhood 101 We Play link up”