Pattern Challenge at Handmade Cooperative

Over the last month I have become addicted to making felt animal masks for the kids!

As part of the Handmade Cooperative pattern challenge for 2016, I chose to take on the animal mask patterns designed by Donna over at Ebony Shae Designs. The patterns up for trial were the elephant and the koala.

I made the elephant first and loved the way that all of the pleats were incorporated to make a very life-like mask. Miss 5 even wore the mask to the Melbourne Zoo!

Next, I tackled the koala mask. This is so cute and is very simple to sew to, a perfect mask for beginners to tackle.

These were the two patterns that were part of the challenge, but I loved sewing them so much that I wanted to make more. So I made the snowy owl. This was by far my most favourite pattern to sew, and I loved the way that it had lots of felt layers to make the mask more shaped and robust.

Finally, I decided to challenge myself and sew the dragonfly. This one was quite tricky, getting the gauzy ribbon sandwiched between the layers of felt, but it turned out to be very, very pretty (and glittery).

Search the hashtag #hcpatternchallenge on Facebook and Instagram to see what other projects the other Handmade Cooperative members took on!

Operation Christmas Child

It's that time of the year again when Christmas starts sneaking into the supermarkets. And so it's time to start thinking about giving gifts to people who aren't as likely to be getting anything in December.

This is my fourth year taking part in Operation Christmas Child, the world's largest Christmas project of it's size, giving shoeboxes filled with presents to children in need. Run by Samaritan's Purse, since 1993 this project has delivered more than 124 million gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 150 countries and territories.

It's super easy to join in. Grab a shoebox, decide whether you are doing a gift for a boy or a girl, and what age, then fill the box with presents. The guidelines are to include six gifts:

• Something to love
• Something for school
• Something to wear
• Something to play with
• Something for personal hygiene
• Something special

Borrowed from Operation Christmas Child.

This year Miss 4 and her friend Miss E packed the boxes and also wrote letters to the children who are going to receive the gifts on the colouring sheets supplied by Operation Christmas Child. And then we all bundled off to the drop-off centre to send the gifts off.

Make sure that you get your children involved in packing and dropping off the boxes; it’s great for them to experience giving and understand that not everyone is as lucky as they are. October is national collection month in Australia. Start packing now. Have fun packing and bringing a smile to a child's face.

Pattern Challenge at Handmade Cooperative

The great part of being part of Handmade Cooperative is the opportunity to take part in activities that I wouldn't usually do. Over August, we each chose a pattern to sew as part of the Coop pattern challenge. I was trying out the Old Mac Donald Finger Puppet Set by my friend Donna of Ebony Shae Designs.

Now, my inability to follow recipes extends to following patterns, so you will be unsurprised to learn that I took some creative license. The set is meant to look like this:

I used different colours to those specified and added in a pig from one of Donna's other patterns for good measure. I also didn't add the detail on the farmer with textas, but instead added the features with felt and embroidery.

I really love these finger puppets, particularly the pig. You need to be an experienced sewer for these, as Donna is TOTALLY not afraid of using tiny pieces, which I love and makes for the cutest little designs. Miss 4 has been putting on puppet shows with her other finger puppets (as you can see), although she would also like a horse, and Master 1 has been sneaking around with a sheep on his hand saying "Baaaaaah!".

Search the hashtag #hcpatternchallenge on Facebook and Instagram to see the other projects.
Grab your own Old Mac Donald Finger Puppet Set patterns right here.

Free Printable Disney Princess Paper Craft

Miss 4 and I have been busy this week doing paper craft. We discovered free printable Disney princess paper craft on Pinterest and started crafting.

I had a vision of the two of us doing this craft activity together but it turns out that these patterns are quite difficult, so we switched to Miss 4 cutting out the skirts and me doing the rest. The dolls look great and for vigorous preschooler play I recommend printing on card stock and reinforcing with sticky tape. Because Miss 4 is all about equal opportunity, we also made a Buzz Lightyear, which is the "father" in her games.

Visit the Disney website to find the printables, although I find the site a little hard to navigate, so here is a list of some of the highlights:

Ariel | Anna | Aurora | Belle | Buzz Lightyear | Carl | Cinderella | Elsa | Jasmine | Lightning McQueen | Mater | Merida | Mulan | Pocahontas | Rapunzel | Sofia | Snow White | Tiana | Ursula

Secret Agent Laser Obstacle Hallway

Pinterest is an incredible resource full of activities, crafts, tutorials, recipes... but I find that I often pin a great idea and then forget to actually go back an do it in "real life". I found a DIY laser maze the other day and it was too good not to try out.

This is a really simple, cheap and quick activity to set up. Just grab some rolls of crepe streamers (my mother-in-law had donated me a whole pile) and some masking tape or painters tape. Tape the streamers high and low, adjust for difficulty depending on the child (Master 1 was a bit too fond of the bulldozer approach), and let them navigate the maze. Take a leaf from Big Bang Theory and sing Khachaturian's Sabre Dance just to add some drama. This is seriously fun and super easy to pack up too!

Nailed any Pinterest finds lately?

Find some more ideas for toddler and preschooler play.

Pressed Flowers

Despite all the time that I spend these days blogging, social media-ing and otherwise involved in technology, I'm actually fairly old school at heart, with chickens in the front garden and organic produce in the back (yep, that's my bunnykins collection in the background of this photo). So recently I've been teaching Miss 4 to press flowers.

Pressed flowers keep their colour intact as they dry, which makes pressing them a great way to preserve them for later activties. Miss 4 collects flowers and leaves when we are out walking and once we are home, it's quick and easy to press them. We have a wooden flower press, so we place each flower between sheets of paper (the blotter) and then put this paper between sheets of cardboard. We then put the piles of flowers in cardboard between two pieces of wood and blot them together. After a few weeks the flowers are completely dry and flat and ready for craft. Remember that they are very delicate.

If you don't have a flower press, you can achieve the same thing by placing your flowers between sheets of paper (the blotter) and then putting the paper inside a heavy book, like and dictionary or encyclopedia. Pile more books on top or slide into a full bookcase. After a few weeks, the dried flowers will be ready.

What old school fun do you get up to with your kids?

Find some more preschooler art ideas.

Active April

Because I'm an elite athlete and all (hah! not!), eight years ago I had an ACL reconstruction. I still play netball and as a result need to keep up the physio to make sure that my knee stays strong and healthy. But fitting in structured exercise with two small children is tough, especially once daylight savings has finished (I refuse to use a gym!).

What to do?

My strategy lately has been to do my physio exercises at the playground. Choose a playground that adjoins a nice flat area and let the children play on the swings and slides whilst you work out. This way, they're getting a work out too and having a great time whilst mum is preoccupied. Sure, keeping an eye on them means that you are not as focussed on your exercises, but you're getting them done, and that's the important thing. In addition, doing sit ups with a 15 month old perched on your stomach is an extra work out!

How do you manage exercise and small children?

Pre-schooler Play - Sprouts

For her recent birthday, Miss 4 received a sprout growing kit and has now developed a formidable sprout growing obsession. Each morning she diligently harvests a new crop of sprouts, plants another round and waters (mummy is responsible for the evening watering). So far, she has tried her hand at pea shoots, alfalfa, red and white clover, chick peas, broccoli, soya beans and mung beans. She even enjoys eating them, which is great because I don't think that micro-greens are a food that all pre-schoolers are that fond of.

Sprouts are a rewarding crop for a small child to grow because they grow so quickly. Edible micro-greens are ready in under a week, usually around four days. You don't need a complicated set up like our seed sprouter trays, simply grab some seeds from your local nursery and place one tablespoon of them in a large clean jar. Cover the opening with a find cloth and secure, then add enough water to cover the seeds and soak overnight. In the morning, pour off the water through the cloth and replace; do this morning and night.

What do your children love to plant and grow?

Find more activities for children right here.

Miss 4

My big girl is four years old today. Happy birthday to Miss 4!

Master 1

Awh, my little man turns one today. Now he's Master 1.

Activities For Kids - 2014

The kaetoo blog is all about my inspirations and activities, so a lot of the posts that you read here are about keeping small children entertained and happy. This year, I have been playing with a new baby and a three-year-old.

Below are the most popular children's posts at kaetoo for 2014. Refresh your mind on what we got up to or try out some of the activities that you missed.

1. Keeping big sister occupied after welcoming a new baby.

2. Fitting a new baby into your family.

3. Ideas for play with a four month old.

4. Recycling old art into new art.

5. Ideas for play with an eight month old.

6. Cooking coconut ice.

7. Experimenting on your child with the lying cake test.

8. More experiments with the delay of gratification test.

9. Preserving memories of small children.

10. Encouraging reading.

Read all of the children's activities for 2014.

Play At The Park

For her third birthday, Miss 3.5 received a run bike and so this year has been all about parks that she can ride to with the baby in the pusher. Hence, whilst our range of parks visited has been smaller this year, we have still been out and about every day (weather permitting) to ride and play. I have shared with you previously a selection of our park trips for 2012 and 2013. Here are some of our 2014 visits.

12 months of parks in Melbourne...

January - Diamond Valley Railway

February - Wattle Park

March - Box Hill Skate Park

April - Furness Park

May - Werribee Open Range Zoo

June - Heidi

July - Branksome Grove

August - Branksome Grove

September - Beckett Park

October - Branksome Grove

November - Branksome Grove

December - Branksome Grove

Looking for fun things to do with children? Read the previous posts.

Christmas Is Coming

Christmas is coming! It's only a month away and Miss 3.5 is getting excited. This week her grandparents took her to the city to see Santa and the Myer windows. At home, we have started making Christmas crafts...

...and getting the Christmas tree decorated.

Next up, making Christmas cards and gingerbread.

What are you doing with your children this Christmas?

Baby Play - Baby's First Finger Paint

My son has been finger painting and apparently it is the funnest thing ever!

But he's only 10 months old, I hear you say. Surely he'll put the paint in his mouth? He will, but it doesn't matter. This paint is plain yoghurt mixed with food colouring.

Lots of mess and lots of fun!

What does your little one make a mess with?

DIY Peg Princesses

Princesses are so cool at the moment. Even the kindergarten that Misses 3.5 and 4 go to has a giant ice princess castle.

Inspired by Lil Boy Boo, I made Miss 3.5 a collection of 14 princesses. All you need are some wooden pegs and paint.

Use photos of the princesses that you want to make, or DVD covers, as a reference. Paint the princesses with as much or as little detail as you like, but remember to let each colour dry before adding the next colour. The top knots on the blue and green princesses are made by gluing little wooden balls on with PVA glue.

Let your little one paint their own version at the same time.

At the end, seal the paint with a waterbased, non-toxic matte sealer. This will protect the princesses from losing colour as they are banged around.

And there you go, a box of DIY peg princesses. Of course, being all about equal opportunity, Miss 3.5 has now requested peg princes to go with this set... better get some more pegs.

More activities for children.

Preschooler Play - In The Garden

Getting your children outside in the garden is fantastic. They can soak up the vitamin D, play in the dirt, and make a mess that doesn't need to be cleaned up. At our house, the children are out in the garden every day. I wrote about some of the activities that my daughter was doing in the garden this time last year. This year, being nearly four years old, she is really getting into "being a farmer".

So how to go about getting them started?

Don't be afraid of children damaging your plants. Give them their own garden bed instead, where they are free to dig and plant and play as much as they like. Miss 3.5 has just finished eating her way through her first crop of peas and carrots, and has planted a new crop of carrots and leeks. She also has plant pots full of petunias. She spends her days digging in the garden with her little spade and watering her plants with "muck gooey", which is a broth that she makes up herself full of dirt, water and a little liquid fertiliser.

Don't be afraid of them getting dirty either. Put them in special gardening clothes and remember that mud washes off in the washing machine.

Have fun!

How do your children play in the garden? What do they like to plant?

Baby Play - On The Move

My son is mobile now, chasing me when I leave the room and getting into his sister's things. So, it must be baby-proofing time.

My baby-proofing strategy is perhaps a bit unorthodox. Instead of removing all of the child-dangerous things from reach, I actually leave them (within reason... sharp razor blades are usually out of reach). We do have a baby gate on the kitchen, but that's actually to keep the dogs out rather than the children.

Instead, I adopt a policy of following the baby around the house and gently dissuading them from things that they are not allowed to touch. So, for example, yesterday young Master Trouble-pants was investigating the dog water bowl. And I kept telling him that it wasn't for him and turning him away from it. The plan is that he will learn that somethings are for him to touch and play with and somethings just are not. And hopefully he learns this faster than if he were allowed free reign over a perfectly safe space. It's harder work for me, but it worked very well for Misses now-3.5 and 4, so I'm hoping that it will be just as good for him.

What is your baby-proofing strategy? What works for you?

Child Upgrade

My daughter's lovely best friend has recently had her birthday. Happy Birthday,"Queen Elsa"! So now she is Miss 4 and my little girl is Miss 3.5.

Operation Christmas Child

Christmas is sneaking up on us. As you are preparing for Christmas celebrations with your family and friends, it’s worth thinking about the children around the world who aren’t going to be getting a Christmas gift this year.

Operation Christmas Child is an initiative that provides children in need with a shoebox filled with gifts for Christmas. Since 1993, more than 100 million shoeboxes have been given to kids in more than 130 countries. The goody-filled shoeboxes are donated by families, churches, schools and businesses and distributed by Samaritan’s Purse. Joining in and contributing a box is easy. We've been doing it for the last two years.

Grab a shoebox and decide if your gift is for a boy or a girl and the age of the child (2–4, 5–9 or 10–14 years old). Then fill the box with presents. Include:

• Something to love
• Something for school
• Something to wear
• Something to play with
• Something for personal hygiene
• Something special

Borrowed from Operation Christmas Child.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make a child happy; we set a $20 limit for each box. This year, Miss 3 and I went shopping for presents together and then she, Miss 3.5 and another friend packed a shoe box each. They were absolutely delighted to pack presents for someone else. My sister-in-law had the shoe boxes and we covered them in Christmas wrapping paper before we packed the boxes.

We also downloaded colouring sheets for the girls to fill in as a little story about who has packed the box. Miss 3 had a lovely time taking our three boxes, plus three from my mother into the drop-off centre.

Make sure that you get your children involved in packing and dropping off the boxes; it’s great for them to experience the joy of giving. October is national collection month in Australia. Start packing now. Have fun packing and bringing a smile to a child's face.

Preschooler Play: Simple Science

Science is fun!

We've been doing some simple science in our house, using house-hold items.

For this activity you need bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), white vinegar, washing detergent, food colouring, and excited children. Pour half a glass of vinegar into a glass and add a squirt of washing detergent and a few drops of food colouring. Put the glass on a tray to catch the mess. Then give the children a tablespoon of baking soda and let them add it.

The reaction between the bicarb and the vinegar will cause bubbles to overflow from the glass. The colours and detergent make it even more fun. And playing with the bubbles afterwards is pretty fun too.

What simple science activities do you do with children? Catch up on some more fun for kids.