This video shows you how to recycle paper and make your own handmade paper at home easily. This is something that is good to know for everyone and is also a great activity to do with your children or students. It is educational, fun, not complicated, utilises recyclable items, and increases awareness. What else would you expect from a nice little project?
Note: There are paper making kits that can be purchased at some stores if you don't want to use the materials suggested in the video..
Below is a set of visual step-by-step instructions on how to draw a seahorse for you or your child/student. (Click here for the original source of this project).
I remember of reading this article on NewYork Times a few weeks ago. The article claimed that exercise makes brains work better and suggested that kids need to be exercising (especially walking and swimming) to increase their intellectual abilities rather than all the other types of exposure that today's parents are working hard to be able to afford with the hope of raising smart kids.
The article focused on the impacts of physical activity on the physiology of brain functionality but I have no doubt that some regular exercise is full of goodness in many ways. That is why we try to utilise any opportunity to be outdoors and be physically active whenever we can even though, unfortunately, what we do is so much less than we we believe we should do in this regard.
There is an endless amount of opportunities and stimulants out there but let me share with you one simple idea that gives you a chance to help your child nourish his physical, mental and emotional capabilities here.
This particular activity is an art activity requiring some outdoor exercise as well and is most suitable for toddlers and preschoolers. Here is what you do: Step outside with your child and go for a walk. As you walk, let your child explore his surrounding. Let him touch the grass, chase a butterfly, try to spot a blue truck on the side street, smell the air, sing a song to you, collect some leaves... As you both have fun doing all that, make sure you two communicate, talk about things.
For this art activity, your child will need to bring the leaves that he collected while out for a walk. Encourage him to choose different shaped, sized, types and colour leaves to take home. On a piece of (preferably recycled) paper, let him glue them randomly or in a certain shape that he would like to assemble them (for example, he can draw/paint a tree trunk and can glue the real leaves and make them the tree's leaves). Also, talk about how they look and feel for some extra learning and fun opportunities. I am sure he will be very happy and excited about all the stages of this activity. Once the masterpiece is nice and dry, he can even use it for his next show&tell activity and make sure you take a photo of his proud face as he shows off his artwork!
I found this picture on the internet and wanted to share it with you as well. As is, it is great and very stylish but you can alter it a bit if you wanted to. This is a great serving (and presentation) idea for parties. You can put many types of snack foods in them but personally, I would definitely go for some blueberries in them (you can make the cones smaller if needed)! They are not messy, the average size of blueberries is almost perfect and are a great treat for everyone!
I must admit I am in love with this design which doesn't originally belong to me. In my opinion, it has it all: use of recycled items, fun, functional, unique, would put a smile on any kid (or adult) any time!
I have not tried it myself yet but it doesn't seem to be an extremely challenging project to work on. I am definitely looking forward to coming up with my own design (or Mr. Junior may like to design it by himself).
Here is a fabulous example of an easy and fun painting idea for your children/students. Especially if you have a party that is caterpillar themed, this would make a great fun activity for all the kids that attend. Enjoy!
I believe that there are endless options and opportunities in our lives everyday for people who can see them. I especially respect people who can find their own practical and meaningful solutions to problems and also people who try to reduce the amount of their consumption of things in general. I find them inspirational.
I have recently come across with the picture above here and thought it was a brilliant idea to come up with your own puzzle at home using very simple (possibly recycled) materials. I have got some of those sticks at home as I generally collect them for my other handmade projects. I am looking forward to making my very own wooden puzzle sometime soon. I am sure Mr. Junior will appreciate it well.
Depending on your child's age and readiness, you can involve your child/students in making the puzzle from the very beginning to the end. For instance, if your child consumes some packaged icecream which come with a wooden stick inside just like the ones in the picture, you could encourage him to save the stick. Ask him to wash it and put it aside until ready. Alternatively, they are sold in packs of many in some hardware stores as well as at arts and crafts shops. They are quite affordable but you could easily utilise your icecream sticks if you already have them at home.
Your children/students or yourself need to paint a figure on them. In the example above, it is a tree but you could easily go for something that you prefer. The best way to keep the sticks together while painting would be using a sticky tape from top to bottom on each side. Once painting is complete, then, you could take the tape off, separate the pieces and voila! The puzzle is all ready in only a few easy steps.
It is a good idea to make sure that your child first sees it as a whole and then you change the order of the sticks so that your child knows what to aim for.
This is another cost free and fun activity that you can enjoy with your children/students and the end product would make a great little gift especially on a special occasion such as on mother's day, father's day, or even a birthday or valentine's day. The idea was originally presented here.
All you need for this activity is some coloured paper, a pair of scissors, glue and a pen.
Draw around your little one's both hands and then cut them. For the example you see in the picture above, write "I LOVE YOU..." on the outer side of one of the hands and then write "THIS MUCH!" on another piece of paper and cut it out a strip of paper, in a long rectangle shape. With the rectangle, make an accordion shape by folding it accordingly. Glue the ends of your accordion strip on the insides of the hands to finish it off.
This is sure to melt the heart of a loved one, especially a mother when gifted by a son or a daughter. It is as easy as peeling an apple!
You can use your own variety for this activity simply by changing
colours, message etc easily. Don't forget to kindly share your version
with us here or on my facebook page (Why Bee:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003202930289).
When at home, Mr. Junior plays on his own at times but his favourite is doing things with us. He generally does things like crafty projects or cooking related activities with me and does gardening and things that require tools with Mr. Hubby the most.
He loves being involved in daily activities and responsibilities and we are happy to keep it that way. However, there are times when he doesn't want to do anything on his own and can't find anything to do with me during the day and he comes and asks me whether we can 'make' something. He even gives me ideas at times.
About a week ago, he wanted to make a boat with me. As a child, I remember of making hundreds of them but I couldn't remember the right steps on that day for some reason. So, I jumped online and refreshed my mind using some online tutorials. After a few minutes, we made our first boat together with him. It was really fun. We only used what we had in hand for paper at the time and it doesn't look the best. So, excuse the picture but regardless of how imperfect it looks, it was one great activity for us to do together and made Mr. Junior very happy. I believe that is what matters the most after all, don't you think?
Below is a video recorded tutorial on how to make a paper boat. Enjoy!
This tutorial comes from Belinda Connelly of Fairythread. A big thank you to Belinda for the tutorial as well as the special offer for the readers of this blog (see note below).
Make your own felt balls - great for the kids to try!
"the ball is the first toy a child should have, for it is the symbol of the whole" Froebel
This
soft and simple ball is made from 100% pure wool which is then hand
felted. It is warm and comforting to touch and provides a wonderful
means for your baby to become aware of movement as well as stimulating
the senses and imagination.
You will need:
•unspun wool
•large bowl or kitchen sink
•dishwashing detergent
•warm & cold water
•towel
(I find it easiest to work over the kitchen sink)
1.
Wind very thin strands of the wool round and round in a random pattern
to form a ball shape. Make it a third bigger than the intended size as
it will shrink in the process.
2. Submerge the ball in warm water until it is soaked. Squirt generously with washing up liquid.
3.
Now work the ball as though you are making a snowball 'cupping' and
'packing' it with your hands. Rub the ball, making sure to keep its
round form. You need to work quickly: rubbing, cupping and packing so
that the outer fibres begin to lock together. This will take about 7
minutes.
4. While rinsing the ball in cold water now, continue the above actions. This helps to firm the locking of the fibres.
5. Resubmerge the ball in warm water, add a little more detergent and work for a further 5 minutes.
6. Rinse thoroughly in cold water, making sure to squeeze out all of the soap.
7. Rub in a towel to dry. I like to leave mine on top of my hot water service overnight to dry thoroughly.
Note: You can buy your own felt ball kits from Fairythread (www.facebook.com/fairythread). Mention this blog to receive 10% off normal price!
Even though my title states that I am writing about a 'language activity' today, this activity is not only about language improvement. This is one easy and fun activity that helps with language, confidence, imagination skills and more. This game suits kids that are preschool aged and above the most.
What you need for this activity is;
a jar
words cut out of magazines, newspapers, flyers etc (or hand written)
You or your children (or together) decide which words go into the 'word jar' first. Then cut them out of magazines or write them by hand and put them in the jar. You can add more words or change them as you go. Your children/students take out one word at a time (possibly one word a day would work well) and then using that word they make sentences. It is a very open ended activity and you can adjust it to your needs or like. Your child can be asked to make up a story using that word, prepare a 'show&tell' presentation, use it in an arts&crafts activity, use it in writing and so forth. Another idea is that you start a little made-up story and ask your children/students to complete your story somehow using that particular word in it. Another possible use of this game is that your children take out two words at a time and somehow use those two words in the same logical sentence or story depending on how much challenge is welcome and can be handled. The options are endless and as long as it is made fun, it will be very beneficial and enjoyable.
This is an activity that a friend of mine used to play with her two daughters when they were much younger. I am looking forward to playing this game with Mr. Junior sometime soon but I may add some pictures associated with words as he is not able to read words yet even though he has recently started to recognise a few simple words.
Note: This activity can be used by adults learners of languages. All you need to do is that you put some written words in a language that you are trying to learn into the jar and take them out one by one whenever you get a chance and try to remember the meaning of the word. You can also go a bit further and make sentences or stories with them if you are at that stage. This activity will enhance your vocabulary as well as your comprehension and grammar skills orally and/or written.
Please take the time to share your variation, experience or tips of games and activities that can be used for language learning here with us. Alternatively, you can e-mail me (contactmrslucky@gmail.com). You may even be able to feature here with your activity/game idea.
If you are like me, who love colourful buttons and have a lot of them at home for various projects, and also like doing something simple yet fun and skill building with your children, you are sure to love this activity. You can of course adapt it to your taste or a particular theme or the materials you have at home.
What you need for this craft activity is a set of buttons (a single colour or a set of colours) and a dark green pipe cleaner which you can easily find at most art supplies section of big supermarkets, hardware stores or craft shops. You can either use some small goggly eyes or just skip them and use a piece of round shaped paper as face and just draw eyes etc on it instead. This can be completed with or by your children and then can be used as a decorative purposes unless gifted or used as a figure to accompany a story while reading a book on a relevant topic.
I am a believer that kids don't need a lot of money to be happy. All they need is some love and care. If only you could spend some time with your children doing something very simple together like a stamp just like you see in the picture below, I am sure he or she will be over the moon for some time. Actually, in most cases, all they want from you is some attention and then they are likely to get in their own world and enjoy the activity that you have provided them for a while. Set it up with them, perhaps show them and then let them enjoy it by themselves!
Materials needed: Some paint (most people with kids would have some simple art supplies in hand), a toilet paper roll (in the picture below, it is shaped like a love heart) and some paper for your junior artist to put his/her masterpiece on.
This activity is very simple, yet extremely fun and educational for your children. I have copied the pictures from another site.
Here is what you do: Put 6 containers/bowls together. Put about a large spoonful of yoghurt (if you want to learn about how to make yoghurt at home, click here) in every second bowl leaving the ones in between empty. Add some food colouring into each bowl with yoghurt and then stir it until the yoghurt takes the colour of the food colouring. After that, in the empty bowls, make mixtures. So, it goes like this: In the empty bowl between the red and the green, you (or your child) should mix a bit of red and a bit of blue yoghurt and so forth. Then, let your child stir the two colours together and see what colours they make.
Depending on your child's age, your child may only need your supervision from the beginning to the end for this activity. The rest, she may be able to do all by herself! You just sit back and enjoy the amused face of your precious one.
Jack in the can is quite fun for many kids. However, prior to the age of 8 or 10 months, it may still be scary for most babies. This shouldn't disappoint you. You can make one baby friendly version at home using the materials you have around the house. A homemade version will be much more enjoyable for babies before the age of 10-12 months!
This game not only aims to entertain your baby but is also great for object permanence skills which they need to acquire. If your baby has an older sister or a brother, let her/him get involved too both in making it and in playing. It is another great way to make them two siblings enjoy something together and have a bond.
Now, you can use your imagination and materials that you already have at home. What I will list here is only to give you some examples.
Materials needed:
A little tub (yoghurt/icecream/individual sized cereal), a little box, a can or a large paper cup
A stick, chopstick or a pencil
A finger puppet or some sort of a small object (preferably colourful) or a toy
Glue or tape
As you might have guessed by now, all you need to do is to make a little hole in the middle of the bottom of the can/tub/cup and insert the stick. Glue or tape the little puppet/toy on top of it and have fun using your hand-operated pop-up toy by pulling the stick up and down. When the stick goes down, the object disappears (or so the baby thinks) and then when you quickly push it up, it is there again!
You may use your by-now-well practiced skills to make some funny noise to accompany the game or the puppet can greet the baby. You may have one made for your older child as well and in front of the baby, the two jack-in-the-can toys can interact if you like. Just go crazy with your imagination and use it the way you like. After all, it is all about what makes you and your baby happy. Any variation that works for you is great!
This is a nice little project that is sure to please your baby! I found it online and fell in love with it. It is so easy that even kids can do it. The instructions in the video are extremely easy to follow. The only thing I am uncomfortable with is the decoration of them as I am concerned with the idea of using especially beads for baby products especially if they are only stuck using glue. They can pose a choking hazard! I can imagine Miss Junior getting excited about the stars and the beads and start exploring them as soon as she gets her hands on them. She would try pulling them and I wouldn't be surprised if she can successfully remove them after some attempts and she is extremely likely to put them in her mouth right away. I believe that these particular decorative materials aren't suitable for babies even though they do look awesome. I strongly recommend finding other types of decorative ideas (using colourful fabric strips perhaps?) for this project.
In my opinion, this project is great because;
handmade
very easy to make
not costly
made with recycled materials
unique
even older siblings can do it or if you don't have a baby, your child can do it and can gift it to a baby or can use it for her own entertainment (making music?)
if the older sibling is involved in making it, it may help with the bonding between the younger sibling and him/her
Here in Australia, it is summer and therefore is the party season (yayy!). I am sure we are not the only people who have many occasions to keep up with these days.
Party means fun for most people, a lot of fun, but it also means dressing up too. If you are looking for some easy to make, inexpensive, and stylish ideas; I would suggest, first decide what you want and then go online and look for tutorials that can help you achieve something similar to what you have in mind at home.
For kids, by using a different accessory, say a bow tie, you can actually achieve a different look while using the same pieces of main clothing each time. For instance, for boys, use the same trousers, shoes and the shirt over and over as long as you make a few changes in the accessories such as bow ties, ties, suspenders, vest (if you are into it), different flowers on the shirt, and/or belts.
The pictures are from here.
Go to the original site for step by step instructions and more
pictures. It is a very easy and fun project. You can experiment with
different sizes and materials such as ribbons and various fabric types.
You can also use a simple soft elastic for the neck piece as opposed to
making a fabric tube with velcro on it.
Handmade bow ties won't only save you money, but they will also please you better and you can easily make a matching bow tie according to the theme, the colours of the occasion or the clothes that are being worn.
The materials needed for this particular project are written on one of the pictures above or you can find them in the video below. It is all about few little stitches in right spots and then putting them together properly. The video below has very clear audiovisual instructions in it too.
I have learnt this from a kids' science TV program recently. I found it amazing and wanted to share it with you too.
If you cook red cabbage, you will see that its water turns dark purple. If you pour some of that water onto a cup of plain tap water, the water turns purple. Then add some egg white and stir it well, the water will become blue. Then add some vinegar, and it will turn into pink/red. Add some baking soda, it will be blue again. Put some lemonade in it and it will amazingly turn into purple once again! (I hope I remembered them all right!)
It is incredible!
If you would like to learn more about the activity or the reasons behind the colour changes, here is one of the good sources for you.
