Tennis Ball Money Pouches

We needed a cheap money box craft for a lot of children but they were all soooo expensive! In the end came up with this great craft of using tennis balls with a slit cut in for putting money in and then decorating. As it looked like a mouth most choose to make people and eyes were an option in collage materials. (This is a small selection from the 130 that were decorated, by various ages and abilities a very very successful craft!!)

The collage materials to support were:

• Googly eyes
• Wool 
• Feathers 
• Small pom poms
• Pipe cleaners (small lengths)
• Glitter glue

When cutting do with sharp knife away from children and over a sink/ container all our balls had like a paraffin oil type substance inside that stank (we did cut a week or so in advance and washed out balls with hot water to reduce smell)

Peg fish

A rather spontaneous activity- quick, simple and effective. 

Glueless Collage Revisited

 With camera on board, some more pictures of a popular post!! 

 I love this snowy scene!

And this abstract piece

Bookworm Bookmark

Using unused blind fabric (the kind that doesn't fray) I cut out worm shapes. Felt pens work well on this.

Then using the materials from the wrapping activity (unplanned) the bookworm bookmarks were wrapped.

And a label made, again from the wrapping activity tray.

Flower Ring

I created these Flower Rings to be used in Wedding themed play for flower girls! They were so quick to make and turned out really well. I purchased a silk flower lei from poundland, and cut the string to separate the flowers. I already had the rings (handles for bags I think?) I then simply stuck a length of double sided seleotape to ring, and stuck a selection of flowers on top. Hey Presto!

kKitchen towel Butterflies

Fold piece of kitchen towel in half, draw half butterfly wing shape. Adult or child cut out. Use bingo dabbers or paint dotters to make dots on to the folded towel.

When painted open up the butterfly.

To reveal beautiful wings.

A beautiful butterfly.

Beautiful Butterflies.

Flying in the air!

IPad Fathers day card

And again... Star Wars features again.

After making the card four year old announced "We need the screen to go black so that it is off when we press the button." Well of course we do I thought, but do we have to?...of course we do!

Cutting a slit at top and bottom of screen, inserting a black piece of card through for when we press the button.

And the back...

Another view

And the wonderful cards, with a little circle of funky foam at bottom for the button.

Recycled crayons (fish)

Well I have seen simply lovely up-cycled crayons in a host of wonderful shapes created by melting old wax crayons in silicone moulds. Well I thought this would be easy and despite the mould I used saying FOR WATER ONLY and it being an ice cube tray and NOT reading any instructions (thinking I'd seen crayons on numerous blogs using cute little ice cube moulds, like the ones at counting coconuts), what an klutz I put the ice cube tray in the oven do not do this I repeat DO NOT PUT ICE CUBE TRAY IN OVEN!!! I succeed very well at melting the tray quicker than even the crayons and boy did it smell, well done me. It would seem I'm not the only one Crafty Rachel did the same but hers didn't melt instead were ruined by dye. So moral of story READ next time, melt crayons then pour into mould OR use a silicone muffin tray NOT ice-cube tray. Then I may end up with some lovely crayons like the ones made by kitty garden makes

:( Sad melted tray. Pictures are being taken today by three year old, I was told it was his job (hence blurriness, angles and colour sorry)
Pushing out without breaking. One positive tip, plunge into cold water prior to pushing out lessens breaking.

We did get some crayons! Just need more practice!!!

Fish Stick painting

Couldn't resist the pun!! These fish made from paper pates with a triangle cut out and stapled to the opposite side make lovely fish. These ones were given an extra dimension by scratching on scales with twigs and sticks found in the garden (children's idea), they then painted little fish with the sticks, which proved to be a great motivator for reluctant pre writers.

A great how to can be found at Enchanted Learning

Paul at Sea

There are sooooo many Bible stories featuring boats! Here's one that isn't a "classic" children's Bible story, and certainly not one that has an abundance of ideas relating to it on the web.

Paul at sea snack: Boats made out of small slices of cake with half a bread stick with a rice paper triangle stuck on with melted chocolate pushed in the top to represent a sail.

I am a passionate believer in giving children the freedom to express themselves creatively and not stifling or constraining their creative and exploitive interests. I think this is particularly relevant in "christian responses" where creativity and exploration in many forms mould our understanding and indeed our application of Biblical messages,and even more so in childhood. This theory is well established through the theological model of Godly Play and catechesis of the Good Shepherd, but are probably not widely acknowledged beyond these circles. For those not following these models due possibly in many cases to the high levels of structure and "rules" which possibly put many people off and do not fully express the church, family or individuals character fully, I think there is a middle ground to be found. One that incorporates the nature and ethos of Godly play but expresses the character of the church, family or individuals exploring the Bible with children. The middle ground exists when one acknowledges the foundational theories of Godly play, that is (I believe) the freedom to respond to and explore theological/ biblical stories/ ideas within a safe and accepting environment in a personal and sometimes group dynamic, through the medium and depth one chooses to. Two publications which explore the ethos underpinning Godly play are Playful Orthodoxy and Church at Play and are well worth a read if you are interested in giving children the freedom to respond to and explore the Bible in a meaningful and respectful way.

With regard to my response to Godly Play I think you will realise that whilst I am not a stoic puritan on the programmes application I believe there is significant merit in the ethos and its use as a foundation for any programme that is biblically responsive. In particular relevance to craft I feel the more freedom we can allow children to have when responding to bible stories the better (that is not to say that on occasion a pre designed craft does not have relevance, but feel the question should always be (as with all childhood planning) why am I doing this?)

In response to Paul at Sea, free collages relating to God being with us all the time.


Paper plates used for snack to make snakes, in relation to Paul getting bitten by a snake once docked.

Valentines playdough and sewing

Cut felt hearts (poundland dish clothes again) joined together with safety pins for the sewing process. The stitches to be guided with penned dots.
Play dough tray, with heart cutters (poundland), heart silicone cup cake cases (poundland), heart tin with buttons in, red playdough, rolling pin and little modelling knifes.

Five Favourite Valentines blogs

I din't have time to take photos today (couldn't post without so boring so googled this one, playdough tray tomorrow) so am giving you links to my five favourite blogs that suggest Valentines activities for preschoolers (mainly Montessori based), hope you will find then as inspiring as I do.

Valentine's card making basket @ Chasing Cheerios

February shelf activities (montessori) @ Counting Coconuts

Valentine's craft activities @ Crafty Crow

Valentine's activities @ My Montessori Journey

Valentines shelf activities @ Montessori Spanish

Sorry one that I couldn't really pass without drawing your attention to it, it is not strictly a "children's activity" but think you could use with children very successfully.

Heart Page Markers @ It's all Fiddle Fart

Chinese New Year Activities 2

A few more ideas for activities relating to Chinese New Year.

Transferring pom-poms with chop sticks, sorting two colours.

Oriental dolls and food for celebrating book which one of the children found on the bookshelf.

Pop up dragon game.

Ordering numbers relating to the order of the story of the Chinese new year.

Matching photos to symbols loto, animals of the Chinese New year story.

Oriental purses with money in to put in lucky envelopes, with New Year cards. I was going to add numbers in the envelopes for children to put the correct money into the envelope, but instead let them explore and discuss money. We verbally added up how much was in each envelope.

A small collection of Chinese artefacts, including a rabbit relating to the Year of the rabbit 2011

Transfering dry rice from chinese bowls with a spoon.

Rabbit shaped cards, decorated with a selection of collage materials.