on May 10th, 2012%
Never mind the contents, empty cardboard boxes are such treasures. My daughters have been know to ‘reserve’ cardboard boxes as they arrive, especially if they are extra big or unusual shapes. This weekend there were no squabbles as the packaging for two fold-up camping tables provided them each with a big cardboard boxes they could create with.
Cardboard box play: make an imaginary land Read more »
on May 8th, 2012%
One of the ideas we had for our Screen-Free Week was to have a rummage around on our craft shelves to see if there were any long-lost art materials that we might like to try. We struck gold with two packs of air drying clay that Father Christmas had brought in the girls’ stockings and which had been put away in a post-Christmas tidy up and forgotten about.
Modelling with air drying clay
Have you used air drying clay before? It’s not too messy and quite easy for young children to use – my 5-year-old had no problem manipulating the clay into the shapes she wanted. The girls had wooden skewers and scissors to use to cut and make marks with but mostly just used their hands. The clay warms to the touch and is a great work out for fine motor skills. Read more »
on April 16th, 2012%
The inspiration for our spring chicken play dough comes from the clutch of ten eggs which have been resident in the girls school for a week. The eggs have been in an incubator in the reception class but every child in the school has been in to visit, to hear the chicks cheeping from inside the shells and to see the eggs wobbling and the first cracks appear. Then, most exciting of all, the chicks hatched, some brown, some yellow but all very fluffy. Great inspiration to talk about spring, bring out our favourite easy play dough recipe for some sensory play and make some chicks of our own.
Yellow play dough recipe for spring chicks Read more »
on April 11th, 2012%
Whether you’re celebrating St. George’s Day, the patron saint of England, this month or whether you just need a junk model dragon to add to your play, here are four dragon craft ideas you can try.
What colour is a dragon? Do they have wings? Do they breathe fire? All of ours were made from bits and pieces we had in our making box and each is unique, based upon the young artists’ impressions of what the dragon essentials are. They do have one thing in common though – they’re all scary!
Dragon craft ideas: make a model dragon Read more »
on March 28th, 2012%
Do you know someone who’s mad about dinosaurs? Taking a child’s passion and using it as a springboard into lots of play is a great way for them to learn.
Here’s a fiesta of all things dinosaur: dinosaur games, dinosaur crafts, art and models, dinosaur activities and even dinosaur songs. There’s lots of fun to be had while you work on important skills including maths, language, fine and gross motor, imaginary play and creativity. Read more »
on March 27th, 2012%
Looking for a kids Easter bunny craft idea? Here are five different ideas you might like to try – all easy to do and all super cute!
Easter bunny craft #1: rabbit mask
Here’s an idea from my colleague Lesley, which we used at creche this week.
Cut out a rabbit face shape from a piece of card, with lovely big bunny ears. Provide pink noses and ear shapes, black wool for whiskers and black pens or pencils for drawing on eyes. Invite the children to glue, stick and draw to make their own bunny rabbit craft. You could turn this into a mask too – punch eye holes and attach an elastic thread at the sides and the children can wear their creations. Read more »
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Copyright Information Please feel free to use any of these ideas with your children at home, school or any place you teach and play. You are welcome to pin images from this site onto Pinterest so long as your pin links back to the original article here. If you would like to share a post on a blog or site, you may use one picture so long as you include a link to the original post. Please do not re-post the whole article or distribute printed-out content without written permission from the original author. You can contact me at cathy (at) nurturestore (dot) co (dot) uk. Thank you.
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