Cardboard box play: make an imaginary land

cardboard box play
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 »

Air drying clay models: let’s go camping!

Air drying clay models
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 »

100 fun kids activities for Screen-Free Week

screen free week kids activitiesJust as a healthy diet can certainly include cake, so a balanced childhood can include screen time. Family movie nights, skyping with Grandma and typing stories on the laptop are all great fun. It’s just there are so many other fun thing to do if you step away from a screen.

This week is Screen-Free Week. It also happens to coincide with two birthdays in our household and an extra day off school for the girls. So, I’m not here. We’re embracing Screen-Free week, going offline and enjoying some fun family time. We’re probably baking birthday cake, visiting an art gallery or up to our knees in water beads as you read this. If you’d like to join in and spend a little more time with the kids and without a screen this week, whether for an hour, a day or the whole week, here are 100 fun kids activities you could try.

Click each idea to see the full details.

And you can print off the list at the bottom so you really can log off and go play. Read more »

Shadow puppets

shadow puppets
Remember the indoor meadow we grew as one of our Earth Day activities? This week it has become the indoor / outdoor stage for a theatre production using shadow puppets.

Home made puppets are some of the most played with toys in our house, lending themselves time and time again to all sorts of adventures. The children play with puppets so often I think because it lets them be the master of a small universe and really stretch their imaginations as they tell their tales. Puppets are also a wonderful way for children to work out real-life relationships and develop their language – and so much fun to make! Here’s how the girls made their shadow puppets this week, with links to some of the other puppet ideas in our archives.

How to make shadow puppets Read more »

52 kids painting ideas: a year’s worth of creativity

kids art

This month the Kids Art Explorers have been enjoying a No Paint Brushes Allowed project. Creativity is encouraged when you set aside your everyday materials and try something different.

The Kids Art Explorers celebrate the process of art: trying new things, having a go, being daring, making mistakes. We’re interested in how things turn out but much more focused on the fun we have along the way. Here’s a whole year’s worth of ideas for the fun you could have if you tried painting with something other than a paint brush. Read more »

Egg carton treasure box make-over

We’re joining in with TinkerLab’s Creative Challenge today with an egg carton treasure box make-over. As soon as Rachelle laid down her challenge to see what we could make with egg boxes my girls were united and divided. Both wanted to make treasure boxes, but each with a very different style to match their individual passions. My princess-loving 5yr old made a treasure box fit for the crown jewels, while my adventurous 9-year-old went for a pirate box. Here’s how they transformed their egg cartons.

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