Using some left over giant pasta shells, we had fun painting and practicing our fine motor skills, coordination, creativity and imagination.

Ages: 2+

 Lay out the materials clearly so they can be seen and accessed easily by your child.
We used giant pasta shells, paint and glitter for the decorating. A fine paintbrush and wooden stick for painting AND water, ice-cream container lids and a damp cloth for cleaning.

 Getting the paint all over was a little more tricky thanks to the "grooves" (This was a new word she learnt today- Vocabulary)

 Insisting on painting the inside of the shells so our critters will have something pretty to look at on the inside

 Hard at work. Using coordination to handle the shell and paint at the same time. It can get fiddly.

"This one is for the mum, this one is for the big sister, this one is for the brother..." 

 Practicing keeping her brush clean between paint colours so they don't get mixed. A good skill to learn.

 Using the wooden stick (skewer) for some little dots

 Glitter! Remembering that she must get it on before the paint dries so it sticks

 Discovering that if she squeezed the end of the paintbrush while it was wet, she could create water colours over the shell

 Switching to a "thicker" paintbrush so she could "paint quicker!"

Our finished shells. We can't wait to make a family of critters to live in them

Click on the picture below to see how we used these and the Crafty Critters to make a Play Scene

Handy tips:

- These giant pasta shells were just bought from the supermarket. You can use the small ones but then you might want to think of a new purpose for them as they may be a little small to house critters. How about making a mobile out of them?

- Talk about what you are doing with your child. This will help them understand the physical and mental processes they are going through as well as giving them the vocabulary to describe it.

- Use new language and descriptive words like, "grooves" This will help with their language development.

-Ask questions to help connect their understanding and use vocabulary to give them words to describe what they're creating, eg. "What are you creating?" "What could we use them for?" "Why did you choose those colours for the boy's shell?" "I love how you've put stripes on that one" etc

- This activity can be repeated time and time again with a different end result each time. Mix around and change some of the materials that you provide each time to inspire new ideas

- To extend this activity, talk about a purpose for the shells when they're dried. We are using them as little houses. Once they're dry, use them for imaginative play or some decorative purpose. You can also use this time to talk and learn more about Colours and Patterns.




Happy playing,
Debs :)

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Using a wooden peg and some recycled materials, we make a simple little doll to use for imaginative play.

 For this little 'angel' (Maddie's choice) we used a wooden peg, cut the bottom off an organza bag for the dress, used sparkly pipe-cleaners for the halo and to hold the dress on and some dolls hair for the hair from the craft cupboard

Using fine-motor skills and displaying concentration to stick little sequins on the dress. Sticking her in playdough made for a good stand

Some tips:

- The wooden pegs are great for this as they look as though they already have a head and legs. If you don't have these, just use any peg you have around the house.

- Your doll doesn't have to be an angel. If your boys are into firemen, builders or racecar drivers, try making them instead! Let your child lead with the doll choice.

- Use whatever recycled materials you have to make the clothes and hair (ie wrapping paper, ribbons, patty pans, fabric cuttings, wool etc)

- Instead of using materials, try painting the clothes on. This is quite fiddly for a small child.

- To simplify this activity, let your child choose the materials to use and then assist them in dressing the doll. They can then decorate and use for imaginative play.

- To extend this activity, allow your child to do as many of the processes as they're capable of with minimal assistance. Let them practice the cutting, gluing etc. Make furniture, houses, cars and so on out of recycled materials for your doll/s to use for imaginative play

Debs :)

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Social interaction is extremely important for young children and they will learn many things from their peers that they can't get from you.

After joining a mum's group with my first born, many of us continued to catch up on a regular basis so that our children could continue to play with one another.

Today, Maddie invited 2 of her little friends over for a playdate.

Regardless of the age of children, a craft table set out with a selection of colours and materials will be visited numerous times over the course of the playdate. You can make this a focus and encourage a collaborative art piece or just let them use it as they please. 

 Setting out a few toys that can be played cooperatively allow children to have something to do without having to search for it. Make them age appropriate. Today was Duplo for the 3 year olds.

 Little individual snack boxes. As this playdate was over lunch time we included a ham and cheese roll, fresh fruit and a little treat of coloured popcorn

 Make fruit more fun with little food picks

 Ready for the kids to help themselves

Setting out a home made play set full of natural materials and recycled goods to encourage imagination. This type of open-ended activity is so great for children as they can make or do whatever they like with the materials without limitations

 Suddenly everyone wanted to play

 Taking turns pouring in the "water" (blue glass decorator stones)

 Learning to be cooperative and imaginative together

Add some sticks, stones, leaves, flowers, play animals etc and it was a hive of activity!

Some tips:

- A little bit of planning and thought before your house is descended upon will help make your playdate run more smoothly

- Depending on the age of children, modify the snacks and activities accordingly

- Don't be upset if the children are more interested in everything else in your house than the activities you've set out. Just being in a new environment is a learning experience for children and they will get to your activities eventually

- Depending on the age of the children, individual snack boxes are a great idea but learning to share food from a central platter etc will also promote learning and co-operation

- My homemade play set is made up from goods collected from the garden, recycled goods from around the house and a few supplies from the local $2 shop. 

Debs :)

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For this fun and easy activity we split it into 2 segments. Painting the crown with water colour paints and cut out sponge shapes and after it dried, adding the decorations.

We used 2 pieces of cardboard to "measure" around Maddie's head and then I cut them to size, stapled the 2 pieces together and cut the points out.

The idea was to do sponge prints on the crown with water colour paints 

 However, she decided she'd rather paint the whole thing using a sponge piece

 When the crown was dried, it was time to decorate! Together we talked about what "embellishments" she'd like on her crown and set them out for her.

Using fine motor skills to peel stickers off a sheet and stick them on.

 Gluing

 Glittering!!

The crown all finished and ready for imaginative play!

Some tips:

- This is an easy activity for kids of all ages and you can decorate however you please with whatever you have on hand.

- To extend this activity, have your child do the measuring of their head and the cutting of the crown points.

- Talk about what you are doing with your child. Use new language and descriptive words like, "embellishments" This will help with their language development.

- Repeat the activity as many times as you like using different crafty ways to decorate each time.

- Once your crown is finished, use it for imaginative play. We have a whole set of them in our "fantasy tub" next to our dress up box.

- Further extend this activity by finding and reading together books about Kings, Queens, Princesses and Princes. A favourite series at our house is, "Little Princess" by Tony Ross.

Debs :)



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