Keeping the children busy! Exploring Creatively Together!

Crazy times, I am sure you agree so what can we do with the kids whilst stuck at home?
Here are some ideas.
Den building
Create a den outside /inside depending upon the weather. All you need is lots of stuff and kids with imagination!

• Get together a basic structure to begin the den building...2 chairs, a table, a clothes dryer...anything that will provide a basic structure to cover.
• Supply them with sheets, blankets and clothes to drape
• Some clothes pegs to hold it all in place
• Cushions and clothes to put inside

Now watch them create...

Children love to have a space of their own! You may need to help first time but once they get the idea let them get on with it because it's the making themselves that gives the most pleasure.

Mud kitchens!
All children need is outside space, lots of pots, pans and spoons and the permission to make a mess! Make sure you supply a bowl of warm soapy water at the backdoor for them to use before coming inside! Here's a mud kitchen my husband made in an afternoon with spare bits of wood and an old container. He painted it pink for our granddaughter Honey as she loves anything pink!

Green fingers

Make their own little garden in a bowl, a planter or on a tray. Using sunlight and water to turn a dull looking seed into a living, growing plant is a source of endless pleasure. Choose seeds that will grow quickly though because children like quick results. You could make it into a fairy garden

Memories Box
Well this is certainly going to be a Spring and Summer to remember so why not create a memory box and collect photos and special things that will help you look back at the positive things that happened during this 'corona time'. It's important to make sure they are positive too because we need to look at the good things that can come out of this very scary, upside down time! 
Choose a medium sized cardboard box and decorate it with colourful images...an obvious choice would be rainbows! Personalise your box  and don't forget to date it perhaps on the bottom so we never forget this time and all we have learnt from it! Be really creative about what you place in your memory box...things that will evoke not only memories but feelings. The first thing I would include is a photo of my street clapping to the NHS and other key workers! Google kids time capsules for more ideas because that is what a memory box is...a way of capturing memories for the future!

Collect tiny things

This is one of my favourite activities as I love tiny things! Fill a matchbox or small container with as many tiny things you can find…no duplicates. Challenge a friend on face time to do the same and compare your finds.

Introduce a Colour Themed Day with the kids. Lets try GREEN. Tell the children when they get up that they are going to have a green day (or what ever colour you fancy) Use your creative skills to make the day as exciting as you can.

• Serve green milk with their cereal (add a little food colouring to normal milk)
• Give a selection of green foods for lunch, tea and snacks
• Choose green clothes for them to wear (don't forget you need to join in)
• Do some green cooking...green cakes with green icing, green jelly, apple pie, avocado dips
• Play with green play dough
• Go for a walk in the park and search for different shades of green (use paint sample charts from the local DIY store to match different greens in the park)
• Make a green collage using a variety of materials e.g. buttons, paper, card, tissue paper, magazine pictures.
• Play with green balloons
• Paint a green picture
• Photograph green things such as doors, curtains, toys.
• Read Green Eggs and Ham at bedtime

Have a rainbow day

Just go mad with rainbows! 

• Dress in as many colours as you can find
• Paint, collage, print and colour rainbows
• Make a rainbow sun catcher 
• Make a rainbow den using as many different coloured scarves, cloths, clothes, old curtains as you can find
• Tape a rainbow of crayons together and draw with them
• Sing rainbow songs...make one up yourself!
• Google how to create a rainbow...I have an amazing prism I use with Messy Church
• Draw a rainbow and add pictures and objects on to it either following the colours or to match the first letter of each colour e.g. everything you can find beginning with R and Y and G etc.
• Learn the colours of the rainbow using Richard of York gave battle in vain...red  orange  yellow  green blue indigo violet 
• Use the traditional french knitting doll to make a rainbow cord that can be made into all sorts of things like scarves for dolls, mats or hats for dolls. (see picture below)
  
• the rest is up to you...be as creative as possible!

This is an activity that older children can do. How did I make this? I drew a rainbow, coloured it with fabric crayons, ironed to fix the colour, machined the outlines of the colours, embellished and then added a backing. It can be used as purely decorative or as a tactile lap mat for children / adults who need sensory fidget type aids. (see also my multi sensory resources for adults section)

You can create the same idea using paper and collage embellishments , which would be easier to create with younger children.

Paint some stones
Using acrylic paint let them decorate washed pebbles and stones either with patterns, words or making them into characters. If you paint or spray a little clear varnish on them they will last longer.

Jam jar symphony
Find some old glass jam jars or bottles (remind them of the safety aspects of using glass containers) Pour different amounts of water in each to create different notes...add food colouring if you have any.
Using wooden paintbrushes, chopsticks, pencils or spoons for the drum sticks let them make sweet music to entertain themselves and others.

Create a cafe'
As all cafe's are temporarily closed get the kids to create their own at home either inside or out. All you need is a table and chairs, table cloth, cups, saucers and plates, a table decoration perhaps and some food to serve. The food can be play food but wouldn't it be nice to make it real!
They could make their own menu...be creative and think afternoon tea, lunch or dinner and let them decide what to serve.
It could be sandwiches, pizza, cakes...anything that they can help prepare. It's important to let them do as much as they can towards it so that they feel a sense of achievement.
The customers can be their teddies or the rest of the family if you are all in the house together. Let them be the waiter and the one who takes the order and serves the food. They could even greet you at the door and escort their customers to their table!
If you don't want to make real food use playdough and pretend...we are never too old to play pretend.

Map making
Using a large sheet of paper or card, a supply of pencils, crayons and felt tips help your child to take  a simple journey - just one or two streets and make a map to represent it. you could include roads, parks, even a spooky forest and include landmarks such as shops, a church, bridges over a river, school...anything they want to include. you might want to help them make some 3 D landmarks to place on their map. When finished the children can create their own story using mini people or animals toys.

Making jewels
Young children love to create their own necklaces and bracelets. using strong thread or elastic use painted pasta shapes to create their own necklaces/bracelets. It's  rather messy so wear an apron and paint one side, let it dry and then the other side.. Acrylic paint can be used and you may have some of those metallic colours that would add a bit of sparkle. You could also use old beads or home made modelling clay beads.

Transitional Art (see my separate post )

An easy pom pom monster 
So simple to make-take 2 toilet roll middles,

• tie them together, wind wool around them to make a ball shape
• wrap doubled over wool string between the 2 toilet rolls
• pull really tight to tie together (the tighter the better)
• pull out the rolls and cut each edge
• fluff out and glue on eyes

Cutting and sticking
Children just love to cut and stick, using all sorts of scrap materials to create their own collage pictures. You may need to give some help with applying just the right amount of glue but give them creative space to use their own imaginations. Often it's the doing that is important not the finished result.

Making a candle holder

Create a pretty candle holder using

·         A jar / tissue paper, pretty napkins / watery acrylic glue

·         Coat the jar, where you want to decorate, with glue

·         Paste on multi coloured tissue or single layer napkins

·         Re-paste to ensure tissue stays in place

·         Leave to dry 

      For safety sake use a battery candle.

    

    I am putting my candle jar in the window at night to say thank you to all those who are working during the Corona Virus period 

      

     

Camp outdoors

Whether your wilderness in your own back garden ... camping outdoors is really fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s warm and sunny or cold, or rainy. Always camp with an adult. Don't forget to take some treats to eat as a midnight feast is part of the fun! 

Create some wild art

When it comes to creating wild art, the only limit is your imagination. What will you use, and how? There's so much to choose from in the natural world, but make sure you're not making your art from another creature's home. Rather than saving it, photograph your finished masterpiece and return everything to nature.

                                           I call this my 'creation station'

Take a look at my Summer Holiday section as there are more ideas such as Invitational Play I know some of the ideas expect families to be out and about but you may be able to adapt some to suit the 2020 Spring Summer lock down. 

CD Spinner
Found this idea in a children's book 
Take an old CD - glue gun a marble in the centre - turn it over and glue gun a bottle top over the centre hole and smaller part of marble - cut a circle of paper, plus a hole for bottle top and decorate it and glue it onto bottle top side...hey presto you have a spinner that spins for ages! 

Make a few and have competitions for longest spin...what can you achieve whilst it is still spinning...how many can you get spinning at the same time? 
Have fun!  

Hope my blog is useful!

Easter Fun

Easter is the most important time of celebration for Christians. It is the time to remember Jesus dying for the sins of the whole world and rose again and is alive forever. On the first Good Friday and Easter Sunday He won the war against darkness and death once and for all. Jesus was crucified during Passover time and the first Christians, who were Jews, turned Passover into the even greater celebration of God's deliverance through Jesus. Traditionally people buy each other chocolate Easter Eggs.

Some Easter activities

I came across these lovely handmade crosses at a church in Belper, Derbyshire. Churches Together  got together to make the crosses and they hang them around the town for people to take home as an Easter gift to the community. What a lovely idea!

Simple decorated cardboard eggs

Decorated goblet for the Last Supper

Tissue paper inset cross...just use sticky backed book covering plastic...
it's so easy and creates a lovely window decoration

Treasure Baskets and Treasure Bottles

Treasure Baskets
Treasure baskets have been around for a long time in the world of early years child care and are used mainly with babies and young toddlers. It' a simple idea but one our littlies love! They are often themed and are created to engage the child's senses and their natural curiosity!
Net-mums says "Babies of all ages appreciate the sensory delight of a treasure basket".
I have created lots of treasure baskets since retiring from teaching, some for my own grandchildren, some for the Toddler Group I help at and some I made specifically for a local special school and main stream schools as topic starters in nurseries. I also adapted some treasure baskets for a nursing home specifically designed for people with dementia.

My daughter requested a themed treasure basket for my granddaughters first and second birthdays and she reported that it has been the best present and the one that was played with over and over again. I also created Christmas treasure baskets for both my granddaughters...the theme being FROZEN of course!
Here are a few ideas for treasure basket themes:
Colours, shiny things, brushes, ribbons and bows, winter, autumn, growing, balls, the seaside.

This seaside basket was made for older children to explore and became a topic starter in a nursery class. Topic starters are used to engage the children and get them talking and asking questions.

I created this treasure basket for a residential home that caters for people with dementia and is filled with different containers that open in different ways. Good for manipulative skills but also great to talk about.

A Treasure Basket is a unique, tailor made gift that toddlers just love to explore...

Here are some things you could include in a seaside themed basket...





Beautiful floaty themed material (sea or sand inspired), shells, magnifying glass (plastic), bucket and spade, scoops, funnels, assorted pebbles, ribbons, themed treasure bottle containing sand and shells, plastic sea creatures, sea side story picture books, sunglasses, picnic set, hand windmill, toy boats.

For babies who have just begun to sit independently treasure baskets are an ideal activity for them...begin simply with a basket containing everyday objects such as a brush, a sponge, a wooden spoon, a rattle and a fabric ball containing a bell. Sit with your baby and explore the basket together. Take one of the objects and offer it to your baby saying Here you are...here's a brush...can you take it? Then encourage your baby to take something from the basket and get them to hand it to you...don't forget to say "Thank you" it's never too early to start. Gradually introduce the name of each object. extend this activity by introducing new things...perhaps some natural ones like shells, cones etc.

What is your baby learning through this activity? they are grasping and releasing, offering, selecting, listening, talking, sharing, communicating, interacting and identifying.     

                                   
                                                            Hello and goodbye basket
Again for baby 6 months + I use a basket with a lid (a shoe box will do) Hide some small soft toys inside and take a toy out, one at a time saying "Hello Teddy"..."Hello Monkey" etc. and then start to return them to the basket / box saying "Good bye Teddy"..."Good bye Monkey" encouraging baby to copy you pulling the toys out and putting them back in. Simple but babies love it. It's a good game to introduce waving goodbye, maybe a kiss goodbye to each toy. It can also become a peep-bo game too. Repeat the game if they enjoy it and leave the basket on their play mat for them to select independently. What are they learning when they play this game? They are watching and listening, participating, taking turns, talking, smiling!

                                                              Put it in and take it out
Honey, my grand daughter just loved removing objects from a basket and then putting them back over and over again. Have a go with your little one and see if they enjoy it too. Choose interesting objects that react in different ways when picked up such as a scarf, a boat, a soft toy, a plastic bottle, a box (make sure your baby can handle the objects easily and keep the number of objects small, between 5 and 7 perhaps. Let them play for as long as they want but keep watching for safety reasons. What are they learning? Using two hands, transferring from one to the other, sitting steadily, concentrating, Developing fine motor control, exploring...Will it fit? Do I need to tip it up to fit it in? What does it feel like? Putting in and taking out can last for quite a long time with the containers and objects getting smaller and more fascinating...Honey moved on to treasure bottles and loved them.

                                                                 Treasure Bottles

Containing ribbons, beads, finger puppets and pompoms 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar treasure basket

This treasure basket is for a baby and contains soft shapes and toys with sounds to be discovered. It is a mixture of handmade and bought items, I usually find brilliant resources for my treasure baskets in charity shops or at car-boots...with a good wash they are ready to use.

I also made a treasure basket contains all wooden items. Wood is amazingly tactile

and great for children and for adults who require additional tactile experiences such as those

suffering from dementia or have learning difficulties.

I have supplied special schools and care homes with wood treasure baskets.

I made this treasure basket for Toddler group, we have had a lot of new little children start and it was a great hit! I filled the basket with silver coloured shiny objects including fabric stars, magic wand, a ball of foil, bells, ribbons, sequin fabric, treasure bottle, beads, silver torch, card stars and spoons. I put them all in a star basket on a shiny star shaped mat but that isn't necessary, I just love sewing!

Creative activities for babies

Babies are amazing! Everything is brand new to them and there is a world out there just waiting to be discovered. Here are some ideas to help your new little creation make the most of every second!

A Super-Pathway

The stage between sitting and walking involves a lot of creeping and crawling. Create a 'super-pathway' of textures and colours to explore by laying out different surfaces for them to explore...use towels, rugs, a changing mat, a piece of bubble wrap, a furry blanket, a cushion....anything that can be laid down on the floor that has an interesting texture.
Because I love sewing I created my own pathway using a variety of fabrics and materials sewn together to create a pathway that can be rolled up and used again and again...but that's just me! Don't forget to use contrasting colours as well as textures.

Dark and Light

Make a dark den using a cardboard box or a blanket over a coffee table. Let your baby/toddler explore inside and out to explore the contrast between light and dark...after all it is one of the very first things God created for us! Furnish the den with comfy cushions, bedtime story books, a cuddly teddy and a fleecy blanket and role play the bedtime routine of calming down, getting warm and snuggly and saying a goodnight prayer and enjoying goodnight cuddle.

Take the opportunity to help your little one to link darkness with sleep so that bedtime becomes the natural thing to look forward to. My Grandson found bedtime really difficult to understand until his mum found a book about owls and after much exploration of the theme he latched onto the idea that when the owl came out it was time for bed...so we all used this to signal when bedtime was coming up..."I have just spotted the owl flying about, quick it must be bedtime!" and it worked!!!

 What's that smell?

We often think about sight, sound, touch and taste when developing activities for young children but rarely think of exploring the sense of smell. Smell is an emotional sense and even as adults certain smells bring back memories. My Grand-Daughter picked up a lavender scented little pillow I had made, sniffed it and announced it smelt like Great-Grandma! Help your child explore different smells by offering them flowers, herbs, fresh laundry and simply talk about the wonderful smells around them.

What's in the sock?

You might have heard of the activity What's in the box? Well I prefer What's in the sock as babies and toddlers can use their sense of touch to give themselves clues to what is in the sock.

Using a knee length sock hide an object inside that your child will recognise and let them feel it to discover it's content...try singing this little chant...

What's in the sock?

What's in the sock?

What's in the

What's in the

What's in the sock?

Possible objects could include a favourite soft toy, an apple, a ball, a banana. Make sure the shape is distinctive.

Texture basket

I love treasure baskets and it is easy to put together a tray or basket containing different textured objects to explore. At first your baby / toddler will need help to explore the objects but they will soon get the hang of it. Objects could include crinkly paper, a woolly sock, a furry glove, a hairbrush, a plastic cup. The adult can help the exploration by miming the exploration and what you can use the object for..."look it's a hairbrush for brushing your hair" "look its a warm, soft woolly sock to keep your feet and toes warm" ...what a great opportunity to introduce lovely descriptive language and have fun with your little one. What are they learning? To feel textures, comparing, reaching, grasping, holding, shaking, letting go too! You can also begin to introduce questioning..."what can I do with the hairbrush?

Other collections can include:

Squeeze basket - sponges, soft balls, bean bags, little pillows, hair scrunchies, ball of wool.

Floaty basket - lovely floaty things including chiffon scarves, feathers of different sizes, ribbons and streamers.
Wash and brush up basket - Fill a treasure basket with familiar care items including a hairbrush, flannel, sponge, tooth brush, towel, empty shampoo bottle. Play along side your child modelling the use of each item and talk about what you are doing. Include a doll or teddy who can be made to look beautiful.

Filling and tipping play

Just to prove you don't need to pay lots of money for toys to engage your youngster try supplying them with small selection of containers and objects to fill them with. Babies and toddlers love to fill and tip out and refill containers so they can be used in sand, rice, water and in a tray of pasta shapes.

If you are going to buy a toy find some  plastic stacking cups, a real old favourite as they can be used as your child grows and skills develop. First they can be used to fill and spill, next to stack one inside another, then to order in size, to build a tower and to stack within each other. They can be helpful for colour recognition, size activities and for counting. 

 Exploring the environment

Carry your little one to different parts of the room to look at and to feel things. point to each object and name them. Talk about each object...what it looks like, feels like, smells like and use describing words such as smooth, bumpy, sweet, large, small, shiny. Encourage them to touch or hold and show awe and wonder at all the lovely things around you. Introduce the joy of exploring, feeling, looking, smelling, listening, tasting...the world around us has so much to teach us.

On the line

Create a washing line and hang all sorts of interesting themed objects on it. I saw this in my daughters nursing home where she was working. The staff had pegged some lovely colourful objects on a line just close enough for a young lady with learning difficulties to interact with them...batting, pulling, and playing with them. The old fashioned prams always had a string of activity toys placed strategically across the pram where the baby could watch and interact with the toys. When my girls were babies I set up a little wooden frame that they lay below and hung toys, ribbons and pom-poms within stretching distance. Great for occupying a busy, exploring  mind and to develop hand/eye coordination.

 Lacing strings and things

Babies and toddlers love collections of things and if you thread them they can be manipulated safely. Choose items that are chunky and can be threaded such as large beads, cotton reels, chunky buttons, conkers and thread them onto shoe laces tied to form a continuous circle or a long snake. (make sure it doesn't fit around the neck and the beads are secure though to keep your little one safe. I keep an eye out in the many charity shops for threading items.

What's underneath?

Using a small blanket or piece of cloth explain that you are hiding an object  underneath "where has teddy gone?"  then announce "here he is". Play this hide and seek game a few times and your little one will begin to reveal the lost object themselves. If you hide a rattle or squeaky toy they can make a noise to give a clue where they are hidden.

 Parachute fun

Using a square/circle of fabric you can pop anything soft inside that will bounce. hold the edges and pull the fabric / parachute taut. Bend down low then stretch up high as your little ones can reach and carefully bounce a ball, rolled up sock, teddy, balloon etc. up and down. Even chant up and down and round and round and try some well known nursery rhymes to sing as you use the chute. young children find it so exciting to watch the objects shoot into the air. Little ones who are not yet at the stage  to hold on and cooperate two adults or older children can demonstrate and they will just love to watch teddy fly!

Tube and chute play

I pinched some off cuts of plastic drain pipes and guttering from my husband to create a lovely interactive activity for toddlers. Choose items to shoot through and down the pipes and chutes such as soft balls and toy cars. 











Multi sensory resources for the elderly

Many of my 'makes' are great for the elderly who love tactile creations that can be enjoyed using all the senses. In fact when I first retired I began making resources for adults with dementia and learning difficulties. I sold lots of resources to nursing homes and I still create fidget blankets, sensory bags and baskets and many other creative resources when I come across beautiful, tactile fabrics and embellishments. Here are just a few of my creations.

Sensory stars (also included in my Advent section)

A small fidget cushion

Sensory pillows with different textures, smells and sounds

Treasure basket containing different balls

A fidget apron for a carer

A fidget blanket

A wood sensory basket to touch and talk about

A patchwork

A themed fidget blanket

Butterflies tactile blanket

A taggy bib

An investigation tray 

A Creation patchwork blanket

Wrist or wheelchair ribbon bands that fasten with velcro

Soft fleece taggy blanket

Patchwork sensory/activity blanket

Feely fidget bag

Baby in a basket

Fidget toys

Fidget blanket

                                                             Tactile rainbow lap mat