Box train

I came across this photo that was taken when Finn was about 20 months. He had the best time in his box train. I had collected different sized boxes from the checkout at Bunnings, and joined them together with some pipe cleaners (or string). We added a smoke stack using a smaller box, and a steering wheel using a paper plate. I looped a material belt through the front of the first carriage so I could pull him along from station to station.

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Cable Car

I was inspired by the reading Finn the book 'The Lighthouse Keeper's lunch' by Ronda Armitage, which features an impressive basket on a cable which the lighthouse keeper gets his lunch delivered in. Finn and I decided to make our own cable car (although you can buy cute ones by Kraul). 

We found two little pulleys from a hardware shop (for around $3 each), and some washing line rope from the supermarket (4 mm thick), and attached each pulley to opposite sides of the deck via a small carabiner, and used a basket big enough to hold some favourite toys. 

I gave Finn a 'lift operator' outfit to wear (anything will do), and gave him some raffle tickets and a stamp so he could give his toys a pass on boarding. 

There is a book called 'Earth, Water, Fire and Air' - by Walter Kraul, which has more details on how to make cable cars, and other scientific toys like windmills & hot-air balloons.  

Ink Drops

For this activity we used some thin paint from few drops of food colouring mixed with water and an eye-dropper. 

I gave Finn some watercolour paper although thick porous paper could also be used.

He experimented with colours running into others, and enjoyed the splattering effect the ink dropper made.

We used the same paints but used cotton tips to apply the paint. Cotton Tips made great painting implements for children, as they create fine lines, and are easy for them to control. 

Allow the finished paintings to dry flat in the sun. Once dry you could ask your child if they would like to work into the paintings with a felt tip pen. They may find monsters and interesting shapes and patterns which they could work further with. 

map making

Today I asked Finn (3 years) to paint me a map of our suburb. Paint didn't allow him to add much detail, so when the paint was dry, he worked into his map adding details (with a fine texta) such as our house, some favourite cafes, his family daycare, and some of his friends houses. 

You could also suggest children add trees, traffic lights, rivers, parks and shops. 

You could show children some real street maps of their street (or from google earth), so they can see their suburb from a different perspective and get an idea of distance between places. 

Owl Babies

I love the book, and I love this beautiful animation 

House of Sticks

Fun with Flakes

This is a great way to spend an afternoon with restless toddler. The tactile activity came from 'The Australian Woman Weekly Art & Craft for Kids' book, and helps to stimulate children's imagination and natural curiosity. 

In a bucket I mixed 1 cup of Lux soap flakes (bought from the supermarket), with about 3 litres of warm water. I gave Finn a whisk and helped him whip the soap flakes into a thick, foamy consistency. 

 

Then I gave him things I found in the kitchen for scooping, straining and pouring. 

He also enjoyed adding a few drops of food colouring into the mixture. 

Felt Crown

To encourage imaginative play - I made a couple of simple felt crowns. 

I used a bit of filling inside for the crown to add dimension, and used hat elastic at the back. I glued a few small felt shapes to the front as jewels. Each one took about 10 minutes to make, and has created hours of enjoyment. 

Below is a link to a more detailed tutorial on how to make a felt crown:

http://balancingeverything.com/2008/04/30/waldorf-like-felt-crown-tutorial/

Paper Mache Robot

After Finn watched a bit of Wall-E, we thought it would be fun to make his own Robot using Paper Mache. 

Materials needed: Various sized boxes and cardboard tubes (e.g sultana box, toilet roll etc)

Masking tape, wallpaper paste, PVA glue, container for mixing, old newspaper, paddle pop sticks, and items for decorating (buttons, stickers, pom-poms, pipe cleaner etc).

Step 1: After deciding on a theme, join together boxes with masking tape. Mix together the wallpaper paste powder with water and add a bit of PVA glue. Let it stand for a few minutes. 

Step 2: Prepare the surface to work in (cover the floor with newspaper or cardboard box- it can get messy). Rip up some newspaper into small pieces, and cover the boxes. Encourage your child to use their hands to experience texture, and help them create a tight layer especially over the joins. Let dry in sun. 

Step 3: Once dry- paint with a white coat to cover newspaper print, and create flat surface. Let dry. 

Step 4: When undercoat is dry, paint and decorate using a variety of materials.