Outdoor car tracks

It has beautiful summer weather lately, so today I brought outside a collection of matchbox cars and trucks for F & E to play with outside in the shade. They made tracks, jumps and holes for the cars in the dirt and grass.

Fairy Garden

We started making our own fairy garden under a shady tree in the back yard. I found some appropriately tacky miniature garden figurines (on metal posts) from the Reject Shop . We found some little glass stone to make a path and scattered rose petals around. At Finn's preschool they had a gorgeous fairy garden in the playground with a little red painted door (on a wooden log) with a little brass knocker.

Big Box

My children get so much enjoyment out of empty cardboard boxes. We had a huge one left over from a new BBQ, so I cut a circular trap doors and square windows into it with a knife blade. I also attached a ramp from one of the top openings, so balls and toys can 'ride down a slide', and land into a basket at the bottom.

We didn't have any balls handy, so I made some from scrunched up newspaper and wrapped sticky tape around the outside. They were perfect for indoor play as they were light enough not to cause any damage.

Finn Turns 4

For Finn's 4th birthday party he requested an aquarium style cake.

I'm afraid it looked better than it tasted, but I've seen an easier alternative for the theme here:

http://www.nickjr.com/recipes/waldens-jelly-aquarium.jhtml

Painting

I gave Finn a quality sheet of A3 size paper, and a permanent black pen to start drawing his outline.

Then when he was satisfied I gave him a selection of block paints (already selected into colour themes- sans black). Found on the link below.

http://eshop.zartart.com.au/webstore/index.wsp?session01=b0051aa592d678ad&page01=category&category01=2238.583

He had a great time blending and mixing colours, and filling in his all his robot drawing parts. 

By giving children a black pen, they can create an outline, define their work and create more detail than they could by using paints alone. 

sticker fun

We are in the process of moving interstate, so our lives are chaotic and our possessions (and art supplies) are in boxes.

To keep the kids amused and creatively stimulated, you can't go wrong with a packet of dot stickers and a some coloured textas what ever your circumstances are... 

Teddy Bears Picnic

It was a perfect day for a garden picnic with the little ones.

If you don't have a children's tea-set, a plastic jug full of 'rosie tea' (diluted blackcurrant cordial or juice), a couple of tiny pieces of fruit or crackers, and some soft toy friends. It's great for practicing fine motor skills (pouring into small cups), sharing with and caring for their toys.

x-mas calendar

we started off by creating a A 4 sheet of paper with 2012 dates down the bottom of the page- with a space for a child's drawing at the top. You can download calendar dates from the internet- an example is here: http://www.blankcalendar.org/yearly_calendars/2012_calendar_vertical.jpg

Then on a seperate sheet of paper I asked the children to draw a special drawing (or collage, or both), then we glued it in place and put it through the laminator. 

For hanging, we punched a hole in the top and thread some ribbon through it. 

A simple, personalised gift for friends and family.

Dot Stickers

We visited mum's art class recently and out of all the amazing materials available, Finn chose the dot stickers mum uses to colour-code the children's art work into class groups.  Lots of fun and great for fine motor skills! 

Painting with Feathers

You don't always have to use paintbrushes when working with children and art. Today we experimented using twigs, feathers, sponges and anything else we found around the house and garden that helped make marks.

The effects can be quite interesting. 

collaboration

Sometimes I find children need a little kick start with their drawings, and so helping them start with a little shape, or body part can help them find inspiration.  Here I drew the pink circle with a hat and ears, and Finn finished it off, turning it into 'inspector gadget'.  

Felt Faces

About a year ago I had cut out a variety of felt facial features and face shapes in different sizes, shapes and colours (noses, lips, beards, eyebrows, eyes, hair etc). I put them in a zip-lock sandwich bag and bring them out occasionally for Finn to play with.  He comes up with new, and interesting faces every time. 

A light, quiet and clean activity for when you are out and about and need to keep little hands busy. 

If the child is skilled with scissors they could make their own shapes, and glueing is also an option.