Blogs 1-50
Blog 1 - Fold a Stationery Box
"Those of us who have children around will know that they do not make good onlookers. They want to get involved and participate. Encourage them to do so. It is great for their fine motor development as well as being a right brain stimulant. This product is an easy and fun one to do with a child of any age. Simply adapt the decorating part to their ability and have fun."
Blog 2 - Easter Egg Baskets for the Kids
"Every aunt should make it a priority to spoil her nieces and nephews a little. This I firmly believe. With Easter coming up, I did not want to miss a golden opportunity. I decided they should all get a little basket in which to collect Easter eggs when I sent them on a hunt. I'll walk you through the steps so you'll be able to make your own baskets as well. I used a pattern which is FREE on APrettyTalent.com, downloading it and printing it on A4 paper, with my margins set to NONE. You can also print directly to cardboard."
"Every aunt should make it a priority to spoil her nieces and nephews a little. This I firmly believe. With Easter coming up, I did not want to miss a golden opportunity. I decided they should all get a little basket in which to collect Easter eggs when I sent them on a hunt. I'll walk you through the steps so you'll be able to make your own baskets as well. I used a pattern which is FREE on APrettyTalent.com, downloading it and printing it on A4 paper, with my margins set to NONE. You can also print directly to cardboard."
Blog 3 - School Holiday Project 1: Make a Fun Bookmark
"It is school holidays in South Africa and the winter months forces us to spend more time indoors than would otherwise be the case. Crafty kids are quickly bored with staring at screens and I'll post a couple of projects to do with them to keep them busy and hone their creativity. The first of these is this cute bookmark."
Blog 4 - School Holiday Project 2: Trusted Salt Dough
"Their grandmother and I was minding my nephew and nieces today, wishing we had something to keep them occupied. Grandma suggested salt dough and I jumped to it. Salt dough is ALWAYS a good idea. It is the gift that keeps giving. First we spend a good deal of time mixing the dough. The we spend and even greater deal of time playing with the dough. Finally, we settle on designs and bake the dough. And then we still get to paint and decorate the baked products. Few other craft products has such a great return. Best of all, it costs very little! Let me walk you through this trusted fall-back. (Need I mention that adult crafters derive just as much pleasure from the clay as the kids do?)"
"It is school holidays in South Africa and the winter months forces us to spend more time indoors than would otherwise be the case. Crafty kids are quickly bored with staring at screens and I'll post a couple of projects to do with them to keep them busy and hone their creativity. The first of these is this cute bookmark."
Blog 4 - School Holiday Project 2: Trusted Salt Dough
"Their grandmother and I was minding my nephew and nieces today, wishing we had something to keep them occupied. Grandma suggested salt dough and I jumped to it. Salt dough is ALWAYS a good idea. It is the gift that keeps giving. First we spend a good deal of time mixing the dough. The we spend and even greater deal of time playing with the dough. Finally, we settle on designs and bake the dough. And then we still get to paint and decorate the baked products. Few other craft products has such a great return. Best of all, it costs very little! Let me walk you through this trusted fall-back. (Need I mention that adult crafters derive just as much pleasure from the clay as the kids do?)"
Blog 5 - School Holiday Project 3: Turn an old photo frame into a write-on notice board
"Are you in need of a reminder board for dates and events, but needing it to change quickly? Or perhaps you simply need a place where family members can leave messages while on their way to and from events in their busy schedules? I have the ideal solution in today's blog when I turn an old photo frame into a write-on notice board. This need not be a school holiday project, but it is a very nice one to do with older kids and teens. Play around with color schemes and decorations and the whole look and feel of it changes dramatically. My own was intended for a rather serious older teenage boy and may seem somewhat muted for its intended target, but it was spot-on."
"Are you in need of a reminder board for dates and events, but needing it to change quickly? Or perhaps you simply need a place where family members can leave messages while on their way to and from events in their busy schedules? I have the ideal solution in today's blog when I turn an old photo frame into a write-on notice board. This need not be a school holiday project, but it is a very nice one to do with older kids and teens. Play around with color schemes and decorations and the whole look and feel of it changes dramatically. My own was intended for a rather serious older teenage boy and may seem somewhat muted for its intended target, but it was spot-on."
Blog 6 - School Holiday Project 4: Making Paper Handbags
"When we were making the bookmarks in a previous blog my niece turned it upside down and casually mentioned that if it were bigger, we could make handbags out of it. Well, her aunt like the idea and the next holiday project was born on the spot. Let me show you how to make these cute and easy paper handbags."
"When we were making the bookmarks in a previous blog my niece turned it upside down and casually mentioned that if it were bigger, we could make handbags out of it. Well, her aunt like the idea and the next holiday project was born on the spot. Let me show you how to make these cute and easy paper handbags."
Blog 7 - School Holiday Project 5: Making a clock
"Making a clock with smaller kids is a really valuable exercise and great learning opportunity. They will also revel in the attention you pay them and the interest you take in them. During the process you can talk about shapes and colors and they can count the triangles to 12, etc. Afterwards, they can even learn to tell time! Let me show you how to make this clock and how to adjust your preparations for different age levels."
"Making a clock with smaller kids is a really valuable exercise and great learning opportunity. They will also revel in the attention you pay them and the interest you take in them. During the process you can talk about shapes and colors and they can count the triangles to 12, etc. Afterwards, they can even learn to tell time! Let me show you how to make this clock and how to adjust your preparations for different age levels."
Blog 8 - School Holiday Project 6: Fold and Color a House
"Even though the school holidays are officially over, we continue with these intermittent blogs for two reasons; it is good for the youngsters to keep up the habit of creating things, and ... it will be school holidays again! Send yourself these blogs in an email, or subscribe and have them delivered to your inbox. That way you can save them and refer back to them when the holidays strike again. Today I show you how to fold this very house in a few quick steps. The kids then get to color or paint their own houses. Great fun and its costs nothing more than a sheet of paper and pencils."
"Even though the school holidays are officially over, we continue with these intermittent blogs for two reasons; it is good for the youngsters to keep up the habit of creating things, and ... it will be school holidays again! Send yourself these blogs in an email, or subscribe and have them delivered to your inbox. That way you can save them and refer back to them when the holidays strike again. Today I show you how to fold this very house in a few quick steps. The kids then get to color or paint their own houses. Great fun and its costs nothing more than a sheet of paper and pencils."
Blog 9 - School Holiday Project 7: Folding and Decorating a Paper Windmill
"Today I am going to show you how to make an old favorite; the paper windmill. This is a really great project to do with children. Older kids can measure their own windmills, but for younger ones I would recommend having the lines already measured and drawn in place. They need to practice cutting with scissors, so you should let them do this even if it does not turn out perfectly. They then get to color and decorate their windmills before they fold and assemble it as well. This project develops a number of fine motor skills and they will have a lot of fun. So will you!"
"Today I am going to show you how to make an old favorite; the paper windmill. This is a really great project to do with children. Older kids can measure their own windmills, but for younger ones I would recommend having the lines already measured and drawn in place. They need to practice cutting with scissors, so you should let them do this even if it does not turn out perfectly. They then get to color and decorate their windmills before they fold and assemble it as well. This project develops a number of fine motor skills and they will have a lot of fun. So will you!"
Blog 10 - School Holidays Project 8: Learning about Charcoal
"Many adults do not like working with charcoal, because it leaves them dirty. Imagine putting charcoal in the hands of children! Yet that is precisely what we do in today's blog. It is important for children to become familiar with different mediums and to practice mark making in a variety of mediums. On top of that, charcoal has the added advantage of being one of the easiest mediums with which to introduce the concept of negative drawing. Let me show you how to introduce your child to the wonders of charcoal."
"Many adults do not like working with charcoal, because it leaves them dirty. Imagine putting charcoal in the hands of children! Yet that is precisely what we do in today's blog. It is important for children to become familiar with different mediums and to practice mark making in a variety of mediums. On top of that, charcoal has the added advantage of being one of the easiest mediums with which to introduce the concept of negative drawing. Let me show you how to introduce your child to the wonders of charcoal."
Blog 11 - School Holiday Project 9: Bake a Monster in a Mug
"Baking a monster in a mug is one of the easiest projects to do with kids and they always love it. I use a well-known recipe going around the internet under various names, but leave out the chocolate (unless someone wants chocolate cake!). Instead, I add flavoring and color. Let me walk you through the process quickly."
"Baking a monster in a mug is one of the easiest projects to do with kids and they always love it. I use a well-known recipe going around the internet under various names, but leave out the chocolate (unless someone wants chocolate cake!). Instead, I add flavoring and color. Let me walk you through the process quickly."
Blog 12 - School HolidayProject 10 - Making Box Men
"It is time to keep the youngsters busy again and today I show you a fun project that is done entirely from waste and off-cuts. We make these cute figures from jelly boxes. This project combines a number of skills where the kids need to paint, cut and paste. It also allows wide scope for putting their own personal touch on the projects."
"It is time to keep the youngsters busy again and today I show you a fun project that is done entirely from waste and off-cuts. We make these cute figures from jelly boxes. This project combines a number of skills where the kids need to paint, cut and paste. It also allows wide scope for putting their own personal touch on the projects."
Blog 13 - School Holiday Project 11 - Creative Birds
"Today's blog is a wonderful developmental exercise where the kids can learn a number of things. We trace, paint, and paste, among others. There is also the opportunity to teach them about how different effects are achieved by swapping brushes. Don't expect them to get it right the first time around, but allow them to play and enjoy themselves."
Blog 14 - School Holiday Project 12 - Puffy Paint
"This is a tremendously fun project for the kids to do. First they make the paint themselves and then they draw their own pictures before painting it with the puffy paint. Their delight knows no bounds when the paint then starts rising when we 'bake' it in the microwave."
"Today's blog is a wonderful developmental exercise where the kids can learn a number of things. We trace, paint, and paste, among others. There is also the opportunity to teach them about how different effects are achieved by swapping brushes. Don't expect them to get it right the first time around, but allow them to play and enjoy themselves."
Blog 14 - School Holiday Project 12 - Puffy Paint
"This is a tremendously fun project for the kids to do. First they make the paint themselves and then they draw their own pictures before painting it with the puffy paint. Their delight knows no bounds when the paint then starts rising when we 'bake' it in the microwave."
Blog 15 - School Holiday Project 13 - Learning to Draw a Rabbit
"One of the shapes used in drawing, more often than any other, is the circle. That is why I like to start kids learning to draw with circles. In today's blog I show you step by step how to draw a very simple rabbit using basically only circles. Afterwards, we have loads of fun coloring and decorating it. This is a great blog to help build confidence in young new artists."
"One of the shapes used in drawing, more often than any other, is the circle. That is why I like to start kids learning to draw with circles. In today's blog I show you step by step how to draw a very simple rabbit using basically only circles. Afterwards, we have loads of fun coloring and decorating it. This is a great blog to help build confidence in young new artists."
Blog 16 - Mixing Non-Drying Clay
"I get very frustrated by how quickly the salt-based clay dries out. The kinds are too young to remember to return the dough to the bags and then it dries out before the adults notice it. That is why I went in search of recipes for non-drying clay. This recipe has glycerine added to the mix which presumably will prevent it from drying out. It also has a substantial quantity of cooking oil mixed in there. No cooking required."
"I get very frustrated by how quickly the salt-based clay dries out. The kinds are too young to remember to return the dough to the bags and then it dries out before the adults notice it. That is why I went in search of recipes for non-drying clay. This recipe has glycerine added to the mix which presumably will prevent it from drying out. It also has a substantial quantity of cooking oil mixed in there. No cooking required."
Blog 17 - School Holiday Project 14: Clothing Collage
"The kids were becoming a little bored during the school holidays and I thought it would be a great time to introduce them to the fun of collage work. I did this in a number of sittings with different kids in the group, approaching them individually according to their abilities and interests. Let me talk you through it and then maybe you could do the same thing with your kids."
"The kids were becoming a little bored during the school holidays and I thought it would be a great time to introduce them to the fun of collage work. I did this in a number of sittings with different kids in the group, approaching them individually according to their abilities and interests. Let me talk you through it and then maybe you could do the same thing with your kids."
Blog 18 - School Holiday Project 15: Making an Embossed B-day Card for Mom
"My niece and nephew got out of the pool today and very casually informed me that they were now coming over to do some art. Well then ... this aunt has never been one to shy away from an art challenge. It was game on! I racked my brain walking home with them and decided it would be a great idea to have them make a birthday card for their mom, who had a birthday coming up the following week. Grabbing a quick cup of coffee before going to the studio, I retrieved the peel-back lid from a fresh tin of coffee and immediately knew that introducing them to joy of embossing was just the thing to focus on."
"My niece and nephew got out of the pool today and very casually informed me that they were now coming over to do some art. Well then ... this aunt has never been one to shy away from an art challenge. It was game on! I racked my brain walking home with them and decided it would be a great idea to have them make a birthday card for their mom, who had a birthday coming up the following week. Grabbing a quick cup of coffee before going to the studio, I retrieved the peel-back lid from a fresh tin of coffee and immediately knew that introducing them to joy of embossing was just the thing to focus on."
Blog 19 - School Holiday Project 16: Making a Garden Collage
"Today's project is truly a brilliant one for developing skills with the kids. In this collage they will be painting, cutting, pasting, drawing, coloring and embossing. I always like to make an example before getting the kids in to do a project. I photographed my own steps to show you what to do, as I foresaw that things would get a little hectic once the little ones arrived. But I did manage to snap a couple of photos of their creative process as well. When comparing my collage with theirs, it will become obvious that I have allowed them a lot of freedom when it comes to colour choices, layout, drawing and coloring. In the end, they did what was required, but managed to add their own initiative as well. That is how art should be taught to children."
"Today's project is truly a brilliant one for developing skills with the kids. In this collage they will be painting, cutting, pasting, drawing, coloring and embossing. I always like to make an example before getting the kids in to do a project. I photographed my own steps to show you what to do, as I foresaw that things would get a little hectic once the little ones arrived. But I did manage to snap a couple of photos of their creative process as well. When comparing my collage with theirs, it will become obvious that I have allowed them a lot of freedom when it comes to colour choices, layout, drawing and coloring. In the end, they did what was required, but managed to add their own initiative as well. That is how art should be taught to children."
Blog 20 - School Holiday Project 17: Making a Super Silly Sailboat
"It was a hot Summer's Day and the kids were getting restless. I figured it would be great to take them swimming, but wanted to wait a little for the worst of the heat to break. What better way to occupy them than to have them make sailboats to take out on the water later. This project is super easy, requires only a little bit of time and can be done with re-purposed packaging. Bonus!"
"It was a hot Summer's Day and the kids were getting restless. I figured it would be great to take them swimming, but wanted to wait a little for the worst of the heat to break. What better way to occupy them than to have them make sailboats to take out on the water later. This project is super easy, requires only a little bit of time and can be done with re-purposed packaging. Bonus!"
Blog 21 - School Holiday Project 19: Making Masked Cats
"Today's project is a real fun one where the kids get to paint, trace, cut and stick things. I especially love the tracing aspect of this project as it helps them to develop their fine motor skills for when they need to be able to hold a pen when they need to write. I also give some tips for adapting the project when doing it with older children."
Blog 22 - School Holiday Project 19 - Making Styrofoam-Framed Pictures
"My niece had the idea to cut frames from Styrofoam and naturally she came to me to do so. While she had visions of an underwater seascape, I wanted to use her idea for a frame to make a flower collage. The idea is a simple one and the possibilities for individualization is endless. The most important thing is to make sure you include a number of skills and mediums so that you will develop your child into a fully rounded artist. Let me show you what the two of us did and which products to use."
Blog 23 - Making Cute Pom-Pom Critters
Blog 24 - School Holiday Project 21 - Making Paper Mache Baskets
"Paper Mache is such an old and trusted form of art and crafts that it hardly needs an introduction. Yet, every new generation needs a fresh introduction to it. Today's paper mache project is a pocket-friendly one where we use starch as an adhesive rather than glue."
Blog 25 - School Holiday Project 22 - Sand Art and Pompoms
"Today we do yet another project with the kids to introduce them to new mediums and surfaces. We select Styrofoam as a surface, 'paint' with sand and beads, and then we add a cute pompom critter with foam rubber detail. Sounds good? The kids will have a ball!"
Blog 26 - School Holiday Project 23 - Making Bling Bracelets
"My niece came over for a sleepover and we were looking for something creative to do when my eyes fell upon the packet of Dala Foam Rubber Ice Cream Sticks. Inspiration struck and I measured it around her wrist. It was a tight fit, but fit it did. Well then, all that was left to do was to turn it into a bracelet and, as everyone knows, all bracelets are better with a bit of bling on them."
Blog 27 - School Holiday Project 24 - Making Notice Pegs for Boys
"Perhaps it is because I am not a boy myself, but I find it rather hard to think up ideas for crafts to do with boys. Today's ideas are not entirely my own, but adapted from ideas I found online. Having some brilliant products from Dala on hand, I was able to add my own signature to it and today we make an airplane and a bow-and-arrow from clothes pegs. We then stick some magnetic tape at the back to create cute note holders for your little artist's master pieces. Best of all is that this is so easy to do, that you can get the little man to make his own!"
Blog 28 - School Holiday Project 25: Introducing Kids to Mosaics
"Today I show you how to approach mosaics with very young kids. Your aim shifts and you look for different outcomes. Basically, it can be compared to free-form puzzle building. Sounds daunting? There are a few tricks I share that will make it easier achieve. We make some pot stands to surprise Mom with for this project."
Blog 29 - School Holiday Project 26: Having Fun With Washi Tape
"I had a sick little boy visiting me today and he did not feel like playing outside with the other. He peeked up a bit when I seated myself in the studio and promptly joined me, making himself at home on the table next to me. I decided to discard the idea I had and to rather do something that he would enjoy. My eyes fell upon an empty tin that I still wanted to decorate and some wooden clothes pins I kept handy. Alongside these were a couple of rolls of Washi Tape. Well, okay then, I could figure out something to do with those odd items and this is how the two of us got to have loads of fun with tape today."
Blog 30 - School Holidays Project 27: Doing More Advanced Mosaics with Kids
"In a previous blog on crafting with kids, I have shared some ideas for introducing very young children to the art of mosaics. In today's blog we take mosaics a step further. This time they work on a shaped background. They also work with differently shaped tiles, pebbles and tiles of different heights. I also opened the scope of available tiles substantially so that they had to think about colours and layouts more than was required for the previous blog. The biggest challenge here is to convince the interested adults to stand back and allow the kids to do this by themselves. If you have onlookers, I suggest you hand them each their own project as well."
Blog 31 - School Holiday Project 28: Making a Mask 4 A Diva
"My four-year old niece had a scheme for involving me in a paint project she had in mind. She whispered in my ear that she was in need of a mask and the two of us promptly sat ourselves down to create one. The drawing and cutting aspect of this was a little advanced for her, but would be great with slightly older kids. Still, she had a ball of a time painting and decorating her mask and paraded it all over the place."
Blog 32 - School Holiday Project 29: Putting a Knight in Arms
"When I was making a mask with his sister the other day, my five-year old nephew looked on longingly. I asked if he also wanted a mask, but he declined, stating firmly that it was too girly for his liking. I then suggested we make him a knight's mask and, after explaining to him what it was, he was very keen. Again, the project is slightly advanced for this age, and there are places where an older child or adult will need to assist, but he managed to do quite a bit of the work himself and had a lot of fun fighting imaginary dragons afterwards."
Blog 33 - School Holiday Project 30: Teken & Verf Petra Padda (Draw & Paint Petra Frog)
"Ek het onlangs my splinternuwe kinderboek, Tuinstories, bekend gestel. Dit is 'n heerlike ontwikkelde verhaal gerig op die voorskoolse en jong laerskool mark wat die verhale van 'n groepie insekte in die tuin vertel. Die boek is gelaai met intriges en verskeie karakters beleeg klimakse en laagtepunte. Dit is ook deurspek van humoristiese insidente en woordspelings. Saam met hierdie boek, het ek ook 'n aktiwiteitsboek beskikbaar gestel waar kinders kan leer om stapsgewys self die karakters te teken en te verf. Altesaam is daar twaalf projekte en elkeen bring iets nuuts na die kind se kunsbelewenis en -ontwikkeling. Daar is ook 'n inkleurboek wat hiermee saamgaan, met 47 sketse uit die boek om self in te kleur. In vandag se blog gee ek julle so 'n kykie in die aktiwiteitsboek as die stappe blog om Petra Padda te teken en te verf. Ek skop ook die blog af met 'n kort uittreksel uit die boek, sodat julle so 'n idee het waaroor die boek gaan en hoe dit lees. Die boeke is beskikbaar in digitale formaat as jy hier kliek.
I have recently launched my brand new children's book, accompanied by an activity book and a coloring book. In the activity book, I give step by step directions that will allow a child to draw and paint the characters themselves. In today's blog, I share these steps for drawing Petra Frog."
Blog 34 - School Holiday Project 30: Discovering Blackboard Paint
"Dala sent me some their range of blackboard paints, and being very chaffed with the results of my experiments, I could not stop talking about. It was inevitable that my 9 year old niece would overhear me and she promptly arranged a sleepover. As soon as she put her things down, she sidled up to me and with a sly smile demanded to know what we were going to do. I had a hunch that she had her own ideas about how to answer that question and asked for her opinion. Out popped the suggestion, prompt as anything, that we should try out my new paints. Good idea! It is always good to see how a child responds to a new medium and to observe how they approach it. That is why I left the exercise open-ended with only one instruction: Have FUN!"
Blog 35 - School Holiday Project 31: Making A Fly-Catching Frog
"The two toddlers unexpectedly came to stay for the afternoon. This meant that I had to come up with something for them to do in a very short time. I always keep a couple of empty toilet rolls ready and a quick look at ideas on Pinterest, gave me this cute solution. We made fly-catching frogs!"
Blog 36 - School Holiday Project 32: Making Sea Fairies
"We have a lot of fun with the kids today when I show you how to teach them to incorporate found items from their surroundings in their crafts. I collected some shells and sea sand on a recent trip to the coast and this is what we will be using, but you can achieve similar results with sand/soil you have at home and special fall leaves, as well. You may want to call yours forest fairies instead. Let me give you some tips on what to do."
Blog 37 - School Holiday Project 33: Baking Fruit & Nut Scones
"While waiting for the glue and paint to dry in the previous project, the kids asked me of we could bake something. I figured this was a fun way of passing the time and agreed that we could bake some quick and easy scones. To make things a little more interesting, I decided to add some fruit and nuts and this turned out brilliantly. The whole batch disappeared within seconds of coming from the oven and I was lucky to be able to grab one to photograph before it too disappeared. You really have to try these!"
Blog 38 - School Holiday Project 34: Baking Lemon Meringue Pie
"In yesterday's blog I showed you how to do a very quick and easy baking project with the younger kids. In today's blog, we do something a little more tricky with the older and more experienced kids when we bake a delicious lemon meringue pie. The only reason this project is a little more challenging, is because it requires of the child to make a pastry, a filling as well as a meringue. The techniques, however, are as easy as ... well ... pie!"
Blog 39 - School Holiday Project 35 - Stringing Bracelets
"It is a great exercise in fine motor development to give a child the opportunity to string beads. Stringing beads also allows the child to develop patterns and to work with the rhythm of the pattern, another great educational and developmental opportunity. That is why I jumped at the opportunity to teach the little ones how to string bracelets after they showed interest in doing so, having seen what I've done for a previous project. Let me show you how to tackle this task with smaller children in today's blog."
Blog 40 - School Holiday Project 36: Spray-Painting A Star Monster
"The little ones came over for a quick visit and my nephew, looking at me with longing eyes, asked if we could please do some art. My heart simply melted. I quickly looked around for inspiration and found it in an odd place. We had been cutting sale stars from laminated sheets and all of a sudden it occurred to me that these were perfect shapes to use for monsters. And monsters are what we made."
Blog 41 - School Holiday Project 37: Making A Pipe Cleaner & Hanky Doll
"It was my nephew's birthday and I as helping him build something with the tool set he received as a gift from his grandparents. His little sister got a little jealous of all the attention he was receiving and I had no option but to do a little project with her on the side. She loved making this cute doll out of an old handkerchief and pipe cleaners."
Blog 42 - School Holiday Project 38: Making A Wooden Car
"My little nephew had his birthday and received a set of real tools from his grandparents as well as a set off wooden blocks from his parents. This meant that the little man was ready to start building. Unfortunately, the adults were all busy with their own things and he sought me out for assistance. This aunt loves a new set of tools as much as any boy and it wasn't long before we started constructing the idea for a wooden car that came with the block set. I liked this concept so much that I decided to blog it, as it is very easy to saw your own blocks and do something similar with your own kids."
Blog 43 - School Holiday Project 39: Making A Wooden Truck Bed Lamp
"Having helped my little nephew to use his new tool set and wooden blocks to build a car, we both were inspired to try our hand at our own design. I figured we'd go one step better and include some electrification in the new project as well. The little boy was very keen to learn about yet another new dimension in life and that is how it came to be that we built him a wooden truck that would serve as a bed light! I show you step by step how to attach the electrical components. You won't believe how easy this is to do yourself."
Blog 44 - School Holiday Project 40 - Bringing Paint To Life
"It is not so much about creating a picture in today's project, as it is about creating a reaction. I have the kids mix the paint with bicarbonate of soda, measuring the ingredients and using a pipette themselves. They then paint their pictures, before dropping vinegar on the painting to see it coming to life in sizzles, steam and bubbles, all the while mixing with the colours surrounding them and creating new colours. This project has so much educational and developmental value that it is hard to keep track of it all."
Blog 45 - School Holiday Project 41 - Painting With Salt
"In today's blog, we are using salt's ability to absorb water when we paint. I show the kids some alternatives to the normal art materials when we draw with glue and paint with a pipette. The lovely sparkly end product is enough to enthrall any child."
Blog 46 - School Holiday Project 42 - Making Stretchable Slime
"My little niece was outraged when she requested we do something and I suggested we should play with slime. She relaxed when I explained to her that we would have to make the slime first before we could play with it. This sounded a whole lot better than the alternative she had imagined. I show you how easy it is to mix a lovely stretchable slime for the kids to play with in today's blog."
Blog 47 - School Holiday Project 43 - Making Paper Plate Dinosaurs
"The kids came over for yet another visit and as soon as they came in, asked what we were going to make today. My eye fell on the stack of paper plated sitting on the kitchen counter and I thought it could be fun to turn these into dinosaurs. The project requires a paper plate and two toilet rolls, as well as a polystyrene platter for two kids. Cheap, easy, and loads of fun."
Blog 48 - School Holiday Project 44 - Finger-painting A Bunny & Building Confidence
"Today's blog is entirely aimed at the younger kids. It is essential that they learn the consistency of the paint they work with and develop the fine motor skills involved in finger-painting. I show how to draw a very simple bunny step by step so that the kids can draw their own bunnies. Then we dip our fingers in some Dala Craft Paint and set to work. Do make a point of allowing the kids to figure out for themselves how they want to paint their bunnies. It builds their confidence when you show trust in their decision-making abilities."
Blog 49 - School Holiday Project 45: Making A Tissue Paper Garden Collage
"In today's project we are asking the kids to take big risks in their art. We get to introduce them to different uses of a circle when we create various simple flowers. They get to cut and paste and trace and colour! There are once again so many opportunities to develop and hone skills that I consider this collage essential to do with kids. It is of course also very possible to swap the flower designs out for dinosaurs, or cars, or fish, or anything else that strikes the child's fancy. The same techniques can be applied to a great many shapes and designs."
Blog 50 - School Holiday Project 46: Making Puppets That Move
"The long December holidays are almost upon us again and it is time to start gathering ideas and materials to keep the kids busy with. Making puppets is always a fun activity, and that is exactly what we do in today's blog. I love how open this project is to every child's own creative inclination. They can paint, colour, collage with papers, use crayons, or whatever tickles their fancy, to decorate the puppets. They love the idea of constructing the different parts and seeing it all come together. It is almost like building a puzzle."
Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
For more crafty ideas and great products, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
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