Rainbow rice is a wonderful way to introduce sensory play to your toddler. It’s both cheap and easy to make, yet will provide hours of fun. We first started making this with Zoey when she turned one and we felt confident that she wouldn’t just eat the rice! Continue reading Easy Peasy Rainbow Rice
Tag: play
10 Activities with Playdough
Playdough is our absolute favourite play resource. Its a fantastic sensory tool but without the mess associated with other sensory forms of play.
Now that I’m a mama of three, the playdough is out on a daily basis. So here are 10 invitations to play that all involve playdough… Continue reading 10 Activities with Playdough
An invitation to play: muddy farmyard
You might’ve guessed by now that I HATE wasting materials! I recently used coco powder as a writing tray for one of my students and since it was then destined for the bin immediately after, I decided to turn it into mud instead! Continue reading An invitation to play: muddy farmyard
Discovery Table Week 9: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
This is the penultimate week in our discovery table series and I couldn’t finish without featuring another of our favourite books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle! We have LOVED sharing the tables on the blog each week but with a new baby on the way, these posts will finish after 10 weeks. Not to worry though, as we will be keeping them going in real life – just keep an eye out on our Instagram and Facebook pages! Continue reading Discovery Table Week 9: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Hot Air Balloon Craft
Big balloon, big balloon Bigger than the sun and moon. Flying high In the sky Fly, fly and fly and fly!
I’m pretty sure that all parents know the Peppa Pig song, right? If not, I promise that as soon as you listen to it, it’ll be stuck in your head for an eternity! It was well and truly on rotation after a trip to the Canberra Balloon Festival, which takes place every March.
After an early start on Canberra Day, we decided to get our craft on. The original idea was to do a paper mache hot air balloon, but after failing to find a single balloon in the house, we went for option B instead.
You will need:
- Paper lanterns -ideally in white, but we just used what we had!
- Non-toxic acrylics
- Paint brushes and sponges
- Chenille sticks
- Disposable coffee cups
- White thread
- Sticky tape or pins
Step 1: Set up an invitation to create
With four of us crafting, I set up the large dining room table with an assortment of paints and brushes.
Step 2: Get busy with the paint!
The beauty of this craft is that you can get a range of age groups involved. We had Zoey (2) crafting side by side with her Nana. The key is to make sure you are using non-toxic paints!
Harrison went for a blue and red ‘Japanese’ theme (he loves his Japanese lessons at school) whilst I created random splodges with a sponge.
Step 3 – Leave to dry
Our balloons took most of the day to dry. Afterwards, we punched holes into the tops of disposable coffee cups then attached chenille sticks so that they hung from the lanterns:
Finally – display your craft!
This is the kind of craft that could potentially take up a lot of room in the house, so we made it part of our new play space instead. Because the lanterns are so light, we were able to use white thread attached with sellotape.
Want more?
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