Settling into the New Routine…
Unpredictable fall weather and new kindergarten or preschool routines mean more time spent indoors. Weekly (or daily!) craft sessions are great indoor entertainment and can easily be included in the new routine. Try a morning or evening craft session with the whole family, or have a rotating craft session each week with friends. For Vancouverites still waiting for the strike to end, dig into the recycling bin for supplies – we’ve provided some suggestions for egg cartons and bottles below, or use toilet paper rolls for everything from animal puppets to binoculars!
Egg Carton Caterpillar:
Supplies: egg carton, markers or paint, other decorating supplies (paper or felt scraps, stickers, etc), googly eyes, chenille stems (pipe cleaners), glue
Directions: An adult can cut a row of egg cups from the carton. This will be the caterpillar (open side down). Decorate caterpillar with paint or markers. Add other decorations with glue. Make the head at one end by gluing on eyes and adding pipe cleaners for antenna. An adult can poke holes into the head where the antenna will be positioned.
Egg Carton Flower Bouquet:
Supplies: egg carton, markers or paint, other decorating supplies (paper or felt scraps, tissue paper, stickers, etc), green chenille stems (pipe cleaners), glue
Directions: Cut several individual egg cups from the carton. Cut top edges of each cup jagged or curved to resemble petals. Paint and decorate each flower. Let dry. Poke a hole in the bottom of each flower and insert green pipe cleaner to make stem. Place flower bouquet in vase.
Mosaic Bottle Vase:
Supplies: Glass or plastic bottle, tissue paper strips or squares, paint brush, glue, yogurt container or other small plastic container
Directions: pour glue into yogurt container and dilute with water (3 parts glue to 1 part water). Dip paint brush into glue and paint part of the bottle. Cover painted area with tissue. Continue adding glue and tissue until bottle is completely covered. Paint a layer of glue over entire bottle – let dry.
Fun Facts About Arts and Crafts
Leonardo da Vinci spent 12 years painting the Mona Lisa’s lips. Sometimes even the masters need to take their time!
It seems like Picasso was destined to become a famous artist; he could draw before he could walk, and his first word was the Spanish word for pencil.
Jokes Jokes Jokes!!
Did you know that humour is learned, not inherited? That’s good news for those of us who always forget the punch line! Preschoolers are amused by anything that seems out-of-the ordinary – like a fish wearing socks, or a camel playing the piano. Try mixing things up with your kids, and see how they react. Here’s a couple to get you started:
Guess what I saw walking down the street?
A cow wearing snow shoes!!
Guess what I saw in the backyard?
A turkey wearing a raincoat!
What do you call elephants in the bathtub?
Swimming Trunks!
What do you call a daddy on a bicycle?
A Pop-Cycle!
Five Minute Fun
Need a fast and easy way to entertain your kids? Put some paper on the floor and make some foot tracings!! Kids eagerly stand on the paper to have their feet tickled by the crayon or pencil, before hopping off to see the end result. For older kids, let them try tracing their own feet, or a sibling’s, or encourage them to turn their feet into a little ‘foot creature’ – like a butterfly or a moose!
Have more than five minutes? Turn the foot tracings into a game – cut them out (challenges cutting skills!) and take turns laying the feet out in paths that lead to special treasures!
We’d love to hear about your crafts, jokes, or Five Minute Fun. Let Us Know!
