Activities to do With Your Child Please note that these numbers may be subject to
change - please contact us to update if you have any changes or additional
info.
Sport & Leisure
PITCH & PUTT
Littlehampton, Norfolk Gardens
Crawley, Goffs Park
Haywards Heath, Beech
Hurst gardens Warnham, Rockwood Farm Golf Course
Brighton, Roedean
Hove, Kingsway
Worthing, Brooklands Park
Lewes, The Convent Field
Seaford, Salts Recreation Ground
Hastings, East Hill
SWIMMING POOLS - INDOOR & OUTDOOR
Prince Regent Swimming Complex Church St,North Rd , Brighton East Sussex BN1 1YA. 01273 685692
Seahaven Pool & Gym Chapel St , Newhaven East Sussex BN9 9PN 01273 512498
St. Luke's Swimming Pool St. Luke's Terrace , Brighton East Sussex BN2 2ZE 01273 602385
Sovereign Centre Royal Parade , Eastbourne East Sussex BN22 7LQ 01323 738822
Ringmer Community Swimming Association Ringmer County Secondary School Lewes Rd Ringmer Lewes East Sussex BN8 5NE 01273 814132
Seaford Head Pool Sutton Avenue, Seaford East Sussex BN25 4LX 01323 897632
Woodingdean Swimming Pool Warren Rd Woodingdean, Brighton East Sussex BN2 6BB 01273 673265
Pells Swimming Pool North St , Lewes East Sussex BN7 2PA 01273 472334
Ringmer & District Community Swimming Pool Lewes Rd Ringmer Lewes East Sussex BN8 5NE : 01273 813533
Surrenden Swimming Pool Surrenden Rd Brighton East Sussex BN1 6PT 01273 504858
Motcombe Swimming Pool Motcombe Rd Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 1 01323 410748
Saltdean Lido Saltdean Park Rd Brighton East Sussex BN2 8SP 01273 880616
SWIMMING CLASSES
Little Dippers 2 West Street, Rottingdean 01273 672700
Swimability 76 The Promenade, Peacehaven 01273 583760
Small Planet Surfboards Ltd 9, Victoria Terrace Hove East Sussex BN3 2WB 01273 727237
Sunhire Water Sports Rental 185, Kings Rd Arches Brighton East Sussex BN1 1NB 01273 323160
The Ocean Sports Co. Ltd 368, Kingsway Hove East Sussex BN3 4QT 01273 412241
ONGOING EVENTS
include Borders who do a storytime for children on Saturday morning at 11.00 am,
The Duke of Yorks Junior Dukes who do films for children on Saturday mornings and Kids at the
Komedia on Saturday mornings. Check all for listings and precise dates but Borders includes Postman Pat and Bob the Builder, the Duke of Yorks includes Wind in the Willows, The Swan Princess and Muppet Treasure Island and the Komedia includes The Tin Soldier and the Tim Bat Trick Show.
LEISURE & ADVENTURE PURSUITS
Ford Park Raceway, Richmond Rd, Bognor Regis Enjoy the excitement of Formula 1 and saloon car racing on England's biggest model slot car racetrack. Race as individuals or teams, at speeds in excess of 150 mph. Pit stops can be taken in the refreshment area! Also available is a mobile track which can be brought to your own venue. Excellent fun for children’s groups, parties and school fetes. On-site shop stocks model racing cars. Open daily 9am-5pm; late opening can be arranged. 01243 840666. www.fordpark-raceway.co.uk Birthday Parties.
Spedeworth International, Arlington Raceway, nr Hailsham off the A22 presents a motor extravaganza with a range of action packed meetings to excite and entertain the whole family. The action on the track varies from event to event, with well known drivers from the UK and around the world. As brightly coloured bangers roar around the oval raceway, crashes and smashes are all part of the experience, but the safety of participants and spectators is paramount. Some meetings have pre-event entertainment, celebrities, prizes and a fireworks finale. Racedays are on Wednesday evenings during the Summer & Bank Hols, but call for confirmation on 0336 421 621. www.stockcar.co.uk Birthday Parties.
Soft Rock Climbing, Leyswood, Groombridge, Tunbridge Wells provides opportunities for all ages to try climbing under the supervision of fully qualified experienced instructors, who aim to make climbing safe, fun and educational. The sandstone formations at Harrison's Rocks enable beginners to learn the basics with low level bouldering and progress to more challenging climbs. At all times special emphasis is given to promoting safety and good practice. A coaching scheme, holiday courses and personal coaching are offered, plus unique birthday parties, where low level climbs, exciting races and fun, are tailored to the individual ability of the children. All safety equipment is provided and the instructors are registered with the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority. Bookings by arrangement. 01892 863659. www.softrock climbing.co.uk Birthday Parties.
Leisure Pursuits, Ashurst Wood, East Grinstead organise off-road activities for young would-be drivers. Groups of 3-24 children (6 yrs. +) can enjoy 2 exhilarating hours with all necessary instruction and supervision whilst driving. Groups choose 3 activities from a list that includes the Jungle Run, Meadow Meander and other 4x4 courses; time trials, relays and obstacle courses on quad bikes; and purpose-built fun vehicles, the Dizzymobile and Periscope Peril. From the age of 14, Driver Training sessions on 4-wheel drive jeeps cover basic driving techniques, either individually or up to 3 in one vehicle. Telephone for prices and bookings, 01342 825522. Birthday Parties.
Brighton Little Theatre Company Studio Theatre 9, Clarence Gardens, Brighton East Sussex BN1 2EG 01273 814666
The Lift 11-12, Queens Rd ,Brighton East Sussex BN1 3WA 01273 779411
White Rock Theatre White Rock ,Hastings East Sussex TN34 1JX 01424 781000
The Old Market 11a, Upper Market St ,Hove East Sussex BN3 1AS 01273 736222 Marlborough Bar, Theatre & Cafe 4, Princes St Brighton East Sussex BN2 1RD 01273 570028
Phoenix Arts Centre William Parker School Parkstone Rd Hastings East Sussex TN34 2NT 01424 722612
The Brighton Centre Kings Rd , Brighton East Sussex BN1 2GR 01273 290131
CYCLE HIRE
Cuckmere Cycle Co. Ltd The Granary Barn Seven Sisters Country Park Exceat Seaford East Sussex BN25 4AD 01323 870310
Deers Leap Park St. Hill Farm, St. Hill Green East Grinstead West Sussex RH19 4NG 01342 325858
Southern Wing Chun Kung Fu 60, Maldon Rd Brighton BN1 5BG
01273 700030
White Crane Martial Arts Kids Kung Fu 01273 305647
POTTERY & CERAMICS
Have a Go Ceramics All the family can enjoy classes or a session in making an item such as a birthday present. Can be both quiet and creative. It is located on the A272 half a mile west of the Bolney exit in a small industrial park behind the petrol station only a few minutes drive from Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Brighton. Telephone: 01444 882106 Address: Unit 1, Cross Post Industrial Park, Cowfold Road, Bolney, West Sussex. RH17 5QU E-mail: enquiries@have-a-go.co.uk Open: (during school holidays phone for extended hours) Monday 1.30-4.30 pm 7.00-9.00pm Tuesday 10.00-noon 1.30-4.30 pm 7.00-9.00pm Wednesday 10.00-noon 1.30-4.30 pm Thursday 10.00-noon 1.30-4.30 pm 7.00-9.00pm Friday Closed Saturday 10.00-1.00pm Sunday Closed Brighton -
Glazed Expressions, 31 North Road, North Laines 01273 628952
LASER FUN
Hove Megazone, King Alfred Leisure Centre, Kingsway, Hove May be closed in 2001 check for details 01273 779789
Worthing Quazar, Stoke Abbott Road. 01903 238877
Eastbourne Laserquest, Hampden Park 01323 506007
CRAZY & ADVENTURE GOLF
Brighton, Seafront
Eastbourne Princes Parks next to Treasure Island & Fort Fun
Bexhill on the seafront at West Parade
Hastings, the Stade on the seafront & White Rock Gardens
GO-KARTING
Crawley Go-Karting for Fun, Gatwick Road 0870 6000601 Eastbourne Trax
Indoor Karting Hampden Park Industrial Estate 01323 521133
Eastbourne, Fort Fun, Royal Parade 01323 642833
Polegate Kart Track Racing, Filching Manor Motor Museum 01323 48793
Arts & Crafts
Wax Crayon Rubbings Get them to take a closer look at their surroundings by taking wax crayon rubbings of the different textures they find in the garden or the park. All you need are wax crayons in different colours and some paper. When they've collected a selection of different rubbings you can use them to make an interesting collage. Taking the rubbings Get the children to take a piece of paper and wax crayon and take a piece of paper and a wax crayon and take a rubbing of an interesting surface so that the whole piece of paper is covered. Try the garden path, the drive, the bark of tree, a shed or a bench, the garage door, paving, patterns on garden furniture or toys. If you peel all the paper off the crayons for them they can use the whole length of the crayon to take the rubbing and not just the end. This is much quicker too. Take the rubbings in a couple of different colours, so that you end up with a pile of paper covered in a variety of patterns and different colours.
Making a collage Decide on a theme - it could be the seaside, a farm or even an abstract collection of different shapes. Take a large piece of paper or stick a few pieces of paper together with sellotape on the back to make the background for your picture. Pencil in a rudimentary landscape, such as a skyline, the sea and the beach then get the children to find a surface to rub to cover these areas in the appropriate colours. Use templates or stencils to cut out shapes and objects for your picture. Smaller children will need a bit of help with this. Encourage the children to think about the textures of things. If they want a sailboat in their scene then they could use a rubbing of a piece of wood for the boat and a nice bright contrasting colour for the sails.
Making Teddy Bears You will need: Coloured paper Coloured
pencils/pens Butterfly clips Glue Glitter Scissors 1) First of all you will
need to cut one large circle from the sheet of paper, about 14cm in diameter
for the body. Then cut one medium circle, about 12cm in diameter for the head,
and two little circles, about 4cm across for the ears. 2) Then cut out two
arms, like sausage shapes, and two rounded 'L' shapes for the legs and feet.
3) Glue the ears to the head and the head to the body. 4) Use butterfly clips
to attach the arms and the legs to the body. 5) You are now ready to draw in
teddy's face and decorate him however you like.
Easter Egg Hunt First of all you'll have to make some Easter baskets to put the eggs in. Margarine tubs are ideal - just cut a strip of card for the handle and attach it to the tub with a stapler or butterfly clips. It might be an idea for the children to write their name on the handle to avoid any confusion. They can then decorate their baskets by using paints, or sticking on different coloured tissue paper, or sticky back plastic or felt for example. If they want to really follow the Easter theme they could cut out rabbits or chicks to stick on the sides. The best chocolate eggs to use are the little ones, either plain or candy coated or a mixture of the two. You'll need plenty so buy the biggest bags you can find! Each egg will need to be individually wrapped in silver foil. To save a little time get several sheets of silver foil and put them one on top of the other then cut into smaller squares for the wrappers. Roll the wrapped egg around between the palms of your hands to get a neat finish.
Hide and seek If weather permits, hide the eggs around the garden. If not you can hide them around the house (One word of warning - make a mental note of where you hide the eggs or that egg you hid behind the cushion could end up making a gooey mess that you'll find in a couple of weeks time.) The silver foil will make them quite conspicuous, but even so don't make the eggs too hard to find, particularly for younger children. Place in clusters rather than individually, and leave them in trails. Send the children out with their baskets and see who can find the most eggs. The winner could win a special prize, but at the end of the game make sure you share out the Easter eggs the children have found fairly. That way all the children will be happy.
Things to keep in your Rainy Day Cupboard Coloured pencils, wax crayons, felt tips. Paper- plain, scrap and coloured for special projects. Eraser. Pencil sharpener. Paints. Paintbrushes. Stapler, butterfly clips, sticky tape. Scissors, appropriate to the age of the child. Glue, glitter. Make sure that you keep your cupboard well stocked and it's a good idea to check before the school holidays that you've got everything you need.
Wind Chimes embroidery hoop, string or yarn, anything that makes noise (beads, bells, tin cans, blocks) Attach 3 strings to embroidery hoop. Tie strings together at top leaving enough string to form a loop for hanging. Attach 3-8 strings to hang down for the chime, add anything that makes noise, and decorate the embroidery hoop any way you want or not at all.
Easter card with a chick in an egg Things you'll need Card or stiff paper Butterfly clip Paints or coloured pencils, or yellow tissue paper Scissors Glue 1. Make the basis for the card by folding a rectangular piece of card or stiff paper in half. 2. From some more card cut an egg shape that will fit onto your base card comfortably. 3. Halfway across the egg shape draw a zig zag line and then cut through this with your scissors. 4. At one side of the egg, reattach the two halves of the egg with a butterfly clip to form a sort of hinge. 5. Glue around the outer edge of the bottom half of the egg only and then stick this to the base card so that a "pocket" is formed that will hold the chick. 6. To make the chick, cut out two small circles, one slightly smaller than the other one. Stick the smaller one, the head, onto the larger one, the body. 7. Colour the chick yellow with your paints or crayons, or you could stick on scrunched up yellow tissue paper for a textured effect. 8. Draw in some eyes with a black pen or crayon. 9. Make a beak by cutting out a small triangle from card, colour it orange and then stick that on with some more glue. 10. Pop the chick into the pocket formed by the lower half of the egg, so that it is peeking up over the edge and have the top half of the egg hinged open.
Advent Calendar cardstock (green and another color), stamps or stickers, velcro, laminate or contact paper (optional) Cut a large Christmas tree out of the green cardstock and glue it onto the background sheet of paper (whatever color), cover with laminate or contact paper. Put stamps or stickers on another piece of cardstock (white), number them 1 to 25. Laminate or cover with contact paper and cut each one out individually. Put velcro on the back or each stamped or sticker image, and cover the tree with them so that they appear to be ornaments. This can be reused annually. If you make more than one, each of your children can have one of their own.
Animal Mix-Ups coloured construction paper or crayons, poster board or recipe cards, clear contact paper, scissors Colour on poster board, or cut animals from construction paper and mount on poster board. Separate heads from bodies. Cover the body cards and the heads with the clear contact paper. Now let your child use their imagination as they try the heads on all of the different bodies
Beautiful Butterflies tissue paper (many different colors), one copy of an outline of a butterfly (about 6" by 8"), wax paper (cut about 2" larger than butterfly), liquid starch, paintbrushes, scissors Tear coloured tissue into different 3" shapes. Place wax paper over butterfly outline. Use the liquid starch to paint tissue pieces onto the wax paper, filling in the outline of the butterfly with a mosaic of different colours.
Add one or two more layers of tissue and allow to dry overnight. Cut out the
butterfly, following the outline on the underlying paper, then slowly peel off
the wax paper. Tape butterflies to the window and let the sun shine through!
Farm or Zoo magazines, scissors, glue, paper, crayons Have your
child cut pictures of animals from a magazine. Write Farm on the top of one
sheet of paper, Zoo on the other. Ask your child to separate the pictures into
two piles: Farm and Zoo. Next, have your child glue the pictures onto the farm
page or the zoo page to make a collage.
Greeting Card Recycling glue stick, greeting cards, construction
paper This idea works great with 2-year olds who are just beginning to do
crafts. Cut out images from the cards. Let the toddler use the glue sticks and
place the images onto the construction paper. You may need to help with the
cutting a little bit!
Mood Collage paper, magazines, glue stick, scissors Pick a mood
with your child (happy, sad, sleepy, etc). Look for faces in the magazine
conveying that emotion. Cut and paste them onto paper. (You can also add
things that make you feel a certain way. Pizza makes me happy, rain makes me
sad, etc.) Soon you will have a book full of feelings!
Fancy Laces Materials White shoelaces; coloured markers Description
Decorate plain, white shoelaces with coloured markers, and your child can have
the fanciest feet on the block. Don’t forget to make some for yourself!
Woolly Puppets Materials Old gloves or mittens Collect one for each
child.; decorating materials (pipe cleaners, sparkles, construction paper...);
white glue in several dishes; cotton swabs; scissors. Description Put the
decorating materials in the centre of the table. Lay a glove or mitten in
front of each chair and invite your guests to sit down. Give each guest a
cotton swab to dip into the glue and let them start decorating. When the
puppets are finished, perform a party song!
Colourful Picture Frame This activity involves using salt clay to decorate a picture frame. Parental supervision is recommended. Note: As in all recipes, results can vary depending on humidity, conditions, etc. Please try any recipe out before attempting in a group setting. What You Need · Salt dough - flour, salt, vegetable oil, water, bowl · Cutter - kids get an adult to help · Plastic knife (preferably the one in playdough) · Tempera paints or poster paints in lots of bright colours · Corrugated cardboard · Use of oven · Apron · Rolling pin · Strong glue
How To Make It Make salt dough. Here's my recipe: Ingredients: · 200 ml water · 1 tablespoon vegetable oil · 300 g. plain flour · 300 g. salt · bowl What to do: Mix the flour, salt, oil, & water into a soft dough in the bowl, Add water if some pieces keep falling apart. Sprinkle flour on your working place then start kneading. The dough is ready to be worked on. Roll out a piece of salt clay about 3-4 cm thick. Using the plastic knife cut out a big flower with 6 petals. Cut out a small flower with 6 petals and glue it over the big flower. Cut out a circle and place it over the small flower. Repeat steps 2 to 4 until you have 3 to 4 flowers to be in your picture frame. Use the cutter to cut the corrugated card into 4 long pieces in any length you want. Kids, get an adult to help. Glue the sides of the corrugated card to form a square, then let it dry. Put your flowers in the oven and let it bake until it becomes a little bit yellowish. (Oven temperature is 180 C or 350 F or gas mark 4. Preheat first for 5 minutes, then bake about 20 minutes.) Parental supervision is recommended. Cool the flowers. Paint the flowers in exciting colours, try to use your imagination by adding dots or stripes. Let the paint dry. Glue the flowers any way you want in the frame. It's ready to be given as a present or to put a picture in it.
Erupting Volcano Parental supervision is recommended. What You Need For the Volcano: Large paper plate Plastic disposable cup Aluminum foil Scotch tape Scissors To Make the Volcano Erupt: Water Baking soda Vinegar Tablespoon Cup Pan or tray How To Make It Attach the paper cup to the plate by taping the bottom of the cup to the middle of the plate. Tear off a piece of foil large enough to completely cover the cup and plate. Place the foil over the cup and plate and turn the foil under the plate edge. Tape the foil in place. Poke a hole through the foil into the middle of the cup. Use scissors to make slits from the middle of the cup to the inside edge of the cup. Tape the foil to the inside of the cup. Now make your volcano erupt! To Make Your Volcano Erupt: Place the volcano on a pan or tray (or you'll get lava all over the place!) Fill the volcano with 2 tablespoons of water and stir in a tablespoon of baking soda until it dissolves. Measure 2 tablespoons of vinegar into a separate cup. Pour the vinegar, all at once into the water/baking soda mixture and watch your lava bubble up! WHY'D THAT HAPPEN?? The bubbles that are created are filled with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is a gas that forms when the vinegar (an acid) reacts with the baking soda (a base). For all you bakers out there, this is also what makes cakes and quick breads (the no yeast kind) get all nice and fluffy.
Papier Mache Doll What you’ll need Scissors, Old newspapers, masking tape, papier mache paste, fine sandpaper, poster paint, brushes, clear varnish, marker pen to define features if necessary What to do Roll diagonally two sheets of newspaper to form a ‘thick rope' About 2 inches from the top, give the rope a slight twist to form the neck of the doll. Secure the twist with marking tape. The top two inches will be the head. Cut the remaining rope to the length you desire for the doll's torso. Wrap masking tape around the head and torso of the doll to add strength and form. Take four shorter lengths of newspaper and roll into tight shapes to form the legs and arms of the doll. Wrap tape along all the length of all newspaper ‘rope’ to hold it’s shape and cut to appropriate lengths for arms and legs. Secure the arms and legs to the torso with masking tape. Mix the papier mache paste and apply four layers to the entire surface of the doll. Roll some papier mache into strips for the hair and place the strips on the surface of the head. Cover with thin strips of newspaper OR glue on yarn for hair when doll is finished and varnished. Let the doll dry overnight. When the doll is completely dry sand the surface gently with fine sandpaper. Apply two coats of primer to the doll and seal with two coats of clear varnish.
Mexican Maracas Materials balloon paper mache and strips of newspaper I make paper mache with one cup of flour and 4 cups of water. Boil the paper mache stirring frequently just long enough for it to thicken. Take off the stove and put in a separate bowl. Add 4 ice cubes and stir those in You can make cold paper mache with equal parts flour and water. It takes more flour and isn't quite as smooth, but it works just as well. dried beans or uncooked rice cardboard tube (toilet paper roll is best) stickers, paint, markers, construction paper, etc. to decorate glue and masking tape Instructions: Make a cone using a sheet of paper and pour some beans or rice into the balloon. Blow up the balloon (without swallowing any!). Fringe the toilet paper roll by cutting small lines all the way round so it lies flat on the balloon bottom and can be stuck on. Tape the roll onto the balloon, Stuff the toilet roll with newspaper and put masking tape over the end. Your maraca should be nice and noisy but still poppable. Cover with papier mache and let dry. Decorate outside as desired.
Dressing Up Boys seem to love dressing up just as much as girls. A dressing up box can be anything large like a wicker basket, strong cardboard box or old suitcase. Good for both imagination & sharing. You can find stuff at boot fairs and jumble sales. Choose a wide variety of clothes that can be used for a variety of costumes. What to include Could you assign your own cast offs for example dads ties & shirts and mums evening wear to the dressing up box Fabric shops may sell off remains cheaply Old
jewellery (check for catches). Hats and bags galore go down well to. Try charity shops for cheap bits and pieces. Old cameras and old mobile phones are interesting Scarves and sarongs You could make things yourself out of odds and ends and tin foil such as a sheriff's star, crown or a brides veil out of an old net curtain with old dried flowers for a bouquet And try a variety of textures, i.e. satin, silk & tweed
Leaf Printing Especially good in Autumn with all the different coloured leaves. This can be as simple as you like or quite complicated if you introduce ideas of colour-mixing and overprinting. You will need Some leaves - collected on a dry day - all colours and outlines. You could collect them one day, fully dry them and use them the next Large sheets of paper that will take paint well Poster paint, liquid paint or powdered paint Old plates to mix paint on Sponges or brushes for applying the paint Clean water for rinsing Rags for mopping spills! What to do Apply paint to the leaf with a brush or sponge Put the leaf down on the paper and press evenly Peal the leaf off Things to look at The difference between the smooth and veined side of the leaf Can you mix colours to that of the leaf Does how hard you press make a difference Do patterns with different leaves Print over patterns and see what happens to the colours What to do with the prints Cut them out Make pictures and varnish them when dry Make cards
Multicolour Binoculars My children really enjoy looking through binoculars. This craft is easy for them and makes for good fun, too. The cost is minimal; that is always a plus! What You Need · 2 empty toilet paper rolls for each child · 2 rubber bands for each child · Coloured plastic wrap cut into squares about 4 x 4 inches (adjust as needed) How To Make It Take an empty roll and place a coloured square evenly over one end of the roll. While holding it in place, put a rubber band over it to secure it. Repeat with the other roll and square Watch in delight as the kid's explore their world in blue, pink, etc. That's it! Pretty simple, huh? To dress up the "binoculars", you can decorate them with markers before adding the wrap.
Painting - top tips Use protective overalls like an old shirt to protect their clothes Put old newspapers (keep a supply) everywhere - floor, table etc. Use washable paints - but black and purple still seem difficult to remove Types of Paint Blocks of colour can be less versatile than mixing up powdered stuff yourself. The colours may all go a muddy brown although big blocks of colour may be better - some you can wash the whole tray, with the blocks included under the tap which is very useful and easy. If you choose powdered paint you can alter the consistency for finger painting and add washing up liquid for bubble painting. Paper & Brushes Chunky brushes are best and cheap paper, for example old wallpaper saves money.
Potato Printing Wash a potato and cut it in half. Draw a simple
shape with a pen on the flat side. Cut away the surrounding shape until the
shape remains. Make up thick paint and press firmly onto paper to make the
shapes.
Bubble painting Mix some powder paint in a carton with a couple of
tablespoons of washing up liquid in a bowl. Use a straw to blow air into the
paint so that you have a mound of bubbles. Press a sheet of paper onto the
bubbles very gently so that it makes the pattern. Repeat again with bubble
paint of different colours and let dry for a pretty marble effect.
String Painting Mix up paint into saucers and cut pieces of string to different lengths. Make different effects by dragging etc. on the paper. You can make wrapping paper and cards with these effects.
Pretty Potpourri for Mum! A potpourri is a mixture of dried flower petals that makes a room smell pretty. What You Need · Rose petals (or petals from any other flower that smells really nice) · Salt · Whole cloves · Small wicker basket · Cellophane paper (optional) How To Make It Put the petals in a large bowl. Sprinkle some salt on the petals and stir gently. Sprinkle a handful of cloves and stir gently again. Carefully put the petals in the basket and wrap in cellophane. Tell your mom (or whoever else you give a potpourri to ) to stir the petals around each day and to add new petals every once in awhile, to keep the smell fresh!
Paper Maché Easter Egg This egg is hollow inside. You could put all sorts of goodies in and give it as a gift to a friend. Materials: balloon newspaper white glue OR paper mache paste (1 part flour to 4 parts water... boil about 3 minutes stirring constantly, add 2 ice cubes and let cool) scissors poster or tempera paint paintbrush glitter or sparkle glue Instructions: Prepare your paper mache paste right away so it has time to cool (if using the boil method). I like boiled paste as it's smoother and takes a lot less flour Blow up a balloon. You should use one that's blown up all the way to get a good egg shape, but we always end up playing with ours until they're somewhat deflated which makes the egg a bit rounder than it likely should be. Tear strips of newspaper about 1 " wide and as long as you want. Dip in the paper mache paste, but then remove excess paste (I run it through my fingers to do this) Cover the balloon in no more than 4 layers of paper mache (I always tell the kids no more than 2 as they always put on too much *grin*). If you put on more than 4 it will likely mould before it dries. If you want to fill your egg with something, leave a space where the tied end is. Scrunch newspaper up and line a bowl with it. Set the egg in that to dry. Let dry COMPLETELY. It goes faster in a warm breezy place. If it's a nice day, just stick it outside (just don't forget it if it starts to rain). It takes a day or so to dry. Put whatever goodies you want into your egg. Put them in a plastic bag first so that they don't get any paper mache goop on them. Apply a second layer of mache. This time covering the opening. The more layers you add, the sturdier it will be. We applied a second layer, but we only did two layers, not 4 this time.
Gone Fishing What You Need 2 Sheets of craft foam Pen Cardboard Scissors Metal paperclips Ruler or stick about 12" long String Magnet, rectangular or horseshoe (need to be able to tie string to it) How To Make It Draw up a simple fish outline on a piece of cardboard. Cut out. Let the children trace around the fish on the craft foam. Show them how to draw the fish close together to use all the craft foam. Let the children cut the fish out. (They don't have to be perfect!) Let the children draw faces on the fish. Open a paper clip end slightly. Poke it through the fish's mouth. Pull the fish all the way around the paperclip until it "drops" into the open area. Close the paperclip. Repeat for the rest of the fish. Tie a string on one end of the ruler or stick. (Note: Works great with a ruler that has a hole in the end!) On the other end of the string, tie the magnet on. Now go fishing!
Mini Movie How do movies move? Here's how to make a toy, called a thaumatrope, that will reveal the secret. What You Need · a pen · white or coloured paper · glue · cardboard (bristle board or cereal boxes are good) · scissors · string · crayons or markers · mathematical compass or jar lid to trace How To Make It T race a circle of cardboard with a diameter of about an inch-and-a-half (anything goes as long as it's not to big -- experiment!). Cut it out, and trace two paper circles the same size as the cardboard. Cut them out. On one circle, draw and colour a lightning bolt. On the other, draw a cloud. Colour these. Glue one picture on each side of the cardboard circle. Punch two holes in the cardboard; one on each side. Thread a piece of string through each hole. Tie a knot in each piece of string to make 2 loops. Twirl the disk by first twirling the string. As you twirl, watch the lightning bolt and the cage. Like magic, the lightning bolt will be coming from the cloud! How does it work? Your eye holds onto the image of the cloud for a split second after it's gone. By that time the lightning bolt is in sight, and you seem to see the lightning bolt in the cloud. The same thing happens at the movies. If you look at a piece of movie film, you'll see that it is a series of pictures separated by black spaces. Variations: You can make a bird in a cage or a person with funny glasses but if you have pictures with a specific direction you have to LINE THEM UP PROPERLY with one of them upside-down or it won't work properly. Also, some people write part of their name on each side, such as: K I T R S A together, they spell KRISTA This is really fun to make with a group of kids. You don't have to have a circle, either. A square or triangle--anything goes!
Secret Message Writing We have fun writing secret messages. What You Need · Light coloured card · White crayon · Watercolour paints · Brush How To Make It Write a message on a light coloured card with white crayon. Send it to a friend with a box of water colour paints. Include a note telling them to paint the card to read a secret message.
Marbled Papers With this project you can make professional-looking cards, envelopes, stationery, and anything else you can think of! You may want to monitor your young children, though, because oil paints and marbling inks can be harmful if swallowed. What You Need · assorted colours of oil paints or marbling inks (the inks work better) · Plain, white paper (computer paper works best) · Oven pan covered with tin foil (make sure the pan is big enough to fit your paper) · Water to fill the saucepan · 1 teaspoon of Vinegar (if using marbling inks) · Newspaper to cover your work area · Pencil or toothpick How To Make It Fill the oven pan (with the tin foil over it) with water. If you are using marbling inks, put the teaspoon of vinegar in the oven pan, and mix well. Put in just a tad of the marbling inks or oil paints (using two or more colours works best). Swirl the colours with the pencil or toothpick. Put the paper in the pan slowly. Work quickly, especially when using oil paints. If you do not, the paint will make a sheet on top of the water, and you will not be able to marble. Take the paper out and put it face down on the newspaper for about a minute. You are done!! Use the paper when completely dry.
Pressed Flowers Make pressed flowers using the microwave. What You Need · Refrigerator · Microwave · Two outdated telephone books · Two heavy stoneware plates · Paper towels How To Make It Cut flowers. Place them gently into an old telephone book and place in refrigerator for two days. Turn one stone plate face down and place paper towels in bottom centre. Gently place flowers in a single position, not touching each other. Put another layer of paper towels over the flowers. Put the other stoneware plate on top of the paper towels matching bottoms. Place the plates in the microwave and cook them for 8 minutes on LOW heat. Remove them from the microwave and let them cool thoroughly. When they are cool, remove them from the paper towels. If you aren't ready to use them, put them into another old telephone book and put a weight on it until you are ready to use the flowers.
Pebble Pets Gather together smooth stones of different sizes to make appealing groups of animals and insects. A coat of gloss varnish will help protect the painted stones and make them shine. What You Need · Smooth stones · Fine felt tip pens · Embroidery thread · Thin white paint · Paints in a variety of colours · Pompom · Glue · Craft varnish How To Make It Decide what kind of animal or insect you are going to make. Wash and dry stones. Paint them white and let them dry. Paint the background colour and let it dry. Paint main body markings and details (like stripes on a cat or spots on a ladybird). Draw small details like face and whiskers with a felt tip pen and let dry. Paint with varnish Glue thread for tails or pompom for a bunny tail Coin Rubbings coins, paper crayons, charcoal, pencils Place coins under a piece of paper and rub over them with charcoal, pencil or crayons. You will then see the imprint of the crayons.
Independence Activity - Set the Table All kids like to feel more independent, and a safe way to practice everyday activities can help them take on more grown up responsibilities. The following craft can be made together and then can be used to help preschoolers stretch their independence muscles. What You Need · 12 x 18 sheets of construction paper (one for each family member) · A place setting (all items normally found on placemat at mealtime) · Markers · Clear sticky-backed paper How To Make It Show your child where each item should be placed on the placemat, naming them as you go. Once all of the items are in place, use a marker to trace around them. (It may be easier to trace them using a pencil and then go over the outline with a marker, depending on the width of the marker tip.) Remove the items and decorate the placemat, personalizing them with names, pictures, stickers, or any other materials the child likes. Use Con-Tact paper to completely cover the placemat. Encourage the child to use these as guides until he or she is comfortable setting the table as their special job.
Glittered Hair Clips A cheap and easy way of making old or cheap hair clips look cool again. What You Need · Old hair clips (the kind that are round or triangle that snap back and forth work best) · Bright coloured nail polish and/or glitter nail polish · Clear nail polish (optional) · Sparkles or craft glitter (optional) How To Make It Take your old hair clips or bobby pins and paint them with coloured nail polish (you may want to paint them a certain colour to match outfits or you can paint them lots of different colours). After you have painted the clips with colours, you can let the nail polish dry and paint some more glitter nail polish over top for an extra touch. If you do not have any glitter nail polish, you can sprinkle craft sparkles or glitter over the coloured nail polish when it is still wet. I would suggest putting a coat of clear nail polish over the clips afterward if you are using craft glitter. Have fun! Make some for yourself and your friends!!
What our parents say..... Sharon says James enjoys learning colours - what colour is that car etc. Also pretending to tickle - ‘Here comes the tickle, tickle man’ etc. Susan mentions pass the parcel and Sharon says that Aidan & Amy love Hopscotch - especially when mum falls over.
Independence Activity - You Can Tie It What You Need ·Shoe box top Construction Paper ·Scissors Glue Pencil Hole punch Old shoelace Markers Clear sticking paper How To Make It Have the child put his or her shoe in the middle of the construction paper and trace its outline. Cut it out around the outline. Fold the shoe in half (you should have a right and left side, not a toe and a heel.) Use the hole punch to punch holes approximately where they would be on the child's shoe. (If you would like a decorated, more permanent practice "shoe," now is the time to carefully cover the box top and add any decorations the child likes. You could also let the child personalize it with drawings, stickers, or his or her name. Once you do the next step, you can cover the project with clear Con-Tact paper to protect your work.) Unfold the outline and glue it to the shoe box top and use the pencil to poke holes through the cardboard (using the holes you already punched as a guide.) Take the marker to colour half the length (on both sides of the lace) of the shoe lace. (This will help when the child is ready to try his or her hand at tying.) Lace the shoe and demonstrate (often, I'm sure) the way to tie shoes. The child will probably feel more comfortable practicing alone after you show them how! Tying shoes is a milestone in a child's life só be sure to appreciate their efforts. (And think of all the free time you'll have now...)
Ship in a balloon Let's be honest here, as cool as they are, ships in bottles are likely a bit much for kids to make (they're a bit much for a lot of grown ups to make too!). But a ship in a balloon is a snap (er, if you can find clear balloons) and it's just as great!) You will need a clear balloon (try craft stores or balloon/party stores) and a small toy ship. Shove the toy ship through the opening of the balloon (this is going to require some adult assistance. If you are doing this for a group of children, you can pre-do this step) Put about 1 cup to 2 cups of water (depending on the size of your balloon) into the balloon (you might want to use a funnel... you can make one by making a cone out of paper). Blow up the balloon and knot it. Set your balloon on a holder (margarine or yogurt containers work well depending on the size of the balloon). You can paint your holder for a nicer look or cover it with construction paper.
Making Paper Flowers This can help your child get used to using scissors and use fine motor skills What you need For the flower heads and leaves Lots of brightly coloured tissue appear Some black tissue paper Green tissue paper Stickytape Scissors For the stems Green tissue paper This garden canes (preferably green) Or long straws What to do Take several sheets of tissue paper - the same colour or mixed and lay them on top of one another. Fold them into quarters (you could later experiment by folding them into eights) Cut out petal shapes - zigzags, curvy and whatever other shape you fancy Open out the petals Turn them around on top of each other so that the cut parts alternate and you can see the petals Pull the tops together so that the centre is bunched up Bind the stems using sticky tape Cut a green bit of tissue paper and wind it round to disguise it. Secure with tape (double-sided would make this easier) Make stamens. Cut a piece of black tissue paper bout four centimetres by one and a half. Roll it around a spare cane and remove it. Cut fringes into it and push this into the centre of the flower and secure with tape. Make leaves out of green tissue and give them stalks. Stick to the stems of your flower.
Pasta Jewellery How to make a bracelet and necklace out of Penne Here is a really easy way to make some pretty jewellery with just some pasta, paints and a bit of string. What you'll need Some dried penne pasta quills. Paint and brushes and a jar of water. Thin string or strong thread or twine A blunt needle with a large eye As always where children and paint are involved, it's probably a good idea to cover the area where they are working with newspaper. Younger children should also protect their clothes with an overall or an old shirt. Another tip is to have one damp cloth on hand to wipe messy fingers, and one to dry the brushes a little after they've been dipped in water between changing colours. What to do Paint the penne in a variety of different colours - these are the "beads". If you are using the sort of powdered paint that you mix yourself, make it fairly thick. If you are using block paints then have the brush quite dry and load on the paint to get nice bright colours. Be warned - little fingers get very messy doing this so wipe them between colours. Let the pasta dry, which only takes a few minutes. Put all the coloured beads in a bowl. Thread your needle with some thin string or strong cotton or twine. To stop the beads falling off as you are threading them on, tie a button or big knot at the end. Let the children choose which colours they'd like and in which order. Older children will be able to thread the beads on themselves but younger children will obviously need help. You could ask the children if they'd like to make a recurring pattern with the colours. When the bracelet or necklace are the required length, tie a strong knot in the two ends of the thread. It's a good idea to measure them against the children, particularly with the bracelet. It must be long enough to be put on comfortably, but small enough not to fall off. And there you have your pasta
jewellery. One final word - the colours may rub off onto clothing. If this is a problem and you'd like them to be a bit more permanent you could always varnish the beads.
Art Attack! Spice up a visit to an art gallery. Large galleries
liven up visits by offering art trails. Ask at the enquiry desk and they will
give you materials for a hunt throughout the building, searching for
particular elements in pictures. Eggshell mosaic Create mosaics with food dye
and broken eggshell (the best part will be smashing the eggs!). Here's how:
Separate shell into piles. Fill bowls with a variety of food colourings. Dye
each pile, let it dry, then put each colour into separate plastic bags. Let
the kids crush them using spoons or fists, and you've got the perfect material
for a mosaic or collage. Stone Age art Produce cave paintings by preparing a
paper grocery bag to look like that of a cave wall. Crinkle the paper, spray
it with water in the sink, then let it dry. After making a rough pencil
sketch, go over the pencil marks with black paint or charcoal. When the black
lines have dried, paint the figure and background with red, orange, brown or
gold.
ARTS & CRAFTS MATERIALS
Economy of Brighton 82 St Georges Road, Kemptown, Brighton 01273
682831
Jigsaw mural Divide a sheet of paper into jigsaw-piece-like
sections, one for each child. Number each section so you can reassemble it,
then cut out the pieces. Give a section to each artist and set out markers or
crayons. The only rule is that everyone must draw on the same side of the
paper, or the puzzle wont fit back together.
What's in the box? Wrap up an empty box in white or brown paper. Tell the kids that something's inside, then ask them to draw what they imagine is in the box on the outside of it. 3-D Art paper, glue, poster paper Plan and draw an interesting picture or design. On another piece of paper, draw and cut parts that are to be raised or that should stand out in your picture. Cut thin strips or poster paper and bend them in zigzag fashion to form springlike pieces. Paste one end of a spring to the picture and the other end to the cutout
part that is to be raised. The raised parts may need more than one zigzag
strip to keep them raised evenly. Apply the springs to all parts that you want
raised.
Music & Games
Music for young children Children respond to music even when they are tiny
babies - lullabies to their children to relax them and help them go to sleep. It
really doesn't matter if you have a terrible singing voice and you can't play a
musical instrument. Enjoying music together is the most important thing. Around
the house Let your children see that you like listening to music, whether it's
having the radio on when you're doing the dishes, or relaxing to your favourite
music in the evening. ·Don't forget to join in. If children see you singing
along they will be more ready to have a go themselves. Put on some really good
dance music and have a bit of a bop with them while they're still young enough
not to be embarrassed by your own very particular style of dancing. Try and
listen to a variety of music, even if it's only in the background. Tune in to a
classical radio station or play your own classical music and get your children
to tell you what the music makes them think of and what they think might be
happening. Get some tapes or CD's of popular children's nursery rhymes. Ask your
children to clap out the rhythms, or beat out the rhythm with a musical
instrument. Singing along Singing along to nursery rhymes is a great way for
pre-school children to learn their letters and numbers. Most children learn to
sing the alphabet song before they've got any idea what the letters look or
sound like. Similarly children will be able to count up to ten when singing
'One, two, three, four, five. Once I caught a fish alive' without really
understanding the math's! Both however form a really good base for them to start
the learning process. Always encourage your children to sing along with their
favourite songs and help them to learn the words. If children are really
interested then when they go to school there is often the possibility of taking
singing or music lessons. For those children who love to perform to an audience
then get hold of a toy plastic microphone. If your children can perform happily
and unselfconsciously at home with familiar faces and surroundings then they
will probably be less inhibited when it comes to taking part in productions of
one sort or another at school.
The Animal Car Game We usually play on long car trips through the
country, because animals are in more abundance there. Everyone in the car
plays and looks for certain animals alongside the road. The animals looked for
are ONLY the domesticated kind, because birds would be almost impossible and
the game would be over too fast and would be too boring. As one person spots
an animal, they say the sound the animal makes and gets a certain amount of
points for that animal. ex: cow--moo!, horse-neigh, cat-meow.... etc. The
points are given on the difficulty of the animal that was spotted: cow-1
horse-1 dog-1 sheep-2 cat-3 donkey-3 pig-4 anything else spotted everyone must
agree on the amount of points given. The game is usually played until a player
gets to a certain amount.. we usually play 10 points and that lasts about a
half-hour in the countryside... have fun! Animals/Cities/Geography Take turns
naming animals (for example). Each person would have to name another animal
(no repeating) that started with the last letter of the last animal named.
This game could be played with cities or geographical regions.
Making your own Musical Instruments You'd be surprised at the variety of
instruments you can improvise by just using odds and ends you already have
around the house. Babies are quite happy banging on the base of a saucepan
with a wooden spoon. Fill jam jars with varying amounts of water and get your
children to tap them with a spoon and hear the different sounds they make.
Make your own shakers by sticking two plastic cups or yoghurt pots together
after filling them with different materials like rice, dried peas or small
stones. Musical instruments When it comes to providing instruments for your
children to play with it needn't cost a fortune. We're not talking violins and
pianos here - more triangles and tambourines. You can find a great selection
of instruments designed specifically for children in good toyshops. Have a
look in specialist music shops for inspiration too. Always keep a look out for
second hand instruments but do make sure that they are not broken and are of
good quality. · Try to have a variety of musical instruments that make
different sounds. Some instruments that children seem to enjoy are: a) Things
they can hit like drums and bongos, triangles and glockenspiels b)
Tambourines, jingle bells, maracas - or anything they can shake c) Recorders,
whistles, harmonicas - help them blow off steam d) Cymbals or castanets - even
banging together spoons e) Toy keyboards Let the children choose their own
instruments and discover for themselves what sounds they can make. Try letting
them make their own music and get them to play along to some lively music.
This will invariably lead to them prancing around the room at the same time. ·
Don't expect too much - it will sound more like noise than music but your
children will be learning valuable lessons about rhythm and tone. The ABC Game
Object is to complete the alphabet first. As you see the letters on signs &
number plates you shout out your letter and get a point. Once a letter has
been claimed other players cannot use the same letter.
The Theme Song Game One person hums the tune to a favourite TV show
- the one who guesses does the next song. Guess what I am One person states
they are either a person, place or thing and the others then ask questions
(are you blue, can you speak, do you bark, can you be eaten, etc) until they
guess what the person is, then they are next. Alphabet Signs One person chose
the right side of the road and the other person had the left. The object of
the game was to cite all of the letters of the alphabet ,in order, from a to
z. The first person to z won.
Reading & Writing
Keeping a Holiday Diary Something that children of school age might enjoy is making their own journal. This will appeal particularly to those children who enjoy writing, but could be tailored to suit the individual's taste or preference. If for example your child loves drawing, why not make it a pictorial journal? The main thing is to make it as fun as possible. To start with you'll need a book of some description. An exercise type book would be ideal, but make it extra special by customising the cover. You could use some colourful wrapping paper or some plain coloured paper that children could decorate with their own design. They could write their name on the front and make it really stand out by painting over the letters with a thin brush and some glue and then sprinkling over glitter. Get them to use their imagination and come up with something really striking. At the top of each page write the date and then let your child fill in the details of what they've been doing on each day of the holiday. They can illustrate each day's activities in a number of ways. They might enjoy drawing or painting pictures of what they've been up to. If they've been for a walk in the woods, get them to collect some leaves so that they can stick those in their journal. If you go somewhere special, pick up a postcard. At the end of the holiday they can look back over all the things they've done. If one or other parent is at work during the day then this is a great way for them to share in what the rest of the family have been doing. An added bonus is that it might just make sure that every day you get out there and do something!
Little Animals Memory Game This activity can be made with any variety of little items. The children love playing this together and taking turns hiding the animals. Vary the animals or items to keep the game fresh and fun. What You Need Little animals, various colours and types (or any type of small toys) Tabletop or box lid Small cloth or kitchen towel How To Make It Start out with only a few animals on the box lid. As the child gets better at the game, add more and more animals. Have the first child lay the animals out on a box lid. Let the second child study the animals on the lid. Have the first child cover the animals with the small cloth. Have the first child reach under the cloth and remove a few of the animals. Hide these either in his lap or behind his back. Have the first child remove the cloth. Have the second child guess which animals (and colours) were removed. When the guessing is done, have the first child show the second child whether he was correct. Now let the second child repeat what the first child did and let the first child do the guessing. Have fun!
Memory This is a fun and very easy project that young kids find to be a lot of fun!!!! What You Need · Cardboard (gift boxes or cereal boxes) · Construction paper · Scissors · Glue · Crayons or markers · Ruler How To Make It Cut the gift box so that it is just a plain flat surface that is the same size as the piece of construction paper. Glue the paper onto the box and let it dry. After it has dried, use the ruler to make an even amount of equally sized boxes. Then, have the child draw sets of pictures in each box. For example: make two boxes have a star in them, and another two a heart, etc. Cut out each individual box and the kids have made their own game of memory. For those who are not familiar with the game of memory, mix the pieces up and turn them over then the child can try to find the matches. Penpal All of you sit down around a table and write a letter to a relative or a friend. If they're sharing news about summer activities, it may lead to invitations and adventures. Talk to me Take an old can and fill it with slips of paper. On each, write a question, such as 'How can you cheer up someone who's sad?' or 'If you could be anyone for a day, who'd it be?'. While you are having a meal, each of you pull out a question and see what ideas everyone comes up with.
Mancala Bead Game This game originated in Africa. Parental supervision is recommended. What You Need Cardboard egg carton (dozen size) 2 Tuna cans; washed, rinsed, and dry Craft paints Paintbrush 48 Marbles, tiny rocks, beads, beans, etc. Instructions (see below) How To Make It; Paint the egg carton in the colour desired. Let dry. Paint the tuna cans on the outside. Let dry. (If you paint the inside, the paint will chip off as you play the game.) Paint designs on the side of the egg carton and tuna cans if you wish. Let dry. Play your game with a friend or family member. RULES: Object: 2 players compete against each other to collect as many marbles as they can before one of the players clears his side of the egg carton of all its marbles. Setting up the game: Place the egg carton between the 2 players, lengthwise. The cups closest to you is your side of the board. The Mancala (tuna can) to your right is yours. Place 4 marbles in each of the cups. Choose a player to go first. Playing the game: The first player picks up all the marbles in one of his cups. The player then starts to the first cup to the right and starts dropping one marble in each. If he reaches the end of his side, he is to drop one marble in his Mancala, then continue around to the other side of the board. He is not, however, to drop a marble in his opponent's Mancala. If the player places his last marble in his own Mancala, the player gets to play again. Example: If you start the game, a good play may be to choose the cup that is located 4th from the right. You would pick up 4 marbles, dropping one in each cup and ending in your Mancala. This gives you an extra turn. If the player drops his last marble on his side of the board in an empty cup, he captures all the marbles in his opponent's bin directly across from that bin. All captured marbles, plus the capturing marble, gets put in the player's Mancala. Players are not allowed to touch marbles in order to count them. If you touch your marbles, you are to play that cup. Winning the game: The game ends when one player runs out of marbles on his side of the egg carton. When the game ends, the other player gets to take all his stones from his side of the egg carton and place in his own Mancala. Strategy sets in by determining whether it is wiser to go out, or play longer, depending on how many stones are in the opposing players cups. Making stories from comic strips Many children don't much like to writing but do like telling stories. You will need to prepare the comic strips before you play with your child What you need Comic strips from newspapers or comics - you could stick them onto card to make them more durable. Tippex
What to do White out the names and speech balloons - you could cut them up
into individual frames for a more advanced version. Get your child to make a
sequence of cut up strips and to talk about what’s going on in each frame.
Ask- What are the people doing? What are they saying? What are they thinking
about? What’s going to happen next? Why do you think that? Is that the end of
the story? You could shuffle the frames and deal them as cards to be put back
together. You could write the story down - maybe a sentence for each. Alphabet
Rubbings sandpaper, scissors, crayons, printing paper Cut shapes of letters or
numbers out of sandpaper at least 3 in tall. Put the shapes under the paper
and let children rub over the top with the crayons. Have them rub their name,
etc. Alphabet Scrapbook photo album with plastic cling sheets, old magazines,
scissors On each page of your photo album, write a letter of the alphabet.
Then, with your child, look through magazines for pictures of things and put
them on the pages with the same first letter. (Example: Use airplane for A.)
Now your child has their very own alphabet book that they created.
Cooking
Cornflour Mix A great tactile experience, full of sensations and ready for experiments. 2 cups of cornflour 1 cup (approximately of cold water) Pour the water into a fairly deep dish or tray. Gradually sprinkle the cornflour on top and stir to a smooth consistency. It should form a soft ball when rolled between finger & thumb, which when released will return to it's original free-flowing form. You may need to add more water if it doesn't do this. Rainbow Rice You can use this instead of sand with jugs and funnels. Long grain rice Various food colourings Add a couple of drops of food colouring to a small bowl of long grain rice. Stir well until all the rice is coated. Spread the rice on a tray and cook in the oven for 2 or 3 minutes only - until the rice has ‘dried out’. Repeat the procedure using different food colourings. Slime This recipe can irritate eczema sufferers. Provide jugs and funnels and let them play with this (preferably in the garden!) 2 cups of soap flakes 2 litres of warm water Food colouring or paint Mix it all together and leave overnight.
Making Playdough Nearly all small children absolutely love playing with playdough. Not only does it keep them amused and quiet it also gives them a chance to be creative. Here's a simple recipe showing you how to make your own: Ingredients: 2 cups of plain flour 2 cups of water 2 teaspoons of cream of tartare 1 cup of salt 2 tablespoons of oil A few drops of food colouring Adding water to the mix Mix together all the dry ingredients in a saucepan. Gradually add the oil and the water taking care to obtain a smooth mix. Add the food colouring and cook over a very low heat for several minutes stirring constantly. Be patient - and don't panic when it all looks as if it's going horribly wrong! It may well go lumpy at this stage but just keep stirring. The dough should come off the sides of the pan and form a mass in the centre - do take care not to overcook though. The cooked dough should be removed from the pan quickly and kneaded on a lightly floured board for a little while. The best way to keep the playdough is in an airtight container in the fridge or a cool place where it should last for up to three months. When it's ready it comes away from the sides of the pan They can use pastry or sweet cutters or you can buy playdough cutters in the shape of animals, dinosaurs etc. You'll also need a small rolling pin, which you can get from toyshops or cook shops. You can always improvise - even a pencil will roll out the playdough perfectly well. One final word of warning! It makes sense to place some newspapers or a protective plastic sheet on the floor to guard against accidents. Also some very young children seem to like the taste of playdough - so be warned! Smelly dough 2 cups flour 1 Cup of salt 1 cup (approx.) water Few drops of food essence Mix together & kneed well
Modelling Dough 1 lb self-raising flour 1 pint saltwater as required Mix together well - this dough is not sticky and so is good for modelling. It can be dried hard in an oven at 350 degrees and then painted. Salt Dough (like play-dough) What You Need 1 Large bowl 1 baking tray 1 Rolling pin 1 cup Salt 1 1/4 cups Warm water 1 Mixing spoon or mixer 3 cups Flour 1 plastic bag 1 refrigerator painting supplies How To Make It DAY ONE Pour 1 cup salt into large bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups warm water, mix well. Add 3 cups flour, mix well some more. Knead into ball, seal in plastic bag and refrigerate. DAY TWO Take out. Mold into anything you want! Set aside. DAY THREE (if not hard yet, put in oven for awhile) Paint, if you wish. You may wish to put on cardboard first. Set aside. DAY FOUR TADA! A MASTERPIECE!
Dough Handprints Every year, I make dough handprints of my children. They make wonderful gifts for grandparents, too! NOTE: This recipe takes some experimenting. Please try the recipe BEFORE using it in a group setting. What You Need 2 cups of flour 1 cup salt 1 cup water Food colouring Ribbon Gold marker Wax paper How To Make It Add food colouring to the water. I use pink for girls, blue for boys. Mix all ingredients well, kneading until smooth. Dough should be pretty stiff, not soft or runny or it will fill with air bubbles when baking. Form dough into a ball, of about what you can enclose in your two hands, and form into a round smooth ball. Using a rolling pin with the dough on wax paper, roll out into as round of a circle as you can. Dough will be about 1/2 inch thick. Press your child's hand with fingers splayed into the dough. Depending on child's age, you will have to help and individually press their fingers. Make sure to press deep enough without going completely to the bottom. (When it bakes it tends to raise the handprint up.) Put on a baking sheet. Use a chop stick or pencil, etc. to make two holes in the top about 1/2 inch apart. This will be used to string the ribbon through. Bake at 200 degrees for about 2-3 hours. Dough should be fairly hard but watch to see that it doesn't burn. When they are done and cooled, use a gold marker pen and write the child's name and date (year). I put the child's name on top and the year on bottom, if there is room. If not, I put name on one side and year on one side. I tie a ribbon at the top (blue or pink - or gold) to use as a loop to hang.
Tie Dyeing This is a simple technique for doing Tie Dyeing, but may require an adult to help. Parental supervision is recommended. What You Need Tie dye (Hot water dye is the best because it won't run out. It is purchased from most chemists) T-shirt, handkerchief, shorts, almost anything that might be of interest Large pot -- metal because the dye does stain wood Water Spoon to stir around with Tongs Rubber bands How To Make It Take article of clothing, gather up a bundle and wrap around the rubber band tightly. Do this in numerous spots all over the article so that circles will turn up everywhere you want. Boil some water in a large pot and when boiling tip dye in (sometimes you don't even need to use the whole pot of dye). Add article and stir for around 30 minutes on high. When finished, take out with tongs and run under cold water to make sure all extra dye runs out. Dry, then take off lackey bands (rubber bands), iron and your piece is ready to use. Note: Tie dyeing can be messy. Be sure to wear old clothes, and you may want to use rubber gloves.
Pasta Jewellery How to make a bracelet and necklace out of Penne Here is a really easy way to make some pretty jewellery with just some pasta, paints and a bit of string. What you'll need Some dried penne pasta quills. Paint and brushes and a jar of water. Thin string or strong thread or twine A blunt needle with a large eye As always where children and paint are involved, it's probably a good idea to cover the area where they are working with newspaper. Younger children should also protect their clothes with an overall or an old shirt. Another tip is to have one damp cloth on hand to wipe messy fingers, and one to dry the brushes a little after they've been dipped in water between changing colours. What to do Paint the penne in a variety of different colours - these are the "beads". If you are using the sort of powdered paint that you mix yourself, make it fairly thick. If you are using block paints then have the brush quite dry and load on the paint to get nice bright colours. Be warned - little fingers get very messy doing this so wipe them between colours. Let the pasta dry, which only takes a few minutes. Put all the coloured beads in a bowl. Thread your needle with some thin string or strong cotton or twine. To stop the beads falling off as you are threading them on, tie a button or big knot at the end. Let the children choose which colours they'd like and in which order. Older children will be able to thread the beads on themselves but younger children will obviously need help. You could ask the children if they'd like to make a recurring pattern with the colours. When the bracelet or necklace are the required length, tie a strong knot in the two ends of the thread. It's a good idea to measure them against the children, particularly with the bracelet. It must be long enough to be put on comfortably, but small enough not to fall off. And there you have your pasta
jewellery. One final word - the colours may rub off onto clothing. If this is
a problem and you'd like them to be a bit more permanent you could always
varnish the beads.
Wax Crayon Rubbings Get them to take a closer look at their surroundings by taking wax crayon rubbings of the different textures they find in the garden or the park. All you need are wax crayons in different colours and some paper. When they've collected a selection of different rubbings you can use them to make an interesting collage. Taking the rubbings Get the children to take a piece of paper and wax crayon and take a piece of paper and a wax crayon and take a rubbing of an interesting surface so that the whole piece of paper is covered. Try the garden path, the drive, the bark of tree, a shed or a bench, the garage door, paving, patterns on garden furniture or toys. If you peel all the paper off the crayons for them they can use the whole length of the crayon to take the rubbing and not just the end. This is much quicker too. Take the rubbings in a couple of different colours, so that you end up with a pile of paper covered in a variety of patterns and different colours. 
Music for young children Children respond to music even when they are tiny
babies - lullabies to their children to relax them and help them go to sleep. It
really doesn't matter if you have a terrible singing voice and you can't play a
musical instrument. Enjoying music together is the most important thing. Around
the house Let your children see that you like listening to music, whether it's
having the radio on when you're doing the dishes, or relaxing to your favourite
music in the evening. ·Don't forget to join in. If children see you singing
along they will be more ready to have a go themselves. Put on some really good
dance music and have a bit of a bop with them while they're still young enough
not to be embarrassed by your own very particular style of dancing. Try and
listen to a variety of music, even if it's only in the background. Tune in to a
classical radio station or play your own classical music and get your children
to tell you what the music makes them think of and what they think might be
happening. Get some tapes or CD's of popular children's nursery rhymes. Ask your
children to clap out the rhythms, or beat out the rhythm with a musical
instrument. Singing along Singing along to nursery rhymes is a great way for
pre-school children to learn their letters and numbers. Most children learn to
sing the alphabet song before they've got any idea what the letters look or
sound like. Similarly children will be able to count up to ten when singing
'One, two, three, four, five. Once I caught a fish alive' without really
understanding the math's! Both however form a really good base for them to start
the learning process. Always encourage your children to sing along with their
favourite songs and help them to learn the words. If children are really
interested then when they go to school there is often the possibility of taking
singing or music lessons. For those children who love to perform to an audience
then get hold of a toy plastic microphone. If your children can perform happily
and unselfconsciously at home with familiar faces and surroundings then they
will probably be less inhibited when it comes to taking part in productions of
one sort or another at school.
Keeping a Holiday Diary Something that children of school age might enjoy is making their own journal. This will appeal particularly to those children who enjoy writing, but could be tailored to suit the individual's taste or preference. If for example your child loves drawing, why not make it a pictorial journal? The main thing is to make it as fun as possible. To start with you'll need a book of some description. An exercise type book would be ideal, but make it extra special by customising the cover. You could use some colourful wrapping paper or some plain coloured paper that children could decorate with their own design. They could write their name on the front and make it really stand out by painting over the letters with a thin brush and some glue and then sprinkling over glitter. Get them to use their imagination and come up with something really striking. At the top of each page write the date and then let your child fill in the details of what they've been doing on each day of the holiday. They can illustrate each day's activities in a number of ways. They might enjoy drawing or painting pictures of what they've been up to. If they've been for a walk in the woods, get them to collect some leaves so that they can stick those in their journal. If you go somewhere special, pick up a postcard. At the end of the holiday they can look back over all the things they've done. If one or other parent is at work during the day then this is a great way for them to share in what the rest of the family have been doing. An added bonus is that it might just make sure that every day you get out there and do something! 
