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]]>Guest post by Simone Emery from Play with Food.
My favourite tool to have in my parenting arsenal is a good afternoon tea. A good afternoon tea sets the kids up for a decent window of opportunity to be productive without the “I’m bored” and “I’m hungry” complaints during the witching hour*.
*Actually, let’s be honest it should read hours. Next to afternoon tea is having something ready to occupy the youngsters. (Unless homework is in the picture for you and that is causing a whole lot of other “fun” at your place.)
Here are 5 foodie ideas to get through the afternoon that don’t require too much preparation. You should have most of the ingredients / resources on hand.
1. Vegie Painting
Using some vegetables, try painting (or drawing around) them onto paper. You can make an edible paint by mixing a teaspoon of yoghurt with a drop of food colouring. Vegetables that make good brushes include asparagus, broccoli, rosemary stalks and carrot tops. Or you can cut a potato into two and make circle / oval stamps.
2. Grouping and Counting with Vegie Scraps
This is great if you have potato / carrot / sweet potato or the outer leaves of a leek available. Have the children tear them into pieces and then line them up in order from smallest to biggest. Or put them in groups of similar size pieces. Then they can tally up the number of pieces they have sorted out.
3. Mystery Sensory Challenge
In a shoe box, place some dry rolled oats and some small mystery fruits and vegetables for the children to find and determine what they are just by feeling them. This works well for small items like apricots, plums, cherries, beans, sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes. You could use shredded paper, dry rice or dry pasta to surround the mystery foods too.
4. Bubble Painting
In a small beach bucket over a messy mat or outside, place some detergent, food colouring and water. Put some paper over the bucket and poke a straw through it. The child then has to blow OUT to make bubbles that will reach up and colour the paper.
5. Food Sculptures
A great way to use their imagination and also to make some use of your scraps again too. With toothpicks, get them to try and make things like a car, digger, castle or dog out of food items. This can be simply done on a placemat on the floor beside you while you are making dinner.
Simone, from Play with Food, has plenty of tips to help you master your family mealtimes, especially with fussy eaters. She always aims to delight the taste buds and imagination of children with food.
How do you incorporate food into play? Tell me in the comments.
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]]>Christmas is a time of magic, creativity and joy.
Seeing the joy on a child’s face when they get into the spirit of Christmas is all it takes to make a parent slow down and embrace the merry season. This typically starts with Christmas activities!
It is no secret kids love doing arts and crafts, it is also no secret that craft is beneficial for children and their development. (CLICK THE LINK TO SEE HOW). But most importantly, it is fun. If you and your little ones want to get into the spirit of Christmas make sure you create these festive Christmas activities seen below!
Bauble Decorating
Decorating your own baubles can be so much fun. Not many crafts items are required to make this and yet you can create something special and that will treasured for years to come.
You will need: plain bauble, paint, glitter, sequins/confetti.
How to: Design your bauble and craft a beautiful decoration. You can use the paint to make a pattern, add glitter or sequins to wet paint (this eliminates the need for glue). My 2 year old daughter thought feathers were fun so added as many that would physically stick on.
Once you have your beautiful bauble looking how you like it, hang it up to dry.
Christmas Card Making
Christmas cards are almost an essential part of the season. Instead of using the same old generic cards though, create unique ones at home. You can show of your creative flare and add that extra love we all want at Christmas.
You will need: Cardboard, paint, tinsel, glitter, sequins/confetti, pens
How to: If your cardboard is not already cut to size, cut it and then fold in half. Draw/paint/glue your design on the card and let it fry before writing your special message inside.
Each of my kids created completely differently cards with the same items, it is great to see how their imagination and creativity allows them to be so different.
Mini Wreaths
These mini wreaths are so incredibly easy to make! Requiring only two products to make them, they are extremely budget friendly and make a great decoration or gift.
You will need: Pipe cleaners, bells (in assorted colours and sizes)
How to: Thread the bells onto the pipe cleaner, alternating the direction with each one. Leave a little pipe cleaner spare at the end so you can close it off. Twist the ends and hang it on your Christmas tree!
The Christmas craft ideas are simple and easy to make which makes them great for children of all ages. My two year old had an absolute ball, as did my 6 and 8 year olds. The is no age limit for craft and each child / adult deserves to get into the Christmas spirit! Ho Ho Ho!
What are your favourite Christmas craft activities?
This is an S1 POST written in collaboration with Child.com.au.
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]]>The post DIY Printables And Educational Games For Kids appeared first on All Mum Said.
]]>With school holidays fast approaching, it’s great to have some creative tools up your sleeve. Keeping the kids entertained, learning and laughing over the Christmas break may sound like an impossible task, but it’s not – with some printable activities and fun learning games, you can keep their boredom at bay in an educational way.
These nifty little puzzles are a great tool for increasing motor control and aiding in cognitive development and spatial awareness in toddlers and pre-schoolers. They can also be a great idea for presents!
Here’s how to make them:
1. Print a recognisable character, picture or word on thick, laminated paper.
2. Glue the back of your paper to a stack of connected LEGO Duplo bricks (or regular LEGO pieces for older kids).
3. Simply slice between the seams of each Lego brick.
4. Take the pieces apart and let your little ones put them back together.
Another activity to keep your kids’ minds at work these holidays is teaching them the parts of the body. A fun way to beat the old “heads, shoulders, knees and toes” song could be to create your own jingles. Depending on your child’s age, you can introduce new body parts to the song, such as tummy, elbows, chin and chest. If you’re after a really crafty afternoon, print out diagrams of the body and see what parts they recognise (just the basics is fine – nothing too challenging!).
It’s no secret that children have huge imaginations. Make the most of this by keeping a night-time journal with your children. Even if they can’t write yet, work with them to create a personalised journal featuring their own pictures and stories. For example, you could print out a picture of their favourite character and dedicate a diary page to them. A diary is a great educational tool as it teaches your child the benefits of reflecting and remembering. Best of all, you can laminate and frame it for their 18th birthday!
Print out large letters of the alphabet and glue them onto sticks. You can pick them up in order, or make a game out of spelling words. The ageless ‘pick up sticks’ game has never been so educational!
Print out a graph of the timetables on bright, colourful paper. Laminate it and stick it somewhere in the house to help your child or children get more familiar with them.
Mix and match art with maths. Have your child design a ‘greater than, less than’ monster such as a crocodile and teach them maths with a deck of cards.
Printable activities can be useful for kids of all ages, but the value of printed materials extend beyond childhood as well! Education and training providers find that printed documents are effective training tools in all kinds of industries – particularly when created with expert printing companies like The Print Group (click here to learn more).
For the kids, quality learning doesn’t just have to happen in school. Learning at home can prove just as good for stimulating and pushing your children to their full potential.
What are your favourite ways to inspire learning through DIY activities?
This is an S2 POST.
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