Gingerbread Men

Ok - we didn't make these gingerbread men, we bought them in Tesco and Emma (4 years old) decorated them.  But I thought that they deserved to be here, just because of the 'imaginative' decorating.

Colouring Pictures

I was actually trying to 'cartoonise' this photo, but instead I ended up with something I can print out for Emma to colour in.

Paper Hats

Kids like colouring and folding and kids also like wearing hats.  Here's a paper hat I made Emma (in disguise)  - this is made with an A4 piece of paper and ended up really small.

Love the mask though, all Emma's handywork.

Worlds Best Dad Trophy

This is a lovley little idea, which cam from the website Kaboose (the link is on the credits page if you want to go and have a look). It's simple enough for small children, but is something every dad would love.

You Will Need

Gold Pipe cleaners (if you think you'd use a lot I'd recommend buying a packet. If not you can always paint white ones gold)
Two Foam Coffee Cups
Small Box (You can make your own if you like or use a box you already have)
Gold Craft Paint
Black Paper
White Ink Pen
Glue
Masking Tape

Put the cups together at the smallest end and glue. Then seal the middle where the two cups meet with masking tape. If the cup has a lip underneath, trim this off.
Cut the pipe cleaner in half and shape like cup handles. then poke them through the sides of the trophy in the right places (on the top cup).
Cover the cups with masking tape, which you will then paint gold. You will also need to paint the box.
When they have dried cut a piece of square card and write on it with the white pen. This can be whatever you want, but in this example it would be Worlds Best Dad. Stick the card to the box and the cups to the box (the end without the handles)

Once it's dry you can give it to your dad. 

Paper Snowflakes

The Christmas decorations that you can buy in the shops can be lovely, but expensive or tacky and cheap. I find that I can never afford to deck out my tree with the nice stuff, but I want decorations that are going to last more than year or two. A solution to this is making your own decorations. A lot of the possibilities can be made from recyclable materials, so they can be put in the recycling bin after they've been taken down for the year.

You Will Need
Paper or Card
Scissors
Ribbon
Selotape or Glue

Fold the paper back and forth like a concertina, in the same fashion you would if you were making a simple paper fan or paper doilies. Then in the centre cut two small triangles, making sure that you leave enough in the middle that the structure of the snowflake isn't damaged (i.e. don't cut through the paper). Now cut shapes along the two sides.
Glue the top two sides together and do the same for the bottom two, this will have given you the snowflake shape.
Tie a ribbon around it and hang it on your tree.

Bunny Ears

Every year around Easter the bunny ears start to pop up in the shops, and the kids want them. They are a (not cheap) item that will probably be used once before the child gets board of them. The answer is to make your own bunny ears.

You Will Need

White Card
Pink Card
Scissors
Pencil
Glue
Selotape

Cut off a strip for the headband, the ear shapes and the pink inside bits.
Glue the pink bits on the ears.
Put the headband around your childs head to measure. Cut off the unneeded bits and selotape into the headshape (then double check by putting it back on your childs head)
Glue the ears on, remembering to point the pink bits towards the inside of the headband.

Playdough

I have always hated playdough, it lasts 5 minutes and I spend most of my time throwing away the hard dried up bits that get left behind. But when I started taking my youngest daughter to playgroup, I found their playdough was different; it smelled nice, it looked good and best of all it lasted a long time!

It turns out that playdough is really easy to make; the recipie I'm covering here is made in the microwave, but there is also Stretchy Dough and Modelling Dough which I will try to cover later on.

Microwave Dough

2 cups of plain flour
2 cups of water
2 cups of salt
2 teaspoons of oil
Food colouring/essence/glitter if required
4 teaspoons of cream of tartar

Mix all the ingredients together by hand
Microwave on high for 1 minuite, stir and repeat until dough pulls away from the edge of the bowl
Knead well and store in an airtight container

This makes loads! and as long as you mould it all into a ball when storing it it will last for a very long time.

Pumpkin Jars

I went to an arts and crafts kids party in November 2010 and this is one of the things my 4 year old made.  Simple but effective and fun.

You Will Need

Empty jars (doesn't have to be baby food jars, but they are probably the best size)
Glue
Orange Crepe or tissue paper
A nightlight candle (optional)
Black paper
Sissors
A paint brush

Cut the orange paper into peices about 2cm square. The child can then paint the glue on to the jar and cover it in the orange paper. Then, once the glue has all dried, cut the black paper into whatever shape you want your eyes and mouth to be. Stick these on. If you want to use it as a candle holder, place a nightlight inside (obviously you would leave the top of to burn a candle). Please don't leave it unattended.