I don’t know what it is about vintage postcards and pictures, there’s just something about them. I recently went on a holiday road-trip all the way from Sydney to the far south coast of NSW with my husband and two girls, and along the way we came across an antique shop. Normally we don’t stop at antique shops, because really they are kind of like overpriced second hand stores, but when
Search Results for: hat
DIY Christmas and new year’s eve crackers
We love hand made crackers at our place. We make them for Christmas every year, and have also made them for birthdays as well. In this post that I wrote for Childhood 101 I’ll show you how these sparkly gold and silver Christmas crackers can become New Year’s Eve crackers with a few simple changes. I’ll also show you lots of fun things that you can stuff them with. Read more
Hair elastic wreath ornament
If you like a craft activity that is just easy and doesn’t require too much thought, mess and effort then this one is for you. We used the basic loom band finger weaving technique to create some colourful wreath ornaments with hair elastics. My girls (aged 5 and 6) had no problem making these mostly by themselves but did need a little help with tying it up at the end and
Paper bag advent calendar
Like most people at this time of year, we have all been very busy. It can be hard to find the time to make things when you are caught up in the end-of-year rush, but I promised two girls an advent calendar and late is always better than never. Their advent calendar this year is a simple paper bag one, with tissue paper poinsettias to decorate. If you want to make a late
24 Fascinating Christmas Facts
Last year I created an advent calendar that the kids loved so much it’s given me something BIG to live up to. They are asking every day, “have you made the advent calendar”? and I have had to admit to them that I haven’t started it yet. Well now I have – I have gathered 24 fascinating facts on Christmas that I know they will find interesting, funny, crazy or unusual when they
Homegrown Gift Basket
Here is a simple gift idea that I wanted to share with you: a ‘homegrown’ gift basket. We made this one for a cousin’s birthday present, but it would be a nice idea for Christmas as well. It didn’t cost much to make but was well appreciated and is easy to put together if you are the gardening type. Unfortunately I am NOT the gardening type, everything I plant tends to get
Yarn star ornament
Create some simple, decorative yarn star ornaments for Christmas. This is an easy, eco-friendly Christmas craft for kids using basic materials you most likely have at home (yarn, and sticks from the garden!). You might also like our yarn wreath ornaments These Christmas yarn star ornaments can be made with small or large sticks depending on your preference. Ours are oversized but they still look great hanging on the tree,
Oil and water discovery bottles
Recently we created some sparkly wax gems as a science activity inspired by the popular lava lamp experiment. We have not actually made a ‘lava lamp’ but there is a great version of it here at Racheous Lovable Learning. This is a different activity inspired by that same experiment, and is very quick, easy and interesting for kids. My girls both adored making these. To make oil and water discovery bottles you
Dinosaurs in sticky mud
Have fun getting messy with this Dinosaurs in sticky mud sensory play activity. Chocolate-scented oobleck (also known as goo) combined with plastic dinosaurs in their own small world will keep kids entertained with sensory and imaginative play in one. I have been a long-time fan of Asia Citro’s blog Fun at Home With Kids. Her craft and play recipes are quirky, creative and always have me clicking through to the
Flower Ice Cube Sensory Play
While all you lovely people in the northern half of the world are rugging up and preparing for the chilly winter weather, here on the outskirts of Western Sydney the heat is really ramping up a bit – perfect for some flower ice cube play! To do this activity you don’t need much, but warm weather is best and fresh flowers and leaves are a must.
25+ Fun free Christmas printables
I love Christmas. I love the crafting, the festive atmosphere, the food and the excitement of gift-giving. I don’t love how expensive it gets though! Here, at least, are a few fun ideas from around the web that won’t cost you much more than the paper they’re printed on. Yep- free printables, and they are all lots of fun!
Cinnamon Cookie Playdough
Make some cinnamon cookie playdough that smells amazing! This is a fun sensory activity and pretend-play idea for preschoolers. You might also like our Christmas pudding play dough Not that long ago the girls and I were making jam tarts – real ones, that is. They adore baking but the only problem was that they did NOT want to put all of the pastry we made to use as tarts,
Rock Cakes for Pretend Play
If you have a little one at home who enjoys pretend tea parties, perhaps they would like a few rock cakes to add to their game. These are pretty VERY easy to make, and as obvious as it looks, I’m about to tell you how I made them for 5 year old Miss K, who spends many happy hours absorbed in her elaborate “cafe” pretend play games.
DIY Sparkly Wax Gems
Miss R, at age six, is extremely fascinated by rocks, crystals, jewels and science in general. This is a project idea that she made up herself, after watching this experiment on Youtube for making your own lava lamp. She wanted to make a lava lamp for her bedroom, but I explained that the experiment she saw was not a real lava lamp, just a soluble tablet churning up oil and coloured water.
Cardboard Box Noah’s Ark
Create a Noah’s ark for imaginary play with this easy cardboard box craft. Preschoolers will love saving their own stuffed animals from the flood! Our “ark” has a gang plank to board the ship, portholes so the smaller animals can peek out and a sail to catch the wind. Let me start off by saying that this cardboard box Noah’s Ark is probably not an accurate depiction of the Bible
Chocolate Marshmallow Pop treats
Miss K recently turned 5, and to celebrate birthdays at her pre school it is customary to bring in a platter of home made cupcakes to share with the class. While my cupcake-baking skills are getting better year by year they are still not that awesome, and I thought I’d try something a little different this time around. I remembered seeing a fabulous, easy-looking giant chocolate freckle pops idea over
Crafty Cafe Busy Bags for Disney on Ice
Not long ago my girls were invited to a meet and greet of the stars of Disney on Ice presents Treasure Trove – and boy did they have a ball. So it’s not surprising that we were all looking forward to seeing the actual show, and to celebrate the occasion we decided on having a meal beforehand in a nearby restaurant and creating some fun crafty busy bags for the
Creative ideas with coloured pasta
Pasta is a kid-friendly kind of meal, and because it’s one of Miss K’s favourites we serve it up at least once a week. When it comes around to grocery shopping time, I always forget how much is in the cupboard and buy another packet “just in case”, until we have ended up with way more of the stuff than we need. On top of that, recently I discovered just how
Repurposing kids art into gifts
Do you keep your kids art in a big stash somewhere? I must confess, I often toss it in the recycling bin when the kids aren’t looking, but not without a twinge of guilt. There are some fabulous pieces that I do keep. Some of them get pasted into art diaries that I keep as a record for the girls, and others I keep as spare gift wrap. Of course,
Funny face rock puzzle
This week we pulled out some white rocks that were stashed away in the back of the craft cupboard for no particular purpose. Sometimes I buy things, feeling sure that I will “make something one day”, but once they are put away they are completely forgotten about. Until the kids pull them out, of course, and decide to do some craft. Now to be completely honest, the kids did not make