BabyWhispererForums.com
ACTIVITY => Activity Time & Toddler Activity => Topic started by: Sunshine's Mommy on March 13, 2009, 19:35:02 pm
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My DD was in daycare until this week and she always did these beautiful and creative crafts with her caregiver. Now that she'll be home with me for a year, I'd like to make sure that she is still stimulated and would love to do some creative crafts with her. But the problem is... I'm not all that creative.
I was wondering if we could share some crafts ideas. What supplies are needed, can you use recycled materials or dollar store things, how it's made and maybe even a picture of the final product?
I love the thread with activities for toddlers and I printed the whole thing to keep it handy. And I thought that maybe we could make this a sticky too (if there is enough interest).
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I just found this website and it seems to have some easy and fun crafts. When you scroll to the bottom you'll find a whole list of crafts
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/puppets/twofinger/
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Katie is a lot younger than your toddler - but this is what we do:
- STICKING - her fave - I cut up used bits of wrapping paper, chocolate wrappers, any interesting bits of paper and she loves making collages
- STICKERS - more expensive but a real treat if I can buy some cheap sheets of stickers - even just little coloured dots from an office supplies shop
- our 99p store often has good stickers, fluffy balls, "eyes" etc - big bags for 99p - which last ages and are great for sticking
- making cards - I get her to do a big sheet of paper and cover it with paint and then cut it up into squares and stick onto cards to make thank you cards - or use stickers
- PAINTING - nice thick poster paint.... shower curtain on the floor...
- modelling clay - we use Soft Stuff - with cookie cutters, rolling pins, - one day I cut up some straws into 2-3cm long bits and we used them to make spiders and hedgehogs by sticking them into balls of modelling clay
If I can remember how to post photos I will add some in another post
Bryony xx
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perfect thread, i so need this as well.
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Bryony - love the shower curtain on the floor idea for painting! much better than newspapers (that's what I've been doing)
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I keep a little treasure box full of spare goodies for creativity:
yarn/string leftovers
odd pieces of wrapping paper, origami paper
empty toilet paper tubes
stickers
crayons
glue sticks
glitter (if you are really brave!)
stamps and inpads
buttons
construction paper and kid scissors
I used to do crafts in my nanny days of old:
colored construction paper and glue on cotton balls to make a sheep.
trace the kids' hands and let them decorate/or whole body on big paper!
cut apples/carrots into interesting shapes and use as a stamp
macaroni necklaces
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do you use gluesticks for sticking stuff??
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We do
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We sometimes use gluesticks, sometimes glue out of a squeezy bottle
Yes you have to be VERY brave to use glitter - usually ends in tears in our house (mine not Katie's!!)
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thanks all..i need to stat colecting toilet and kitchen roll cores.
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check out these sites for amazing inspiration
The Crafty Crow http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/ which posts links to other sites doing great things
No time for flashcards - http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/ great for toddlers as her lo is still young but she also does some preschooler level crafts (always includes books and songs to link in with themes)
Preschool Daze- is an international preschool and the diector posts lots of things that they do that you could adapt or copy http://preschool-daze.com/
have others but if you start with these you will follow the trail yourself. if you see a craft you love on crafty crow check out the person's blog and see what else they have done and so on. no time for flashcards is the best individual kids craft site IMO because of the way she shows you step by step including any issues like her son eating the paint
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Thanks Deb!
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Try to build up a little arts and craft box full of prit stick type glue (less messy) and little things to stick onto it, you could cut up shapes of paper and I also like to cut out the initial of their name and as they get older you can use the other letters to help with letter recognition.
I cut circles and features so that they can put the eyes, nose and mouth in the right place, we also made an Ox for the Chinese new year where they had to put the horns, eyes and nose and we stuck it on a stick for a mask.
Also, real stickers are nice, especially for younger toddlers who find the glue stick tricky.
The important thing is that they do it as they want to, not how they should (IYKWIM) you can sit and do what you should do and they can watch and learn, but if they don't get it right, that's fine,it's their work and they will get it right soon. I was in a playgroup when a mum was trying to stop her son from twirling the heart shaped cutter around in the playdough, she was taking it off him and showing him how to do it correctly, he just wanted to twirl it around. But he was having fun, who cares if he wasn't making hearts, he was making lovely swirls! Let the children lead you!
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Moon sand creations.
Glue-google eyes, feathers, paper, beads, etc...
Stringing beads.
Homemade silly putty.
Shaving cream art.
Coloring.
Painting.
Worksheets to color, cut, and glue together.
Foam craft kits from craft stores.
Make our own books.
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pipe cleaners are great too!
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Is 18 months too early for crafts? We have done crayons and sidewalk chalk. He mostly does lines and has a real short attention span for it. I'd love to do something for Christmas for the relatives. Like an ornament with his picture. Any ideas?
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playdoh is great for 18 mo - if you want to do ornamentsyou coudl make the dough that can be air dried or baked and lo can either do handprints in them or use cutters from playdoh and then paint them.
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Is 18 months too early for crafts? We have done crayons and sidewalk chalk. He mostly does lines and has a real short attention span for it. I'd love to do something for Christmas for the relatives. Like an ornament with his picture. Any ideas?
Fab age for arts and crafts. For christmas cards, fold a large piece of card and on the front cover stick a cut out green Christmas Tree. Get some prit stick and some nice coloured ribbons, stars,, bells, flowers, whatever and let your little one decorate the tree. You can also do it with baubles etc. Just one idea, will post more if you like. But htey love stickers, buy a strip from anywhere and let them stick onto a piece of paper, keeps them busy and helps the fine motor skills develop
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I worked in a pre-school class and we used this web site for the kids. can adapt for any age. Some really lovely topical stuff for easter, christmas, spring etc
http://www.dltk-kids.com/
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here are two crafts we did this week.
One is a picture frame. I got 6 x 6 inch construction paper, cut out a square in the middle and gave DD some "gems" we picked up in a dollor store to make a picture frame. Right now it's attached to the fridge with the flower magnets, but I want to get actual magnets that you can glue to the back and so it can stay on the fridge for a while or she can give it to her grandma to put on her fridge with DD's picture in it.
The other is a boat. I didn't fold it properly, so it does not look much like a boat, but DD had fun decorating it.
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off I love the frame idea..might try that as a gift for grandparents...
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Great thread guys.
Hey DMILLS - how do you make homemade silly putty please? :)
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I am at work and have the recipe at home. I will get it to you soon! So fun and you can make it in different colors.
I made it with my 2 and 4 year old and my 5th graders:)
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Found a copy here.
Need:
Borax detergent
White glue
Water
Food Coloring
Ziploc baggie
Take a cup of water and add 1T. of Borax. Stir to completely dissolve.
Take 1/4 cup of glue and mix with 1/4 cup of water.
In a Ziploc, add equal parts of the glue solution with equal parts of the Borax solution. Add a couple of drops of food coloring.
Seal the bag and knead.
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Thanks for that! Looks very easy too.
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Well I got brave today. Vee both painted and played withy play-doh for the first time ever. He loved smearing the paint over his hands and face more than on the paper. I still got a nice picture for the fridge though. The play-doh was a bigger hit. I bought plastic scissors, cookie cutters and rolling pin. He loved loved loved pounding and cutting. We will have to make it a daily adventure because he loved it so much. I thought he would be too young and just try and eat everything instead.
For Christmas I was thinking the card idea would be fun. I like the idea of him decorating a tree with ribbon snippets and pompoms and assorted stickers. He would have to make 8 of them for all the Aunts/Uncles so it has to be an easy project that we can do over a week maybe. Will start collecting bits and bobs that I like. Unless someone has something else to share. I'm still game for anything.
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Hi, Up until birth of most recent baba I ran my own business teaching art to children from my home called Artfarm. My toddler loves to take part some of her fav projects were:
- we got wooden 'dolly' style clothes pegs from a hardware and dressed them with ribbons etc, drew faces on them and gave them hair!
- recently, we learned from some polish people how to dye eggs for easter using onion skins which you wet, wrap around a hard boiled egg, tie a pop sock or a bit of an old pair of tights tightly around this and boil again for another 5 to 10 mins. The eggs came out beautifull, like marbled wood, she was very proud.
- it is vital as others suggested that you keep the odds and ends box!
- remember, don't feel that life at home with you will be more boring than at daycare, it will probably be far better! Children need to experience everyday life and get a chance to imitate this, my two year old will be busy for an hour, standing on her little step 'washing up' her plastic plates and cups!
- don't forget the 'art' in things like baking, or let her play with the bits you chop off fruit and veg, dye pasta to make pictures, plant seeds in yoghurt pots, I'm sure you have thought of many of these things yourself, have fun!
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I would like to mark for now. (Notifications not working well.) Will read and contribute soon! Thanks for the great ideas!!
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DH bought a really good book with ideas of how to draw pictures from drawing around hands. You can draw rabbits, bats, butterflies, dogs, all from drawing around a child's hand and letting them colour it in. REally good.
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Mari, that sounds like a great book, could you please share the name and author.
Thanks!
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www.klutz.com/catalog/category/1012
Hand Art is the book we have, Also she has the handbag one.
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What a great idea! I will be home w/ my lo's for summer break and I need some good concrete ideas. Anyone have experience with any projects good for a 15 mo. old? I've not tried playdoh w/ her....she still eats everything. And, I can't remember what I did w/ ds at the same age.... ;)
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I tried quite a few things when my los were 1 or so. We did Playdoh, finger painting, shaving cream play, etc... Of course, I made sure it was on the kitchen floor...easy clean up, and they were in their diapers only.