Favourite Books and Storytelling Activities

In my house we are big book lovers. From an early age my boys were enjoying being read to and they all had their favourite books which they loved us reading over and over to them. To increase their interest in the stories in the books I would come up with activities based on those books they loved so much.  With a bit on imagination it is easy to do this with most books. 

One of their favourites was The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  When they were young I made them a set of felt food that the caterpillar ate. I have just made a set for my Etsy and Madeit shops too complete with the caterpillar.

We’re going on a Bear Hunt was another favourite for a long time. Why not plan your own bear hunt. Make up an obastacle course inside with a green blanket to creep over, a pile of pillow as a log to go over, a chair as a bush to go around, sheets over the dining table as the bears cave (with a teddy bear inside). Read the story as the kids act it out. If you are feeling really adventurous get out side and head off to your park or the bush and go on a real “bear hunt”.

With books like Dear Zoo print out some pictures of the animals mentioned in the book, get the kids cut them out and colour them in. Attach the pictures to icecream sticks and get the kids to find the right animal as the story is being read to them.

Most children have an ABC book. Grab a cardboard box and gather one item from around the house that begins with each letter of the alphabet eg a – animal (toy), B for ball, c for card, etc. For the really difficult letters it helps to have a set of blocks with the alphabet on them to use. Help the kids find the item starting with the letter of the alphabet as the book is read to them.

 With Dr Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham you could get creative and use some spinach blended up to make your scrambled eggs green for kids lunch. Or get the sewing supplies out and make your very own green eggs and ham felt food set.

Books with Nursery Rhymes are fun for the kids to dress up as the characters or to act out the stories eg. Jack and Jill went up the Hill, grab a bucket and act out the story with kids falling down onto something soft like a beanbag. With books about food get creative (and messy in the kitchen) or use play dough to make the foods mentioned in the books.

With a bit of imagination most kids books lend themselves to a whole lot of imaginative and interactive fun. There are also plenty of free book activity sheets on line that can be easily printed off and used. Have fun!

Washi Tape Stationary Set

Coordinated Stationary Set With Washi Tape

It seems that everyone loves Japanese Washi paper tape and I can see why as it is so addictive, has many uses and comes in pretty colours and patterns. For those that haven’t come across Washi tape it originated in Japan and traditonly was made from natural fibers like bamboo, hemp and mulberry tree bark. It feels like paper and comes in many designs and patterns, enough to make any crafter swoon! Most Washi Tape is strong and this makes it great for everyday and decorative use.

Now that the kids are back at school and bringing home homework we decided to get creative and pretty up their desks with some stationary items covered with Washi Tape.

First off we covered some pencils by cutting lengths of Washi Tape. We laid the pencil along the edge of the sticky side of the tape and carefully rolled it around the pencil. As we rolled we ensured the tape was smooth and any air bubbles were carefully pushed out and flattened. We then trimmed any excess tape from the ends.

One of the pencils was fatter so we rolled the Washi tape diagonally along the length of the pencil for a different effect.

We decorated plain note paper with a strip of Washi paper down one edge and personalised a ruler with washi tape down the center.

A comment was made by one child that their glue stick and highlighters always get borrowed and not returned so we customised them too with more tape to make them easy to identify.

A plain, clean yoghurt container got the tape treatment too and became a pencil holder. To finish off our desk decorations we found an empty glass jar and added some rings of tape and turned it into a pretty vase.

Many other objects have got the Washi treatment too – erasers, drink bottles, scissors.

Once the kids started they couldn’t stop!

No Sew Felt Play Food

For those who can't sew or who just want to whip up some quick felt play food then here are some quick and very easy ideas.

Felt Pizza

Use a dinner plate as a template and cut out one pizza base in a tan coloured felt.
Cut another circle 4cm less in diameter from red felt. This is the tomato paste.
Use white felt to cut out mushrooms, black felt to cut out round olives, green and red felt to cut our capsicum, pink felt for bacon strips and yellow felt to cut out cheese.

Felt Spaghetti

Cut out 10, 16 x 2 cm strips of cream coloured felt for a plate of fettuccine spaghetti.

Pasta

Make ribbon pasta from square pieces of felt in apricot, pale green and cream felt. Cut two opposite edges of the squares with zig zag scissors. Tie a small piece of yarn or cotton around the center to get the ribbon shape.

Felt salad
Cut out lettuce leaves from green felt, cherry tomatoes from red felt cut into circles, grated carrots from orange felt.

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Making Our Own Moon Sand Recipe

There is a shop close by us that has some Moon Sand on display. I can't walk past it without having a little play and neither can my son.  It has such a cool texture with out the mess of all the fine grains of normal sand. It is school holidays so we decided to make our own version of moon sand.

First off was a visit to the beach to collect a bucket of beach sand.  This ended up being a whole morning activity and the very best part was seeing some humpback whales very close to shore.  They put on a wonderful display for us.

We found some recipes for Moon Sand online and ended up adapting ours a little to get the consistency we wanted (ours was a little wetter than traditional shop brought Moon Sand).

Ingredients:
4 cups beach sand
2 cups corn flour
1 cup of water
Food colouring

Combine sand and corn flour in a container.

Add food colouring to the cup of water and then mix the water in to the sand and corn flour mix.

This resulted in a mix more like the traditional moon sand and the first photo above. But we decided to add a little more water to our so our consistency was slightly wetter but still an awesome texture.

The end result looked wet but wasn't. It was easy to sculpt with and form into castles, balls and volcanoes. We have ours stored in a plastic container with the lid so it doesn't dry out. 

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If you have ever wanted to make your own moon sand, fairy garden or felt play food without needing to sew a single stitch then this book is for you. And its FREE!

Bamboo TeePee Building in the Front Yard

Here at Creative Wishes headquarters we have just come to the end of two weeks of glorious school holidays. At the beginning of the holidays on a walk in our local area I noticed a clump of bamboo that had escaped its confines of a nearby property and was now growing out of control in a public area.

I am always on the look out for fun free activities for the kids and here was one right in front of me.

The bamboo was a good four metres high. It would make a great tee pee thought I. So back I came with saws and secateurs and youngest son (my willing helper).  We cut down some long bamboo stems, stripped off the side leaves and bundled the poles into the back of the car.  We had to put the seats down and trim some off the ends so the poles would actually fit.

The bamboo poles have kept my son entertained all 2 weeks of the school holidays (he even had his teen elder brothers out helping as well as his dad and I). 

He has built forts, tee pees and cubby houses.  He has covered some of the tee pee with banana leaves and palm leaves. His friends have been over and had nurf gun wars and are now planning on building their own bamboo tee pees in their yards.

Perfect activity at zero cost! Take a look around your local area.  What can you source for free?  Since coming across the patch of bamboo I have noticed bamboo growing wild in so many places. 

Make Your own Edible Finger Paint

Edible Finger Paints

• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 cup of cornflour
• 3 cups cold water
• Food colouring

Stir sugar and cornflour together. While stirring, slowly add water and heat over medium heat until mixture thickens. It will thicken further when it cools. Divide into four containers and add food colouring. Dip in

Its messy but so much fun and the consistency of the finger paints feels wonderful. This ones a definite outside activity so when they get it all over you can hose the kids, outdoor table and everything down.

Traveling With Kids

When my children were younger they each had a bag we called their travel bag.  It was nothing flash or expensive, just a simple draw string bag.  It truly was a life saver and kept the kids amused and occupied countless times. They used their travel bags for car trips, airplane flights, when waiting at appointments, on the bus and other places where quiet play was necessary.

To put together your own Kids Travel Bag start off with a simple bag. Make sure the bag is child sized, and easy for your child to carry themselves, undo and do up independently.

Stocking the bag:
Think of items that you know will keep your child amused.  Matchbox cars for a car loving child, a couple of small books, finger puppets or a set of small dolls for imaginative play.

Add a few extras to the bag including items such as pipe cleaners,  pad of paper and pens, felt shapes, sticker sheets, small soft toys.

Before leaving home add a snack, drink and a travel size pack of hand wipes.  Keep the travel bag interesting and exciting by swapping around the items in the bag occasionally or adding an extra toy or game.
To ensure the travel bag serves its purpose of keeping your child entertained and quiet only use the bag when away from home so your kids don't get bored with the contents.

Play Dough Recipes

An easy to make and soft play dough that will keep for months.

Ingredients

½ cup salt
1 cup of plain flour
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of oil
Food colouring

Method

1.       Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized saucepan.
2.      Stir over a low heat until ingredients are pliable.
3.      Cool and store in an air tight container.

This recipe will make a good sized batch for 2 children to play with.  When stored in an airtight container in the fridge will last at least 6 months.

Gluten-free play dough           

Kids love putting things in their mouth so this gluten free recipe for play dough is perfect for children with an issue with gluten.      

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 cup corn flour
• 1 cup salt
• 4 tspn cream of tartar
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 tspn vegetable oil
• Food colouring

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat until all is combined well and a dough consistency is reached.

Let it cool completely before giving it to your child to play with.

Store in an airtight container or resealable bag.    

Tutorial Doll House from Shoe Boxes

The kids have just gone back to school and that has meant new shoes.  So since I have lots of empty shoe boxes I have been making some shoe box doll house rooms. Each shoe box can be a different room and the boxes can be stacked alongside one another or on top of one another if you want a multi story doll house.  I have made a living room opening out to a garden.

1. Gather supplies including shoe box, patterned papers, cardboard frames, glue and sticky tapes.

2. Cover inside of the shoe box with patterned paper of your choice. I chose a pretty patterned pink for the feature wall and white walls for the sides.  I have made a mirror from one of the cardboard frames by glueing foil behind it and then attaching it to the back wall.

3. Use the lid of the shoe box as the garden.  Add green paper as grass and some flower embellishments. I have added material for carpet, another frame with blue paper behind as a window and a black box as a seat.



4. Now its time to get creative. Add a garden path made from brick shaped pieces of paper, a garden pond from blue cellophane, a picket fence from some twigs or cut a door into the side of the shoe box. As you get more shoe boxes extend the doll house to include different room of the house - bedroom, kitchen, garage, bathroom etc.

When not in use the shoe box doll house can be packed away and stored easily without taking up too much space.

Activities From Your Childs Favourite Books

My youngest child loves Dr. Seuss books and is happy to have them read to him over and over again.  Like most kids, he never tires of hearing the story even though he can recite a lot of the stories because he has heard them so many times.

If your child has a favourite book, see if you can come up with some fun activities based on the book.  It will help them understand the story line of the book more and be lots of fun.

Maybe their favourite is the Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle.

Some great activities based on the book could be making an egg carton green caterpillar with red pipe cleaner antennas. Talk about and draw the life cycle of the caterpillar and get the kids to draw the pictures.  Or go on a nature walk and see if you can spot some butterflies, moths, caterpillars or cocoons.  Take the camera along and let your child take some photos.

If one of their favourite books is Dr Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham then get busy in the kitchen cooking your very own green eggs by scrambling the eggs and adding a few drops of green food colouring.   Or get the play dough out and make some pretend green eggs and ham.

What is your child's current favourite story book? What activities can you come up with based on that book?

Handmade Toys - Felt Cars and Trucks

I have just finished a custom order and loved making it so much that I made an extra for my Made It store.

The brief was it must keep a young boy entertained on a long plane flight, feature cars and trucks and be light and easy to take along when travelling.

It is all that as well as interactive:

• Wheels that can be interchanged between the different cars and truck.
• Tool box that has two metal tools inside.
• Opening truck door to place a driver behind the wheel.
• Caravan with top opening to place people or luggage inside.
• Back of truck opening for luggage, tool box or people.

Road pieces that the cars, truck and caravan can be positioned on.

I really enjoyed making this set and I have a feeling there will be more like it coming soon.

Creating a Fantastic Dress Up Box

When I wrote about the 8 Must Have Toys for Kids one of the top 8 was dress up clothes.

If you haven't got a collection of dress up clothes in a box it is worth putting one together.  Give kids a  boxful of dress up items and they will be occupied for hours and that's got to be a good thing!  Kids love costumes, changing clothes, pretending and becoming different characters. Gathering the clothes, accessories and costumes is all part of the fun especially if you involve your children in the process. To get started clean out closets, ask grandparents or check out your local op shop.

To store the dress up items think creatively ... an old suitcase, plastic lidded box with a mirror nearby, or a little set of drawers or shelf in a corner.

Here are some ideas to help you fill your kids dress up box.

1. Skirts and Dresses.  Go for elastic waisted skirts that are easy for you to adjust to child's size and to make it easy for them to put on.  The shinier and glittery and brighter the colour the better!

2. Costume Jewellery.  Always a huge hit and easy to get hold of at op shops. Things like clip on earrings, chunky necklaces, bracelets, old sunglasses and brooches are perfect.

3. Clothes from other Countries.  Include some items from different cultures such as saris, kilts, grass skirts, cowboy hat or vest.

4. Clothes from Different Jobs.  Include in their dress up box some clothes to represent different occupations such as work mans overalls or vest, ballerina tutu, nurses outfit, sailors jacket.  These sort of clothes will have their imaginations soaring!

5. Hats. Pop into your local op shop and you are sure to find a fine selection of unusual hats. Bowler hats, sunhats, builders hard hat, baseball hats, berets, tiaras, chefs hats, pirates hats, men's hats are all fantastic.

6. Pieces of Material. Include some lengths of brightly coloured or unusually textured material.  This will let your kids put together what ever outfit they choose.  You will find them draping a length of black satin material around their shoulders and becoming a magician or super hero.  Or draping a piece of silk around their backs as a shawl or using it as a head scarf.

7. Props.  Purses and old handbags, builders tool belt, pretend sword or shield, toy first aid kits with some bandages, shoes, aprons, police badge, runners sweat bands, aprons, sports shirts will all be put to good use.

If you already have a dress up box let me know some of your items.

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Making Toy Kitchens and Sponge Food

Children love copying adults and pretend playing.  One of the cutest things is the huge array of pretend mini kitchens around. 

The great thing is they can be made from recycling a small tv cabinet or chest of drawers. In our area the council has a bulk clean up day one every 6 months and driving around you can often spot no longer wanted pine furniture out the front of houses.

Add some paint, open drawers, cut a hole for a sink and for the stove and a few knobs and voila!

Now for the fun part!

Some food to cook.

Pop into your local $2.00 shop and grab yourself some kitchen sponges.  They come in some cool colours but the standard yellow colour is probably the most versatile.

Now grab some scissors and get cutting.
Crumpets?

 Chips?

A sponge cake maybe?



 Or an ice cream perhaps.



 What about a vanilla slice, toast or marshmallows?  The sponges can be painted like the crumpets,  to give them a just toasted look.

Let me know what you come up with...maybe some orange carrots or some biscuits?

Setting Up a Play Corner

Kids Play Corner

When my boys were small we had a spare room and we thought that it would make a great toy room.  I had images of the kids going in there and happily playing away for hours at a time.  I thought having the toys and games all in the one dedicated room would mean the rest of the house stayed relatively tidy.  But guess what?  That didn't happen! 

The kids had a great time in the toy room sometimes but really they wanted to be where we were.  If we were in the kitchen then they would bring their toys with them and be there with us.  If we were in the lounge room then that is where they wanted to be too and they would bring armful off toys with them.
So at the end of the day not only was the toy room a mess but also toys were still scattered randomly around the house.

Kids want the security of being physically close to mum or dad.  They want to be able to have parents within eyesight. They also want to share their discoveries and play time with their parents.

So setting up a play corner in the most used room makes perfect sense.  This room is most often a family room attached to the kitchen.  It will also mean the kids will play independently for longer knowing that there parents are with in sight.

Setting up a dedicated play area is really simple and easy to do by utilising furniture you most likely already have.

What You Will Need
- Soft floor covering.  A mat or rug to define the toy area and to provide  a soft play area.  Soft cushions to sit on are a great addition and will make it much more comfortable when you are sittingthere playing with the kids.

- Shelving. A short bookshelf allows children to see their toys immediately and to be able to select whichones they want to play with.  Avoid having a toy box as the toys will get tossed in their and parts jumbled up.  You will find the kids will up end the toy box completely trying to find the toy they are after.

- Child Sized Furniture.  A small table and chairs are ideal.  So too are kids sized play kitchens, tool benches, lego tables etc.

- Selection Of Toys.  Don't have all the toys in the toy play area.  Sometimes too much choice can be confusing and will lead to a huge mess as kids will go from one to another.  Choose a selction of toys from my list of 8 essential toys for the play area. Rotate the toys in the play area weekly or fortnightly to keep it fresh and interesting.
Do you already have a toy area set up?  I would love to hear about it and any hints and tips that have worked well for you.

Biscuits in a Jar Gift

I had planned on sharing this before Christmas but was a little concerned that the recipients would see them.
In line with giving more home made presents this year some little cooks got given these -
Biscuits In a Jar

I found a few recipes but ended up going for this one.  The cookies were really tasty and delicious.  I used a few different ingredients like M&Ms and coconut.
The layers of the different mixtures would look better in a taller thinner glass jar and next time I will try sourcing different jars.
They all looked so pretty when packaged up and they were a really loved present.

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Funny Felt Faces New Product

I have been very busy lately working on a new product line and want to introduce you to CreativeWishes Funny Faces Play Set.

My little testers have all had great fun coming up with some wildly creative and funny faces and have even suggested some extra pieces they would like to see.
I love how the creative tester below has used the hairy eyebrows as a beard and the red mouth as a mono brow!

The Funny Faces Set comes with 35 pieces including 4 different hair pieces, 4 noses, 4 pairs of eyes and loads of extras such as sunglasses, beards, eyelashes and a hat.
When it comes to packing away all the little pieces, there is a very handy pocket sewn into the back of the face.

 I can also custom make you your very own Funny Face Set to resemble your children or family members.
Little daughter has red curly hair and brown eyes, no problems or dad has a goatee and spiky black hair and green eyes...done.
These are available in my Made It and Etsy shop. Perfect for the preschooler age, although my mini testers were ages between 3 and 10 and even the 10 year old was having loads of giggly fun playing with this.