- Snakes alive!
- Crawler
- Potato prints
- Drop the ball
- Puppet
- Hama Bead pictures
- Salt dough
- Crystallised flowers
Hama Bead pictures
Use
hama beads to make patterned coasters, etc. You can either create a picture/pattern
within the whole figure (e.g. a cross within a circular shape), or create
a shape (e.g. a cross, a Star of David, a fish) You will need:
- Hama beads in different colours,
- Hama bead boards - several of different shapes & sizes,
- Greaseproof paper,
- Clothing iron,
- Ironing board,
- Paper, Crayons/pencils,
- Yoghurt pots (empty & washed!)
What you do:
- It's a good idea to sketch out your design to begin with, so give the kids some paper and pencils/crayons for this.
- Once they've created a design, they can collect beads in the relevant colours. Use empty yoghurt pots for them to put their beads into.
- Create the pattern/picture on a hama bead board.
- Use an adult for the next bit: place a piece of greaseproof paper over the design (enough to cover it all) and iron over the paper-covered beads with a cool iron (nylon setting) until the beads have melted together enough to stick to each other.
- Peel off the paper and allow to cool.
Salt dough
This is another
craft activity that can be adapted for almost any theme. For example,
make pairs of animals for a Noah's ark, a Nativity, or just simple things
like a cross or fish symbol. Small designs can have holes pierced in them
to make necklaces or hanging decorations. As this is a craft that needs
several stages, it can be done over several sessions, e.g. make dough;
make designs & bake; paint; varnish. You will need:
- 1 part Water,
- 2 parts plain Flour,
- 1 part Salt,
- Washable paint (that'll wash out of clothes!),
- Paint brushes,
- Cake/biscuit cut out figures, especially animals and people shapes,
- Palette knives (strong plastic art knives are best),
- Craft glue,
- Varnish
What you do:
- Make up the salt dough. You can either prepare this beforehand, or make it an activity in itself:
- Mix the salt and flour together
- Then stir in half the water in a mixing bowl.
- Gradually add the rest of the water, kneading the mixture until the dough has a smooth, firm consistency. Make sure you don't add too much water (the dough will become sticky).
- Knead for a further 5-10 minutes.
- Ideally, leave to rest for 30 minutes, but it can be used immediately
- Now make your shapes and designs. Here are a few ideas:
- Cross, Star of David, Fish
- Animals and people using cake/biscuit cutters for Nativity/Ark scene
- Tree plaques: stars, angels, bells
- Complex shapes (built up from several pieces), e.g. Tree of life (tree, birds, fruit, insects, flowers, leaves)
- Bead necklace or bracelet - can be decorated with letters to form messages, e.g. "Jesus loves me", WWJD
- Once the shapes/designs have been made, bake the dough to harden it.
- Complex models are best baked in sections that can later be glued together. Bake for 3 hours
- Or, if you are experienced, you can part bake (1 hour), moisten and join and then complete the baking (2-3 hours).
- Allow to cool thoroughly
- Paint and decorate to complete. Allow to dry very thoroughly before applying further coats of paint and especially before varnishing.
- Varnish - use at least 3 coats, allowing time to dry between coats.
Try to get a quick drying, clear varnish for this.
Crystallised flowers (for Mothering Sunday)
Instead of giving your mother a posy of real flowers, try this idea for a change. (Or give her a posy as well!)
What You Need:
- Egg white,
- Caster sugar,
- Sieve or sugar dredger,
- Grease-proof paper,
- Paint brushes,
- Small flowers or petals*
What you do:
- Beat the egg white until it forms soft peaks.
- Paint each flower until it is covered in the egg white - don't dip them!
- Use the sieve or dredger to sprinkle suagr over the flowers (scoop up and reuse the residue sugar).
- Put a piece of greaseproof paper on a tray and lay out each flower to dry.
- Leave for 2-3 days in a warm place like an airing cupboard.
* Try these flowers: rose petals, primroses, violets, nasturtiums, lily of the valley, miniature daffodils.