Materials

• Printable unbeleafable
• Cardstock for printing onto
• Extra strength self-adhesive pins (my mother gave us these from my childhood days so we had to add glue to them as they were no longer sticky!)
• Bugs, lizards etc. (You can often find many sets of these at big craft stores- keep an eye out for a coupon!)
• Scissors
• Pencil/eraser
• Hole punch (We just poked through the cardstock, but this may be helpful for some children rather than punching the holes with the pin attached to the bug.)

Directions

• Remove the paper on your pins and carefully apply the underside of the bug to your pin.  (We had to add a bit of glue as ours were no longer sticky.)

• You could also do hair clips as an alternative:

• Write your name and the name of the recipient on the card in the “To” and “From” sections, using a pencil.

• Cut out your cards.

• Open your pin and carefully poke it through the paper twice and then secure the pin on the page.

• Give your cards to your classmates and/or friends!

Purpose

• Thinking of others.
• Writing for meaningful, real-life purposes.
• Developing one’s fine motor skills (removing paper, cutting etc.)

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces if you have to use glue.
• Use glue, pins and scissors with care and direct adult supervision and/or guidance.  (The glue featured was used by an older child with a parent, so be sure to chose a glue that is safe, age-appropriate and follow the product directions.)
• Small items such a the toys included (bugs, lizards) can be a choking hazard therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

• Printable ValentineDayCard  (This includes 3 options: 2 of different skin shades and one to colour yourself!)
• Cardstock (for printing on)
• Hole punch
• Paper cutter (or Scissors)
• Pencil/eraser
• Multicultural crayons, markers or pencil crayons

Directions

• Print out your cards (there are two per page), along with a few extras.

• Write the name of the recipients and your name too!

• Colour in the hands.  (Skip this step if you chose the ones that are already shaded in.)

• Carefully cut out your cards, leaving a small border on each side if you like.

• Punch two holes (one on each side of the wrist).

• Lace through your friendship bracelet and tie it in a bow on the back.

• Give it to your classmates or friends!

Purpose

• Thinking of others.
• Writing for meaningful purposes.
• Developing one’s fine motor skills (scissor use, tying etc.)

Safety Notes

• Use scissors or a paper cutter with care and direct adult supervision/guidance.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.  (Re: the bracelets)
• Beads can be a choking hazard therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths. (Re: the bracelets)

Materials

• Liquid watercolour paints
• Vinegar (in the clear container)
• Baking soda
• Liquid watercolour paper (or cardstock- something thicker is better for younger kids)
• Containers
• Spoon
• Paint brushes
• Pencil/eraser
• Tray

We always find a smock helpful too!

Directions

• Don your smock.

• Draw and cut out a shape you would like your paper to be or skip this step if you like!

• Dilute your paint with vinegar.  Paint your paper.

• While your paint is wet, sprinkle on your baking soda and watch for the bubbles. Play with adding more paint and baking soda.

• Allow your work to dry and gently tap or brush off any excess soda.  (It is hard to see in the photo, but in the sunlight it has a iridescent shimmer in the sunlight!)

• Hang up your work!  (This was a good way to sneak in some math- patterning the beads with two attributes: size and colour!  A shoelace is a perfect lacing material for beads.)

Purpose

• Learning about chemical reactions.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.

Materials

• Stiffened felt (You can buy this at craft stores.  The white we chose has a glittered finish on one side.)
• Felt (for the interior of the ears)
• Faux fur
• Glue gun/glue OR you could use fabric glue
• Headband
• Scissors
• Template (and printer) bunny_ear_template

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• First we printed out the template.  You could draw ears of your own as well.  Cut the pieces out.

• Flip your stiff felt over so the glittered side is facing down.  Trace around your ear template twice with pencil.  If it makes it easier, make a tape “donut” and apply it to the back of the template and attach it to the felt, to hold it in place.

• Cut your ears out.

• For the felt ear interiors we used a different method where we folded the felt in half (To make two interiors at once) and applied the template with tape, cutting around it with good scissors (fabric scissors or these kitchen scissors which are awesome!).  This step eliminates the tracing if your child feels confident to proceed to that step.

• Glue your interior portion of your ears to the outside portion.

• Add any embellishments you might like.  This is the time to really personalize your ears!  Our son added a bit of faux fur.  He cut out some tufts.  One trick is to put a thin line of glue on the bottom of the good side (as shown) and then attach it to the ear upside down.  Allow this to set and then add glue to the back of the tuft and glue it onto your ear base.  This creates a cleaner, more natural looking fur addition.

• Trim the fur as you like.

• Flip your ears over and then lay the headband on top, adjusting the placement until you have the desired position.  Put glue on the tabs and fold them over, securing them to the headband.  You may need a little adult help with this. (To hold the headband steady while you glue.)

• Once your ears have dried, give them to a sibling or friend!

• Watch out for foxes!

• Along with arctic foxes, we made wolves, polar bears, and lynx.  What type of animal ears could you make?

Purpose

• Learning about animals (their physical characteristics, their habitats and how their appearance lends to their survival)
• Working with various materials

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors and a glue gun with care and direct adult supervision, guidance and assistance.

“Since I make toys – and I’m a mother of a little one – I begin to grow more and more curious about playing. How children these days play, how parents interact and play with them, how can we play in a fun way with them, how playing can help children’s development…”

Here is our interview:

http://pinknounou.com/blog_pn/2016/01/12/all-about-playing-interview-with-bonnie-scorer/

How do your children or students play?  What are your thoughts on play?

Materials

• Cardboard piece (to fit the inside of the bag)
• Cardboard roll (ours had ribbon on it)
• Fabric paint
• Fabric markers
• Blank tote bag or T-shirt
• Tray (for your paint- you could use a plastic lid etc.)

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Don your smock.  Insert your cardboard sheet into your bag.  This will prevent your bag from getting glued together with the paint!

• Make a circle of paint the size of your tube.  Dip your tube into the paint and apply it to your bag, creating the snowballs for the “body”.  You could use various sizes of tubes if you like.  Allow to dry overnight.

• Create your snow person with your fabric markers!

Purpose

• Drawing and painting with various materials on a variety of surfaces.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.

Materials

• Sticks
• Ink or paint (or both!)
• Pre-made card blank card set (or make your own out of cardstock)
• Glue gun/glue
• Circle punch (*Optional)
• Eye droppers (*Optional)

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Bundle up and go outside with an adult, looking for sticks.  If your sticks are damp, allow them to dry overnight.

• Don your smock.  Dip your sticks into your ink and paint away.

• If you like, using your eye dropper, add drips to your work.  Your child might need a little guidance/assistance at the beginning with squeezing the eye dropper to suck up the paint!  (Or son saw our daughter using eye droppers and “Me!, Me!” followed!  You could also use your sticks- dip them in the paint, tilt them downwards and watch the drips land on your paper.)

• You could also paint on cardstock and punch out circles of the work, gluing them onto envelopes.

Purpose

• Getting out into nature.
• Painting with different materials.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.

Sometimes the most accessible materials (straight from the recycling bin!) can provide inspiration for open-ended creations.  Have you made “something from seemingly nothing?” (as our son describes it!).  We would love for you to share! 

Whatever materials you use, opportunities to work together (whether it be with one’s siblings or as a small group at school) teach children how to communicate, problem-solve, negotiate, share their ideas, cooperate etc.  They are invaluable to a future of working with others! 

Materials

*Use whatever you have in your recycling bin.  Here is just an example.*

• Cardboard
• Paintbrushes
• Paper scraps
• Paint
• Glue
• Glitter glue
• Any other materials you may like to create your vision!

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

Part One: The Start of an Idea: Recreating a Project in Cardboard

• Our project was three-fold.  First our daughter brought home this painting from Playschool and one afternoon we decided to re-create it using a bit of cardboard, a glue gun and some painting materials.

Part 2:  Learning How to Work Together: A Dream Castle

• Her eldest brother then wanted to make a collaborative project to play with.  The kids decided to go with making a “dream castle” and had lots of fun with these Ikea paints!  (A new material always draws attention!)  Have your kids or students decide on a plan or perhaps one will evolve from the making/ experimenting.  At first you may need to assist with the working together- providing some mediation, modelling how to solve a problem, providing a script for talking with each other etc.  Then, start to remove yourself.  One technique we use is to pause, sit “feet to feet” and talk out the issue, trying to reach a compromise, listening to each person’s point of view and finding common ground. Eventually your involvement will become more minimal unless requested.  Just remember this is a long process and that sometimes conflict can provide some excellent learning opportunities!  Stay the course!  You know your kids- take a play break if needed and re-visit the project another day if needed.

• Once we let our numerous layers of paint dry, we then added embellishments, using pieces we had left over from other projects.  (It is a little hard to see, but the base of the castle is a cloud!)

Part 3:  Working Independently: A Gigantic Birthday Cake

• The kids then did this project mainly on their own (they needed a bit of help with finding a way to support those gigantic candles.. Sticks glued on the back!).  My only suggestion would be invest in a good vacuum for all those sparkles!

• We would love to see what you come up with on your collaborations!

Purpose

• Working together, developing into a team.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors with care and adult supervision.