Australia Map

A good idea for learning geography. Requires some drawing skill, a big table and a small number of kids to start off with. Kids work together to draw native animals and land marks they know about. They also use an atlas to locate and name the capital cities. This activity can be transferred to any country!

New Book

Introducing my new eBook available for purchase from amazon.com just click on the link. Only US$1.50!

Paper Owl

Materials

• Coloured Paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Circle to trace

Method

1. Trace a circle on coloured paper.
2. Fold two edges inward to make a sort of shallow 'V' shape, these are the wings-DO NOT GLUE
3. Get a different coloured piece of paper and cut to fit under the wing, decorate  to show feathers or use glitter.
4. Now glue the 'wings' down.
5. Using coloured paper add detail such as a beak, eyes and legs.
6. One idea is to trace three different sized circles, to make three different sized owls, and make a mobile. This is what I initially wanted to do but I ran out of time.

Hand Monster or Alien

A good imaginative activity.

Materials

• Coloured paper
• Markers/Pencils
• Scissors
• Glue
• Large Sheet of paper (White or coloured)
• Hands

Method

1. Start off by tracing your hand on to the coloured paper. You will want a variety of colours.
2. Then plan your monster. It can be what ever you want it to be! That's what is so good about this activity. Stick it on to your larger piece of paper.
3. Add detail with your markers/pencils.

Olympic Torch

I'm sure you see a lot of Olympic torches out there so I thought I would give you my interpretation.


Materials

• Cellophane- Red, Orange
• Tissue Paper- Yellow, Red, Orange
• Long Paper Roll
• Aluminium Foil
• Paper
• Markers
• Glue

Method

1. Start off by covering the long paper roll in aluminium foil. I found that the easiest way to do this was lying a sheet flat on the table, putting glue on the foil and then rolling the paper roll along the foil so it sticks and then covers the roll.
2. Cut off any extra aluminium foil at either end.
3. Using a mix off cellophane and tissue paper create a fire at one end.
4. Using paper and markers decorate the torch as you see fit.
5. To extend this activity you can have groups make different designs then race in a relay race.

Pipe Cleaner Alien

Materials

• Different coloured pipe cleaners
• Glue
• Googly eyes

This one is a bit hard to explain in steps. It is simply just twisting pipe cleaners in a way that makes different body parts which can then be glued together to make an alien. It is quite fiddly and I found that the kids were better at making them than I was with my big stupid fingers. 

Snowman and other wintry scenes

Materials Needed

• Cotton Balls
• Glue
• Coloured Paper
• Scissors

Method

1. Using the cotton balls make the shape of a snowman. Three circles;biggest on the bottom and smallest on the top.
2. Glue these down.
3. Using coloured paper cut out some arms, facial features and add detail to the back ground if you wish.
4. You can also create other snow scenes with the cotton wool as it can stretch out.

Homemade Face Paint

Found this site today for homemade face paint.

All you need is cornflour (cornstarch), milk and food colouring/dye and small brushes.

It washes off really easily as well!

Have a look and try it out here.

Buzz Off

This is a fun outdoor game that requires little equipment. It is also called Sharks and Islands.


It is a variation of Tiggy (or Chasey or Tag, depending where you are from)


One person is 'it' and the rest need to run away from him/her. 


The trick is they are only safe when on a marker and only one child can be on a marker at a time. There is always one or two less markers then people playing, which means there are always kids being chased. 


If one child is on a marker and sees another child approaching they yell "Buzz Off Sam!", which means that Sam cannot go onto that marker so Sam continues running. Sam then spots Julie, who isn't paying attention and yells "Buzz Off Julie!". This means that Julie must leave the marker and find somebody else. The game then continues on this. There is no real end point usually when they get tired.

Paper Chain Snake

This activity is a simple and old one. While some children might find it fun chances are that many will find it boring. To change it up a bit we did some research. We discovered that the record for the longest snake in captivity was about 7.3 meters (24 Feet), you can read about it here. While there were many sites claiming all sort of different sizes we decided to go with what Guinness World Records said.


So we decided to recreate this snake in paper chain form. It created a great team atmosphere as well problem solving, the kids had to work out a way to measure it. The snake is now hanging in our room watching over us, the kids love it!


Materials

• Coloured Paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Mosaics

Mosaics are a fun and creative craft that allows kids to do what ever they want be that a picture or a pattern.


Getting the right materials can be tricky. You can make your own which would be time consuming or you can buy little crafts squares from your local art and craft shop. 


Materials

• Coloured Squares
• Glue
• Coloured Paper

Here are some examples of what we did:

Boat

Flower

Girl

Creature from Minecraft

Wholemeal Banana Muffins

This recipe is healthy, easy and fast. This makes 12 muffins. 

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Sugar/Sweetener
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Egg
• 3 Bananas
• 2 Cups Wholemeal Flour (Self-Raising)
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder/Bicarb Soda
• Pinch of Salt

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to approx 160 C (320 F).
2. Mix together the sugar/sweetener, oil and egg in a large bowl.
3. Add 3 well mashed up bananas. You can also add some desiccated coconut or walnuts if you wish. Stir until well mixed.
4. Add the wholemeal flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until well mixed.
5. Put mixture in muffin tray then put it in the oven for 20 minutes. Check regularly to make sure it doesn't burn.

From Left to Right: Mashed Banana, Sugar-oil-egg mixture and self raising wholemeal flower.

Before

After

Crocodile Bookmark

Crocodile Bookmark

Materials Needed

• Coloured Paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Coloured Pencils
• Markers

Method

1. On a piece of green paper sketch out the head of the crocodile, an oval type shape.
2. Cut it out and trace it to make the bottom of the head.
3. Glue the backs of the ovals together, so that it can open up like a mouth.
4. Using the other coloured paper decorate the head and add detail.

This is a fairly simple activity and can be adapted to other animals.

Box Masks

Box Masks

Materials Needed

This one may need a little planning. If you are working at a child care center or after school care that does big orders once a term or every six weeks or so much sure you save all your boxes. While this means that your office or work space may become cluttered it is worth it in the end.  You can either make it free art or define it with a theme such as robots.

• Big Boxes
• Glue
• Scissors
• Markers

Method

1. Let the kids know what you expect of them, whether the activity is free o defined.
2. Let them go!
3. You may need to make sure some children aren't greedy though.

Dot and Line Animal Pictures

Dot and Line Animal Pictures

Materials Needed

• Animal Outlines
• Different Coloured Paper
• Markers
• Glue

Method

1. Either draw or print off some animal outlines. A simple Google search should let you find some. I imagine the animals you would use would be country specific so I wont post any links.
2. Using different colours fill in the pictures with lines and dots that give the animal definition. (see below)
3. Cut this picture out and glue it on some coloured card.
4. Create a nature scene surrounding it using the same dot and line method you used to fill the animal in.

This activity of course doesn't need to be limited to animals but can incorporate a large number of themes.

God's Eye

God's Eye

This one is not something I have made up but it is a great activity for children, especially on a rainy day.

For full instructions go here:

http://www.makingfriends.com/godseyes.htm

Here are some that the children made the other day

Cactus Flower

Cactus Flower

Materials Needed

• Polystyrene Bell Shape
• Green, Yellow and Red tissue Paper
• Match Sticks
• Scissors
• Glue

Method

1. Cut the green tissue paper in to small sections and glue on to polystyrene bell shape.
2. Wait until dried
3. Stick in match sticks
4. Create a flower to be placed on top. There are many ways to do this so have a couple of tries and see what woks best for you.

If you cannot find a polystyrene bell shape I think this could work well with just a toilet roll. It may be a bit harder to insert the match sticks, use a pin to create a hole first.

Glitter Box

Glitter Box

Materials Needed

• Coloured Paper
• Cardboard
• Cube Net
• Glitter
• Glue
• Newspaper

Method

1. Using the cube net, or making one your self create a template on cardboard for children to trace. You can find a printable template here:  http://www.themathlab.com/geometry/section9/cubenet.gif
2. Before gluing the box together decorate the exterior.
3. You can use other things than glitter but glitter is the easiest, and messiest.
4. To save on clean up place newspaper under the box when decorating. 
5. First put apply glue then shower the surface with glitter.
6. The newspaper will help you save what ever doesn't stick.
7. Wait until the glue has dried then put the box together.

TIP: For a more sturdier box use thicker paper.

Paper Bag Piñatas

Paper Bag Piñatas

Materials Needed

• Paper Bag
• Tissue Paper
• Markers
• Glue
• Scrap Paper
• Lollies (Candy)

Method

1. Using tissue paper and markers design a character or a theme for your Piñata. This could be an animal, favourite TV character, country, sports team or best friend.
2. Fill the bag with scrap paper to make is full and add lollies (candy) as the prize. It doesn't necessarily have to be food it could be toys as well.
3. Tape up the paper bag when finished and attach some string to the top.
4.  Hang it up and have fun!

Paper Plate Sun Catcher

Paper Plate Sun Catcher

Materials Needed

• Paper Plate
• Cellophane
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tissue Paper

Method

1. Fold the paper plate in half, do not make a crease, and cut out the middle.
2. Stick cellophane on the back so it covers the middle, you use either one or a variety of colours.
3. Using the tissue paper, or what ever else you may have lying around, decorate the out side.

This one was meant to be like a sun.