Children's Craft Project: Autumn Leaves Jar Lantern

Magoo made this pretty lantern whilst on a school trip to Wildspace near Bristol. The children were asked to collect fallen Autumn leaves from the woodland. We then went back to the education room to use the leaves. I volunteered to help on the school trip and saw the lanterns being made. I wanted to share them with you...

The children were asked to take a piece of double sided tape and stick it around an empty glass jar in a spiral motion. Once the backing tape was removed, it left a sticky surface for the children to attach the leaves to the jar. Once they had squeezed on as many leaves as they felt happy with, the adults added the wired twine. I think it may be called Bindwire and used by florists. I found some here from oasisfloral.co.uk. The adults twisted the twine to create a handle for the lantern.

The children loved making the lanterns and took them home at the end of the day. I think they look very appealing once they have a candle glowing inside.

What you will need:

Clean, empty glass jar

Wired kraft paper twine or Bindwire

Double sided tape

Tea light candles

Magoo and I added some Hydrangea petals to our jar once we were home. In the Autumn the Hydrangeas in our garden turn a beautiful maroon shade. we couldn't resist adding them in amongst the leaves.

I'm linking up with Trash to Treasure (#Trash2Treasure) over on www.coombemill.com

Let Kids be Kids over on letkidsbekids.co.uk

Magic Moments hosted by theoliversmadhouse.co.uk

I'm also linking up with How Does Your Garden Grow #HDYGG over on mammasaurus.co.uk

Naturally Crafty over on growingfamily.co.uk

Making a shoebox jetpack: a creative, upcycling idea for kids

A couple of weeks ago Magoo asked if we could make a jetpack. I've got used to these kinds of requests since becoming a Mum. I knew we had an old shoebox waiting to go out in the recycling & thought the lid would make a good cardboard jetpack.
We grabbed our craft materials and Magoo set to work decorating the lid of the shoebox.

You can never have too many glittery stars on a rocket backpack can you?
We also covered the top of the shoebox lid with paper to create a surface for Magoo to draw her control buttons onto.

I knew we had some yellow and orange netting from a previous crafty project where were had made Easter bonnets back in April. So we reused our upcycled netting from our local Children's Scraptsore to make the jet flames


We also used the netting to make arm straps so that Magoo could wear the jetpack on her back.
So after cutting, sticking and gluing an unwanted shoebox lid, the jetpack was finished and ready to play with...

Once all the decorating had been completed Magoo was desperate to try it on. She decided that a jetpack would definitely help her to ride faster on her bike...which I think it may well have done :)

All you need to make this backpack is a shoebox lid (or maybe a cereal box), some thin netting or ribbon, glittery stars or stickers, glue, scissors and lots of imagination...
This week I am linking up with:
Whatever the Weather over on www.lifeunexpected.co.uk and Monkey and Mouse.
Country Kids over on the www.coombemill.com blog.

I'm linking up with #Trash2Treasure also on the www.coombemill.com blog.

Vintage Love: 1970s GALT wooden wobbly head tortoise toy

I've had this little GALT wooden tortoise toy for about as long as I can remember. He's such a cute little thing and he sits on my hand painted dresser.

Once upon a time I played with him all the time. I used to push him across our living room or the kitchen floor and watch his little head bobble about.

Made by GALT, he dates from the 1970s.

The beauty of this toy is in its simplcity. If you turn him over you can see the mechanism. Four wooden wheels drive him along, but the front two wheels are joined to a slightly bent metal bar to which his head is attached. The motion of pushing him forwards makes the bent bar go up & down and this in turn makes his head wobble about. So simple, yet so effective & really engaging for young children.

He measures about 12 cms (including his head) by 7 cms by 5 cms tall. He is varnished and has hand painted details on the face.

At nearly forty years old, he's wearing well. I think he's adorable and have no intentions of parting with him.

If you'd like to see more retro goodies, head on over to my "Vintage Finds" board over on Pinterest...

Follow Pouch : blogging + craft's board My Vintage Finds on Pinterest.

Book Buddy Review: Doodle and Draw Spots, Stripes and Squiggles

"Doodle and Draw Spots, Stripes and Squiggles" couldn't have arrived at a better time for us. My daughter is obsessed with colouring books and drawing. Her output is pretty phenomenal & I'm running out of wall space to display her artwork. I've had to resort to storing her creations in folders dotted around the house...

"Doodle and Draw Spots, Stripes and Squiggles" taps into everything my daughter loves. The bold drawings appeal to her imagination. But this book is more than just a colouring book, it invites children to create their own patterns and 'complete' the work the illustrators have started for them. I love the way it inspires creativity and my daughter has enjoyed drawing a crowd of football fans, decorated a collection of gloves and brightened up the shells of a group of tortoises. Magoo is learning about patterns and 3-D shapes at school, so this book also ties in nicely with her curriculum.

The illustrations by Bella Bee and Mike Garton are endearing, clear and engaging. I would say this book is better suited to a child who has pretty good pen control, so either on the cusp of starting school or in already in reception. Although as someone in my late 30s, I could easily sit down and happily colour in one or two of these pages.

I think colouring books appeal to many ages & almost everyone loves them. In fact colouring books are having something of a moment in the spotlight (although advocates would say they never went out of fashion). Colouring has been reported to help adults cope with stress and practice 'mindfulness'. I think it also has beneficial affects on children too. Colouring books like "Doodle and Draw Spots, Stripes and Squiggles" help to reduce screen-time, foster creativity and help develop fine motor skills.

As a budding illustrator herself, Magoo's felt tip of choice are Crayola Pip-Squeaks. She uses them nearly everyday and they are still going strong. Crayola Pip-Squeaks are great for little hands and pack a colourful punch.

We really love this coloring book from Parragon and would recommend it for ages four and upwards. Perfect for a rainy day, long car journey or just as a way of relaxing before bedtime. I've got my fingers crossed that Parragon will bring out a sequel soon...

Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was sent to me as part of the Book Buddies Review program. All views are my own.

I'm linking up with My Best Post of the Week #MBPW over on Britmums, Let Kids be Kids over on letkidsbekids.co.uk, Brilliant Blog Posts over on honestmum.com

Tobogganing at the Mendip Snowsport Centre in Somerset

I spotted on Facebook that a friend had taken her daughter to the Mendip Snowsport Centre to try out the tobogganing slope. It looked like great fun so I promptly went online and booked a session for Magoo. It was only £4 for an hour of tobogganing, which is a real bargain. A perfect way to have some fun in the Easter school holidays.

I wondered if Magoo would be scared when she saw the dry ski slope, but she couldn't wait to get started. The children are given a safety talk first & then they were off! At first the children slid down & then ran back up with their toboggans, but after only ten minutes you could see the children flagging. It wasn't long before parents were roped it to do the lion's share of the toboggan-carrying...

It really is a wonderful way to tire your children out. Lots of exercise & excitement on a beautiful sunny April day. The staff were lovely at the Snowsport Centre, so we'll definitely be visiting again.

We took Magoo to see the main dry ski slope where she saw the adults skiing. She promptly said that she wanted to go on there 'next time'. Getting hooked on skiing is an expensive hobby...so maybe we'll just stick to the tobogganing for now.

This week I'm linking up with #countrykids over on www.coombemill.com

Christmas Jumper Day

I've just spent the last half hour sewing a felt Christmas tree onto an old jumper of my daughter's

They are having 'Christmas Jumper Day' at her school this Friday to help raise money for Save the Children

I was reluctant to go out and buy a new Christmas jumper because they only get worn for a few days of the year

Parents were invited to decorate an old jumper if they didn't want to go out & buy one

I have a house full of fabric, felt and goodness knows what else, so thought would be better to get my needle and thread out

It's not my finest piece of sewing, I had to rush making it, because trying to fit it in amongst the 101 other things I have to do at this time of year!

But, I think it's fun and festive and I'm sure my daughter will love it when she gets home from school later...

On your bike!

The United Kingdom has been battered and blown about by gales and flooding for weeks now. As a Brit you get used to the damp and dreary weather, but every now and again the wet weather takes a day off and lets the sunshine have a turn. Saturday was absolutely glorious. Beautiful Winter sunshine, bright blue skies...a perfect day to take our daughter's new bike for a spin on the prom.

She proudly calls it her 'big girl bike', it's an upgrade on the trike she's been pootling around on for about two years. It's got stabilisers (thank goodness) and brakes she can't quite master, which makes for concerned looks from other prom-walkers...but so far we haven't collided with anyone or anything. She has to wear a helmet for the first time, one with Mickey Mouse ears to be precise.

I know the photos look sunny, but believe me it was freezing, so we had a pit stop outside the cafe on the seafront. Hot chocolates all round, we needed the calories!

Despite my daughter's cavalier attitude to braking, we had such a fab time. Once she mastered the steering and strength needed to make a bigger bike move forward, she was off like a rocket!

And, for the first time in ages, we all got some serious exercise. Walking with a toddler or pre-schooler can be a slow process, not just because their legs are little, but because the world is such a fascinating place we have to stop to look at everything, question why this that or the other does X, Y or Z and generally take in life at a (sometimes) slower pace. I like to walk fast, when my daughter was in her pram and then her pushchair, I power-walked everywhere. I didn't have a car, it was better (and cheaper) than gym membership and it was quite possibly the fittest I've been in my life. But once my daughter got too big for her pushchair, we've walked everywhere at her pace. Which is lovely in one way, to slow down to little-legs-speed, but it's not been great for my fitness levels!

So it was such a joy to put her on two wheels and chase about after her on the seafront. It opens up a whole new world to us as a family. We can go further with her on two wheels. Once she is confident and we don't have to walk along beside her making sure she doesn't flatten anyone, we can get on our bikes too. And then we're really off!

Vintage Love: Fisher Price Hospital

In the run-up to Christmas the toy-industry marketing machine goes into overdrive. Just like any other parent, I've wrapped up lots of new toys for my little girl. But I thought I'd share one of my daughter's favourite toys. Something she plays with nearly everyday. And it's not new...far from it. It was mine when I was a little girl. It dates from the late 70s and was part of a collection created by Fisher Price.




I had quite a few pieces, including this hospital. My Mum has kept all of them and as you can see from the photos, they are still in fantastic condition. Fisher Price made some amazing toys in the 70s and 80s. They really fired-up my imagination up as a child and they are still doing the same today with my daughter. She will quite happily play in her room acting out countless scenarios with this hospital...people get trapped, babies get sick, someone gets stuck on a roof.



What's so lovely about the Fisher Price toys is the attention to detail. I think the X-ray machine is my favourite part. It's a simple concept, press down on the footplate and the "X-ray" sign turns into a rib-cage. I love it, it's got so many humorous little touches. The ambulance is great too and the working lift, operated by a handle on the side, is as popular with my daughter as it was with me!
Obviously, it makes me feel ancient that my childhood toys are now classed as "vintage"...but it also goes to show, good toys never go out of date...

If you'd like to see more retro goodies, head on over to my "Vintage Finds" board over on Pinterest...

Follow Pouch : blogging + craft's board My Vintage Finds on Pinterest.