| ISSUE 91 • 25 JULY 2010 | |
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Editorial It's been a huge few months for us with a move interstate, a new house, new school/childcare and a whole new routine centred around the fact that I'm working full-time for the first time in more than ten years! We're gradually feeling more settled, in fact, the whole exercise has highlighted to me just how flexible children can be, provided they're given all the necessary support and information of course. It will still take a while before the pre-dawn starts become second nature but for now we are keeping positive, writing lots of lists and generally trying to take it easy on the weekends. Recently a friend sent me this great list of positive tactics that parents can use to defuse difficult situations without resorting to punishment. For a while now I've had the uneasy feeling that I'm too quick to send the children to 'time-out' when things are getting difficult. When this list passed my desk last week I printed out a copy and have been re-reading it every few days. It's nothing mind-shattering but having it in front of me has served as a reminder that there are a lot of different options when things are going pear-shaped. I hope you find it useful too. Thanks to Naumi for passing it on. Everyday Craft Special Offer Thanks to everyone who took advantage of my two-for-the-price of one Everyday Craft offer in the last newsletter. In hindsight I realise it was bad idea to run such a big promotion in the middle of the move! Apologies to those who had to wait for me to get unpacked before their order was fulfilled. I still have about 100 copies of the hard-copy book left so I am keeping the two-for-one Everyday Craft book offer open for the next 50 orders. Once I've run out of books I'll remove the order link from the website. In future you'll still be able to order the book as a PDF but printed copies will no longer be available once I've sold out. I hope you enjoy the latest issue which, appropriately, focuses on 'no-fuss' craft ideas. Happy crafting and I'll see you next time!  Amber Carvan editor@kidscraftweekly.com |
These paper bag faces are very appealing to young kids and are simple to put together by using items from around your home. When collecting material for your little one to use it's a good idea to select a range of items for each of the facial features. You will need: • paper bags • glue and/or tape • bits and bobs from around the house We used patty pans (paper liners for cupcakes), cotton wool balls, rubber bands, bottle tops and plastic lids, balloons, scraps of wool, permanent markers and ribbon. Directions: 1. Give your bag some eyes...  2. ...a nose and a mouth, perhaps even some hair...  3. ...and then put it over your hand to make a simple puppet  4. By this point your little one will be inspired to keep going on their own. Ella went on to make six funny bag faces. These are two of my favourites. 
I'm sure you've noticed that I'm a big fan of craft ideas that make use of the materials that we have around us. The pantry is one of my favourite places to find craft materials – for this activity we used dried beans and peas but you could just as easily use lentils, pasta, rice, seeds or breakfast cereal. You will need • paper bags (or just paper) • white glue • pantry supplies for gluing Directions 1. Write the shape of a letter or word using white glue.  2. Stick pantry supplies along the shape of the letters. This was a big hit with my almost three-year-old – check out the concentration!  And ta da! 
The bold effect of the chalk on black paper makes this craft very appealing. This very simple activity can be enjoyed by kids as young as two. You will need • coloured chalk • black paper Directions 1. Provide your children with a small basket or caddy for the chalk and a good stack of black paper.  2. Let them go for it.  You can see that both my children love this activity.  Children can be encouraged to return the chalk to it's box when they've finished drawing, and to stack up the paper and put the materials away for next time.
It was an absolute joy to watch my son enthusiastically work on this craft with no assistance from me. It works really well as a first craft because if you set it up correctly the child cannot fail or become frustrated. It just works so well – I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. If you have a young child please try this craft, you will not regret it! You will need • easel or upright board • clear sticky contact • pegs • odds and ends Directions 1. Set up an easel or other upright board with a piece of clear contact.  Peg the top and bottom securely and then carefully peel off the paper (removing and replacing the pegs as you go) so that the sticky side is facing outwards. 2. Collect some odds and ends in a box or bucket. We used wool scraps, paper scraps, foil, pom poms, cellophane, bubble wrap, packing peanuts and other bits and pieces from the bottom of the craft cupboard. 3. Encourage your child to stick objects onto the contact.  It was glorious to see Arky enjoying having complete creative control over his work of art. He carefully placed objects in specific spots and explained to me what he was making. I have never seen him so happy with what he created – I think it shows!  |
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