Playdough mini beasts (bugs)

The Fairy loves hunting for mini beasts (bugs). The other day when it was too rainy to go outside and hunt, she wanted to make some playdough mini beasts.

We took a rainbow full of dough

We rolled

pressed

and created some fabulous mini beasts (with the addition of some pipe cleaner decoration).

Amazingly pretty much as soon as we finished the mini beasts making, the sun came out. So we popped over to Grandmas garden for a bug hunt. Look what we found...

a caterpillar sunbathing on a sundial,

a worm on a leaf

a butterfly visiting a flower

a buzzy bee

a 'stripy worm'.

What's your favourite thing to make out of playdough? Do you like hunting for mini beasts (bugs)?

Kids Co op

 

This week I want to feature some fab dinosaur playdough from the fantastic Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails - who can say no to mocha playdoh. Can't wait to try this with The Fairy (and The Frog as soon as he stops eating everything the can lay his hands on!)

How have you been playing this week. Don't forget to add your ideas....

How to make a handprint birthday card

There's nothing better at receiving a hand made card. After having lots of fun with our hand print dragon we thought we'd have ago with another, this time making cards (NB as we are not very organised this card was meant for a birthday in April, when we first started making it but as you can see by today's date we didn't get round to finishing it - fortunately we have very patient family and friends who don't mind *very* late cards).

First of all we painted The Fairy's hand to look like a cake and candles (missing out the thumb to make it easier to print).

We then printed the hand and added separate yellow finger prints for flames.

When the picture was dry (well 3 months later !) I mounted it and made it into a finished card

Loose parts play: pipe cleaners

I love activities that are spontaneous. The Fairy loves activities that involve loose parts (for those not familiar with this term - it literally means loose parts - bits that a child can manipulate/ create / collect / transport with). This morning as I was getting The Frog ready to go out the Fairy was getting creative with some pipe cleaners. I came back to find some impressive sculptures. She called them balloons as she was creating (I think this maybe linked to several parties we have been to recently have had balloon modellers)

Later in the day we had another go

twisting

and squashing

she called this one a swishy

and this one is a dinosaur. How does your child play with pipe cleaners? Do they like loose parts play? 

Kids Co-op

It's that time of the week again - its The Kids Co-op Linky. This week I'm featuring a beautiful post from Learn with Play at Home. Inspired by the book 'Doors in the Air' they created their own door - its exquisite. The perfect spark for imagination - a door like that could go ....well anywhere (I for one want to find out where it goes!)

Don't forget to join in this week and link up your ideas I can't wait to see them!

DIY Fairy House

You know your  blogging habit is getting serious when you see things in charity shops and instantly think of how they can be incorporated into a craft for a blog post. The instant I saw this cup I thought of a way to recycle it into a fairy house. As you maybe able to guess from our blog title fairies are more than popular in our house. There are loads of variations of fairy house/ gardens on the blogsphere/pintrest so I have been mulling over ways to make one (as I know it will get alot of use!)  I recently saw this fab idea of personalising mugs using permanent markers (an American brand of permanent marker) and then cooking them to make the image stick.

Take a cup and some markers (if you want to stock up on some like the ones we used click on our affilate link in blue for the pens).

Add a fairy sized door, window and a sign (just in case the fairies forgot where they lived). Don't forget a climbing rose.

Add a butterfly.

Then all you need are some fairies to move in. A perfect set up for outdoor play.

And indoor play too.

EDIT: Our design has faded with time so its not totally permanent but its still visible (and playable)

Gaudi Snails

Today were taking part in another fab 'Kids Get Arty' link up over at Red Ted Art. For the last link up we we got all Kandinsky. This time we decided to be inspired by a Spanish artist (The Fairy and The Frog's Papa is Spanish so we try and do activities that will hopefully mean they feel part of Spanish and English culture) . I've previously visited the Parc Guell in Barcelona and thought The Fairy would be attracted to the bight colour of the mosaics there - and I was correct (can't wait to take her there for real). She especially liked the lizard.

We talked about the colours in the mosaics and the shapes. We set to work ripping up bits of paper- recycling an old magazine.

She chose to make a snail (I was rather glad as my drawing isn't that great and not sure how lizard-like my drawing of a lizard would have looked!)

The Fairy's finished snail

Edible Olympic torch

After seeing the official Olympic torch we decided to eat the torch, well not the real one. Admittedly our efforts we not as impressive as this one made by a hotel in York, but we still had fun creating our own edible torch.

You will need

Cover the breadstick in melted white chocolate

And sprinkle

Voila torches for tea (or any other time you fancy - *just in-case you were wondering we ate nutritious sensible food first and had the torch as a pudding*)

And here is a picture of The Frog getting to grips with the real thing. Not sure that it was designed for sensory play but it does feel great to touch!

Kids Co op

There were 200+ fantastic play ideas featured this week on Kids Co-op. Lots of fun things too choose from. I loved this post from Jackie at My Little Book Case about when they invited Charlie and Lola for tea....

They came, fortunately they had some pink milk and lovely things to eat,

I love how they have used symbols to support literacy - very fun and functional

'The Fairy' is a massive Charlie and Lola fan - can't wait to try this with her. Don't forget to link up your ideas this week 

Olympic rings

Well Olympic fever has finally hit 'casa  The Fairy and The Frog'. We're not really sporty people and haven't got any tickets for the events but I felt like maybe we should do somehing to join in with the celebrations, especially as a family member is going to be one of the torch relay runners (does that count as a 'stealth boast'? I hope not!)

The Fairy is very into threading and hole punching. This Olympic ring decoration combines the two. We used paper plates and pipe cleaners.

We cut out the middle of the plates and punched holes around the outside.

The resulting plate can then be used as a 'rubber ring' to spin round your arm (cue action shot)

or it can be used to thread pipe cleaners through.

Thread one with each of the Olympic colours and then you can use them to make the Olympic rings (after checking Wikipedia as to which way round the colours should go!).  Did you know the rings symbolise the 'Olympic Movement is international and welcomes all to join'- another handy Wikipedia fact

I think the rings would make a great decoration for an Olympic themed party. All that threading is also great for developing fine motor skills and concentration - its a win win situation.