My kids love play dough.  They get to knead and shape and create creatures and people and things! 

But there’s one problem with play dough.  It inevitably dries out and the creatures, people and things must be binned.

My daughter recently made a little family of mouse like critters out of play dough and made them a little house our of a shoe box replete with beds, a sink and pictures on the wall.

But she was disappointed when a week later she went back to the house and the critters were cracked, faded and we had to throw them out.

But there’s way to avoid such tragedy and keep your kids creative masterpieces forever!  Here’s how…

Use polymer clay instead!

Polymer clay is pliable, malleable, and keepable.

It comes in a wide variety of colours and you can even mix colours together much like you do with paint to create whatever colour you like.

Much like play dough you mould your creations into a myriad of creative shapes, but unlike play dough it doesn’t dry out.

And to keep the creations forever, you put it in your oven on a low heat and it hardens without dulling the colours.

You can buy polymer clay from craft shops.

The Disney Family Fun website has some great polymer clay projects.

And there are lots of great how to videos on youtube.  Just search for ‘fimo’ or ‘polymer clay’.

Or just let your child create away.  Enjoy!

With spring comes boisterous children and boisterous children sometimes need entertaining!
In a previous blog I covered all things energetic and outdoors but what about activities that can keep the children occupied in the backyard or on the verandah?There are so many free and simple ideas to get little imaginations going.

Remember building cubby houses? No, I don’t mean wooden ones (although that’s a great project if you are feeling handy!). I mean cubby houses made out of sheets, pegs, ropes, chairs, clotheslines and trees!

Little ones may need help tying the sheets up but let them go wild.

I have memories of the whole of mum’s linen closet on the back lawn…so many sheets and blankets meant a cubby house of many rooms! We spent days out there, eating our lunch picnic style under our self made canopy, playing games, being pirates… Cubby houses ignite imaginations!

Artistic endeavors are always fun…and they don’t need to be messy.

Show your children how to ‘rub’ leaves. All you need is a piece of white paper, a crayon and a few leaves with good veins. Pop the leaves on a flat surface, place the paper over them holding the whole lot firmly and rub the crayon over the top to reveal the outlines of the leaves underneath. Use different coloured crayons to create layers of intricate patterns.

For an easy art activity for smaller children try using a paint brush with water on the pavement or a brick wall. Sure it may disappear but it can be repainted over and over again!

Flower pressing is always interesting although it does take some patience.
You don’t need a special flower press, just a heavy phone book and some tissue paper.
It works best if you chose flowers that are not too ‘chunky’.
Place a piece of tissue paper on a flat surface, lay your flowers down as you’d like them to be pressed, top with another piece of tissue paper and squash with a phone book.
They need about a week to make sure they are squashed and then they need to dry for a little bit longer. Once they are dry, they need to be handled very carefully but can be used to make beautiful cards.

Any scraps of wood and nails lying around? It may be worth investing in a hammer and saw that smaller hands can control. Woodwork is a hugely popular past time for children 4 and up. You can now even buy small hot glue guns that used with proper adult supervision can keep your kids occupied for days.
A great woodworking idea can be creating a project together. This doesn’t mean what is made at the end needs to be functional, but looking at the wood together, thinking up an idea, drawing up a plan and then building it can be a wonderful bonding experience and hugely educational for children.

There are so many wonderful things you can do with your children around the home! Use your imaginations and it’s highly unlikely you’ll be hearing ‘I’m bored!’

Emma Anderson
Childcare professional and mum to Jasper