Easy daffodil garland

Pinterest is awesome but some of the crafts on there go rather beyond the capability of my three year old and I.  We attempted handprint daffodils the other day and got something more like a daffodil coloured massacre in paint.  Maybe we should submit it to the Tate Modern as some kind of abstract masterpiece.  Or maybe not.  Anyhow, I decided of late that it would be nice if we could decorate for Spring/Easter and that some kind of daffodil bunting or garland would be just the ticket.  Joey is really the only one of my boys who is terribly enthusiastic about crafts (TERRIBLY enthusiastic if you know what I mean) so with our joint limitations in mind I decided to design my own based on the resources we had available.  And should any of you internet lovelies be quite as challenged as we are when it comes to the cutting and sticking business, I have uploaded our step by step photos below. Enjoy! 

I drew a vague daffodil shape on yellow felt.

I cut it out.  This could have been done by an older child but Joey's scissor skills aren't quite that 

developed just yet. 

 I drew daffodil leaves on green foam and cut them out too.

 I tore up lots of orange tissue paper which Joey scrunched up and stuck in the centre of the 

daffodil to represent its trumpet 

He also stuck the leaves to the back of each daffodil.

I threaded each one onto green wool, using an embroidery needle.

I hung up our lovely garland and basked in the joys of spring.

Happy Crafting.

Jo x

Lego Duplo Busy Bag - Free Printables

I have recently been investing some time in creating busy bags for my almost three year old.  He is particularly fond of Duplo so I thought I would make him a set of Duplo patterns like the ones featured on this blog  http://allourdays.com/2012/10/legoduplo-building-inspiration-busy-bag-activity-bag.html .  I didn't quite have the pieces needed for the featured patterns so I made my own with the bricks that I had available.  We have LOTS of Duplo so I decided to keep the pieces and patterns together in a bag, separate from the main haul.  If you'd like to download my patterns., you can access the pdfs here: http://www.scribd.com/jo_child_1/documents .  Have fun!!

Duplo at Amazon

The Adventures of a Technology Native

Eli is almost three.  One of his favourite things to do in the whole world is play on http://www.starfall.com/.  If you haven't come across it before it's a US phonics site aimed at preschoolers.  We actually pay a subscription to access the additional features of MoreStarfall, which has maths activities, nursery rhymes and stories.  All of the three youngest children use it so it is very good value for us as homeschoolers.

Eli, despite not being able to talk very well yet, can access Starfall completely by himself.  He turns on the computer and accesses the internet.  When the search box appears he types in ST; from there he chooses starfall from the drop down box.  Voila, he's on to his favourite site.  And because of the content of the site, he is able to count and recognise letters, completely untaught by me.

It is so bizarre to think that I learned to read with Peter and Jane, from a book, with the help of my teachers. Here he is, at not yet three, becoming a self-directed learner.  I know that there are dangers on the internet, and we are always vigilant to supervise him.  BUT, there is also great potential.  I think the key is to suspend fear and allow children supervised access within a safe framework.  You could set up their own home page with shortcuts on to specific sites that you are happy with.  Google and ask on places like http://www.mumsnet.com/ which sites other parents recommend,... and then sit back and watch.  You might even learn a thing or two.

Jo x