Dreading this week. Need ideas please

[kel1983]

ok the weather is not looking good for the next couple of days and we will have at least 6 mindees every day.

They range from 2 to 7.

Need some craft ideas. They loved the easter crafts but think we have pretty much covered that now. They loved Hama beads last week but fast running out of the beads and dont have time to go and buy more.

Would love to be able to take them out but wont fit them all in the car and have children arriving and leaving either mid morning or mid afternoon.

Hopefully we will get a dry day of 2 so we can take them to the park atleast. May take them to the library so they can pick some books.

What things have you all got planned? Anyone got ome great craft ideas?

[rickysmiths]

You could start a Spring Tree. I do them with the brown paper you get as packing in a parcel but you can use your imagination. I blu tacked the trunk and branches on a cupboard door.

We started ours in the autumn with autumn leaves and then did Christmas, snow, for spring we made blossom out of tissue and cut out pale coloured paper to make petals and staple or glue them together. You can make catkins by threading circles on cotton. We then made leaves and then fruit. The tree was up from September to August! The children loved it and loved showing their parents the differences as time went by.

Could you do some cooking, make biscuits and decorate, pizza for lunch they love watching the bread dough rise!

You have St George's Day and the Queen's birthday on the 23rd April and 21st April. Could you make some bunting for her birthday and then use it for the Jubilee? You could do paper and material bunting.

[loocyloo]

put wellies and waterproofs on and go out for a wet wellie walk! jump in puddles, collect water in buckets, add bubbles/paint to puddles...

craft wise, thinking of raindrops, how about dot paintings a la aboriginal art.

activity village have lots of puzzles/mazes etc. they do nice writing paper too; maybe get the older ones to write a story/poem.

collages using all the left over paper/foil etc from easter!

[Zoomie]

We visited a farm last week, so we are going to be doing things around the animals this week.

Sheep, rabbits, goats etc

I really liked the fruit idea for the tree though. Ours currently has lots of blossoms on it, and the fruit idea will fit perfectly with healthy eating that I would like to address in the near future.

[mushpea]

how about making a story sack, going for a walk in the woods and let them work out why its raining outside the woods and not under the trees, a trip to the local supermaket to buy their lunch, let them make a shopping lis of things they'd like first,
go bowling (if you can afford it!)
make dens from tables, chairs, airers, blankets, pegs etc
baking activities, making bread, hot cross buns, pizzas
playdough, make it themesleves then play with it,
paint pasta then thread on to string for necklaces
painting, gluing, sticking, paper mache, anything messy,
chalk pictures, felt tips, crayons
music session, take anything like boxes, empty bottles etc and use rice, pasta, lentils etc to make them in to musical instruments

and if all else fails then go for the tv or wii:laughing:

[blue bear]

We were looking at different art last week, we were making a mosaic picture with squares of tissue paper when a child said it was like Elmer, I cut out the mosaic in an Elmer shape. This week we are going to look at Elmer books and decorate Elmer shaped card using different art styles.
Hoping the children will take up the themes of the Elmer books- weather, shapes and colours and activities will flow from them.

[miffy]

Have you any local shops where you could get some large cardboard boxes? Good for den building or when they get bored with that, split them down and use as huge canvasses for painting on.

It's Earth day soon too so you could use some blown up balloons and make paper mâché earths

Miffy xx

[kel1983]

Weather is not as expected this morning. Actually could turn out to be a nice day so we off out to park to have a kick about. Will take a towel to dry the playground equipment. :blush:

Love all your ideas. Will def be using them at some point. :thumbsup:

[flowerpots]

Thank you for all the ideas, i LOVE threads like this it gets my brain back into gear. :thumbsup:

[jumpinjen]

ditto what she said!! SOme great ideas there - we did feet painting last week- messy but great fun and filled a good forty minutes then 20 more with bubbly water and a clear up!

jen x