I have made this gem a few times and taken it to friends houses and it is a hit with kids. (although it can create lots of crumbs on the floor!) much healthier than store bought muesli slices.
Ingredients
125g butter
100g golden syrup
1 cup rolled oats
11/2 cups dried fruit (sultanas, cranberries, chopped apricots)
1/2 cup self raising flour.
Method
- preheat over to 180degrees. Line a slice tin with baking paper.
- melt butter and golden syrup over low heat
- place dry ingredients in a bowl then add syrup mixture and mix to combine.
- press into lined tin.
- cook for 20-25 minutes until just golden on top. Allow to cool completely before cutting into slices.
Note: although this is a healthier option be wary of the sugar content from dried fruit and golden syrup and I would still keep as an occasional treat.
This is so super simple but has given my son entertainment for months. Basically you just get a toilet roll. Cut one side and place around a piece of wood (would probably work with a piece of cardboard too but not last as long). Tape into place. Only thing you need to do is make sure the wood is wide enough for a car to drive along. We created this for my son when he had just turned 1 and he loves it. Great for developing fine motor skills.
I made some of these great dolls when I was studying years ago and recently found them. I can't remember how I made them but have found a great blog, see below.
I found the dolls great when working with children of all ages but particularly 3-5 year olds. Because the dolls have no gender or expression they encourage children's creativity and inspire them to make the dolls who and what they want. I often found children expressing their own emotions or concerns through using the dolls. They are also really good to use for story telling (like puppets).
For more about Steiner philosophy see here.
http://steinereducation.edu.au/steiner-education/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner
For instructions on making the dolls go to.
http://soozs.blogspot.com.au/search?q=steiner+dolls
Get ready for some mess! Finger paint is great fun for littlies but it is messy. I started to use finger paint with my son at around 1 year old and he loved it. I have a high chair with a removable tray so you can push it up to the table. I taped paper to the table took off his clothes and let him go nuts. Some children don't like the initial feeling of finger paint (or anything messy) but give it a couple of attempts before you give up. This is a recipe I made up. I use baby shampoo, if they put it in their mouth it won't taste nice and will discourage them from eating it but shouldn't cause to much harm if they get it in their eyes. If you are lucky you might even end up with a nice piece of art work! Always supervise children closely with this activity.
Recipe
3/4 cup of plain flour
1/4 cup of corn flour
2 tbsp of baby shampoo (or dishwashing liquid)
approx 1/2-3/4 cup of water.
4-5 drops of food colouring
Simply put all ingredients into a jug and mix together with a fork. Add as much water as you like to get a desired consistency. Then mix in food colouring until you get the colour you are after.
Finger paint is a great sensory and early art activity for children. It also teaches them early science skills such as colour mixing. As children get older you can add different things to the paint and encourage them to experiment e.g., marbles (to roll around and make patterns), more soap suds, paint brushes, sponges. Have Fun.
Simple but very effective.
This is one of the most simple toys to make so much so I was reluctant to even post about it but my husband kindly reminded me that I made it months and months ago and our son still enjoys it. All you need is an empty bottle and something sharp to poke holes in the bottom ( I used a mini screwdriver). Then you can fill it with water and watch it shower out of the bottom. Kids love it in the bath, I initially made this as we have a number of stacking cups which seem to empty the water out of their holes faster than you can fill them, the benefit of a large bottle is you can fill it up once and it runs for ages. Also great to help with washing their hair in the bath.
Enjoy.
Firstly I must credit this one to my Aunty Heather who gave us these great foam blocks for Christmas.
The blocks are fantastic first blocks for children as they can easily grab on to the corner of them to hold, and they can build and knock down towers without getting hurt by the falling blocks. They also look amazing.
They are simple to make. I would suggest using a sewing machine if you have one but you can also make them by hand.
What you need....
- A couple of meters of material with 4-5 different patterns (the amount you need depends on how many blocks you want to make.)
- foam squares to insert into the blocks (you can get these from foam/rubber suppliers such as Clark Rubber, they will cut them to size for you). These ones are 9cmx9cm squares
- sewing machine and/or needle and thread.
Process....
Cut you material into squares 10cmx10cm you will need 6 squares for each block.
Sew the squares together with approx 1/2 cm seam as per the picture below
Then sew squares 2, 5, 4, 6 together to make the shape of a box with square 1 being the lid (open) insert the foam square into the box, close the lid and hand sew it closed.
Blocks are ready to play with.
"Five Little Ducks Went Out One Day........."
My son absolutely loves the 5 Little Ducks Song so I decided to knock up these cute little finger puppets and hand puppet for the the mother duck. For the hand puppet, I didn't use a pattern but if you would like one let me know and I will draw one up and add it to the page. I have just included the instructions for the finger puppets below. The finger puppets were really simple, the hand puppet was not as simple but I could manage it with my elementary sewing skills. I used a sewing machine but you could easily do by hand or glue them together.
What you need
- 1 piece of yellow felt - 1 square was enough
- 1 piece of orange felt - small amount for the beaks
- yellow feathers if desired
Simply cut out 10 finger sized pieces of the yellow felt for the bodies and 5 small triangles of the orange felt for the beaks.
Place the feather on one piece of felt facing down.
Fold the triange in half to make a beak shape place it inside the felt, place another felt body piece on top and pin around the edge.
Sew a seam around the edge.
Now all you have to do in invert, draw on some eyes and your ducks are ready!.
Just FYI my son did enjoy having a good "munch" on the ducks and they survived to they are officially baby proof. Just make sure if you use the feathers they they are secure and won't come loose.
Five Little Ducks Song
Five little ducks went out one day over the hills and far away
Mumma duck said 'quack quack quack quack'
but only four little ducks came back
Four little ducks went out one day over the hills and far away
Mumma duck said 'quack quack quack quack'
but only three little ducks came back
Three little ducks went out one day over the hills and far away
Mumma duck said 'quack quack quack quack'
but only two little ducks came back
Two little ducks went out one day over the hills and far away
Mumma duck said 'quack quack quack quack'
but only once little duck came back
One little duck went out one day over the hills and far away
Mumma duck said 'quack quack quack quack'
but none of her five little ducks came back
Sad mumma duck went out one day over the hills and far away
Mumma duck said 'quack quack quack quack'
and all of her five little ducks came back
There are lots of different playdough recipes out there but I find this stove top one to give the best results. Children LOVE playdough, even if they pop it in their mouth, it is made with cooking ingredients, so other than tasting a bit salty, it won't hurt them.
Playdough teaches children a number of skills including science, maths and fine motor and is a great calming sensory experience.
Recipe:
1 Cup plain flour
1/2 Cup salt
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Tsp cream of tartar
1 Cup of water
Food colouring if you want ( I used approx 6 drops of pink colouring). Mix the colouring into the water.
Put all ingredients (except the water) into the saucepan on low heat. Gradually stir in the water. Cook over low heat stirring continually until the mixture thickens and comes away from the side of the pan (approx 5 minutes). Remove from the pan and knead until the playdough is smooth.
Enjoy!.
Bibs are surprisingly easy to make. I have made quite a few now for personalised gifts. I have found you can never have too many bibs on hand!.
I made the pattern below myself so it is not perfect but I have found it a really easy one to use. If using print on A3 paper for the full sized bib.
What you need
- 1/2 a metre of material. I usually use fleece on one side and toweling or terry cloth on the other as I find it makes for a more absorbent material.
- A sewing machine and appropriately coloured cotton
- Velcro
Process
- Cut the pattern on each piece of material.
- Pin together right side facing, and sew approx 1/2" seam around the edge leaving a few centimetres gap to turn right side out.
-Turn right side out and hand sew together the gap.
- Place two small triangles of vecro on the top corners of the bib (one on the front and one on the back). and sew into place.
Your bib is now ready to use!
Very easy but very messy so kids are going to love it. This is definately one for slightly older children. Kids can get involved in the making and the playing (and most adults I know can't get enough of it too). I made it with my friend's 3 year old son and he sat playing with it for nearly an hour. Anyone who has an active 3 year old knows that's a great acheivement. It is cheap to make too.
Ingredients
- 1 300g Packet of corn flour
- 1 Cup of Water
- food colouring if you want to make it coloured.
Process
Mix the water into the corn flour and it is ready to go!.
When made it should feed firm when you press on top but when you scoop it up with your hands it sort of becomes soft and drippy.
This is a great science game for the kids, you can make different colours and mix them and experiment with what happens when you add more water.
It is messy but cleans up easily with water. Warning if you use food colouring and children play in it for long they may end up dying their hands.
Enjoy.
