Happy "I love you" Day

Valentine's day has come and gone and as much as I wanted to post this yesterday  - on the actual day -  real life often gets in the way of blogging :).

Many times I have great intentions that don't materialise - you too? - like sending Valentine's cards or giving Valentine's favours to our loved ones. Yesterday I sent some flowers and a Valentine's card to two important ladies in Little One's life...his teacher and the class assistant. It was such a good feeling to GIVE and to say THANK YOU. I lay in bed last night thinking, that if I had done that for every important lady in his life (excluding me) I would have had to buy a whole lot more flowers and we would have had to make many more cards. Isn't it such a blessing to have people around us that help us to love and to raise our children. I am grateful! 

Anyday can be "I love you" day ...who might you spoil today?

PS. Card via the super Allison from No Time For Flash Cards

Christmas Crafting

 

In the past few months my private practice has taken up more of my time and I worked far into December. It meant not having so much Christmas crafting time, but we did manage to sneak in some fun before the big day. 

At the top - our Christmas cards. These were printed with acrylic paint onto white cardboard. We used a round pencil eraser to make the red dots; an edge of corrugated cardboard to print the stars; and, a spaceship sponge - a modern take on a starry theme. 

This was our version of gingerbread houses - tennis biscuit houses :). They were pretty easy to put together. You need tennis biscuits, lots of icing and some sweeties to decorate. Next year, maybe I'll have a go at making actual gingerbread.

Homemade Christmas gift tags made by Big One. Every gift had a personalised tag.

Homemade wrapping paper by Big One.

This year Little One made this awesome handprint tree at School - all the children made one and it served as a forest - the backdrop in their small Christmas production. I decided to turn it into a ten day countdown tree to Christmas. Each day we decorated the tree with a sparkly pom pom and on Christmas day we added a star to the top. 

And lastly...a Christmas Elf made from a Lipton Tea Box. We spent the afternoon creating with some friends - it's become a lovely Christmas tradition. The idea was to create gift boxes from the tea boxes and this was Big One's creation. 

I hope you enjoyed these. See you back here in 2013! 

Bottle Top Turkey

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

...to all my friends and family in the US :)

O is for Ostrich

Little One has been introduced to the alphabet via the Letterland program at his school this year - a super program that I like very much. I, on the other hand, haven't focused much on alphabet activities at home, but recently decided that we should. Added to that, Big One gets homework every day and Little One also wants to have homework, just like big brother. So I thought I'd prepare some things for him to do in the afternoon while Big One is busy. 

The first letter I chose to focus on was "o" - it's so easy to identify and it's a great first sound. 

Just by the way, here in South Africa we teach lower case letters first and we teach the phonetic sounds (as in "a" is for apple, not ape). 

I chose ostrich as our first "o" activity and we started with identifying the letter using our fantastic magnetic alphabet. (Available from Little People's Products)

I added some ostrich handouts from Carisa's  Tot School Printables @ 1+1+1+1. (If you don't know this site - it's amazing!) 

We did some colour recognition and colouring in.

Little one then cut out each ostrich (Each ostrich is in a square, which makes this a nice cutting activity).  He helped me staple all the little squares together to make a small book - a nice reminder of the activity.  I also added in some maths language, by asking him which picture he wanted in the book first, second, third, etc, as I put the small pages together, before we stapled it. 

I also made a copy of the "shapes" page and asked him to "show me the ostrich in the oval, triangle etc." He used his dot markers for this one. These were very kindly sent to us awhile back by Donette from The Journey. They are a favourite during homework time. These ostriches can also be cut out to make a book... or flash cards.

There are lots more ostrich pages available from 1+1+1=1. 

And a  bottle top ostrich craft...

The boys and I visited the National Geographic website to get some extra information about the ostrich and we watched a You Tube video of an ostrich running - something they do rather well. (We actually ran around like ostriches - using our "wings" to steer and make sharp turns - this got some giggles). And we learned that an ostrich can cover up to 5 metres in a single stride - that got us measuring and estimating - it's about the length of our kitchen!

Little One calls it "fun homework". This must mean I'm doing something right ;). 

Till next time - happy learning :)  

PS. Little One is 4.2 years.
PPS. Sharing this at It's Playtime.

Squeezy Art {A repost}

I have never done a repost of an old post on Love and Lollipops before, but after 2 and a half years of blogging, I know that there are some oldies, but goodies, in my archives. So for those of you who happen to remember this post - firstly, thank you for still reading (!) -  and secondly, I hope you won't mind the repeat. With a short spring break coming up here in South Africa, this struck me as a super way to spend a rainy afternoon - spring may be here, but it's still raining  :).

This art activity has been one of Big One's favourites for a long time.

To do this activity, you need some squeezy bottles filled with different paint colours. I found these bottles at my local plastic shop and filled them with acrylic paint, using a vaccine syringe. It is a bit time-consuming, but well worth the effort.

 

Once done, all that is required is some squeezing , folding and fun! First squeeze and then squeeze some more. Use as many colours as you please. Fold your page in half and then carefully open your page to reveal a colour surprise!  My son enjoys this process so much, that getting him to stop is usually the only problem.

We are always left with a great number of these interesting paint surprises, so I decided to use them to make some greeting cards. To create these, I cut them into small squares and arranged them onto pre-cut coloured cardstock. I really like the end result.

Have fun :)

PS. Shared at the Weekly Kid's Co-op.

Get Well Soon Robots

I recently saw these wonderful CD case robots over at The Art Annex and thought that they would make great Get Well Soon cards for a few family members and friends who have been ill.

The robot holds the card in his (peg) hand and it reads :

 " Here's hoping that all your parts will soon be in perfect working order."

To make these you need some cardboard, pegs for the arms, odds and ends to decorate and a CD case to stick all the parts in. The little parts have to be fairly flat so that the CD case can close properly.

This was the last of our Robot Fun. Onto some new activities from the next post. Take care :)

Paint Chip Robots

I have been very inspired by the many crafty uses for paint chips that I've seen around lately. So when I was brainstorming for some robot crafts, I had one of those happy crafty AHA moments (do you have those?) - why not Paint Chip Robots? The chips are suited to robot shapes and of course you have lots of lovely colours to work with.

I decided to add some photos to make these more personal for the boys. I didn't have any recent ones printed of Big One, so I raided an old photo box and found this picture of him - he was about 4 years old.

Little One also loved the idea of being inside the robot :).

More robot fun coming up..:) 

Sharing this at:

For the Kids Friday @ Sun Scholars 

The Sunday Showcase 

Robot Fun {Felt Robots}

Time for another mini theme - Oh how I do love a theme!

My boys have been enjoying the movie Robots and a favourite new book from the library, called Wendel's Workshop, so I thought it perfect timing to have some robot fun.

Felt robots are the easiest to make. No sewing required and you don't even need a felt board, simply a nice big piece of felt for the children to make their designs on. Little One wasn't keen on the activity, but Big One made some amazing robots - so much better than mine.

Mine's the middle orange one. I love the detail in Big One's designs. Yes, even a pirate and exploding robot - so cool.

This last one is a birthday card that I made for a little friend. I stuck a piece of felt to card stock and added this sweet girly robot. I didn't glue the robot pieces on and I also made some extra pieces so that she can make another robot if she wants to. This is a modified version of an awesome felt card I saw here at The Mucky Macbook.

Some more Robot Fun coming up. Stay tuned.

PS. A felt robot set makes for a great gift, don't you think?

Sharing this at:
Show and Tell @ ABC and 123 
For the Kids Friday @ Sun Scholars 

Making cards using children's art

When Mother's Day comes along, I'm always racking my brain for a great gift for the Grannies in our lives. I like making something for them - or letting the children make something. So I was grateful when a friend of mine reminded me of this lovely idea. 

 

I don't know about you, but I love having some blank cards (bought or made, although I prefer home made) in my writing box. They are nice to have for birthdays, thank you's or any other reason - actually who needs a reason - I love giving and receiving a card! It's great to have something pretty to grab and use when you need it. I knew that both the Grannies would love this... 

So here's how to make some:

• If you can, buy some pre-cut cards and envelopes - much easier than cutting and folding your own.  
• Scan your child's art work into your computor OR 
• If you don't have a scanner or the art work is too big for your scanner, photograph the art and download it. 
• Use a photo editing program to touch it up or crop it if necessary - I use Picasa - it's free and easy to use. 
• Cut it out and glue it on. 
• A nice touch is to write the Artist's name at the back of the card and their age when they created it.   

 

Some beautiful, personal cards for Granny, or any special lady in your life.  

Now I definitely need to make some for myself :). If I do, I'll share them too. 

Happy crafting! 

PS. Sharing this at  
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello

Bottle Top Art, Pinterest Boards, and a Winner!

Getting tired of all these bottle top posts :)? I hope not, because I just can't help myself. When I see bottle tops...I see possibilities!

Here in South Africa we have many schools with very limited resources and every time I pick up a bottle top, I see all the potential that this little throw away plastic top has :). So to better collect and organise ideas, I have created Bottle Top Teaching and Bottle Top Fun Pinterest Boards. The first board will focus on using bottle tops to teach and the second board will be anything creative one can get up to with a bottle top. I hope you will drop me a line if you have been doing some bottle top activities. I will be right over to check it out :).

So this sweet bit of art (see above) was really easy to make.
All you need is :

bottle tops

two chubby little hands (yes, chubby ones required)

gloopy glue (you know...gloopy white runny glue)

pretty paper sprinkle/confetti

I wish I had a picture of those two chubby hands squee-eezing the glue into the bottle tops, but we did this fun activity at night and the photos came out rather yucky. I can assure you though, that Little One loved this. After all the squeezing, came the sprinkling of the paper confetti. When he was done, I arranged the tops nicely onto a page and stuck them down to make some super easy wall art. Easy and fun!

One last thing before I go...
I have a winner for the makedo giveaway. 

Congratulations Lizanne from Clay Jar People! 

I'll be in touch shortly to get your postal details.

Thanks also to all of you who took part and left such kind comments. I'll definitely be having some more giveaways, so stay tuned.

Till next time, be good...

Georgia :)

makedo {A Giveaway}

I was so excited when I recently discovered a new product, called makedo. I immediately went and checked out the website and after seeing all the wonderful possibilities, I couldn't resist getting it for the boys. 

What is it? Essentially, as they so aptly put it, it is "a set of connectors for creating things from the stuff around you". 

I particularly like that they offer both free-play kits, as well as find-and-make kits. In the free-play kit, you have a set of connectors and using the recycled objects you have at your disposal, as well as your imagination, you can make anything you want to. The find-and-make kit is a project-based kit, in which you make a specific thing, for example, flowers. These kits tell you which recycled objects you need for the project and it gives you the required connectors and instructions - cool hey?

In the Easter holidays we had some friends over and I gave the kids some recycled items as well as our free-play kit. Here's what they came up with...can you spot the tiny toilet roll character?

According to the website, this product is suitable for ages 5 and over. I think this depends on the child's fine motor dexterity and finger strength. The children who made these items in the picture were aged 10 and 12.

I really knew I had made a smart purchase when shortly after getting our kit, Big One had to go dressed up to school for "Crazy Day". He created a mask from a box and using the connectors, he attached items to the box to make it interesting. I was so thrilled, because it was far easier and quicker than using glue - no drying time required!

And now for the best part, Annelize, our local agent for this super product, has very kindly given me a 33 piece free-play kit to give away to you! 

How do you enter? It's really easy. 

• For one entry, leave a comment and tell me what one of your favourite posts has been here at Love and Lollipops.
• For a second entry, tell a friend about this competition. 
• And, for a third entry, "like" my Love and Lollipops Facebook page. 
• You need to leave separate comments for each entry and please make sure that I have your contact (email) info.
• The competition closes on Sunday the 13th of May and is open world wide.

:)

Can't wait and want to buy some in the mean time? If you are local, you can contact Annelize via her Facebook page or send her an email at preta(at)mweb(dot)co(dot)za

Annelize will also be exhibiting at the next My Favourite Things market, being held in Paarl on the 12th of May. 

Good Luck! 

Seussville {Bottle Top and Pom Pom Town}

Big Brother went off to camp for a few days this morning, so I thought it would be nice to have a few distractions for little brother. Truthfully, Little One will probably be fine - it's Mommy (that would be me) that might not be.

Anyhow, this project started off a few days ago with me encouraging the boys to make some "buildings" from bottle tops. Big One wasn't in the mood, but Little One loved the idea of using the gloopy glue again and he made some nice creations. I, of course, got completely carried away and created a whole town of buildings :). Right at the end, I decided to added some pom poms for a kind of "Dr Seuss effect".

Little One's creations...

The little buildings needed a place to go, so I took a large piece of cardboard and glued some colourful cardboard roads on to it and added the street markings with a correction pen. "Seussville" awaited Little One when he got home today. He really liked it and played and played...makes a Mommy's heart glad...and not having Big One around, just a little bit easier.

Until next time, happy playing!

PS. Sharing this at
Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe

For the Kids Friday @ Sun Scholars 

Kids Co-op
Show and Tell @ ABC and 123 

Earth Day Craft

I am an honest gal! And honestly, I had never heard of Earth Day until I started blogging. This year when I noticed all the Earth Day crafts, I decided to put on one of my favourite caps...the research one...and find out a little more about it. So here's what I found out:

Earth Day is a day on which events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the earth's natural environment. Many communities around the world celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year. The origin of this day is credited to Gaylord Nelson, a former U.S. Senator, who after witnessing the devastation of the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, called for an environmental  teach-in  on 22 April 1970. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 International Mother Earth Day and it is planned for this date in all years through till 2015.(Reference: Wikipedia)

If you have been reading for awhile, you will know that I like, no make that love bottle tops, and have shared quite a few bottle top crafts here at Love and Lollipops. So to celebrate Earth Day and in the spirit of recycling and looking after our beautiful planet, here's another bottle top craft for you :).

Till next time...happy recycling!

PS. Sharing this at:

Show and Tell @ ABC and 123
^{Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe}

Easy Chicken Craft

I found my inspiration for this sweet chicken craft in an old copy of the your family magazine. The template I used was actually meant for a hen beanbag, which I would have loved to have made, but wasn't brave enough to attempt. I enjoyed making a paper version though (far easier too!)

Did you know that the frilly part on top of the chicken's head is called a "comb" and the wobbly bit below it's beak, a "wattle"? Aren't those just the perfect names for those body parts :)? For a nice labeled photograph of the parts of a chicken, peck your way over to Farming Friends and there's lots of interesting information and print-outs about chickens at Enchanted Learning.

Till next time. 

PS. Sharing at:
 Show and Tell @ ABC and 123