I have always enjoyed observing my children's unique interests. What toys they choose to play with, books they favour and what games they play. Big One has always loved characters and little men, whereas Little One is already showing a strong interest in cars and other vehicles. Our children also go through phases and what may be a big hit right now, can wane over time. I think that while they are interested in a certain subject, we as parents can use that interest to make teaching more fun. Another approach is to focus on that area of interest while you have their attention. Little One is very interested in insects right now and one of his favourite books is Roger Priddy's BUG IQ. With this in mind, I really wanted to add a colour activity involving bugs of some sort.
I wish I could say that these cute little bugs were my idea. I first saw these bottle top ladybirds at Crafts by Amanda, a super blog with many amazing craft ideas. To make these, I used a permanent black marker to draw on to the bottle top and then added the plastic eyes with glue. I didn't want to paint the eyes (like Amanda's) as I really wanted to make them quickly and not fuss with paint. I was also able to get my circles nice and round by using a stencil. I must add though, that having played with them a bit, I now know why Amanda chose to paint them. The permanent marker is not so permanent on the smooth plastic bottle top surface. I have solved this problem by having the marker nearby and touching them up every once in awhile, but it's not ideal.
To store our sweet little ladybirds, I made this ladybird jar. Another terrific idea of Amanda's. I didn't have a jar with a red lid, so settled for this one, which I purchased at my local plastic shop. All in all a really sweet craft and another fun way to focus on colours.
One interesting game that Little One has played with these, is to swipe them across the tiled kitchen floor. They glide across the floor with great speed. This grabbed both my and Big One's attention and we all ended up on our knees on the kitchen floor racing our speedy ladybirds! Not a game that I had envisioned, but great fun nevertheless.
I still have some more colour fun activities up my sleeve, so stay tuned. (And be sure to go check out Amanda's amazing blog!)
Oh look at how CUTE these came out! And I just LOVE how you used the ladybug jar to hold the lid ladybugs, brilliant! I also love how you made this into a game. These would make a great checker set too :) Thanks for linking to me and showing me your projects, they are wonderful! Oh and I have an idea to help you with your marker issue. Touch them all up where needed, let them dry completely, then spray them with a clear matte sealer spray. That should keep them from rubbing off. :) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAdorable! I saw those ladybugs on Amanda's blog and I've been wanting to make them. Yours turned out amazing!
ReplyDeleteHey there! I featured you on my TO DO list over at Crafts and Sutch! Come check it out when you get a chance. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://craftsandsutch.blogspot.com/2010/09/to-do-tuesday_21.html
Erin
I also fell in love with these cute ladybugs when I saw them on Amanda's blog! Yours are great and so colorful!! I really like how you made it into a fun game.
ReplyDeleteOh, these are adorable!
ReplyDeletePretty ones! I like the fact that you can play with them!
ReplyDeleteSoooo fantastic and fun!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I think we're going to do a whole week of bugs and bug activities in a week or so. I think I'll use this or a variation.
ReplyDeleteUm encanto teu blog....descobri através de outro blog que amo demais, que é o Pra Gente Miúda. Beijos e me faça uma visitinha também. Será um prazer.
ReplyDeleteBeijos Vivi
I just ran across this on Pinterest, so cute! We just started our bug unit and this will be a great addition. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCute!!
ReplyDeleteI will follow you
bye
I just made myself a set of these for my Kindy class and used permanent marker as well. I (hopefully) solved the scratching off problem by painting over the top of the lid with PVA glue to act as a lacquer. We're yet to test them out but it seemed to protect the marker from my fingernail!
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get your caps? I have been collecting an assortment of caps but yours are all the same size and a variety of colors.
ReplyDeleteHello! My bottle tops are really just regular tops from all sorts of everyday items. I asked a few friends to help me collect and that means I have access to a greater variety. If I find a bottle top I really like, I keep collecting that same one. Hope that helps. :)
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