Plaster People and other possibilities...

I saw a super band aid get well card over at Having Fun at Home and it inspired a whole lot of plaster fun!

I started off with some PLASTER PEOPLE (sounds so cute, don't you think?), but then had fun thinking up as many plaster pictures as I could...

These cute little paper books were an idea I got at a mini workshop with Renee Lighton. I found the same little book here - a nice tutorial. They are very easy to make and the possibilities are endless!

PS. Renee's workshop was really great fun, packed with lots of ideas. 
Visit her website to find out more.

PPS. I'm linking this to:
For the Kids Friday @ Sun Scholars
It's Playtime! 
Show and Tell @ ABC and 123 

Let's Play "Doctor Doctor"

"For children to 'play out' their experiences and feelings is the most natural, dynamic and self-healing process in which children can engage." Garry Landreth

Little One has spent a fair amount of time around hospitals and Doctors in the past few months, having undergone two operations in the short space of three months. He has had blood drawn, injections, hep-locks in his hand - there have been a lot of needles involved!

After our first hospital stay, the impact of these events on his play was immediately evident. Suddenly he was playing "Doctor Doctor" every chance he got and the main story line of each little scenario was needles and injections - he and I swopping the patient/doctor role countless times. 

I share this because it's such a good example of the natural healing and therapeutic value that play has. We as adults can talk about our trauma and in so doing work through feelings like fear, anxiety and powerlessness, but children don't have these words, or ability to express them. These emotional experiences that are important to a child or have significantly impacted on them, will often show up as repeated behaviour in their play (Garry Landreth: Play Therapy. The Art of the Relationship). In play therapy, we refer to these as themes.

 (It's okay little dinosaur. It's all over. - Even a T-rex deserves top class medical care :))

After reading How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? (Jane Yolen and Mark Teague), we added dinosaurs to the game and Little One has enjoyed treating the sick dinosaurs in hospital too. Recently I have noticed a marked decrease in his request for "Mommy, you're sick and I'm the Doctor". This probably means that he has sorted out some of his feelings about these experiences and is emotionally ready to move on. The healing power of play at work! :)

Stay tuned. Some more doctor-related fun coming up.

ideas magazine

Two darling friends bought me a subscription to the ideas magazine for my birthday a few months back. It was a lovely surprise to receive my September copy and to see that my matchbox fridge magnets were featured on the reader's page. These little magnets have been my most popular post for all time here at Love and Lollipops. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to top them :)?

The ideas mag is South Africa's best loved crafting magazine and this month the Party ideas for kids magazine is also on sale. Be sure to look out for it in stores.

More Bottle Top Animals

I had the wonderful opportunity recently to make some cards for a very special birthday party for the children of a children's home. Even though their ages ranged from one year to sixteen years of age, I wanted to do the same for all of them, so decided on some fun bottle top animal cards.  I thought that they would bring a smile to everyone...whether younger or older. I had a list to work from, so could also write a personal note to each child. It was great to be able to do this small act of kindness.

To see some more cute bottle top animals, click here.

 For some more fun planned with bottle tops, stay tuned :).


PS. Linking this to Making The World Cuter Monday

Plastic Egg Birds {Craft and Game}

These little birds were inspired by these that I saw at lets go fly a kite, who in turn had seen them at Busy Bee Kids Crafts.

(What a super website by the way.
Be sure to check it out for some really nice, cute kids' crafts.)

I decided to add a bit of a game to them that would be both educational and fun. I told Little One that the mommy bird is fetching worms for her hungry chicks. Can you see how hungry they are? She comes back with some colourful worms and her little chicks gobble them up. One little chick only eats one and then his tummy is full...another little chick eats two...and so on.

For the nest, I covered a plastic bowl in some green paper and then added the strips. To get your chicks to stand up in the nest, cut a toilet roll into smaller rings and rest the eggs in the rings. It works perfectly.

Till next time...

PS. Linking this to Show and Tell @ ABC and 123

Waterford Estate

As Cape Townians we are blessed to be surrounded by the most beautiful (wine) farms all just a short drive away. We have many wine routes to choose from and a weekend can easily be spent driving around the most exquisite country side and popping into farms as one pleases. 

On a Saturday afternoon in July we had family visiting from the States and we visited the very beautiful Waterford Estate situated in the Blaauwklippen (blue stone) valley. We spent the afternoon enjoying a special tasting and some of the wines were accompanied by chocolate, which made for a unique experience. The children played in the huge courtyard, while we chatted around a big country table and learned more about the wines produced on the farm. It was wonderful to be in such beautiful surroundings and I can highly recommend it as a family outing. Having said that, the farm does not have a restaurant, so be sure to pack some snacks if you plan to stay for awhile.

     

   (so love this pic of Big One)

Outings like these make me wonder why we ever choose to stay at home on a sunny weekend day. There's something extraordinary about being surrounded by such natural beauty!

Be sure to visit the website (link above) to view fantastic photographs of the estate and read more about what they have to offer.