This weeks #ImaginationMatters theme is #AroundTheWorld and we have had lots of fun.
We started by colouring in a passport that mummy edited and printed from the internet. These are ideal for getting children to write. If they are old enough, they can fill in the details themselves. As Charlotte is only 16 months, I gave her some crayons, sat her in the high chair, popped BabyTv on the TV and just left her to make marks. She spent a good hour occupied and I was so impressed watching her hold the crayon. She has shown a clear preference for using her right hand and adjusts the crayon herself to make it comfortable in hand. |
Even at this age, its a great activity as although she is to young to be a successful writer, it is good for her development to understand that she is making marks. This early stage of writing is called emergent writing and even though them lines and scribbles don't mean much to us, they are the beginning stages of learning to write and understand that marks and letters have meaning. Mark making is a huge developmental milestone.
I have included the files if you want to download a blank passport and have a go at home.
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I posted this picture on Instagram earlier this week, did you guess what it was?
Its a Paper-Mache Globe, well a Globe in working progress. To make one, you will need: - Balloon, - Newspaper - Torn up into squares/strips, - Kitchen or Toilet Roll, - PVA Glue - 2 Parts Glue 1 Part Water, - Paint Brush, - Patience :). |
Once covered, leaving only a small area at the knot end visible, you can pop the balloon.
Once popped, you will have a gap at the top of your Paper-Mache Globe. You will need to soak strips of newspaper in the glue mixture and spread them at different angles until the gap is covered. Again you will need to apply 3 to 4 layers gradually.
Once the gap is sealed and the Paper-Mache is dry and hard, you then need to cover the full globe in one or two layers of kitchen or toilet roll. This layer makes it easier to paint once the layer is dry as it gives you a blank canvas to apply the paint onto.
Please note, this is an extremely messy activity, it is lots of fun but for little ones you may want to strip them. As Charlotte wears cloth nappies and I didn't want to ruin any with the glue, she was completely stripped and this is the reason why there are no pictures of her doing the Paper-Mache.
Generally, PVA glue is water based and usually does come out of clothes but I would make sure they wear some old clothes just in case. Charlotte was covered from head to toe in glue and newpaper after about 5 seconds of doing this. She had lots of fun but lost interest after about 5 minutes. Therefore mummy completed the globe while Charlotte had a splash in the sink with Daddy to get clean.
At the moment, the Globe is in a newspaper state, which is why there is only one picture but keep your eyes pealed as I will update this post with more pictures as we complete each stage. Its definitely a worth while activity as even for 5 minutes, Charlotte was exposed to new experiences and textures and had lots of fun getting messy. Paper-Mache is great if you have the time and patience and you can make so many things.
I hope you enjoyed reading, please come back to see more pictures of our Globe and stop by next week for more Imagination Matters. Next weeks theme is 'Shopping' and we have a lovely outing planned :).