Wednesday 5 December 2012

Make your own Christmas Wrapping Paper 5 simple ways!


If you are like me and have children who love to paint and are looking for ways to reduce the cost at Christmas, then this is the post for you!

Miss M loooves to paint, glue and make and is always asking to do that so I utilised this interest into a cost effectinve and fun way to make our own wrapping paper!

This was going to be '6 ways' but due to technical difficulties I am having trouble uploading pictures that were taken last year when Miss M had just turned 2 and she decorated some Christmas wrapping paper then. When it is resolved then I'll update the post!

Here are 5 fun and simple ways you can make your own wrapping paper today!!
Click on the links to see details on how to prepare each one!





3. Magic Candle Painting



4. Baking Paper Christmas Wrap



5. Baby safe Finger Paint


Which way is your favourite?

Enjoy

Play and Learn

Katey

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Baby safe Christmas Wrapping Paper


With all this painting going on in our house lately H man wanted to get in on the action too! He is really bad at putting everything to his mouth. Makes him a brilliant eater but means I have to constantly sweep my floors lol!

This is an easy, simple and safe ways for young babies 6months + to paint. Using their hands and experiencing more of their senses is such an important learning tool for our young babies.

When doing this activity with your little one be prepared for them to get messy. Put them in something that is comfortable for them and you don't mind if it gets dirty. Check that they are dry, feed and rested before starting to ensure they participate more fully in the activity.


As soon as his hands were in they went straight to his mouth!
Mmmm this is not so bad! It is very sweet so they might just very well enjoy the flavour.

The recipe for baby safe finger paint

3/4 cup cornflour
6 tablespoons of sugar
4-5 cups of water

In a saucepan, stir the cornflour and sugar till well combined.
Turn on medium heat on the stove top and slowly add the water.
Heat until mixture thickens.
Cool and separate to add your colour.
To colour add a few drops of food colouring of our choice.


Creating his masterpiece!
Fun


Love it
Now I wonder who's special gift will be wrapped in this gorgeous home made/ baby made wrapping paper??? I'm thinking perhaps his sisters gift from him!

Enjoy

Play and Learn

Katey

Magic Painting ~ Christmas Wrapping Paper


I really love doing magic or surprise painting in my classrooms and my students always really enjoyed it! Not having tried it with Miss M yet I thought we'd give it a go to make some Christmas Wrappin paper seeing as we were making our own this year.


To do magic painting you will need some candles, you could use white crayons also but candles have a special Christmas feel about them!


You can't see what you have drawn or written with the candles.
For the Christmas wrapping paper you could encourage your older children to draw and write christmas themed pictures and wordss.

Depending on the ages of my students we have used this in many ways such as sending each other secret messages and pictures. It's lot's of fun and a great motivational learning tool!



You will need some edicole dye or food colouring mixed with water to paint over the
top of the candle drawings.


Demonstrate for your child how to paint long strokes of the edicole dye over the top revealling the candle markings. Magic!!


Of course your child may have other plans on how they'd like to paint like Miss M. It's wonderful that they have the opportunity to be incontrol and use the resources and equipment you've supplied in their own creative ways. Her candle markings didn't show up quiet aswell as they might have but their was plenty of magic happening regardless!


Her finished product looks fantastic and very magical.
it will make lovely Wrapping paper for some lucky gift reciever.

We will try magic painting again another day!

Enjoy

Play and Learn

Katey

Baking Paper Christmas Wrap

This is super fun, simple and a cost effective way to make Christmas wrapping paper that your children will enjoy doing .
This idea is great for wrapping your smaller sized gifts.


You will need some baking paper / waxed paper.
I purchased some of the cheapest no name branded baking paper from the super market.

To start you will need to roll out some of the baking paper.


You will need some tissue paper.
Cut out whatever shapes you like in whatever colours you like.
As we are making Christmas wrapping paper we used red and green stars.
You could use hearts, Christmas trees, snowflakes etc.


You will also need some watered down PVA glue and
a brush for spreading the glue.

Spread the glue all over the baking paper and
let your child arrange the shapes on to the baking paper.

Once the shapes have been stuck down it is a good idea to put another layer of glue on top to help the top layer of baking stick down.


Now roll a new layer of baking paper over the top so you end up with double layer.

The result is a lovely transparent affect!

Enjoy

Play and Learn

Katey

Monday 3 December 2012

Magic Snow~ Christmas Sensory Play


We live in Australia. We also live in a part of Australia that never experiences snow!
Snow isn't something that Miss M has any tangible experience with, yet at the moment in the lead up to Christmas, she is seeing it on TV and in books and hearing about it quiet a bit! Christmas where we live is... well... mostly hot!


Her favourite DVD at the moment is Disney The Fairies, Secret of the Wings. She would happily watch it everyday and I do have to hide it away.
 Out of sight out of mind.
It is however, a lovely movie and has stunning snow scenes that make you wish you were really there! I could watch it every day too lol!


Her favourite book 'How Big is a Million?' also features a snowy, wintry landscape.


As do many of her favourite Christmas books.
We do have Australian ones also.

We have had plenty of discussions about the weather and what snow is and what it might feel like. We know it is cold. "The winter woods are too cold for the warm fairies wings Mummy". We can see in the books that you wear warm clothes and shoes when it snows and that's why Santa wears a big red cosy suit.
He will get hot when he comes to our house won't he!!


We were blessed with a wintry storm not too long ago that provided plenty of hail
and we played with ice and did ice paintings. Which let us experience how cold it might be.


Then I remembered that somewhere I had some magic snow that I had used with a class when learning about weather. This stuff was wonderful and it is reusable!
And I found it without too much looking.


As you can see it wasn't too expensive and can be used again.
I purchased it at a National Geographic Shop from memory!
I made sure to be clear with Miss M that this was not real snow but that it was only 'pretend' and that it was like magic because when you added the water it went a little bit like snow! I explained that if it were real snow it would melt like ice and turn into water because it is so warm where we live.


If you can't get a hold of anything like this but think your child would love sensory play with 'pretend' snow then you could try using cloud dough or moon sand.
Here Miss M is playing with some dinosaurs in cloud dough.
Or you could try using shaved/crushed ice!

To make cloud dough you will need

Approx 4 cups of plain flour
Mixed with 1 cup of baby oil
(you could use any oil really but baby oil is nice and light and smells nice)

Use more or less depending on the quantity you want to make.

The only thing about cloud dough is that it is not cold as like the magic snow and it doesn't feel as wet. You could perhaps put it in the fridge.

Alternatively try using crushed ice, which you can make easily if you have an ice crusher. Just be warned if you live where it is warm it will likely melt quickly, especially with warm little hands playing.


 
The great thing about magic snow is that it does feel cold and wet.
It feels like tiny mashed up water beads, which is likely what it is, although nowhere on the packaging mentions what it is made off.
Just be sure that your little one won't try and eat it. If they are likely to, then avoid this one. Make sure your child washes their hands after playing.


We collected a few props that she wanted to play with in the magic snow!
These little Santa and Christmas tree were perfect!


Here is the wintry scene Miss M created. As she played she wanted to add different things, like presents under the Christmas tree and we need a seal for Pipkin to play with Mummy! Lucky we had one in her Zoo set.
Fun, imagination, creativity, storytelling and retelling stories were all inspired by this sensory play!

The best part is that we can do it all again tomorrow!!

Enjoy

Play and Learn

Katey


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