What Shall We Do Today? E-Book

Catherine Woram

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Encourage your kids to get in touch with their creative side with What Shall We Do Today? For children, the experience of creating is every bit as important as the end result. Crafting will fire their imagination and offer an inspiring alternative to endless hours in front of the computer or TV screen. What Shall We Do Today? is packed with more than 60 colorful, fun, and imaginative projects designed for boys and girls aged between 3-12 years. The book is arranged by season, and each section is crammed full of vibrant, appealing ideas for fun crafting activities, great gifts and pretty decorations. Every project can be completed using readily available materials - just follow the step-by-step instructions and you can't go wrong.Catherine Woram studied fashion at St Martins School of Art in London, followed by a masters in fashion at the Royal College of Art. She writes for many publications, including the Telegraph magazine, Ideal Home and Prima. Her earlier books include Crafting with Kids, Gardening with Kids, Christmas Crafting with Kids and What Shall we Do Today? and Felt Button Bead, all published by Ryland Peters & Small.

Leseprobe

what shall we do today?

with projects by Catherine Woram

LONDON NEWYORK

Designer Iona Hoyle

Commissioning editor Annabel Morgan

Picture research Emily Westlake

Production Hazel Kirkman

Art director Leslie Harrington

Publishing director Alison Starling

Stylist Catherine Woram

First published in the UK in 2009

by Ryland Peters and Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields

London WC1R 4BW

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

Text, design and photographs © Ryland Peters & Small 2009, except the recipes on pages 26–27 and 126–127, which are both copyright © Linda Collister 2009

All the projects in this book are by Catherine Woram, except the recipes on pages 26–27 and 126–127, which are both by Linda Collister. The projects in this book have been published previously by Ryland Peters & Small in Baking with Kids, Christmas Crafting with Kids, Cooking with Kids, Crafting with Kids and Gardening with Kids.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, apart from the templates on pages 152–155 for personal use only.

eISBN: 978-1-84975-312-8

ISBN: 978-1-84597-886-0

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound in China

For digital editions visit ryIandpeters.com/apps.php

contents

introduction

springValentine’s day card, Mother’s Day gift, paper windmills, weaving, printed apron, painted eggs, garden tote, gingerbread people, pompoms, cress eggheads, découpage, paper flowers, tin can windchime, papier mâché dinosaur, wooden nesting box and wooden-spoon puppets.

summerFunky fans, pressing flowers, painted stones, painted pots, modelling with balsa wood, herb planter, harvesting herbs, tie-dye t-shirt, crystallised flowers, split-pin animals, colourful annuals, father’s day gift and pretty plant labels.

autumnPeanut heart, covering books, indoor garden, finger puppets, modelling with clay, birdseed feeder, harvest wreath, cat mask, mirror-image painting, halloween hat, seed necklace, pretty seed packets, lavender bags, and a pumpkin lantern

winterTwig decorations, orange tree decorations, paper snowflakes, pine cone animals, paper chains, finger-and hand-painting, felt motif cards, peppermint creams, pot pourri, Christmas spice cookies, snow shakers, potato print wrapping paper, nativity scene, orange pomanders, hanging felt stars, chocolate brownies, angel tree topper, and a Christmas stocking.

templates

stockists

picture credits

index

acknowledgements

introduction

If you have kids, you’ll know that they love pottering around with paint, scissors and glue. As well as providing an outlet for their creativity, crafting has educational benefits too. Modelling, cutting and painting will help develop hand–eye coordination, while learning to follow simple instructions is an important skill. And craft activities keep kids occupied and happy without having to resort to the TV or computer screen.

What Shall We Do Today? is packed with projects especially designed to appeal to children aged between 3 and 10 years. The book is arranged by season, and each section is full of ideas for crafting activities. There are suggestions for handmade gifts, things to grow and pretty decorations to make – absorbing projects that will keep kids entertained on long summer days and rainy afternoons alike. There’s something for everyone – modelling, stencilling, papier mâché, tie-dye and much, much more. And each project is accompanied by step-by-step photos that simplify the technique and make the project foolproof.

If your kids are keen crafters, it’s a good idea to put together a craft cupboard. Stock it with basic crafting materials – glue, sticky tape, paper and card, pencils and paint – and add scraps of wrapping paper or fabric, bits of ribbon, paper doilies, glitter pens and so on. Then, when your kids want to get crafting, they’ll have everything they need right to hand.

spring

valentine’s day card

This three-dimensional Valentine’s Day card features hearts cut from decorative handmade paper. Tissue paper and paper doilies would also make pretty hearts for the card. Use pinking shears and decorative scissors (available from craft shops) to cut the paper, and finish with a ribbon bow.

1 DRAW HEARTS For the card, you need three heart shapes in decreasing sizes. Fold three pieces of decorative paper in half and press the crease flat. Draw half a heart shape in three different sizes onto each folded piece of decorative paper. Alternatively, you could trace the heart templates on page 152 onto paper and cut them out. Place the templates on your chosen paper and draw round them before cutting them out.

2 CUT OUT HEARTS Use the decorative cutting scissors or pinking shears to cut all the way around the edges of the heart motif, and then open it out flat. Cut out two smaller heart shapes in the same way. If you wish, you can cut out more hearts in graduating sizes to make an even more decorative card.

3 LAYER HEARTS Apply a line of glue down the centre of the back of the largest heart, stick to the middle of the card and press flat. Apply glue to the centre back of the smaller heart and glue to the first heart shape on the card. Apply the smallest heart in the same way. Allow the glue to dry.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  selection of decorative paper (scraps of wrapping paper are ideal)

  blank greeting cards (or pieces of card folded in half)

  pinking shears or other decorative cutting scissors

  glue

  ribbon for bows

  pencil

  plain paper for template (if using)

4 FINISH OFF Using sheer organza or velvet ribbon, cut a bow and trim the ends diagonally to prevent the ribbon fraying. Apply a small dot of glue to the central knot of the bow and stick to the heart. Leave to dry. A matching ribbon looks pretty stuck onto the back of the envelope flap, too.

mother’s day gift

This dainty decorated bowl is perfect for a Mother’s Day gift. It uses the traditional papier mâché technique combined with layers of PVA glue, which means that the bowl can be created with fewer layers of paper to give a more delicate appearance.

1 COVER BOWL Place your bowl mould upside down on a flat surface and cover it with a layer of clingfilm. Tear the newspaper into strips. Paint over the clingfilm with a thin layer of PVA glue, then carefully apply the first layer of paper. Repeat this process until you have built up four layers of paper. Leave to dry overnight.

2 LIFT OFF PAPIER MÂCHÉ BOWL When it is completely dry, gently ease the papier mâché bowl away from the ceramic bowl and remove the clingfilm wrap. You can tidy the edges of the bowl with scissors, if desired.

3 PAINT THE BOWL Using a thick paintbrush, paint the bowl inside and out with the main colour. Allow to dry, then apply a further coat of paint. Leave to dry before applying the decoration to the bowl.

4 DECORATE We decorated the bowl with lilac and pink daisies. You may find it easier to draw the design on in pencil first. Leave to dry. A coat of water-based acrylic varnish will seal the paint and give a more hard-wearing finish.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  bowl or plate to use as mould

  clingfilm

  newspaper

  PVA glue

  bowl for glue

  thick brushes for glue

  paint in your chosen colours

  assorted brushes for painting

  scissors

paper windmills

Boys and girls alike will delight in making these colourful, old-fashioned windmills that twirl gaily in even the slightest breeze. Try making extra ones and stick them into flowerpots for fun party decorations.

1 CHOOSE COLOURS Choose the colours of paper you are going to use to make the windmill. We used bold green, blue and yellow, but soft pastels or hot pink and zingy orange look great too.

2 GLUE AND CUT Apply a thin layer of glue to the back of one sheet of paper. Lay the other sheet on top and press flat. Rub gently, making sure there are no wrinkles or air bubbles trapped between the two sheets. Allow the glue to dry. Now, from the corner of each square, cut a line approx. 10cm long towards the centre of the paper.

3 FORM BLADES With the paper in front of you, gently bend every other point of the paper into the centre of the paper. Hold in place with your fingers until all four corners are folded into the centre.

4 SECURE WITH PIN Push a pin through the centre, making sure it goes through all four corners. It is advisable for an adult to do this. Push the pin into a cork. Using strong glue, attach the stick to the back of the cork, and allow to dry. Glue on a disc of card to hide the head of the pin, if desired.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  two different-coloured squares of paper measuring 20cm × 20cm

  glue

  scissors

  pins

  small piece of cork

  stick approximately 30cm in length

  additional circular piece of card to conceal cork, if desired

weaving

Weaving is fun for most ages except the very young. The technique is easy to accomplish and can be applied to both two- and three-dimensional projects. Children will enjoy weaving cushions or bags from ribbons, or pen pots or boxes from coloured pipe-cleaners.

1 CUT THE RIBBON Cut the ribbon into 45cm lengths and divide into separate piles by colour. We used brightly coloured satin ribbon, although you could substitute pretty pastels or even fabric cut into narrow strips with a pair of pinking shears.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  four spools of different coloured ribbon, each one approximately 2cm wide

  scissors

  pins

  square of fabric to act as backing, approximately 45cm × 45cm

  needle and thread

2 PIN ALONG EDGE Carefully arrange the ribbon lengths down one side of the fabric square, alternating two different colours. Pin the ribbons in place using one pin per length of ribbon to hold them firmly in place during weaving.

3 START WEAVING Take one of the remaining ribbon pieces and pin it to the adjacent side of the fabric square. Thread the ribbon over the first piece of ribbon and under the next and repeat until you reach the other side of the fabric square. Pin in place. Repeat with the other ribbon colour until the weaving is finished. Pin each piece of ribbon in place to stop it from slipping.

4 STITCH TO BASE Use a needle and thread to sew neatly all the way around the four sides of the woven ribbon square, stitching it firmly to the backing square.

printed apron

This fun gardening apron is printed with a design of apples, created using the traditional potato-printing method. The outline of the apple makes a simple, bold motif on the fabric. Use a ready-bought apron or make your own from calico and colourful bias binding.

1 APPLY PAINT TO STAMP Ask a grown-up to cut the apple in half. Blot it with kitchen paper to remove excess moisture. Squirt some paint in a saucer, dip the paint roller in the paint and blot on side of plate to remove excess paint. Apply paint to the apple.

2 STAMP DESIGN ON APRON Carefully place the apple cut-side down on the apron and press down firmly to make the imprint. Use a slight rocking motion to make sure the paint has been applied to the whole area, but be careful not to smudge the print.

3 FINISH OFF Using the roller, apply more paint to the apple, then repeat the design all around the apron, as desired. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly, then iron the apron to seal the paint (following the manufacturer’s instructions).

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  apple

  sharp knife for cutting apple

  kitchen paper

  fabric paint

  saucer for paint

  small sponge paint roller

  plain cotton apron

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  eggs

  assorted pastel-coloured paints

  selection of fine paintbrushes

  egg cartons or eggcups to hold eggs for painting

  sheer ribbon (approximately 10mm wide)

painted eggs

Real eggs painted in soft pastel colours and tied with sheer organza ribbons make a very simple but effective display for Easter. Older children may like to blow the eggs first, but if smaller children are involved, it is easier simply to boil the eggs before painting and decorating.

1 TAKE THE EGGS Select the eggs and boil the required number for decorating. Allow the eggs to cool completely before you start decorating them. You may like to cut up egg cartons to hold the eggs while you are painting them.

2 PAINT EGGS Paint the eggs in the chosen base colour and allow them to dry completely. You may need to apply a further coat for complete coverage. Allow to dry before adding any further decoration.