Pony sensory tub

 H received some little plastic toy ponies for her birthday.She is probably a bit young for this type of toy and they were sitting about unused. Then one night via pinterest I saw a sensory tray that incorporated similar small ponies and I wondered if H might enjoy that.

 It was simple enough to put together using bits and bobs from around the house - the ponies (of course), a silicone cupcake form, some shells and pompoms along with the rice in a round container.
 

I coloured the rice using rubbing alcohol and food colouring - the instructions are easy to find if you Google. I have also, in my past life as a pre-school teacher coloured rice without the rubbing alcohol with good results i.e colourfast and without the nasty smell. 

H was a little unsure at first. She is usually reluctant with new textures. We do have another larger rice tray that we set up under our shady wisteria in summer but it been a while since the children have played with it.

She carefully scopped up some rice into the shells so that the ponies coud have a drink.

Then H said they needed plants. After a quick trip to our own Aladdin's cave better known as the spare room I was able to give her some (artificial) green leaves. H then carefully planted these in the rice.

Next H raided her brothers blocks and added two castle towers so that the treasure could be safe at the top. She even asked her Dadda if he might make some smaller towers for the ponies : )

All up I think H played with the tub for a little over half an hour which is a good for her age and it was also a language rich activity. This is not the type of play activity that H does on a regular basis but it was a nice change

First stitches

I was a very proud Mama the last week because A did his first hand sewing. Well not really his first as he did make a place mat for H using shelf liner, coloured wool and a bodkin and he made a felt stocking for baby L (in preparation for Christmas!) by lacing felt .

A - circa 2010

 
But this time he sewed cotton fabric, a sharp needle and sewing cotton.

He used some scraps form a project that I was cutting out and first he made a little pillow for the fairy garden.He stuffed the pillow with cotton wool. Then he wanted to make a beanie hat for the fairy and finally he cut a blanket and then a scarf.

He managed the thread and needle so well. His level of concentration was wonderful and I absolutely loved seeing my boy experience such a sense of pride and achievement in his own handwork.

While he was sewing I taught him the following little poem (from Spindrift by Wynstones Press)

Needle bright,
Thread just right, 
Fingers quick and nimble.
Stitches fine,
In a line,
And always wear a thimble.

so pleased with himself

Apparently the fairy in our fairy garden is now very cosy and ready for Winter . . .

Bird feeders

H and I have been noticing recently that our garden is being frequented by a stunning pair of Rosella's. So the other day I saved some bread crusts so that we could make some bird feeders for our feathered friends. They are quick and easy to do and best of all can almost be entirely by the children. A and I have made these a few times over the years and he loved remembering as he was guiding his sister this time.

The feeders are simply the crust slice that I cut into two pieces and poked a bit of a hole with the point of a knife. I then set them aside to dry overnight.

In the morning I made a wool loop on each piece of crust.

 We spread them with peanut butter

and then sprinkled them with some bird seed mix.

then we ventured out to find some spots around the garden to hang them

and wait for the birds to find them.

I was not lucky enough to get a picture of the birds eating their yummy treat but 24 hours later there was not anything left. The Rosellas did visit and also a wattle bird and some currawongs.

After we were done hanging the bird feeders it was the perfect time to fly a kite and run around.

Homemade Playdough

 My little ones love playdough and we were overdue for a new batch. So the other day H and I decided to make a fresh batch. Little H loves to help out in the kitchen.

 Once we had made the dough we divided it and I put a few drops of colour into the centre of each white ball. By this time A was interested in helping and came to pick a colour.

Then the little ones got busy kneading the colour into the dough. 

Great work for those little muscles.

Once we had our lovely soft dough it was time to start creating. and before I knew it  we were setting up a bakery

complete with price signs . . .

and then with all those yummy baked goods we celebrated an impromptu birthday for A's doll Albert

Really the best way to spend a morning

Cosy Afternoons

 As much as I love my children to play outside some afternoons its just way too cold. To add to that A has asthma and Baby L needs to stay warm and cosy so we are finding that some afternoons we stay inside. One of the children's favourite games is to hit a balloon with a fly swat. Its great active fun with minimal risk to each other or the house being damaged!

After the bigger children have had their fun and moved on to slightly less energetic persuits Baby L  gets some floor time to practice her rolling skills. She is very proficient and can roll the length of the room in a very short amount of time. I dare not leave her alone as she often gets herself under the coffee table or wedged up by the lounges.

Stitches

Here is a gift that I recently made for a friends birthday. It has been a while since I have done any embroidery and it was a really lovely to stitch away. The pattern was a freebie form this lovely site. I coloured the cloth in with standard crayola crayons before heat setting with an iron and then stitching the design.

I find that draw string bags are very handy especially for craft projects and I hope that my friend finds the same.