I bought some cheap plastic organisers from the pound shop the other day but they did not serve my purpose of getting more admin efficiency going as I could not get enough papers in each one. Then I noticed that the butterfly and floral pattern on each cover was actually raised. Rather absentmindedly, I got […] Read more...
Our budding photographer
The other day I took a little leap of trust and placed my precious camera in the hands of my insistent 4 year old – strap carefully round her neck and firm instructions not to touch the lens. I took a deep breath and turned away (pretending not to supervise), leaving an excited Isabella […] Read more...
How to nurture creativity in children
I love lists. It is a matter of much amusement to those who know me well. I love them a lot, too much maybe. I would be lost without them. I have enjoyed reading my fellow local aritst, Amelia’s lists on her blog recently (see here and here) and I feel its time to indulge […] Read more...
Eco-dying your own fabric in 5 minutes!
One of the famous Liberty Print fabrics Last Sunday we went to one of our local ‘beauty spots’ that we go to lots. Merton Abbey Mills is a lovely permanent market near the river Wandle, based on the site of an old (now buried) ancient abbey and also the place where William Morris (founder of […] Read more...
Pre-schooler mosaic stars finished!
Some of you have been following the ‘Mosaics with Children’ series I started a few weeks ago. There will be more to come in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, here’s a pic of the mosaic stars that I helped a bunch of toddlers make at their pre-school (which is a little Montessori […] Read more...
Face painting
There will be radio silence for the next week as off on holiday (to the British seaside, God help us! Macks, wellies and windbreak are packed!) Here’s a parting creative snapshot of the kids doing face painting – this activity absorbed them like two little cherubs for over half an hour of serious concentration. First […] Read more...
Making mosaics with children – mosaic in a frame!
Activity Four A technique discovered by Isabella last week as she made a mosaic for her Godmother, Charlotte, to take with her back to Sri Lanka! Start with a blank picture frame. Remove the back so that you can see through the glass. Pour a thick-ish layer of PVA (white craft) glue into the frame […] Read more...
Mosaic making with children – shapes
One of the things about making mosaics is that you need definition to the pattern or edge of a picture you are making. This is normally done using the edge of different colour / texture tiles and the line created by grouting which gives mosaic its distinctive flow or ‘andamento‘ (the technical term!). It is […] Read more...
Materials for making mosaics with children
In this series of posts, I am hoping to show a progression of activities that can help young children have fun and get a grasp of the basics of mosaic making. Before I talk about Activity Two, here is a list of things you can use as ‘tesserae‘ (this is the mosaic term for the […] Read more...
Making mosaics with little children
I am exploring with Isabella (3 1/2) and Toby (2) ways of making mosaics with little children – slightly different to school age and older children as their fine motor skills are still developing and there are materials and tools that they can’t yet have too much access to for obvious reasons! Activity One – […] Read more...