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Posts Tagged ‘children’

Redecorate your little ones master bedroom for this spring might be a blast for both parents and children. It’s the most effective time to change the glimpse and feel of one’s children master bedroom using the much more clean and stylish spring designs. It also offers dad and mom a possibility to de-clutter their children bedroom. Began redecorating picking a cool and fun bedding set. Bright, open spaces for this spring is what we are searching for. Polka dot duvet covers opens up tiny spaces and brightens up the room in an instant. Coordinate the duvet set with either a coordinating polka dot rug or perhaps a solid color shaggy rug. The shaggy rug compliments the modern look of a polka dot duvet cover.

When deciding on what color to use, pay close attention to the colorings within the polka dots. Bold and bright colours would be best. Next, we can move on while using de-cluttering from the room. Storage containers for kids do not must be so boring and obvious. It might be employed to your advantage. Work the storage containers close to the decor from the room. Choose shades that coordinate very best with the bedding. Put the containers from the closet or under the bed if the room is too small. Closets needs to be cleaned and nicely organized as well.

A good party planner understands the party’s theme and vibe is first set with the chosen invitations and with regards to birthday invitation thoughts you should not take the job lightly. There are several one of a kind birthday invitation ideas out there, waiting for you personally to make the most of them. Birthday bash invitations can be discovered in nearly any youngsters birthday party or adult bash theme.

While most dad and mom fill out birthday get together invitations for their child, if a kid is old ample to stuff envelopes, they ought to be allowed to assist while using the process. Kids adore to try and do tasks including assisting with invitations, so allow them do what they can appropriately handle inside process. Whether it signifies filling out the interior from the birthday invite or merely sticking the stamp around the front, allowing them to aid will help them experience far more involved inside birthday planning process.

When it arrives to sending out birthday invitations, timing is everything. If you invite individuals too far ahead of time they will most likely overlook about the event and not show up. If you ever send out the invitations for a kid’s birthday bash as well late, there is certainly a great opportunity the family and the invited baby will already have plans on the date. It’s a great notion to deliver out birthday invitations to get a kid’s birthday bash about two weeks in advance. This provides individuals adequate time to strategy to attend but not as well very much time that they neglect concerning the event altogether.

Other Kids Party Tips And Birthday Invitation Ideas

Please know more about Kids Bed In A Bag and also Kids Bedding For Boys.

Culture plays a large role in  many things – from what we eat to how we dress – and it even has an effect on the minutae of life – like whether or not drawing will enter into a child’s repertoire of behavior.

For instance, studies have shown that Taiwanese-American & Chinese-American parents tend to plan more drawing time for their children than they European-American counterpart parents do. As a result of more time spent drawing, Taiwanese-American and Chinese-American children’s drawings have been deemed more advanced than those of their counterparts.

According to  studies carried out in 1983, when children are provided with drawing materials and encouragement they tend to create works that reflect their particular culture – and each culture has its own ’style’. For example, French children tend to spend a good deal of time on drawing, filling the entire page with large, colorful designs,  drawings by Japanese children  meanwhile tend to be more complex, harmonious and complete than drawings by North-American children. Children from the island of Bali on the other hand, use many small and intricate marks to draw complex, colorful designs which fill the page.

While many cultures use and value drawing as art, there are a few cultures that show no evidence of drawing at all.

The children from the island of Ponape usually have no prior drawing experience. Yet when  a recent study was carried out, those Ponape children that were given drawing materials  tended to draw  by starting in the center of the page making shapes that connected outward like  groups of linked bubbles – they also tended not to fill the page and used only one color per drawing.

When children from cultures that do not include drawing are first introduced to the tools, they tend to experiment, scribble, or attempt realistic drawings right from the start. There appears to be great variation in first attempts. However, in general, it has been found that children usually draw from a cultural perspective – imitating the designs reflected in fabrics, architecture or other aspects of the adult culture including symbol systems such as written letters or characters and numerals.

Culture therefore confines and defines  the art of children.

Children from ‘First World’ countries like the USA have many opportunities to draw and color and are encouraged to do so by their parents, teachers and other caregivers. Material is plentiful too with crayons, paper,  coloring books and even online resources in plentiful supply. Little boys tend to enjoy coloring pictures that represent what they sees every day such as cars, trucks and machinery while little girls enjoy coloring images of fairytale scenes – however you can seldome go wrong with Disney characters as most children have a favourite and at sites like Disney Coloring Pages you’ll find many free Disney colouring

With both encouragement and resources a-plenty, our children are very lucky to have both the means as well as the support to express themselves creatively through drawing and colouring.

School Christmas holidays will soon be here and little kids the world over may soon be chanting, “Mummy! I’m bored!”

So, here are a dozen or so play-time ‘recipes’ to help keep your children entertained this winter.  Learn how to make homespun goop, papier mâché, cinnamon ornaments, soap crayons and much more. Pull out this article and stick it to your fridge – it will be one of your best weapons against the ‘boredom’ gremlins!

Washable window paints
A selection of tempera paints (powdered or premixed)
Clear dishwashing liquid
Mix powdered paints with dishwashing liquid until they resemble house paint. Be sure to line the window sashes with masking tape and spread newspaper under the window area to protect flooring. To erase paint or touch up mistakes just wipe paint away with a dry paper towel.

Home-made coloring books

Go online and download a dozen or so coloring book pages and collate them into a coloring book. Put this aside for rainy days or for long car/train/plane journeys. Little boys love images of cars and trucks while little girls prefer coloring book pictures of fairytales and princesses. At sites like Hello Kitty Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Hello Kitty colouring pages.

Cinnamon Christmas ornaments
3/4-1 cup applesauce
1 (4.12-oz.) bottle of ground cinnamon
Mix applesauce with cinnamon to form a stiff dough. Roll out to 5mm thickness. Cut with cookie cutter and make hole for ribbon using the end of a drinking straw. Carefully put aside to dry for several days – turning occasionally. This recipe makes twelve sweet-smelling ornaments/drawer scenters.

Goop

2 packets of cornflour
2 cups of water
Several drops of food colouring

Place newspaper or plastic sheets on your work surface. Mix the ingredients in a large bowl. Children love goop’s squishy consistency. You can also use coloured or black paper to make goop paintings if you wish. To remove goop from carpets, allow it to dry, then brush vigorously or vacuum. The great thing about goop is that it may be re-used after it has dried out. Crumble it to a powder then restore it to the original consistency by adding water a tablespoonful at a time.

Funny putty
2 tablespoons of white glue
1 tablespoon of liquid starch
Food colouring
Mix glue and desired food colour. Pour starch over top. Swish about so that all the glue is covered. Let this set 5 minutes. Squeeze off extra starch and knead until mixed.

Bubbles
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of glycerine
2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap
Mix water, glycerine and soap. Pour in sugar. Add food colouring if desired.

Papier mâché

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
1/2 inch strips of newspaper
Balloon/s

In a large bowl, mix flour and water – add more flour is mixture is too sloppy (dripping). Place the newspaper strips into the mixture, then simply smooth onto blown up balloon. Cover balloon completely twice, letting dry in between layers. Do not cover the balloon’s knot. Dry in a warm place for around two or three days then hold the knot and pop the balloon with a pin. Paint, glitter and decorate the balloon as is or cut in half so you have a bowl/hat shape to embellish.

Modelling/play dough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
water
food colouring

Mix the ingredients and knead to a dough consistency. To speed up the drying process, place the dough artwork in the oven on a low heat.

Soap crayons

1 3/4 cups of soap flakes

50 drops food colouring
1/4 cup water

Mix water and soap flakes together. Add food colouring and put mixture into an ice cube tray. When hardened, pop the ‘ice cubes’ out. These soap crayons are fun to write with on the tub and tiles during bath time. If grouting stains, simply spray with a weak solution of bleach.

Sand dye

Fine sand

Water

Food colouring

Paper cups

Plastic spoons

Fill paper cups half full with sand. Next, add water to the cups to completely cover sand. Add food colouring until you get the desired colour. Stir with a plastic spoon and let set for 15 minutes. Pour off the water, spoon sand onto paper towels and then spread the sand out to dry. Use sand to make pictures (spread glue on paper and sprinkle sand on top) or to fill pretty bottles in layers.

Cornstarch Art/Finger-paint

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

2 drops of dishwashing liquid

1 cup boiling water

Food colouring

Combine cornstarch and cold water – stir until smooth. Add dishwashing liquid. Pour boiling water into the bowl and stir until the mixture thickens. Add some food colouring and let it cool. Use this exactly as you would use store-bought finger paint.

Puffy Paint

Flour

Salt

Water

Tempera paint

Mix equal parts of flour, salt and water in a bowl. Add a tiny amount of tempera paint to the mixture and pour into a small plastic squeezy bottle. Repeat this over and over to make as many colours as you wish. Squeeze liberally onto heavy paper or even cardboard to make designs. Mixture will look great when it hardens into puffy shapes.

Colourful Salt

1/2 cup salt

5 to 6 drops of food colouring

Add food colouring to salt. Stir well. Cook in microwave for 1-2 minutes or spread on waxed paper and let salt air dry. Store in an airtight container and use as you would glitter.

Encourage creativity in your children by providing them with the time, resources, encouragement and the space for making art. Try to set aside interruption-free time for drawing, in a mess-proof zone – so that their creativity can run wild. Make sure you cover all surfaces so that any splashes of paint or scribbles of crayon are ‘caught’ – because  nothing squishes creativity more so than a parent saying “Don’t make a mess” every 2 minutes.

Choose the right drawing materials too as this is very  important. Many craft materials can be improvised (think of kitchen roll tubes, yogurt pots etc) but when drawing tools and paper are required, opt for a small selection of good quality age-appropriate products, rather than loads of inferior products. Be sure to check safety information and follow instructions. Young children should always be surpervised during arts and crafts activities because many necessary materials – such as crayons – pose a choking hazard.

Surroundings:As with writing or working at a computer, good posture and a comfortable position are important for drawing. A child sized table and chair is actually preferable to an easel. If the chair is a little high, provide a phone book for a footrest. An inexpensive plastic chair  set in front of a coffee table works well. A small kitchen storage trolley is perfect for containing supplies, or if space does not allow, a portable fishing tackle box is a great option too. Messy toddlers may need a drop-cloth and supervision to avoid ink-stained walls, as even ‘washable’ pens often don’t deliver on that promise!

Art Materials:Avoid cheap markers, too-hard pencils and thin paints – these types of materials are discouraging to the child and therefore  a waste of money. Provide many sheets of blank paper to inspire their creativity and occasionally invest in a canvas so that your child can paint something and chances are you’ll want to hang it on your wall!Provide coloring books as well or coloring pages which are bountiful online. True – coloring pages are not so great for creativity, however they do provide children with the chance to practice their fine motor skills – plus sometimes it’s very relaxing and just what they need. They can simply color in without feeling the ‘pressure’ about WHAT to draw.  Little boys typically enjoy coloring pictures of cars and trucks while little girls usually enjoy colouring images of princesses and fairies - however you can’t go wrong with Disney characters and at sites like Disney Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Mickey Mouse coloring.

When it comes to drawing and coloring, at each age/stage of your child’s life provide….

Toddlers:

• Child-safe markers and wipe-off boards
• Chalk boards and safe chalk
• Plain paper and coloring pages

Juniors:

• Sketchbook
• Student colored pencils
• Washable Markers
• Oil pastels
• Plain paper and coloring pages

Middle School:

• Sketchbook  or scrapbook
• Graphite Pencils
• Watercolor sketch paper
• Watercolor pencils
• Marker pens, marker paper
• Plain paper and coloring pages

High School

• Sketchbook  or scrapbook
• Quality drawing papers and boards
• Graphite Pencils
• Artists’ quality colored pencils
• Illustration markers, marker paper
• Pastel paper and hard pastels if liked
• Plain paper and canvases to work on

All ages:

• Safe sharpeners, erasers, dusters, stencils and rulers
• A  folder for storing large pieces
• Storage boxes for smaller pieces
• Consider photographing or scanning pieces for a permanent record.

The benefits of arts and crafts such as drawing and coloring for kids are frequently argued by child development experts, educators and parents alike… especially so for the real impact they have on child development. However, it is difficult to disagree with the top three reasons why we should all encourage the children in our care to take part in arts and crafts.

Creativity – If you were to ask a cross section of individuals what is the first personality characteristic that arts and crafts will develop in a young child – most would answer ‘creativity’. And they are certainly correct. Everyone has natural talents and skills and it is possible to improve and boost them… even if you only have a tiny bit of little natural talent. Creativity enables your child to try out and profit from new
ideas, options and alternatives in any future career. Kids learn to do things in new and alternate ways and literally profit from thinking “out of the box”.

Perseverance – Perseverance is perhaps the single most important quality for any successful individual – be they a a business person, sportsman or other professional.In fact, most well-known accomplishments in life have been attributed to perseverance alone. Arts and crafts improve everyone’s level of perseverance. For instance, children learn to keep trying until they complete the task, be it a sculpture or a coloring in sheet. If something goes wrong… they are encouraged to perservere by trying different ways and means and the outcome is a wonderful piece of art that they have created.

Concentration – Akin to having perseverance, developing concentration is another quality well-worth having as an individual. Drawing, coloring, sculpting, painting and even doodling will definitely teach your child to focus on one specific task at hand… ignoring other distractions. In short their overall concentration will definitely improve.

Even from a young age children can draw & colour – so give them blank pieces of paper or coloring in sheets so that they can scribble away to their hearts content whilst also improving their fine motor skills.

For example little girls enjoy coloring images of princesses and fairies and at sites like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find the best fairy colouring pages

Little boys on the other hand tend to prefer images of cars, trucks and machinery – however, favorite characters such as those from Disney movies are also hits with little boys.

Give your child many opportunities to experience being creative, concentrating and perservering through the fun medium of arts and crafts. Provide them with materials as well as resources and the occasional canvas – this way, they can be creative and feel pride in what they create.

The average child spends 900 hours in school per year and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a television. In fact, most children plug into the world of television long before they even enter school and when they do, statistics show that 70% of child-care centers use television during a typical day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children watch around four hours of television a day. The AAP guidelines however, state that children older than 2 should watch no more than one to two hours a day of quality programming. Further, children under age 2 should have no ‘screen time’ whatsoever (that’s no TV, DVDs, computers or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, television can get in the way of exploring, learning and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which helps the young develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally.

While there are many entertaining and educational experiences for children to have on ‘screens’, it is important to keep in mind what children need at different ages for their healthy development. So, how much time is okay?

• Children under 2 years – very little time, preferably none.
• Preschoolers – an hour of age-appropriate programmes a day is plenty.
• Children 5 to 8 years – stick to an hour a day maximum.
• Children over 8 years – an hour and a half to a maximum of two hours a day is acceptable.

To follow these guidelines means that your children have the time and opportunity to build strong bonds with real and caring people, have time for active physical play and ‘hands-on’ activities of all kinds.

Therefore, plan what you watch and limit your child to the amount watched each day. Decide together what programs will be watched and only have ‘the box’ on then, rather than on all the time. This teaches children to think, plan, make choices and allows time for them to do other things important for their development.

Other issues to be aware of or implement include:

• Remember to lead by example – your child’s viewing habits may be copied from yours.
• Television viewing for a very young child should be in your company.
• Record programs so they can be played at a time that suits your family.
• Encourage children to talk about how they feel after watching a program.
• Play ‘spot the gimmicks and tricks’ when watching commercials.
• Decide on bedtime based on your child’s age, rather than the time a certain programme ends.
• Children need to wind down between television and sleep, so turn the volume down or off before bedtime.
• Just make television one of the many activities your children take part in – so organise outings, play-dates, day-trips and activities for them that don’t involve ‘screens’. Fun arts and crafts such as coloring and drawing are always well received – especially if you join in – and especially if you choose coloring pages of a favourite character – so for example at sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Spongebob coloring pictures

Television has its advantages. It can certainly be educational and entertaining. It can open up new worlds for kids, giving them the opportunity to virtually travel the globe and learn about different cultures.However, many down-sides also exist; many children are exposed to violence, advertising and adult material that is not age appropriate.

Just as you maintain a balanced diet or a regular bedtime, establishing healthy television habits is one of the most important things you can do for your family.

The average child spends 900 hours in school per year and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a television. In fact, most children plug into the varied world of television way before they even enter school and when they do, statistics show that 70% of child-care centers use television during a typical day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children watch around four hours of television a day. The AAP guidelines however, state that children older than 2 should watch no more than one to two hours a day of quality programming. Further, children under age 2 should have no ‘screen time’ whatsoever (that’s no TV, DVDs, computers or video games) at all. During the first 2 years of life, a critical time for brain development, television can very much get in the way of exploring, learning and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which helps the young develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally.

While there are many entertaining and educational experiences for children to have on ‘screens’, it is important to keep in mind what children need at different ages for their healthy development. So, how much time is okay?

• Children under 2 years – very little time, preferably none.
• Preschoolers – an hour of age-appropriate programmes a day is plenty.
• Children 5 to 8 years – limit to an hour a day maximum.
• Children over 8 years – maximum an hour and a half to two hours a day is acceptable.

To follow these guidelines means that your children have the time and opportunity to build strong bonds with real and caring people, have time for active physical play and ‘hands-on’ activities of all kinds.

Therefore, plan what you watch and limit your child to the amount watched each day. Decide together what programs will be watched and only have ‘the box’ on then, rather than on all the time. This teaches children to think, plan, to make choices and also allows time for them to do a variety of other things important for their development.

Other issues to be aware of or implement include:

• Remember to lead by example – your child’s viewing habits may be copied from yours.
• Television viewing for a very young child should be in your company.
• Record programs so they can be played at a time that suits your family.
• Encourage children to talk about how they feel after watching a program.
• Play ‘spot the gimmicks and tricks’ when watching commercials.
• Decide on bedtime based on your child’s age, and not on the time a certain programme ends.
• Children need to wind down between television and sleep, so turn the volume down or off before bedtime.
• Make television one of many activities your children do – so organise outings, play-dates and activities for them that don’t involve ‘screens’. Fun arts and crafts such as coloring and drawing are always well received – especially if you join in – and especially if you choose coloring pages of a favourite character – so for example at  sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Spongebob and Patrick coloring

Television has its advantages.   It can be educational and entertaining. It can open up new worlds for kids, giving them the opportunity to virtually travel the globe and learn about different cultures.  However, many pitfalls also exist; many children are exposed to violence, advertising and adult material that is not age appropriate.

Like maintaining a balanced diet or regular bedtime, establishing healthy television habits is one of the most important things you can do for your family.

Are you fed up with paying top-dollar for the latest piece of over-hyped plastic? Answer “What can we do now Mum?” by making and creating activities from items you already have around the house or that cost nothing at all.

1. Shops. Save all your empty grocery cartons for a week or so and you’ll soon have a well stocked shop that any aspiring grocer would be proud of. Gluing down the flaps makes cereal boxes, jelly packets etc. look unopened. Clothes, shoes, and toys can all be used as “stock”. Paper bags and real or play money add to the fun.
2. Paper balls. When the kids keep arguing suggest that they throw something at each other! Paper balls are easily scrunched up from torn out magazine pages to make “ammunition”. When it’s time to put things away and tidy up, stand the waste paper basket in the middle of the room and see who can throw the most in. A rolled up magazine can be fashioned into a good “bat” too.
3. Doctors/Nurses. A roll of white toilet tissue paper makes this game much more fun as Dads, Grans, teddies or dolls are mummified before your eyes. Plastic medicine spoons and cardboard box hospital beds for toy dolls are extra props that make the game last longer.
4. Tubes. Cardboard tubes from kitchen roll or foil make instant telescopes for sailors or pirates, or tunnels to roll marbles through. Littlle babies love to watch things disappear then reappear out of the bottom. Don’t leave them alone with the cardboard tube though as they will probably suck it.
5. Cardboard boxes are tops – how many times have you bought your child a toy – only to find that s/he is more interested in its box? Boxes must be about the best free toys you can get hold of. Push in the ends of large ones in order to make tunnels and caves to crawl through. Draw on windows and doors with felt tip pens to make a house, add a flag and portholes for a boat or paper plates and a steering wheel for a car.
6. Miniature gardens. The foil trays that pies and prepared foods arrive in make lovely containers for miniature gardens. The little ones can enjoy hunting around the park or garden for twigs to make trees, moss for a lawn, stones to arrange as a rockery or a waterfall. Keep twigs or stones where you want them with a little blue tack or plasticine. Add toy people or animals and maybe a little water if the container is watertight. This can be a very creative and enjoyable exercise if you have children of very different age groups to entertain. A variation is to use play sand (not builder’s sand – it stains everything yellow) to make a beach scene, maybe adding shells, stones and a blue paper sea.
7. Paper puppets. A picture of anything – a colorful bird, clown’s face, cartoon character, carefully cut out by an adult and stuck to the top of a strip of card about five inches long and one and a half inches wide becomes a very easily made puppet. These give such pleasure and are so easy to make that you will probably end up with dozens of them. Magazine pictures can be stuck on to folded card to make theatre set background and wings.
8. Potato prints. After cutting a potato in half, draw on a simple shape. A triangle, circle or star perhaps. Cut away the rest of the potato, leaving a shape to dip into paint and print on to paper.
9. Skittles. Skittles can be improvised from large plastic cola or lemonade bottles. A little sand or water in the bottom makes them more stable. A good game for learning to count.
10. Dens. Building a den must be one of the most memorable parts of childhood as we all seem to recall the bliss of blankets draped over the airing rack in the garden or over the backs of chairs indoors. Even today’s sophisticated kids seem to find the thought much more exciting than just erecting the shop bought plastic play house. The secret is to give structural engineering advice about making the thing stay upright, but let the children do as much as possible themselves. Really large boxes of the type that washing machines and fridges come in can be had for the asking from the big electrical goods retailers and are useful for rooms within dens. Indoors, one of the simplest dens can be made by throwing a large sheet or old tablecloth or duvet over a table. Cushions, torches, biscuits and comics or books will all be needed at the housewarming.
11. String. Children find a million uses for string, from tying up toy “baddies” to making a washing line for doll’s clothes. It can be tied to chair legs to make a jump, dipped into paint and twirled on to paper, plaited, knitted with, made into a parachute or mobile, used as a measuring aid or for learning how to tie shoelaces and bows. It need never linger in the kitchen drawer again.
12. Sewing cards. Stick a picture on to a postcard or draw a simple duck, car or teddy shape. With a bodkin needle push holes around the outline of your design about one inch apart. Using brightly colored wool in the bodkin or a long bootlace, thread in and out of the holes.
13. Create a personalized coloring book for your children and/or their friends by printing free coloring pictures from the Internet. Little boys love coloring pictures of cars and trucks as well as those of favorite characters such as Bob the Builder or Pikachu. At sites like Pokemon Coloring Pages  you’ll find  Pokemon  coloring book while at Princess Coloring Pages you can print and color  many princess tiana coloring suitable for little girls.
14. Stilts. You need to do a little drilling for this one. Take two strong tins (coffee or clean paint tins are ideal for this) and drill a hole about one inch from the top on opposite sides of the tin. Insert a length of string and knot securely. Check that the handle is at a comfortable length for the child before knotting the other side. These are always a very popular part-time, but never leave young children alone with them especially near stairs or steps.
15. Cafes. Children’s tea sets are a handy prop for this game, but a picnic set or microwave cookware is just as good. Giving the waiter/waitress a little notebook and pencil to take orders and making a tall white hat from a cylinder of paper for the chef will add realism. Sit dolls and teddies around as well as willing Aunts and Grannies for extra customers.
16. Playdough. Mix together two cups of flour, one cup of salt, one cup of water, one tablespoon of oil and a few drops of food coloring for an easy to make dough that will keep for about three weeks if you wrap it in polythene and keep it in the fridge. All you have to do is knead the mixture well. Divide the mixture up first if you have more than one color available.
17. Obstacle course. An obstacle course can turn a rainy day into an exciting adventure. Use whatever you happen to have available. A bench allows you to walk the plank, make cushion stepping stones across shark infested seas, through a cardboard box tunnel, up a chair mountain or through a duvet cave. The wilder your imagination the more your children will love it.
18. Easy boats. Recycle your empty / discarded margarine cartons. Use them as miniature vessels (boats) for the bath or paddling pool. These are so easy that even the very young can help to make them. Cut out triangular sail shapes from white or colored paper. Make a small hole at the top and bottom of the sail so that you can push through a straw to make a mast. Let the child fix this to the bottom of a clean margarine tub with a lump of plasticine or perhaps blue tack. They sail extremely well and will even take a couple of toy people on an exciting cruise.
19. Capes. Nurses, kings, queens, Batman, Superman – they all need capes or cloaks. Luckily these are very easy to create by attaching ribbon ties to an oblong of fabric in the color of your child’s favorite caped character. Keep an eye on them though, because anything that is tied around the neck (of course!) could be dangerous.
20. Leaf art. Collect leaves from your back yard or during a nature walk and draw around them. This is fun for young children and an educational tree identification game for older children. Color in the details with crayons or paints. The leaves could then be stuck on to paper collage style or dipped into paint and then pressed firmly on to paper for a lovely leaf print.
21. Make a puzzle. Stick a favorite picture on to card and allow drying with a heavy book on top. Cut into pieces, how many depending on the age of the child, for an almost instant and personal puzzle

Culture plays a large role in  many things – from what we eat to how we dress – and it even has an effect on the minutae of life – like whether or not drawing will enter into a child’s repertoire of behavior.

For example, studies have shown that  Taiwanese-American and Chinese-American parents tend to plan more drawing time for their children than their  European-American  counterpart parents do. As a result of more time spent drawing, Taiwanese-American and Chinese-American children’s drawings have been deemed more advanced than those of their counterparts.

According to research carried out in 1983, when children are provided with drawing and coloring materials and encouragement they tend to create works that reflect their particular culture – and each culture has its own ’style’. For example, French children tend to spend a good deal of time on drawing, filling the entire page with large, colorful designs,  drawings by Japanese children  meanwhile tend to be more complex, harmonious and complete than drawings by North-American children. Children from the island of Bali meanwhile, typically use many small marks to draw complex, colorful designs which fill the page.

While many cultures use and value drawing as art, there are a few cultures that show no evidence of drawing at all.

The children from the island of Ponape (in Micronesia) usually have no prior drawing experience. Yet when researchers carried out a recent study, those Ponape children that were given drawing materials tended to draw by starting in the center of the page making shapes that connected outward like groups of linked bubbles – they also tended not.

Interestingly, when children from cultures that do not include drawing are first introduced to the tools, they tend to experiment, scribble, or attempt realistic drawings right from the start. There seems to be great variation in first attempts. However, in general, it has been found that children tend to draw from a cultural perspective, imitating the designs reflected in fabrics, architecture or other aspects of the adult culture including symbol systems such as written letters or characters and numerals.

Culture therefore confines and defines  the art of children.

Children from ‘First World’ countries like Europe and the USA are given opportunities to draw and color and are encouraged to do so by their parents, teachers and other caregivers. Material is plentiful too with crayons, paper,  coloring books and even online resources in plentiful supply. Little boys tend to enjoy coloring pictures that represent what he sees every day such as cars, trucks and machinery while little girls enjoy coloring images from fairy tales and   princesses and at sites like Princess Coloring Pages you’ll find the best princess colouring

With both encouragement and resources a-plenty, children of ‘First World’ countries are very lucky to have both the means and the support to express themselves creatively through drawing and colouring.

A family focused on a common goal, works together, problem solves and talks together. Family projects bring all family members closer. Whether you choose to create a garden, watch the night sky together or put together a time capsule, you will enjoy the camaraderie and conversation that develops.

Here are some great family project ideas that you might want to adopt – and who knows, some of these may well become a family tradition before too long.

SPOTTING SATELLITES

Did you know that there are over eight thousand artificial objects orbiting Earth? Over 2,500 are satellites, operative and inoperative while the remaining objects are orbital debris: parts such as nosecone shrouds, lenses, hatch covers, rocket bodies, and even objects that ‘escape’ from manned spacecraft during operations.

To spot satellites, grab a few lawn chairs and head for the garden. Depending on the evening you choose, you will see from one of many satellites passing overhead. These could range from communications satellites, to simply space trash. They look somewhat like really bright stars, passing overhead in a straight path. Those in the know state that the first hour or so after sun down is the best time to spot them. There still has to be enough light in the sky for the satellites to reflect it – so dusk is the best time. When you spot a satellite log what you see and keep a family record.

MAKE A COLORING BOOK

Make coloring books together. Print coloring pages from the Internet and create coloring books for relatives, friends, nephews, nieces or even for yourselves to be put away for a rainy day. You could also keep a book or two aside as something for younger children to do when they visit your home.

You really can’t go wrong if you create a Disney coloring book because children of all ages love the many Disney characters from Mulan to Mickey Mouse and from Goofy to Mowgli. To get you started, at sites like Disney Coloring Pages you’ll find many Disney print and color to print and collate.

Next, create a cover sheet that reads something like, ‘The Smith Family Coloring Book’ and perhaps add ‘To’ and ‘From’ if you plan to give it as a gift.

CONTAINER GARDENS

Container (terrarium) gardens are an ideal project for families living in the Gulf – indoor gardening is much more bearable than the outdoor variety at this time of year. Shopping for plants together on a cool evening and choosing a suitable container are all part of the fun. Because terrariums recycle their moisture, they need very little ‘gardening’ and care – and they actually thrive on neglect!

Any clear container can be made into a terrarium; the main requirement is that it be watertight. Choose something that is large enough to accommodate the plants, and has a cover or lid to keep the moisture from escaping. Jars, bottles and aquariums are some of the more common containers used. To begin your garden place a 2cm layer of small gravel on the bottom of the container and top it with a good potting soil. The number of plants you place in the garden will depend on the size of the receptacle and the plants. Plants such as miniature African violets, Aeschynanthus, Podocarpus and Fittonia thrive in containers, as do very small ferns and creeping figs. Try not to over plant and leave space for the plants to grow. Water your garden lightly and stand back to admire your work.  

PRESERVE THE PAST

A time capsule can be a great family project to commemorate a special occasion. Fill it with photographs and mementos and then decide how long you would like to put it away for. For instance, is it something you’ll want to look at in 5 or 15 years time? The next step is to choose a container and a good location for said box. 

Any waterproof, airtight and preferably fireproof container will do, there are even websites that will ship custom-made time capsules to you. If your stay at your current location is temporary (if for example you are staying in a rental property) then it is understood that the time capsule is best not buried in the garden! Ask everyone in the family to contribute a few items – clippings, photographs, drawings, hand prints, letters, arts and crafts, toys or just about anything else that fits into the capsule. Mark everything clearly so you or others will know where each item came from and who included it.Finally, fill the capsule, seal it, and then make sure you put it out of sight and out of mind.

PAINT!

From an arts and craft supplier purchase a large canvas and a set of acrylic paints. Divide the canvas into 4, 5 or more areas depending on the number of people in your family. Use masking tape to ‘fence off’ each area and mark each square or rectangle lightly in pencil with the name of the artist for that area, for example Mum, Dad, etc.

So that you don’t crowd each other, it’s best that just two family members paint at a time. If only four complementing colors are used, the effect is striking. Also, if each person fills their area completely with paint, using stripes, zigzags, dots or whatever pattern they like best. When the painting is complete, and this may take more than one week-end, ensure it is dry before removing the masking tape – then marvel at your modern art and hang!

FOSTER A PUPPY OR KITTEN

Our family has done this many times and we all have fond and happy memories of each little guest. Animal Welfare Charities the world over are always in need of foster homes and are happy when puppies and kittens go to families with children because to say that an animal has lived in a family environment is a great ‘selling’ point when a permanent home is sought.

TRACE YOUR FAMILY TREE

If you have little knowledge about your ancestors, a few old photographs and a consuming curiosity, make tracing your family tree a family project.

Enter your ancestor information at www.familytreesearcher.com and it will search family trees at eight online databases. This free service will create the best family tree searches based on your ancestry – the site also includes hints for researching your family tree further.

SLOW FOOD

Instead of heading for your favorite fast-food restaurant this week-end, stay home and prepare some slow-food together. If you really want to make it into a project you could even shop for the groceries together.

Even the youngest family member can help prepare a meal – a toddler can shake a salad mix together, wash potatoes and other vegetables and even help to set the table.

GAMES NIGHT

Take the phone off the hook, turn off the television, bring out a board game and what do you have? An evening of fun, learning and laughter that brings the whole family closer together. Family game nights are a great way to spend some quality time together and create a family tradition that you and your kids will remember and cherish for years to come.To make it extra special, add snacks, invite other guests such as family friends or relatives, hold tournaments and always display the winner’s name on the fridge! 

Here are some favorite games to consider:

Ages 6-8: Sorry!, Monopoly Jr., Clue Jr., Scrabble Jr. and brilliant, easy and fun card games such as UNO.

Ages 8-10: All the above plus the Game of Life, Monopoly, Jenga and Frustration.

Ages 10-12: All the above plus Scrabble, Yahtzee, Cluedo and Pictionary.

Ages 13 and up: All the above plus Boggle, Atmosfear (teenagers love this DVD board game), Risk, Trivial Pursuit and card games such as Rummy.

School, work, phones, homework, playstations, internet, television, friends – let’s be honest – every family gets pulled in a million directions. Set aside some family time and pull yourselves together! Talk with each other and keep your precious family connected!