Things to make at home Archives - Let their light shine!

Wax Resist Pictures

Wax resist pictures are fun and easy to create. All you need is some paper, wax crayons, watery paint and a paint brush. You can make patterns and pictures – it’s very easy and relatively mess free.

If you want to create a pattern then it’s fun to start with taking a crayon for a ‘walk’ around the paper. Create swirls and shapes. Then use bright wax colours to fill in some of the shapes you’ve created. You can use colour blocks, stripes, stars and circles – anything you like! Use white crayon on white paper to create some shapes. When you are happy with what you have made paint it all over with a thinned watery paint. I used blue ready mix paint that I watered down.

Let it dry and enjoy your wax resist picture!

You can also have fun making marks with a white wax crayon on white paper and painting over the colour wash.

This is a fun activity for a rainy day – here’s a link to a cup cake case craft that’s also great for the holidays.

I used crayola wax crayons which worked really well – and are bright colours.

Foy young children use chunky crayons

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When I am at home, God is there (colouring sheet)

A couple of colouring pages … to colour or decorate with tissue paper, crepe paper etc.

A few years ago I made a bus colouring page with the words, ‘wherever I go God is there’. (You can find a story and bus colouring page here) But when we are at home and can’t go to many places, God is there too.

when-i-am-at-home-flat Download

when-i-am-at-home-house Download

Cress to grow at home

Cress is lovely to grow at home with children because it grows so fast! No long wait to see the seeds sprout. Within a week you have something that you can eat. No need for soil – I used an egg box, some tissues and the seeds.

You could make a picture diary of this process – either take photos or do drawings. If you water the seeds at the same time each day it becomes a nice little ritual either at tea time or snack time.

(If someone in your family is allergic to eggs use a different growing container)

Spring song – to make and sing at home

Spring song to make and sing. This made up spring song is to a well known tune – always a safe combination. The tune is ‘the wheels on the bus’. At the bottom of the post there are pictures you can print out to colour and/or decorate.

The song is about these guys.

Spring song to make and sing

The owl in the garden goes twit, twit, twoo, twit, twit, twoo, twit, twit, twoo

‘The owl in the garden goes twit, twit, twoo all day long.

The snail in the garden goes slurp, slurp, munch, slurp, slurp, munch, slurp, slurp, munch

The snail in the garden goes slurp, slurp, munch, all day long.

The bee in the garden goes buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz

The bee in the garden goes buzz, buzz, buzz all day long.

The frog in the garden goes hop, hop, splash, hop, hop, splash, hop, hop, splash

The frog in the garden goes hop, hop, splash all day long.’

How to make the song puppets

Below are the pictures in PDF.

To make the song puppets –
print out the coloured PDF or the black and white PDF to decorate
laminate (or print onto card)
attach lolly pop sticks or similar so you can hold the pictures.
The children can do actions or buzz around like the bee, hop and crawl for the different verses. 🙂

You can also print the black and white pictures for children to colour/decorate as they like.

Bee Snail Frog Owl

These are the same pictures but in colour

Bee – colour Frog – colour Snail – colour Owl – colour

Here’s a link to a simple spring craft using cup cake cases and a paper plate.

If you are feeling like you want a more involved craft for older children or something to make with a young child at home then have a go at a spring flower spiral.

Easter Garden to make at home

Easter garden to make at home is a great way to celebrate Easter. The garden is a reminder of the Easter story and is also fun to make. Traditionally an Easter Garden would be made using soil, moss, flowers etc but this version is made entirely from paper and card – if you haven’t got easy access to soil and plants this is for you!

What I used to make the Easter Garden

paper plate (a piece of card would do too)
cereal box to make the cross (make two cross shapes and glue together so it will stand up)
paper ice cream tub for the tomb ( a roll of paper with card glued over an end would be fine)
a paper circle for the stone
tissue paper for the path and grass
pictures of flowers from magazines/garden catalogues.

How to make a cross for an Easter Garden — To attach the cross add a fold and glue the tab

Instructions for making a paper plate Easter Garden — Add the tomb – this might need to be glued and then held in place till it has stuck. Make a fold on the edge of the circle for the tomb then glue the tab that you have made and glue down. If you want to add the words do that first.

Here’s another Easter Garden idea that uses play dough and weetabix

Take a look at this telling of the Easter story for young children.

More Easter craft ideas..

Easter egg colouring printables

Easter egg colouring printables!

These A4 Easter Egg designs can be coloured or made into collages. Whatever you feel like doing! I’ve used wax crayons (you can blend the colours!), felt tips, tissue paper and some sugar paper circles. Cut out the egg shape after you’ve decorated it. If you want to paint the eggs then maybe print the shape onto card. Enjoy!

easter-egg-happy-easter-a4 Download

easter-egg-jesus-is-alive-a4 Download

easter-egg-pattern-a4 Download

Salt dough egg decorations

Children of almost any age can decorate these simple egg shapes. We’ve used them at a toddler group, but they would be great for older children who would be able to do more intricate designs or pictures.

To make them you need to start with a salt dough. This is very easy. You need 2 cups plain flour, I cup of salt and I cup of water (add this gradually as you may not need it all). Kneed the dough on a floured surface and roll out to about 4mm thick. As you do this keep making sure it isn’t sticking to the work top. I used a template and cut around it. You could also use an egg shaped biscuit cutter. If you are making hanging decorations you need to make a hole for the thread about 1cm away from the edge.Smooth the edges of the eggs once you have cut them out. Then leave the shapes to dry. They will air dry, but it will take a long time (48 hours plus) or put them in a low oven, not more than 100C, for up to 4 hours. (They can burn so keep an eye on them). Once dry you can decorate with paint and/or felt pens.

We used felt tips to decorate but you could also glue coloured paper on to them and add glitter! A covering of PVA glue at the end will add a shine – but as you can see in the pictures the colours may run a bit.

Palm Sunday Craft to make at home

This leaf craft for Palm Sunday is to make at home. All our groups are closed – so this is somthing to make that uses a cereal box, crayons, pens, green pictures cut from magazines (I used a gardening catalogue) and some glue. Hopefully these are things that we have at home. If you don’t have any glue then crayons, pencils and pens will be great.

Cut a leaf shape out of your cereal box – make it as large as the box shape will allow! And decorate.