Bottle Cap Eyed Owl

Age Range: 2 years to 6 years old
Estimated Time: Under 15 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Black cardboard paper
• White cardboard paper
• Red paper
• 2 white bottle lids
• 2 googly eyes
• Bostik glue
• Pritt glue
• Scissors
• Brown watercolour paint
• Brown pastel

Method:

1. Cut out the owl shape.
2. Use the brown pastel to colour it in.
3. Use Pritt glue to stick it onto the black card.
4. Cut out a branch shape from the left over white card.
5. Use Pritt glue to paste it under the owl.
6. Use brown watercolour paint to paint it.
7. Cut out a long triangle from the red paper.
8. Use Pritt glue to stick it on.
9. Use Bostik glue to stick on the bottle lids.
10. Use Bostik glue to stick the googly eyes inside the bottle lids.

Paper Plate Pirate

Age Range: 2 years (with help) to 8 years old
Estimated Time: About 30 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Paper plate
• Very light pink poster paint
• Black kokie
• Big googly eye
• White craft glue
• Piece of fabric for pirate's head scarf
• Scissors

Method:

1. Paint the paper plate pink and let dry.
2. Use the black kokie to draw on the pirate's eye patch and mouth.
3. Use the craft glue to stick on the one googly eye.
4. Cut the piece of fabric to size.
5. Use craft glue to stick the piece of fabric onto the top of the plate.

Tissue Paper Dump Truck

Age Range: 2 years (with help) to 7 years old
Estimated Time: About 30 minutes
Messiness: Low

Materials:

• White cardboard paper
• Coloured paper in 3 different colours
• Black paper
• Various colours of tissue paper
• Scissors
• Pritt glue
• White craft glue

Method:

1. Cut out the truck from the various colours of paper.
2. Use Pritt glue to stick them together onto the white card.
3. Cut the tissue paper into squares and scrunch them up.
4. Spread craft glue on top of the truck where you want to stick the tissue paper.
5. Glue the small balls of tissue paper onto the craft glue.

Paper Plate Fish

Age Range: 2 years to 6 years
Estimated Time: Under 30 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Paper plate
• Scissors
• Poster paint
• Different coloured tissue paper
• White craft glue
• Cellotape
• Small piece of white cardboard paper
• Black kokie

Method:

1. Use the poster paints to paint the paper plate and leave to dry.
2. Once dry, cut out triangle from the plate to make a mouth.
3. Stick the triangle that you just cut out on to the back of the fish as a tail. Use cellotape for this.
4. Spread a thin layer of craft glue over the fish and paste on little bits of tissue paper.
5. Cut out a circle from the white card as an eye and stick it on with the craft glue.
6. Use the black kokie to draw a dot inside the eye.

Silly Plastic Cup Monster

Materials:

• Plastic cup
• Acrylic paint
• Black permanent marker
• Bostik glue
• White cardboard paper
• 2 different coloured pipe cleaners
• Scissors
• Craft knife

Method:

1. Paint the cup using the acrylic paint (any other paint just chips off) and leave to dry.
2. Cut out 2 circles from the white card as eyes and 2 triangles for teeth.
3. Once the cup has dried, use the Bostik glue to stick on the eyes and teeth.
4. Use the permanent marker to draw in a mouth and pupils on the eyes.
5. Use the craft knife to cut 4 holes into the side of the bottom part of the cup. Make sure 2 are on one side and the other 2 are exactly opposite to them.
6. Thread the pipe cleaners through the holes.

Colourful Peacock

Materials:

• White cardboard paper
• Plastic spoon
• Brightly coloured kokies
• Black permanent marker
• Scissors
• Bostik glue
• Glitter glue
• Fluffy feather

Method:

1. Fold the white card into half.
2. Cut a section of the top part off to make a square, and thus, a rectangle when opened.
3. Keep it folded and cut out curves on the outside of the folded card (see picture). 
4. Open it up. It should look like the open feathers of a peacock.
5. With different coloured kokies, colour in each section of the paper.
6. Use glitter glue to draw spirals in each feather.
7. Leave it to dry.
8. Meanwhile, cut out a very small folded triangle from the white card for a beak.
9. Colour both sides, inside and outside, of the beak orange.
10. Draw in 2 eyes with the permanent marker.
11. Once the feathers have dried, use Bostik to stick the spoon down the middle.
12. Put a blob of Bostik just above the top of the spoon and stick on the feather.

Suppliers:

• Kokies - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=610&category_id=90
• Glitter Glue - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=590&category_id=90

Cupcake Liner Birds

2 year old

Age Range: 3 years to 8 years
Estimated Time: Around 10 minutes
Messiness: Low

Materials:

• Cupcake liner
• Kokies
• Scissors
• Bendable straw (optional)
• Cellotape (optional - if using straw)

Method:

1. Flatten out the cupcake liner and then fold it in half.
2. Cut out a triangle at the top and one at the bottom (see picture).
3. Use the kokies to decorate the bird.
4. Use a black kokie to draw eyes onto the bird.
5. Cellotape the short side of the bendable straw to the underneath of the bird so that you can use the bird as a puppet.

Suppliers:

• Kokies - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=610&category_id=90

Fluttering Chicks

Age Group: 2 years (with help) to 6 years
Estimated Time: Under 30 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Paper plate
• Poster paint
• 4 different coloured cardboard paper
• 6 small coloured feathers
• White craft glue
• Pritt glue
• 6 googly eyes
• Scissors

Method:

1. Cut the paper plate in half.
2. Paint it with many different colours so that it ends up looking brown.
3. Cut out 3 long rectangles in 3 different colours for the chicks.
4. Cut the corners of the rectangles of so that the corners are no longer sharp.
5. Use Pritt glue to stick the rectangles onto the last piece of card, one next to the other.
6. Use craft glue to stick the paper plate to the card and over half of the rectangles to mimic a nest.
7. Use craft glue to stick 2 feathers to each rectangle.
8. Cut out 3 triangles and use Pritt glue to stick them on as beaks.
9. Use craft glue to stick on the googly eyes.

Coloured Macaroni Octopus

5 year old

Age Range: 5 years to 8 years
Estimated Time: 30 Minutes
Messiness: High

Materials:

• Macaroni
• Different coloured poster paints
• 8 pipe cleaners
• Paper plate
• Hole punch
• Black kokie
• Coloured kokies / Coloured circular stickers

Method:

1. Using the hole punch, punch 8 holes around the bottom of the plate, equally spaced out.
2. Thread a pipe cleaner through each hole and secure it by twisting the top of the pipe cleaner so that it cannot come out.
3. Thread the macaroni onto the pipe cleaners from the bottom. Leave some space at the bottom of each pipe cleaner to be able to twist a small knot.
4. Paint the individual macaroni pieces different colours.
5. Use a black kokie to draw eyes and a mouth onto the paper plate.
6. Use the stickers or coloured kokies to decorate the paper plate.

Paper Plate Frog

3 year old

Age Group: 2 years (with help) to 6 years
Estimated Time: Under 30 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Paper plate
• Green poster paint
• White poster paint
• Black kokie
• Scissors
• Green cardboard paper
• Pink cardboard paper
• Stapler

Method:

1. Paint the paper plate green and let it dry.
2. From the green card, cut out the frog's legs and arms.
3. From the pink card, cut out the frog's tongue.
4. Once the plate has dried, bend it in half.
5. Staple the front legs onto the underside of the plate in the front.
6. Do the same with the back legs.
7. Staple the tongue quite far inside the plate so that you cannot see the staple but the tongue still needs to stick out.
8. Use the white paint to paint on eyes and the black kokie to add the details to the eyes.

Ladybug

Age Range: 3 years (with help) to 6 years
Estimated Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• A4 black cardboard paper
• A4 red cardboard paper
• 2 split pins
• Black paint
• White paint
• Red pipe cleaner
• 2 googly eyes
• Pritt glue
• White craft glue
• Scissors
• Cellotape

Method:

1. Cut out 2 circles from the black card - 1 big (for the body) and 1 small (for the head).
2. Cut out 1 circle from the red card the same size as the big black circle.
3. Use Pritt glue to paste the little circle to the back of the big circle.
4. Cut the red circle in half.
5. Use split pins to join each red semi-circle to the big black circle at the top, so that they open like wings.
6. Use black paint to paint circles onto the red wings.
7. Use craft glue to stick the googly eyes to the small black circle.
8. Paint in a mouth with the white paint.
9. Bend the pipe cleaner in half and cellotape the bend to the back of the head for feelers.

Jelly Play-Dough Recipe

This play-dough is absolutely brilliant. It is really easy and cheap to make, all ingredients are food based so cannot harm your child if eaten, and is really soft and silky!!

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.learning4kids.net/2012/11/26/jelly-play-dough-recipe/

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 normal size box of jelly powder 

Method:

1. Pour all dry ingredients, flour, salt and cream of tartar together in a saucepan.
2. Add jelly powder to boiling water and stir until dissolved.
3. Add jelly water and oil to dry ingredients.
4. I use a whisk before heating as I find this helps remove lumps and blends the ingredients well.
5. Cook over medium heat constantly stirring until it becomes a thick blob.
6. Then turn out onto a clean surface and knead into a smooth ball. Be careful the play dough will be very hot!  Use a little bit of flour if the play dough is sticky.
7. Store in a plastic zip lock bag or air tight container.

Fork Imprint Puffer Fish

Age Group: 4 years to 10 years
Estimated Time: Under 10 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Black cardboard paper
• White cardboard paper
• Black kokie
• White poster paint 
• Yellow poster paint 
• Plastic fork
• White craft glue

Method:

1. Submerge the fork into white poser paint and press the painted fork onto the black card in a semi-circle pattern at the bottom on the page. You may have to put paint on the fork several times.
2. Follow the same procedure with the yellow poster paint, this time completing the top part of the  circle.
3. Paint on triangular ears in yellow and use the fork with white paint to make an imprint on them.
4. Cut out a small oval from the white card and draw a smaller black oval in the middle to create a snout. Stick this onto the middle of your fish with craft glue.
5. Cut out 2 small circles from the white card for eyes and draw in the pupils with the black kokie. Glue these on with craft glue too.

Suppliers:

• White poster paint - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=601&category_id=90
• Yellow poster paint - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=596&category_id=90
• Black kokie - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=587&category_id=90

Shark Fin Hat

Age Group: 3 years (with help) to 6 years
Estimated Time: Around 30 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Paper plate
• 2 A4 pieces of white cardboard paper
• Blue poster paint
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Elastic
• Bostik glue
• Cellotape

Method:

1. Paint the paper plate and one piece of white card with the blue paint and let dry.
2. Out of the other piece of white card, cut out 8 triangles for shark teeth.
3. Once the blue card has dried, fold it in half and cut out a shark fin shape.
4. Glue the two sides of the shark fin together with white craft glue and let dry.
5. Secure the shark teeth on the under side of the rim of the paper plate with cellotape. 
6. Place a thin line of Bostik down the middle of the paper plate just big enough for the fin.
7. Hold the fin steady in the Bostik until the fin stays standing by itself. 
8. Poke holes in either side of the paper plate (behind the teeth) and attach elastic.

Suppliers:

• Blue poster paint - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=598&category_id=90

Hand Print Crab

Age Group: 2 years (with help) to 6 years
Estimated Time: Under 15 minutes
Messiness: Low

Materials:

• Blue paper
• Orange paper
• Red paper
• Scissors
• Pritt glue
• Black kokie

Method:

1. Trace both your child's hands on the red paper and cut them out.
2. Cut out a wavy pattern about a third from the bottom of the orange paper.
3. Stick the orange cut-out onto the bottom of the blue paper with Pritt glue to mimic sand.
4. Glue the red hand cut-outs onto the blue/orange page. Slightly overlap the one hand onto the other so that they are joined.
5. Draw black dots in the thumbs as eyes and draw on a mouth.

Suppliers:

• Black kokie - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=610&category_id=90

Suggested Materials for your Craft Box

This is a list of what I have in my craft suitcase (it used to be a box, but gradually became bigger where it is now a travel suitcase!!) and where you can get them:

• Twisty Pasta - Pick 'n Pay
• Elastic Bands - CNA
• Lentils / Soup Mix - Pick 'n Pay
• Speckled Beans - Pick 'n Pay
• Small, Medium and Large Pom-Poms - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=975&category_id=121
• Raffia - CNA
• Balloons - Pick 'n Pay
• Ice-cream Sticks - Any craft shop
• Roller Towel - Pick 'n Pay
• Felt - Any craft shop
• Stones - In your garden!!
• Play-Dough - See "Jelly Play-Dough Recipe" post
• Tissue Paper - CNA
• Feathers - Any craft shop
• Tongue Depressors - Any craft shop
• Plastic Cups - Pick 'n Pay
• Plastic Utensils - Pick 'n Pay
• Cupcake Liners - Pick 'n Pay
• String - CNA
• Hole Punch - CNA
• Split Pins - PNA
• Cellotape - CNA
• Masking Tape - CNA
• Poster Paint - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?category_id=90&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=20
• Acrylic Paint - CNA
• Watercolour Paints - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?category_id=90&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=20
• Googly Eyes - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=977&category_id=121
• Buttons - Any craft shop
• Bells - Any craft shop
• Paint Brushes - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?category_id=90&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=20
• Newspaper - Recycled
• Crepe Paper - CNA
• White Cardboard Paper (160gsm and 240gsm) - CNA
• Coloured Cardboard Paper - CNA
• White Printer Paper - CNA
• Coloured Paper - CNA
• Egg Cartons - Recycled
• Bottles - Recycled
• White Craft Glue - CNA
• Pritt Glue - CNA
• Bostik Glue - CNA
• Scissors - CNA
• Elastic - PNA
• Pencils - CNA
• Stapler - CNA
• Craft Knife - CNA
• Permanent Marker - CNA
• Pipe Cleaners - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.browse&category_id=121
• Toilet Roll Inners - Recycled
• Paper Towel Inners - Recycled
• Cotton Wool Balls - Pick 'n Pay
• Ear Buds - Pick 'n Pay
• Glitter - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=976&category_id=121
• Glitter Glue - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?category_id=90&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=0
• Baking Paper - Checkers
• Cellophane - CNA
• Contact Paper - CNA
• Magnetic Sheet - Any craft shop
• Foil - Pick 'n Pay
• Pastels - CNA
• Paper Plates - Pick 'n Pay
• Wax Crayons - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?category_id=90&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=0
• Kokies - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=610&category_id=90
• Coloured Pencils - Coral Moon - http://www.coralmoon.co.za/online-store.html?category_id=90&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=0
• Sequins - Any craft shop
• Tiny Beads - Any craft shop
• Ruler - CNA
• Consol Glasses - Checkers
• Baby Formula Tins - Recycled
• Coffee Tins - Recycled

Cute Plastic Cup Whale

Age Group: 4 years (with help) to 10 years

Estimated Time: Under 30 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Plastic cup
• Blue acrylic paint
• Blue cardboard paper
• White cardboard paper
• Scissors
• Blue or grey buttons
• White craft glue
• White pipe cleaners
• Permanent marker
• 2 googly eyes

Method:

1. Paint the plastic cup blue with the acrylic paint (if the paint is not acrylic, it will just peel off).
2. Cut out 2 fins from the blue card.
3. Draw around the cup and extend into a tail and cut it out (so that the cup can be glued to the tail)
4. Once the cup has dried, use craft glue to stick the fins on either side of the cup and the top of the cup (the drinking part) onto the circular part of the tail.
5. Poke a hole in the bottom of the cup (now the top of the whale's head), and push in white pipe cleaners to mimic water.
6. Around the pipe cleaners, glue some blue buttons.
7. Glue on the googly eyes.
8. Draw in a nose and mouth.

Glitter Fish

Age Group: Under 2 years to 5 years
Estimated Time: Under 15 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Glitter
• Small beads
• White craft glue
• 1 piece of coloured cardboard paper
• Kokies or crayons
• Ice-cream stick
• Scissors
• A little hand!!

Method:

1. Trace your child's hand onto the coloured card and cut it out.
2. Decorate the cut-out with kokies or crayons.
3. Once finished, apply a thin layer of white craft glue all over the decorated side of the fish.
4. Sprinkle the little beads and glitter onto the glue.
5. Use craft glue to stick an ice-cream stick onto the back of the fish.

Autumn Tree

3 year old

2 year old

Age Group: 2 years to 6 years
Estimated Time: Under 15 minutes
Messiness: Low

Materials:

• White cardboard paper
• Wax crayons
• Watercolour paints

Method:

1. Trace around your child's hand with a wax crayon.
2. On each fingertip, draw the outline of a basic leaf shape in all different colours.
3. Let your child paint to their heart's desire with the watercolour paints.

Contact Paper Jellyfish

3 year old

 Age Group: 4 years (with help) to 10 years
Estimated Time: Under 30 minutes
Messiness: Low

Materials:

• Blue cellophane
• Contact paper
• Scissors
• Sequins
• Small beads
• Anything small and shiny

Method:

1. Cut out 5 strips of blue cellophane to make tentacles.
2. Cut out 2 same sized squares from the contact paper.
3. Peel off one of the squares and stick the cellophane strips onto the bottom on the contact paper.
4. Sprinkle sequins, small beads and any other small shiny material onto the contact paper.
5. Peel off the back of the other piece of contact paper and stick it on top of the decorations so that they are secured.
6. Cut the sides of the contact paper to create a semi-circle shape.

Dinosaur Mask

Materials:

• Paper plate
• Green paint
• Red paint
• Blue cardboard paper
• Pritt glue
• Black kokie
• Elastic
• Scissors

Method:

1. Paint the inner part of the paper plate green and the outside red. 
2. Leave to dry.
3. Whilst drying, cut one big triangle out of the blue card and about 12 smaller triangles.
4. Once the plate has dried, cut out holes for the eyes.
5. Use Pritt glue to stick the big triangle between the eyes and the smaller triangles onto the outside of the plate.
6. Make holes on either side of the plate and attach elastic.
7. Use a black kokie to draw on the mouth, nostrils and bridge of the nose. 

Paper Plate Giraffe

Age Group: 3 years to 6 years
Estimated Time: Under 30 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• Paper plate
• Orange paint
• Yellow paint
• Orange cardboard paper
• Small piece of yellow cardboard paper
• Googly eyes
• White craft glue
• Scissors
• Black kokie 

Method:

1. Paint the paper plate yellow.
2. Whilst drying, cut out a muzzle for the giraffe and two ears out of the orange card.
3. From the yellow card, cut out two long but thin rectangles.
4. On the muzzle, use a black kokie to draw nostrils and a mouth.
5. Use orange paint to paint the bottom of the ears and the tops of the rectangles.
6. Once the plate has dried, paint spots onto the outside of the plate.
7. Use craft glue to stick on the googly eyes, muzzle, ears and horns.

Egg Carton Very Hungry Caterpillar

Age Group: 2 years (with help) to 6 years
Estimated Time: Under 30 minutes
Messiness: Medium

Materials:

• 1 six egg, egg carton
• Red paint
• Green paint
• Orange paint
• 3 pipe cleaners
• 2 googly eyes
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Craft knife (adults only!!)

Method:

1. Cut out the egg carton into individual egg cartons.
2. Paint one of the egg cartons red and leave to dry.
3. Paint 3 more orange and 2 more green and leave to dry.
4. Once dry, use a craft knife to cut holes in the sides of the individual cartons.
5. Thread one pipe cleaner through the egg cartons.
6. Poke the other two pipe cleaners through the top of the red carton to make feelers.
7. Use craft glue to stick on the googly eyes.

Pipe Cleaner Fishing

Very simple, fun and different! Generally better for younger children - under 4 years old.

Age Group: 2 years to 4 years
Estimated Time: Depends on child's concentration span
Messiness: Low

Materials:

• Pipe cleaners
• Magnet and string / magnetic fishing rod
• Blue card or paper (optional)

Method:

1. Cut out the blue card or paper into a pond type of shape.
2. Twist the pipe cleaners into a basic fish shape.
3. Start fishing!
4. Because the pipe cleaners and made out of metal, they are magnetic!