Hama beads, Graffiti again,

The last 20 minutes or so was solved by the graffiti - really popular and they wrote down what they wanted me to create for the following week too.  Mother's Day preparation dominated last week with photo frames and some yummy popcorn rocky road.  They broke up a few biscuits, added mini marshmallows together with a piece of plain popcorn into a petit fours case then one spoonful of melted chocolate on top.  It set really quickly in the fridge on paper plates which they had written their name on.  We made boxes to take them home in for mums though I doubt if many got that far!

So this week I will get the Hama beads out.  Once you have purchased the peg boards it becomes cost effective.  I picked up a huge tin of beads from a car boot sale but you can shop around for them.  Just beware - they come in different sizes.  Use baking parchment or greaseproof paper between them and the iron.  Iron carefully on the top side moving the iron so you don't melt the pegs.  Gently tip it on to the paper and iron on the back side with paper between it and the iron again.

Easter - eggs, baskets and chocolate

It's always easier to plan with a theme.  Today we are doing typical easter nests out of melted chocolate and cornflakes.  Get them to make an Easter basket first ready to put the finished nests in.  Have the microwave handy for melting - move it if you need to - it really helps not needing to leave the young people to sort it and they can do it themselves.  Pop mix in paper cases.  Add eggs right at the end - removes temptation to eat them all before they go home!

Baskets are made out of a sheet of A4 paper with an extra strip as a handle.  Decorate before you make them up.  Stickers, Easter confetti, coloured pencils. 

Styrofoam eggs covered in little bits of tissue paper with PVA are good - plenty of instructions out there.  Use a toothpick to stick them in polystyrene while the gluing is done and whilst drying.

That should hopefully sort it!

Getting out the laminator this week.  It just makes craft creations look so much better.  Could make key ring tags - use a hole punch on the laminated article.  Have got some lovely doodle designs to colour, cut into circles then laminate to make mats/ coasters.  Will sort out their names using graffitti font programs for them to colour - they will love it!

There are a number of printable photoframes around to colour.  I am going to photocopy them on to card.  Cut around them and cut out the middle ready.  Find some thicker cardboard for the backing and use double-sided sticky tape to seal on three sides.  I use coloured pencils not felt tips when possible.  Make sure they are all sharp and there is a good selection then kids don't complain and actually produce better looking articles.

Finding it so essential to have a really eye-catching very short activity for the last 10 minutes.  Decorating the love-heart biscuits worked a treat two weeks ago.  Not there with the right idea for tomorrow yet though!

Valentine's Day pipecleaner hearts, cards and love bugs

Valentines Day can be tricky unless you stress that it is all about showing that you love someone - even if it is your Mum!

Cards - through the year I save anything I find with hearts on so that it all comes out as new stuff today.  It is always good to do a few examples to provide inspiration.  Punches are good investments and you can always punch hearts in advance if you wish.

Pipecleaner hearts - take one pipecleaner and fold in half.   Thread beads on each end.  Join ends together and form in to a heart shape.  Use ribbon to make a hanging loop (ask ladies to cut them out of their jumpers, T-shirts - they are annoying anyway!).
Here's the examples I made earlier:

It's important to make at least one that doesn't look too stereotypically girlie.

Lovebugs - I really need a use for the dozens of pompoms I have accumulated. Check out activityvillage.co.uk for ideas.

Could also of course make some heart-shaped biscuits and they can decorate with icing pens and 'Love Heart' sweets.

Butterfly sun-catcher take 2, Muffins, old video and DVD cases, paper rockets

Well the cutting out of the templates for the butterflies defeated me last week so I am just going to do very simple ones with my own template ready so that the less artistic can just draw round it with black A4 paper folded in half.  You can open out, glue pieces of crumpled tissue paper over the cut-out section which will be great for using up the vast pile in my scrap box.  Pipe cleaners can be stapled on to make the body and antennae.  The black border can be decorated with sequins, stickers etc.  I will let you know.

It is muffin week this week.  I am off to buy very cheap plastic bowls so that 3 pairs can make small quantities each.  Great as they do not need very precise mixing.  It is a good idea to have amounts weighed out first.  I use fairtrade chocolate bars and get them to cut up as still much cheaper than buying chocolate chips which usually aren't fairtrade.  Double choc ones are the favourite.

Now I am saving old video boxes.  Kids can decorate a piece of paper same size as the sleeve then slip it in.  Think they will be about the right size for holding petit fours for Mother's Day.  So a trip round charity shops needed.  

See a lovely idea today for how to make a pencil holder/ case out of a DVD case.

And lastly an idea for paper rockets - one to only attempt in the last 10 minutes when boredom is creeping in.  

You will need paper, glue, Sellotape and a plastic straw.Put glue on one of the longer edges. Then role the paper around a pencil starting from the opposite side.  Remove the pencil.
Close the top of the rocket with the tape.
Insert a plastic straw and blow.

Butterfly sun catcher, Popsicle bracelets and beads

It's that time of the week again.  I have printed off a template from
http://www.minieco.co.uk/butterfly-sun-catchers/
and though I will have to photocopy on to black and then do the fiddly cutting out I think it will produce some nice effects with tissue paper bought very cheaply from Poundland or similar.

If you Google popsicle bracelets a variety of techniques come up.  I will try the quicker microwaving one and see what happens.  I only have 9 sticks at home.  If it is successful I will do more.

And finally beads - the perennial favourite.  Better to use the thin elastic than the thin stretchy slippery stuff - nothing gets them in a bad mood like seeing their bracelet come undone and all the beads go over the floor.  They need little supervision except an eye out that beads do not end up as ammunition or in pockets.

I now need to collect #6 plastic because you can apparently use it to make shrinkies!  More on that when I have enough.

Plastic wallets/ breadmaking/ scratch cards

And so to this Wednesday.
I bought transparent plastic wallets from Poundland @ 5 for £1.  Sharpie pens to decorate with stickers to personalize.  Just keep an eye when using permanent markers and warn all that use about getting on clothes etc.

Breadmaking - make up the dough in advance then say it needs lots of kneading - good therapy!  Use wet wipes so you don't have to send all your young people out to the loo to wash hands at the start - you may never see them again.  When they have made shapes (encourage ones of similar size or they cook unevenly) cook in oven from cold heating to about 180 degrees so plenty of time to rise again.  Add some butter and that is a very cost effective craft/snack with lovely aromas to go with them.

I look around for offers of those scratch cards that can be scraped to reveal patterns.  No skill involved and the young people love them.  Gather together lots of stencils which are another means of helping those with self-esteem issues who struggle when asked to be creative.

Add the usual mix of board games, pool, air hockey etc and that should keep 20 busy for an hour.