big...bigger...biggest

Today we finally got round to doing another "height chart" for Mati. This time we used black paper and oil pastels, chalk can be easily rubbed out but has the problem of getting everywhere and needing fixing with hairspray/fixative. Oil pastels can be messy though and aren't that easy to get out of clothes, carpets, furniture etc so the choice is yours! We also did a first "height chart" for the baby which Mati really enjoyed doing and the baby thought was very amusing.

 

I found the initial drawing round Mati was a bit out of proportion to I changed it a bit to make it look right. I drew the faces on. I've been doing lots of drawings of the girls on my other blog but you could print out a photo onto A4 paper and stick it on or cut out eyes, noses and mouths photo fit style from magazines.

Again I tried to let Mati be in charge but I couldn't help adding a few bits here and there. She got really involved in what her and the baby should "wear" e.g a scarf for her and a warm jumper for the baby!

Mati wanted me to draw round her hopping as this is something she has learnt to do recently!



Mati - 2yrs old, 2 1/2 and 3 years old
 

Portable play mats made from Graze boxes!

I still haven't got over my excitement about making my own play mats and finding a use for my old graze boxes especially after Mati enjoyed playing with her space play mat using her Playmobil people for nearly an hour this morning. She was really excited about the idea of making more of them. So after a trip to the park to make the most of a relatively sunny and not freezing cold day we got out the glue and collage material!

First I cut the join between the box and it's spine to allow it to lay flat. Then I taped round the edges so it would hold its shape better.

We were using a special edition spring graze box with pictures of flowers and field inside so a farm was the obvious choice of play mat. We recently visited Spring Barn Farm so Mati was keen to base her play mat on this farm. It had a soft play area and 3 slides inside plus the all important cafe!! You can see these are all included.

I find it quite hard not to interfere too much and take over! I tried to let mati lead the way. Mati is pretty good with glue now but I had to add a bit extra to make sure it all stuck down. We used a combination of pritt stick and PVA and we just used whatever scraps of paper we had left over from other projects plus cotton wool for the sheep (my inspired idea!!) I asked mati what she wanted to include and then I cut it out or if it could be made from torn paper (grass, ponds etc) she did it. I made suggestions too of what to include and what different materials we could use.

The thing I was most excited about was that we were able to use the graze box snack dividers and small fields by sticking it over some tissue paper we had already stuck down (I've been saving these too convinced that they have some fantastic use!)

We were both pleased with the results and Mati's playmobil people enjoyed their Sunday afternoon trip to the farm!

I was on a roll so I also made a portable road play mat!

This is just the napkins that come with the graze box stuck down and then black sugar paper to make the roads ad other coloured paper/craft foam for the park, houses, bridge etc. You could make this a real journey e.g from your home to school, including things you might see along the way.

Here is the space play mat again from earlier....I painted the graze box for this one (on the outside) However the box began to go a bit soggy and warped so I think I would avoid doing this in future. I was using acrylics with not very much water. The play mat is based on a story I made up for mati about her going to the moon for a picnic with me and her dad.

I've got loads of ideas for more of these - ones based on nursery, winter/Christmas, holidays, the supermarket, journeys, the beach etc etc. I just cut the shapes out free hand but you could print out pictures to use as templates or use photos, stickers of cut out images from magazines. Children don't worry too much if a duck doesn't really look like a duck etc! Mati made a play mat afterwards entirely on her own with a few random pieces of tissue paper stuck down but to her it was a road and mountains and a swimming pool!

I collected loads of ideas for portable play mats and portable dolls houses (a future project!) on Pinterest so have a look!

I'd love to see your play mats - you don't have to use graze boxes, a piece of card cut out from a cereal box folded in half will do or just a piece of paper. A DVD box might be good too. I like the idea of a box as you can put figures/animals in it to carry around. I do need to work out how to make some sort of clip for it and may be a handle?

portable play mat

I've been keeping old Graze boxes as I was sure there was a brilliant way to re-use them if only I could find out what it was...well after trawling Pinterest last night (my new way to spend Saturday nights!) I discovered loads of make your own portable play mats ... So here is my first graze box turned into a portable play mat! I made this one for Mati but I will have a go at making one with her this afternoon.

Memory Clay Tile - A walk on the beach

Finally we had a sunny and not completely freezing cold day so we went for a walk on the beach. We collected stones, seaweed, sand, bits of wood, a feather etc and when we got home pressed them into a clay tile to make marks and a record of out afternoon. You could do this with a walk in the woods, things in your garden, items to represent different seasons, things that are important to your child. The objects don't need to be natural they could be man-made things too - toys, jewellery etc. We made a wavey tile to look like the sea. If it was a tile of things to do with your child it could be a hand print shape or a walk in the woods tile could be in the shape of a leaf.

things we collected at the beach

 

Mati really enjoyed seeing what marks the different objects made and using them as drawing tools too. She experimented ith pressing the objects into the tile in different ways using more or less pressure. She talked about her walk on the beach as she made the tile. She decided to leave some of the objects pressed in to see what would happen.

Have a look at my easter egg tiles post for more details about rolling out the clay tile, creating patterns in clay and painting clay tiles.