This week, we have continued to have our walks on the Greenway. I feel in need of a change of scenery but the girls still manage to find something novel there 🙂 They explored the steps and hidden dens and looked for daffodils and cherry blossom. Being surrounded by greenery helps to prepare me to face homeschooling – I think there is something healing about being in the company of trees and green has always been my favourite colour – it’s so calming to look at 🙂
We tried a new chocolate chip cookies recipe. I wanted to make a crunchier kind of cookie since we usually make ones with chewy centres. I don’t think our oven produces hard cookies even when I try to, but they still worked out well 🙂 I put my daughter in charge of the chocolate chunks while my other daughter helped me with the mixing. The hardest part of the process for them was waiting for the cookies to cool 🙂
We made some lolly stick dancers. First, we tied on some wool for the hair. (It was meant to look like hair tied in a bun but ended up looking more like head scarves because we only had bright colours :)) The girls added faces, tops and ballet pumps with felt tips. We folded a bun case in half, cut a little semi circle out to make a circle when it opened out so the lolly sticks would fit inside. We just used pritt stick to stick the “skirts” to the lollipop sticks. They don’t look very professional but the girls enjoyed making them and playing with them afterwards 🙂
My daughter’s theme in school is Space, so both of the girls painted galaxy pictures and rockets to cut out and add to them once dry. I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but when it comes to school painting/colouring, the girls tend to tell me they are “intentionally” leaving parts of the page blank because they can’t be bothered painting the whole thing 🙂
Since today was World Book Day, I had decided to do some sort of book inspired craft with the girls. One of the teachers from their school provided the idea of potato characters, so we made some of our own. I just selected some of our picture books and encouraged the girls to pick a character they wanted to recreate. (It’s easier if they happen to have a round head :)) One chose The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the other chose Hamish the cat in his basket from The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch. They painted a potato with acrylics for the faces and let them dry. Then, I gave them some empty boxes to make the rest of their artwork with. We used parts of an egg carton for the caterpillar’s body and a cracker box with the top cut off for a basket for Hamish 🙂 Then we added pipe cleaners. One of my daughter’s twisted hers for a basket handle and we made antenna for the caterpillar and cut two slits in the potato to hold them in place. Afterwards, the girls asked to make potato print pictures. I’ve done them before with the girls and used cookie cutters to make shaped prints, but they were happier with just half a potato and made original flower pictures with them. Sometimes I think I over-complicate things for myself 🙂
The girls have been getting Toucan Boxes for about a year and I decided it was time for a change, so I got them a siblings box from Make & Wonder. I liked the fact they provide art materials and loose instructions to allow them to explore their own ideas. It has a theme each month based on an artist and contains several projects related to that, so I’ll share some of our creations when we make them 🙂
Today, we went to the park with friends. It is so good to have some human contact again 🙂 My friend gave us a lovely s’mores kit she’d made up for us so we are excited to use it 🙂 Despite the lockdown and everything that’s been going on, I’m feeling grateful for good friends and simple joys 🙂 (and the reopening of schools :D)
The Funky Thrifter 