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play and craft
wonderful
This winter, gather your little ones around
you and take your pick from activities that
never date!
While adults may sometimes equate winter with lugging in
endless baskets of firewood, and drying yet another load of
laundry indoors, for children it can be one of the happiest
times of the year. Busy with arts and crafts projects and
imaginative indoor activities, the cosiness of winter can
provide a relaxing backdrop to family fun and sibling
bonding.
ways with wool
Head for the closest op-shop and let the kids select a big
bag of colourful yarns. Make sure they include frothy
ribbon, as well as bright acrylics and textured wools. Grab
some chunky knitting needles while you’re at it, and keep
your eyes peeled for off-cuts of hessian fabric and big
plastic darning needles (the sort where yarn can be
threaded through the eye). For next to nothing, you’ll be
well on the way to a fabulous collection of winter craft
materials.
pom-poms
Making pom-poms is popular with any age, and if you’ve
forgotten how to do it, two excellent YouTube sites will
remind you in minutes. Search Youtube.com for ‘How To:
Make a Pompom with a Cardboard Disc’ by Bernat Yarns
which offers simple instructions for making the traditional
pom-pom (using cardboard) – the sort which will keep little
ones occupied for hours, while How to: Make Pompoms by
Bernat Yarns gives instructions for making almost instant
pom-poms (a favourite with older children). For something
different, remind the kids that pom-poms don’t have to be
round. They can be trimmed into cubes, triangles, and even
animal shapes. Once completed, adding stick-on eyes
creates further character. Pom-poms can be hung on door
handles, made into colourful mobiles, sewn onto homemade or purchased hats and socks, glued to slippers,
attached to headbands, or fixed to magnetic tape for use
as fridge magnets.
Tissue-paper pom-poms, although still very easy to make,
require a little more skill than the wool variety, so are
perfect for older children to try. For instructions on how to
master the art of these delightfully frothy creations, search
YouTube.com for ‘Tissue Pom Pom / How To Make Paper
Pom Poms / Wedding Decor’ by StyleIconsCloset.
create a family treasure
Knitting is a favourite activity with children of all ages,
but because it can seem to take forever to finish even the
simplest of articles, turn the activity into a family project.
Once everyone has learned to master basic stocking
stitch, leave the item (a scarf, which requires no shaping, is
perfect) around the house so that anyone who feels in the
mood can pick up and start knitting – the more stripes and
changes in tension, the more unique the finished item
will be.
hessian stitching
Arm the kids with yarn, a plastic darning needle with a big
eye, a piece of chalk, and a square of hessian. Let them
draw onto the hessian with chalk, then encourage them to
stitch along the lines to create a picture in yarn. When
completed, let the artist fray the edges of the fabric to form
a colourful place mat. If you have the time, the square can
be backed with soft fabric and turned into a cushion cover
or oven cloth. Stitched hessian also looks great behind
glass when framed. (Op-shops sell frames for next to
nothing and the wooden variety are perfect for painting in
colours that match the craft creation.)
winter
By Diana Noonan*
prints and patterns
Celebrate the arrival of winter by donning coats and hats
and venturing into the park to collect print and patternmaking materials. Look out for skeleton leaves, dried twigs,
grasses and seeds. Back home, break out the acrylic
paints, smear them into a recycled polystyrene meat tray,
and let the children drench their new found treasures in
bright colours. Sandwich the objects between two layers of
paper and press down on them lightly with a hand, craft
roller or kitchen rolling pin. When dry, snip the prints out
and paste them onto card to make gift tags, or bookmarks.
Pop prints into recycled frames or use them to decorate
mini storage boxes. If it’s too cold to go hunting outside for
pattern making materials, turn children’s attention to the
kitchen pantry, spice jars, or fruit and vegetable storage
shelves, and a whole range of print-making materials will
be instantly available (think star anise, spaghetti, and slices
of orange dried on paper towels before being dipped in
paint).
camping indoors
Wild weather will never get in the way of an indoor
camp-out, especially if your tent is small enough to be
erected in the living room (if not, a double bed sheet
draped over a table will soon create the same effect). So
dig out the torches, pack the pillows, head for the living
room and unroll the sleeping bags! Add atmosphere to your
camp-out by turning off the lights and packing an early
midnight feast (let children carry their own ‘gear’ and
snacks in a day pack). If you’re really getting into the swing
of things, light up the barbeque and cook dinner on the
deck or sizzle some sausages by candlelight in a pan on
the stove. Shadow puppets by torchlight, a mild ghost story
or two and, if space permits, a game of torch tag (played on
hands and knees) will soon exhaust the campers and make
for a restful night for the adults sleeping comfortably in a
bed next door!
mid-winter christmas
Why should the northern Europeans have all the fun! Wait
for the coldest winter day, then dig out the Christmas
decorations, and set up the tree. Get the children making
home-made Christmas cards and paper bunting taped to
string. Older children will enjoy decorating candles with
tinsel and baubles. There’s no need to create an elaborate
feast – a few Christmas treats will set the scene. Let
everyone help stir spices into fruit juice for mulling, wrap
some ten cent pieces in tinfoil and stir them into an
easy-to-make steam pudding. Lay a bright cloth on the
table and fill a vase with holly or branches of red berries.
Set out some nibbles in Christmas colours (bright strips of
capsicums and wedges of red and green apple), and play
carols which everyone can sing along to.
With just a few bits and bobs of craft material and loads of
imagination, turning winter into a playful, creative time is
not only easy, inexpensive, and loads of fun, it’s one of the
best ways to ensure your children grow up with the
happiest of family memories.
*Catlins author, Diana Noonan, is one of New Zealand’s
best-known writers for children. A former editor of the
iconic School Journal, she writes for a wide range of
educational resources, and takes a strong interest in the
New Zealand Curriculum.