Sticky tape rocks!

I should clarify that – some sticky tape rocks and some sticky tape dispensers rock, others DO NOT. I don't write this blog to promote products but finding the right sticky tape is absolutely essential (unless you like doling each piece of tape out yourself). We are now on our fourth sticky tape dispenser and it totally rocks. My 15 year old beloved (pre-kid) tape dispenser bit the dust as it was dropped one too many times. Not thinking that much about it I gave Cakey one of those disposable dispensers.....cue screaming tantrum when she couldn't break the tape off. So I went out and bought a brand new funky looking dispenser – it survived 2 hours before I threw it in the bin. The metal cutting bit just wasn't sharp enough for 3yo fingers to use and I couldn't stand the whinging any longer. Next I went to one of the big office supply places and bought the most expensive dispenser I could find coupled with the most expensive tape (if you are interested it is a 3M product bought at Officeworks).

I have since experimented with medium priced tape and it works too in this dispenser. I don't go anywhere near the really cheap stuff. It drives me bananas when the tape end gets lost and I have to laboriously try to get it to come off in one piece again.

I don't know why but I used to think that sticky tape was a bit of a cop out and that kids should have glue. For lots of projects sticky tape is so much better than glue – there is less mess and it sticks immediately. Cakey loves the stuff and will sticky tape just about anything. Granted I give her total free range and as a result we go through a lot of sticky tape. It took a little while for Cakey to become competent with the dispenser but it was well worth the patience.

Floating fish

This had so much potential but fell a bit flat. Cakey wanted to do a project that involved fish so I thought she could make some out of balloons. I blew up three small balloons and placed them in takeaway containers so they wouldn't fly off the table constantly. I also laid out some plastic fin and tail pieces that I (very poorly) cut out of an old orange filing envelope. I cut up some little squares of silvery paper from a foil biscuit wrapper that I thought could be fish scales. To top it off I also included some googly eyes and a black permanent marker. Now I just needed the kid...

Cakey was excited and quickly started sticky taping various bits onto the first balloon. She instantly decided that my silvery pieces were teeth and she also thought that my takeaway containers were boats for the fish and also needed to be decorated – whatever, I was busy trying to make soup for dinner. After a short time she moved onto the second balloon which she half-heartedly jabbed with the marker....and then I made a mistake.

I hadn't even finished cutting up the vegies for the soup when I stupidly uttered these words 'when you have finished we can let your fish swim in the bath'. Her eyes lit up as she instantly replied 'I've finished' and jumped down and ran to the bathroom. I did my best to cajole her into making more of the project but I could tell she had moved on. So there was nothing for it – we ran the bath and Cakey and Boo poked the balloon fish around the bath with wooden spoons.

This activity took more time to set up than Cakey spent doing it which was a bit disappointing. I still think it could have been a winner. Oh and I did eventually get the soup made which was also pointless because I was the only one who ate it!

Stick it down!

Cakey's grandma introduced us to this idea and we have used it over and over again. All you need is a piece of sticky contact paper and an open invitation to pillage and plunder the garden. I set up the contact paper on an outdoor table. Make sure it is weighed down with stones, otherwise a small breeze may deposit it into the dirt!

It doesn't take much encouragement to get Cakey to pick leaves and flowers from our garden. My sneaky trick is to encourage her to collect one piece at a time rather than collect first and stick second. That way it takes longer and with all the running back and forth it tires her out.

Cakey's other granny uses the rainy day version to great effect. She can seemingly pull out a never-ending supply of old buttons and quilt pieces to stick on the contact paper but you can use anything.

Once the contact paper has been filled lay an extra piece of contact paper over the top to hold it all together. They actually look lovely stuck on a window with the light shining through.

If this is your first visit to at home with Ali – welcome. If you like it, you can follow along through our facebook page or subscribe via email or RSS. Cheers Ali

Mister Maker splat bugs

 

Cakey loves Mister Maker, she can watch the episodes over and over again. She doesn't often ask to make whatever it is Mister Maker is making...but she did today. She was captivated by the glittery gloopy glue splat bugs that she watched on abc iview (series 3 episode 7 if you are interested). Basically you put a dollop of pva glue on a baking tray (I used some baking paper because I didn't want to ruin my baking tray) and then fan out some of the glue with a paintbrush to make arms/legs. The glue doesn't need to be thick, we made ours way too thick and it took forever to dry. And then decorate...we used glitter, some googly eyes and a paper tongue. It didn't take very long but I did have to hover over this one to avoid a glitter disaster. When it is finished leave it to dry overnight. Once dry you can peel it off and stick it on something.

For more detailed step by step instructions have a look at my second go at this activity Mister Maker splat bugs take 2.

I like Mister Maker and we do use it as inspiration sometimes. I generally have to simplify the projects down and I rarely have all the materials which can be a bit annoying. I do like the segment 'make it in a minute' – if Mister Maker can make it in a minute then presumably we can make it in half an hour. How do you feel about Mister Maker?

On a side note you may want to check out the Mister Maker website. It has a cute gallery of projects that kids have made with links to the relevant segment of the show.

Mobile creations

I have tried to make a hanging mobile with Cakey a number of times. I think tying bits and pieces to sticks and wires sounds like fun but she doesn't. These activities always end up with her wandering off saying 'you do it mummy'. Anyway she was busy ripping and trying to cut up bits of purple paper. Aha here is my chance... I said 'let's make a mobile'. 'Yes mummy, I want to make a mobile'. I whipped out my wool and stick and started to tie her purple paper shapes to it. 'No mummy not a mobile, a mobile phone' she said. Silly me!

Luckily, I have a small cupboard where I throw in useful looking boxes and various bits and pieces. I ratted through the cupboard quickly and found the lid off a ferrero rocher chocolate box – bingo! Cakey was pleased, she decided it was a video phone so we found a photo of Boo which I cut up and she stuck down. She also enjoyed sticky taping down her pieces of purple paper and drawing buttons on the flap I attached to the lid for her. The coolest thing about this activity was that she carried this phone around with her for the next 2 days, pulling it out and taking calls. She actually has my old mobile phone but it has never seen that kind of action.