Silver and girls Day 11

Handprint Wreath

We started by pouring out some bright neon green paint into a small bowl, we then took a large piece of paper and started splatting!  Nim had so much fun making one of these at school, that she wanted to make another at home!

After the splatty handprints had dried, she very carefully cut around the shapes.  I took a spare paper plate and cut the middle out of it, which left an outer ring which Nim then painted green too!  She then glued the hand prints onto the card ring, added a hanging ribbon and once again used glitter glue, this time to make the red berries.

Silver and girls Day 10

After being inspired by how easy the kits were to make, Nim decided she would like a stocking.  I got her some felt pieces, drew a basic shape & cut it out of the red felt and punched along the edges to make holes for her.  Nim then chose some green wool and did a basic over stitch all of the way around the sides, leaving the top open.

Next I cut out the letters of her name and she decorated them with glitter glue, which we glued onto the main body of the stocking.  She then glued on some felt "fur" and finished the stocking off with a little holly decoration.

She is already looking forward to using it again next year, hehe

Adeola and boys Day 10

Here are more of our ‘street’ art. Some of the drawings were actually done indoors because of (y)our lovely rainy weather. The boys love this exercise and Babi and Roti have taken to chalk drawing the walls in the landing - little graffiti artists, aww so sweet (for now).   

Johana and boys Day 12

I'm vegan and we're going to my partners parents for xmas. They don't quite get the vegan thing and like to offer me 'just a little bit of chicken'.

While I was working today the kids and their dad made me this amazing nut roast with brazil nuts, breadcrumbs, carrots and decorated it with rosemary from the garden. I'm looking forward to having something other than well boiled veg to devour tomorrow. Thanks boys!

Cat and Eilir Day 10

Last minute gift wrap

Inspired by some left over flat wooden Santa novelties from our snow globe making, we decorated two plain brown paper parcels with Christmas Eve night scenes using felt and acrylic paint pens and then sticking on our Father Christmases.

On a third parcel we went for random Christmas symbols (as per your average seasonal wrap). Eilir chose to draw a Santa hat, stocking, reindeer and the now obligatory penguin!

Cat and Eilir Day 9

This multi-media project started with Eilir getting a piece of homework from school to design a cover for their Christmas carol night programme. Eilir came up with some drawings (pictured) but was not that fussed on them or the activity.

He was however loving the rehearsals for the concert itself and was forever singing them at home. A particular favourite was 'Silent Night', which he desperately wanted to learn how to play on the piano. Luckily he sat his first piano exam at the beginning of December, so the pressure was off at the end of term, and I could ask his piano teacher to teach him 'Silent Night' during his last two lessons. He is very proud of this and plays it for anyone visiting.

The video is our duet - he finds it too difficult to play and sing at the same time - so apologies in advance for my singing! We've been singing it together for weeks.

Cat and Eilir Day 8

 

Crackers

Another project that required a bit of time to collect the required materials (this time toilet roll innards and the middle section of a roll of wrapping paper).   By Sunday we had enough to make four crackers.

We filled the middle roll with a chocolate bear and a joke (provided by Eilir and copied down on scraps of wrapping paper by me). We then rolled this up together with two additional rolls either side in wrapping paper (ends of roll and some recycled from last year), Eilir holding, me taping. Using wrapping ribbon we secured the middle section, tying one end each on every cracker. There was a pretty equal division of labour on this activity, we even rolled them up together!

Eilir liked the smaller, neater crackers best (the ones made from the wrapping paper roll, which was a narrower tube).  The same evening we were visiting some friends, so decided to take two with us for pulling. The first pulled easily (Eilir winning), the second was more like a tug-of-war with Eilir's friend eventually gaining the upper hand and Eilir landing on his bum!