Baskets, Books & Boats

It's been a busy old week one way or another. Jenson was feeling off colour on Monday and Tuesday so it was nice to have him around to enjoy some of the craft activities I had lined up for Wren. We also had Wren's birthday to celebrate on Wednesday and on Thursday and Friday Wren was in her new school for some taster days.

Back to the craft though and it was a full on couple of days. The first project was one that Jenson actually chose.

1. Dough Basket

We mixed together 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup of water to make our dough. After the ingrediants had been mixed together the children helped to knead it.

We rolled the dough out using a beer can, (our rolling pin, like the rest of our stuff, is in storage) and together managed to cut it out into strips. I covered a ceramic bowl in tin foil and then helped to weave the dough strips together.

We baked the bowl in the oven on a low temperature for four hours. After leaving it to cool down, the children enjoyed painting it sat outside in the sunshine.

2. Photo Books

While the bowl cooked in the oven, we took a blanket over to the park opposite and sat down together to make some photo albums. The children had chosen a few photos from recent trips, (Donkey Week for Jenson and a beach weekend at Grandad's for Wren) and we had cycled down to Boots on Tuesday morning to pick them up. 

We measured and made the pages, the children designed the front covers and Jenson even helped to make the corner holders, (of which there were a lot!) Wren opted for the easier option of just sticking the photos on the pages!

3. Woven Basket

This was a very girly project that Wren and I enjoyed doing together. We measured out all the strips of paper and then I helped her to cut them out using a craft knife.

Once I had worked out how to weave everything together, Wren helped me fold up the sides. A square block is recommended but we only had a very oddly shaped water bottle. Not the best object when trying to get a nice ninety degree bend!

A little bit of sticky tape later and...ta da!! Wren's finished basket, beautifully decorated by herself using over hundred sticky back gems!! It definitely had sparkle, which had been the criteria!!

4. Bolsar Boat

This was more Jenson's project, which Simon was heavily involved with, and the finished product definitely had an architect's feel to it!!

This idea had come about after Jenson had come home from school last Friday, upset that he hadn't been able to finish the boat he had been making as part of their Grace Darling project. It was a pity they had run out of time at school and Jenson clearly felt sad about it. I had therefore suggested we help him make another boat that he could take in to show all his friends and class teacher. This seemed to bolster his confidence and you could see the satisfaction he got from not just building a lovely boat, but also at being able to see the project through to completion. I find this is where school really falls short. It's all about delivering information, when really a big part of a child's learning is in the process itself.