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Mother’s Day Gifts: Flower Photo Frames

It’s easy to take our Mums for granted; overlooking their selflessness and unconditional love for us. Although we should always be thankful and appreciative, this weekend we get to honour them for their patience and tireless work.

Flowers seem to be the ‘in thing’ to give and make for Mothers Day. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise because who doesn’t love receiving a big bunch of flowers!

We took to the craft room this week to create a special gift for Mothers Day. Using flowers as the base of the gift, we decided to expand a little further and get super crafty to give Mum something she’ll really be able to treasure.

>>> How To Make Flower Picture Frames

Using an old cardboard box, we made a picture frame and combined 3 different artworks to decorate. A gift for mum this mother’s day.

Ages: 4+ (with adult supervision)
Time: lots (a solid afternoon activity)

Stage 1: the Bubble Flower

You’ll Need:

Water
Paint
Dishwashing liquid
Straws
White card stock

To Make:

Combine 2 parts water, to 1 part dishwashing liquid in a small bowl or container.
Add a drop of paint and mix well.
Using the straw, blow bubbles into the mixture and then place the cardstock on top. Repeat with all desired colours.

Stage 2: the Net Stamped Flower

You’ll Need:

Paint
Cotton balls
White card stock
Onion/fruit bag netting (or similar)

To Make:

Place a handful of cotton balls into a small square of netting and fasten.
Press the bags into a thin layer of paint and use as a stamp to create a pattern across your page.

Stage 3: the Paper towel Flower

You’ll Need:

Thick, absorbent paper towel
Water
Paint
Droppers

To Make:

Combine a small amount of water and a few drops of paint in a small bowl or container and mix well.
Use the droppers to disperse the colours over the paper towel watching as they mix, creating new colours. Tip: Avoiding picking up the towel while wet to prevent the paper tearing.

Stage 4: the Frame

You’ll Need:

Thick cardboard/card-stock
Scissors,
Clear dry glue
Optional; Gems

To Make:

Using thick cardboard or cardstock cut out two squares to the desired frame size.
Cut a smaller square out of the centre one of your pieces, creating a frame.
Once your artworks are dry, draw and cut out different size and shape flowers.
Using clear dry glue, paste your flowers around the frame.
Once dry, paste your favourite picture of you & your mum between the two pieces of cardboard.

*An adult should perform step’s 1 & 2.

Supervision and safe scissors are required for step 3. Remember to cut in a direction away from your body and always be seated whilst cutting.

We took to the craft room this week to create a special gift for #MothersDay #Nannylife

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Whilst painting, we discussed why we love our mum and why we’re thankful for her. This activity was too advanced for my youngest charge, she joined in by decorating a large piece of butches paper to use as wrapping paper. So cute!

Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful Mums, (and nannies) – you’re all doing an awesome job! Happy Crafting!

>>> Are you making Mother’s Day gifts with the kids for mum?

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Olivia is a career nanny of 5 years and craft extraordinaire. Having travelled Australia working with many families, Olivia now resides in Sydney and cares for 7 children aged 15 months to 1o years old. Craft + diy activities feature prominently in their daily schedule. You can follow Olivia on instagram {@oliviasfoster} for crafty ideas and activities.

How To Make An Anzac Poppy Wreath

(Anzac Day Easy Kids Craft) On April 25^th, we remember all the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives to fight for our country. Talking about ANZAC Day with young children who won’t fully understand can be difficult. We focused more of our discussions on the sacrifices and heroism of the ANZACs so that we could live freely, rather than the focal point of the many who died or suffered.

We spoke about poppies and what they represent and decided to make a wreath to hang on the front door. We used all recyclable materials found around the house.

>>> How To Make A Paper Anzac Poppy Wreath

Ages: 3+ with assistance for cutting
Time: prep – 30 minutes, assembling – 15 minutes

You’ll Need:

Egg carton
Tissue paper
Red paint
Black buttons
Clear dry glue
Sheet of cardboard
Scissors

To Make:

1. Cut the egg carton into individual sections.

2. Paint the inside and outside of each section and allow to dry.

3. Draw and cut out a large ring from the sheet of cardboard and paint red.

4. To make the poppies look a bit ‘softer’ we lined & glued the cartons with tissue paper cut into small squares.

5. Place a black button with a drop of glue on the inside of each section of carton and leave to dry.

6. Glue each poppy around the cardboard ring, creating a wreath.

Talking about #ANZACDAY can be difficult with children. Focus on the teachable moments #nannylife

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Notes:

This is a great activity to let the kids get some cutting practice and hand-eye coordination. Kids love cutting things and it helps children to develop their fine motor skills. In steps 1, 3, and 4, make sure the children use safe scissors and that you’re constantly supervising. Remember to cut in a direction away from your body and always be seated whilst cutting.

We will remember them.

>>> Do you talk about sensitive issues with young children?
See you on Sunday at the dawn service. #lestweforget

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Earth Day Craft Projects

This week we started a new tradition; we’re annually celebrating Earth Day in the park! We enjoyed a picnic morning tea, followed by some messy fun craft as well as bird, insect, and animal spotting with our toilet-roll binoculars.

We talked about why we celebrate Earth Day while sketching in our nature journals. We spoke about the basics of recycling, compost, water and electricity wastage as well as keeping our earth clean by disposing our rubbish correctly. Today I’m sharing 2 of the crafts we enjoyed doing for Earth Day!

>>> Mud Painting In The Park

Ages: 3 years & under
Time: prep – a long time, assembling – as long as you like

This activity was a hit with my two little-ones. It’s not every day we head to the park with a backpack of paint and paper! It took a lot of prep and organisation but it was well worth it!

You’ll Need:

Card Stock
Paint
Paper plates
Dirt & water
Sticks, leaves, feathers, rocks etc
Wipes
Paper towel
Plastic bag (for rubbish)

To Make:

1. Collect sticks and leaves to mix and paint with.

2. On a paper plate, mix paint, dirt and water until smooth.

3. Paint away! Use your hands, sticks, leaves &/or feathers etc

4. Hold paper down with rocks in the sun & allow to dry.

Tips:

> Have water, wipes and paper towel ready as this did get super messy once hands were involved!

> Have a plastic bag close by to dispose of dirty wipes and paper plates.

> Kill drying time by having a morning tea/lunch picnic or sketch what you can see through homemade binoculars.

> Keep one clean paper plate to stack any damp pictures on for the walk home.

Encourage your kids to conserve and protect our environment #EarthDay #earthdaycrafts #kidsactivities

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>>> Printing With Nature

Ages: 4 years & over
Time: prep – 20-45 mins, assembling – 15 mins

I encouraged my school age nanny-kids to join in on the Earth Day craft projects and celebrations with this fun printing activity using leaves & plants from the front & backyard. We went on a hunt, collecting different shaped, sized and textured leaves we thought would work well to print with.

You’ll Need:

Paper (White)
Poster paint (Black)
Sponge rollers
Leaves/flowers/sticks/feathers etc

To Make:

1. Using the sponge roller, roll paint over the leaves, applying pressure onto the paper. For best results, use both sides of the leaves.

To follow on from this, we plan on creating a Nature Book – laminating the leaves we used to print with to the back of each page.

For more fun crafts, check out these 3D Wall Art Letters and this DIY Baby Sensory Board.

It’s not every day we head to the park with a backpack of paint and paper! #EarthDay #nannylife

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Lead by example and encourage your kids to conserve and protect our environment, because after all, they are the future. Happy Crafting!

>>> Have you experimented using nature as craft materials?

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3D Wall Art Letters (School Holiday Craft)

School holidays have arrived, and for most of us, brought rainy wet days. But even though we’ve been cooped up inside, we’ve been enjoying slow-paced mornings and action packed days.

Without having to negotiate school runs and afterschool activities, I searched for a school holiday plan that minimised the TV time, because there are only so many movies you can watch before going stir-crazy.

So whilst still feeling the effects of our chocolate comas after the Easter long weekend, I invited our school age nanny kids to get creative!

The kids decorated these 3D wall art letters to place on the windowsills in their bedrooms. This craft requires 10 mins prep, which in return bought me 40 mins of disruption free (no guarantee) washing, ironing & folding time (#nannylife), and I’m keen to share it with you!

To Make: 3D Wall Art Letters (School Holiday Craft)

Time: prep – 10 minutes, assembling – 40 minutes
Ages: School age

You’ll Need:

3D letters (paper-mache or wooden) – found in all good crafting stores; eg Spotlight/Lincraft
PVA Glue
Paint
Cotton Tips
The possibilities are endless with how creative you get with your letters – raid your craft box for rhinestones, stickers, tissue-paper, confetti, crepe paper and sequins, or experiment with fabric off cuts, foil, beads, wool, magazines etc.

To make:

1. Using paint cups, mix 1-part glue to 2-parts paint. Tip: plastic shot glasses make perfect portion sized cheap paint cups!

2. Get decorating – let your kids take it from here while you enjoy a well-deserved break. Or like me, use the moment to get the housework done!

Make: School holiday kids craft 3D Wall Art Name Letters #easykidscraft #nannylife #schoolholidays

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I’ll be sharing more school holiday crafts and activities over on my Instagram (@oliviasfoster) if you want to follow along. Happy Crafting!

More school holiday ideas? See fun craft activity ideas + school holiday survival guide.

>>> Do you have a school holiday plan with the kids? Make these 3D wall art letters!

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DIY Egg Carton Easter Egg Nests

With the accumulation of little Easter gifts we’ve been receiving at our many Easter celebrations over the last week, we’ve gathered a nice little collection of baby chicks. The kids loved seeing a little yellow chick nesting in amongst a basket of colourfully wrapped chocolate Easter eggs.

We popped loads onto our DIY Easter hats for the parade. and decorated the house with them. But after the initial excitement of a “cute little yellow fluffy” thing wore off and they moved on to the appeal of chocolate, I began to think about what I could do to repurpose these little yellow chicks.

Even though here in Australia we’re welcoming Autumn, I’m not one to pass up a learning opportunity. So we channelled some Spring vibes for an afternoon and made these paper bag birds nests using simple craft supplies. From there, we had an instant learning opportunity about the seasons and spring baby-animals.

Brown Paper Bag Egg Carton Easter Egg Nests

Time: prep – 5 minutes, assembling – 25 minutes
Ages: 4+ (STEM learning)

You’ll Need:

An egg carton
Brown paper bags
Scissors
PVA glue
A paint brush (for gluing)

To Make:

1. Cut and separate the ‘cups’ from the egg carton.

2. Cut the brown paper bag into lots of strips, about 1 cm wide.

3. Place strips onto the egg carton and using the paintbrush, spread glue all over the strips. Similar to a decoupage or papier-mâché style.

4. Arrange your strips artfully as though resembling a messy twiggy birds nest and cover completely in glue. Then leave to dry.

Once dry, pop in some decorated eggs like these lovely decoupage eggs or some yummy chocolate eggs, and a little yellow fluffy spring chick or two.

If your craft box is due for a re-stock, here’s our 10 top essentials. For More Easter crafts, see this gorgeous Easter Egg Paper Basket and this Easter Egg Bunting.

DIY Egg Carton Egg Easter Nests – a STEM spring themed learning opportunity. #nannylife #spring

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Once we made these egg carton easter egg nests, the kids were so into the spring theme that we even popped out to the garden to plant our apple-core sees. Not sure if they’ll survive the winter but it was the teachable moment that counts!

>>> Do your children get excited about spring-time and the arrival of baby animals?

img source: spring chicks