GRANDPARENTS DAY MAGAZINE
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    • Da Vinci and water
    • Watercolour
    • Water footprints on the dinner plate plate
    • The magic of water
    • Chasing waterfalls
    • Great lakes of the world
    • Who gives a dam?
    • In your corner
    • Legend of the Falls
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Craft Corner

Art and craft are very important for children and playing while learning about the world’s most valuable resource can be a great deal of fun!  Preschoolers and early elementary kids love to get messy and do crafts, and they are a great way to fine tune those fine motor skills and let your kid’s creativity shine while learning something along the way.

Homemade self-propelled boat

As children get older, they become more demanding, and it seems to us that a homemade boat is one thing... a moving one is quite another. What could be more challenging and fun than a boat that floats AND moves!  
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YOU'LL NEED:
  • Butter or margarine tub
  • Yoghurt pot
  • 2 craft sticks
  • Super glue or strong hot glue gun 
  • Coloured and or patterned tape
  • Coloured cardboard
  • Acrylic paint in various colours 
  • Elastic band
  • Another piece of plastic (we suggest lid of an ice cream tub)

HERE'S HOW:
STEP 1: Secure the craft sticks to the side of the butter/margarine tub. If you have the time, Superglue is often left overnight, so this could be something you do before the grandchildren arrive.  Then secure with some strong duct tape.

STEP 2: Repeat the same for the yoghurt pot on the lid – a little bit of superglue and then some duct tape to secure it.

STEP 3: Paint the boat in colours chosen by the children. Once dry, decorate the tubs with the tape. Cut the cardboard into circles and paint. Once dry, stick them to the tub to create port holes.

STEP 4: To make the paddle - cut a piece of plastic from the extra lid for the paddle. Make it fit the width of your craft, but not too wide that it gets stuck as it goes round. Cut slits through and then put ONE piece of the elastic through it.
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STEP 5: Wind up the craft watch it go!


NOTE: The boats DO work, but it will probably only go about 50-100cm before it stops and needs winding up again. It can be fun for older children to experiment with different elastics (some with more tension) and different sized paddles to see if they make a difference.


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Octopus tights toy

This is a super easy craft with a joyous outcome (even though there’s a little optional sewing!). We named ours Tango the Tights-Tossed Octopus!
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YOU'LL NEED:
  • 4 pairs of tights, preferably colourful or patterned for extra charm
  • Scissors
  • Toy stuffing (polyfill, old fabric scraps or socks)
  • Felt for the eyes or glue-on eyes (optional for finishing touches)
  • Needle and thread or fabric glue
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HERE'S HOW:
STEP 1: Prepare the Head
  1. Take one pair of tights – this will become the head
  2. Roll it up into a ball (as you would a pair of socks), folding the top part (waistband) down over the legs
  3. Important: When you do this straight away, the head will be inside out
Step 2: Flip it Right Way
  1. Carefully cut a small hole at the top of the tights (the waistband area)
  2. Push the legs through this hole from the inside so they come out the right way. This keeps all parts facing the same direction
Step 3: Add the Tentacles & Stuffing
  1. Take the remaining 3 pairs of tights
  2. Stuf them one by one into the head pair through the hole you just made
  3. Add extra stuffing to give the head a nice ‘plumpy’ round shape
Step 4: Shape and Finish
  1. Adjust the legs so they hang evenly
  2. Stitch or glue the hole closed – or leave it slightly open for a ‘quirky’ look
  3. Add googly eyes, felt decorations or a cute ribbon bow if you wish to give your octopus personality!
Notes:
  • Feel free to use old (but nice!) tights
  • We thought you could also make a snazzy Jellyfish or a sock Sea Turtle to add to your underwater menagerie!


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  • IN THIS ISSUE
    • Da Vinci and water
    • Watercolour
    • Water footprints on the dinner plate plate
    • The magic of water
    • Chasing waterfalls
    • Great lakes of the world
    • Who gives a dam?
    • In your corner
    • Legend of the Falls
  • FOOD
  • LIFESTYLE
    • TRAVEL
    • CRAFT CORNER
    • BOOKENDS
    • GARDENING
  • SUPPORT SERVICES
  • CONTACT US