Boats

Last week we made some paper boats and I meant to sort out this post then but was sidetracked organising M's birthday and trying to finish of a dress and leggings for L for her birthday this week. This is a really good you tube tutorial for what I always think of as the traditional paper boat and below I have put together a step by step guide for a more complicated one.

You need a sheet of origami paper, you can get some water proof origami paper, which is brilliant. Fold a sheet of paper in half

open the sheet out and fold the edges into the middle as below.

Fold down each corner as below,

then fold the points down again at both ends, like you do when you make paper aeroplanes.

Now bring the centre point to the middle fold on both sides.

Now for the very tricky part, open up the centre folds, as below and then gently turn the boat inside out, take your time as it is easy to tear the paper.

It should now look like the boat below.

 We made some boats, a duck and some simple paddle boats.

Or paddle boat, which worked very well when you wound the paddle the right well, if you don't it stays in one place hitting the side of the tray, much to the amusement of the children. We just used some thickish card, cut into rectangles to make the paddle boats, then cut a small rectangle out of one side, trim down the piece of card that you cut out to make the paddles.

 We spent time sailing the boats and sometimes pretending to be the wind and blowing the boats in different directions.

Seeing what would happen if you filled the boat with water

and then finding some people to have a boat ride in the bigger boats.

More Runaway Bunny

After reading The Runaway Rabbit this morning one of the children commented that trees can't look like rabbits, which led to talk about topiary and how people can shape trees, bushes etc to look like animals and we then watched these clips on you tube topiary designs and topiary and natural sculptures . They did ask if I could make the panda ones, they do look great but not something I would like to try and recreate!

We enjoyed several fishing games, as well as good for co-ordination, turn taking, it's a good game for counting, trying to work out who has more and less fish.

We lined up both children's fish to see who had more.

They enjoyed recreating the garden where the bunny said he would hide as crocus. I loved all the chatter and the way they described all their pictures, it's brilliant to hear all the things we have talked about etc being used.

L told me she had chosen a yellow flower to make the sun with, the bird is resting on the cloud, the bee is after some nectar and rabbits are hiding.

In this picture the little bunny is hiding very well under all the flowers.

Flowers and princess, using half a flower for a crown.

More garden pictures but this time raining as flowers need some water too as well as sunshine.

It has been really hot here today, not complaining at all but we created a lovely shady area, using the washing line and props. It became somewhere for the babies to sleep and to read stories.

Spent time playing with the balance beam and river stones.

Nearly forgot our carrot tops are slowly growing and we also watched Come Outside - Carrots

We're Going On A Bear Hunt

Carrot Cakes

We made some lovely carrot cakes, we used this egg replacer and was very pleased with the results, first time I've used it in cakes, usually use it when I need to make eggless yorkshires. L is getting very good at peeling and cutting the ends of the carrots, she did have a go at grating the carrot but decided she didn't like doing that. My youngest mindie decided to join in the mixing, normally prefers to watch but this time seemed to thoroughly enjoy the mixing and then using the bowl and spoon to drum on.

Carrot Cakes

155g soft brown sugar

150g plain flour

7ml baking powder

7ml bicarbonate of soda

5ml cinnamon

2.5ml nutmeg

180ml sunflower oil

3 eggs or equivalent amount of egg replacer

2 medium carrots grated

50g raisins

1. Combine dry ingredients, then add oil and eggs and mix well.
2. Add the raisins and carrots and mix.
3. Bake for 20 minutes at gas mark 4.

Makes 12 little cakes.

The Runaway Bunny Story Basket

I put together a story basket to go with The Runaway Bunny, I didn't put anything in for the circus part, I thought I would let the children choose/make something.

We sat and read the story , they then explored the basket and asked me to read the story as the acted it out with the props.

Bunny said he would change into a fish,

then a rock,

a crocus, I didn't have a fake or real crocus so they had to pretend with these flowers, to hide the rabbit in.

Bunny then turned into a bird,

then a boat,

at the circus with Mummy rabbit walking on the tight rope,

and then home to eat a carrot.

After lunch they decided to play Runaway Bunny, lots of swimming and mountain climbing, they then asked me to read the story again so they could remember all the parts. They had forgotten the circus and wanted to know what they could use for the tight rope and the trapeze, I suggested the swing and used one of my husband old karate belts for a tight rope, knew there was a reason I was saving a couple of them. They ended up spending ages trying to walk on it going forwards, then backwards, hopping, jumping, then walking sideways and bear walking, oh yes and star jumps on and of the rope, these were all thought up on their own with no input from me. Will have to remember this for another time as they got loads out of it, as they tried different ways of moving across the rope, lots discussion who was going first, which way they were going and how.

Followed by hair washing the Barbie dolls again, these dolls have got to have the cleanest hair in town! Love their ingenious use of the water table holes to hold their dolls so they have both hands free.

and we got see the baby birds that are nesting in our tree, we have seen two today poking their heads up above the nest, you have to look very carefully, I managed to get a picture of one.