Even very little kids enjoy threading beads on to a string. AJ and I sat down together to make this beaded curtain for her door way and it held her attention span briefly, then she was off doing her own free-form beading experiments (her stuffed dog got a new collar, bracelet and watch) leaving me to finish the curtain - but it was a peaceful way to spend an hour or so. Older children might stick to it until the end and would probably need very little assistance.

You will need:
2-3 packs of brightly coloured drinking straws (we used about 100 straws altogether)
String
Medium sized plastic beads (optional)
Scissors

I started by cutting about 10 doorway lengths of string and tying a bead to the bottom of each to give them a bit of weight for when they are hanging. I then cut the straws into lengths of around 4cm although as you can see from the photo the lengths vary giving it a bit of a crazy, haphazard look, which I quite like. We then threaded the bits of straw on to the lengths of string and tied off the ends.

I threaded all of these lengths on to one long string at the top which spanned the width of the doorframe, and then crudely stuck each end of this on to the doorframe with tape. It’s a rough little project but quite cute and easy. I have seen a similar curtain that also included plastic beads and artificial flowers amongst the straw lengths.

Another great idea; Rosa sent us these beautiful photos of a bead curtain she discovered made of plastic bottle caps:

Tags: 11yrs+, 5 7yrs, 8 10yrs, beads, curtain, drinking straws, preschoolers, toddlers

Kids in the Kitchen is a brand new title from the test kitchens of the Australian Women’s Weekly - which proudly purports to triple test all its recipes and has a fabulous reputation for producing trustworthy, no-nonsense food for ordinary homes for decades. The book is filled with immediately appealing recipes and tips designed for (older) kids to be able to navigate their way through single handedly.

AJ, who is way too young to read, let alone cook anything single handedly, very eagerly sat down at the kitchen table with this book and flicked through the pages with her handy stack of Post-it bookmarks finding oodles of things that she wanted me to help her create. It’s not surprising really, in a book of 175 pages, the sweet things start at page 96. The “Dessert” chapter is closely followed by the “Baking” chapter, followed by “Sweet Treats” and then lastly “Special Occasions” which includes an amazing looking Chocolate easter cake which AJ has marked with three bookmarks incase I miss it. The mouth watering photo shows a dense chocolate cake covered in thick chocolate icing, decorated generously with little chocolate eggs.

The book has lovely photography, clear, uncomplicated instructions and easy to gather ingredients. I am sure most kids will be able to find something here to entice them into the kitchen. This is not a great book for teaching kids about the joys of healthy eating (even the seemingly nutritious chicken noodle soup requires a sachet of chicken flavour), but one which can perhaps be brought out on one of those desperate rainy afternoons that seem to go on and on forever. While I endeavour to keep our waist-lines and sugar levels in check, I will continue to plot and plan for an occasion which requires white chocolate and honeycomb mousse, coconut truffles or the blackberry souffles.

Kids in the Kitchen is available online (including to international destinations) here, but seems to be available in most bookshops and large newsagents here in Australia.

** As a side note, I had a quick flick through the older AWW book Kids Cooking in the supermarket this morning and found that many of the recipes (and the accompanying photos) found in it have been republished in this newer book so tread carefully if you are thinking about purchasing this new one, and already own the older one.

Tags: cookbook, cooking, recipes

It is with some reluctance that I post the details of this game - a game which still brings back a little pang of self-conscious pre-teen bad feelings circa 1982. I was the new kid at a new school and I attended our first casual clothes day (at a school that requires a uniform these are golden and rare days indeed!) wearing a singularly bright pink tracksuit with banana yellow panels. Even for an 11 year old in 1982 it was a fashion tragedy which was met with much mirth from my class mates. When we played this game at morning break these class mates managed to victimise me with every round. HOWEVER - I can see that this game can be lots of fun, so here’s how you play:

You will need:
An open space
Four markers (cones, beanbags etc)
A gaggle of kids who are familiar with their basic colours
optional: a bunch of coloured fabric flags or scarves

Sometimes called “Uncle Sam”, (thanks Emma!) Crocodile should be played outside in a largish play area. Two markers are placed to mark out a start line and then place the other two markets at least 20 feet away to mark out a finish line.

One player is chosen to be the Crocodile who then stands in the centre of the playing field. The other players stand along the start line and if using flags or scarves, these should be tucked into waste bands or pockets, leaving a tail hanging out.

The players along the start line then start chanting “Crocodile, crocodile, may I cross the river?” and the crocodile replies “Yes you may, yes you may, if you are wearing *insert colour*”.

All the players who have that colour somewhere on their clothing may pass across to the finish line (you may want to put in an “underwear doesn’t count”) without being tagged.

The rest of the players must then run across to the finish line and avoid being tagged by the Crocodile. If using flags or scarves the Crocodile must attempt to remove the flag or scarf from the player (obviously the player is not allowed to hold on to the flag).

The players who are caught then join the Crocodile in the middle of the field as Crocodile Helpers. Begin the game again, this time with the Crocodile Helpers also tagging players. This goes on until one player is left who then becomes the Crocodile for the next round.

Tags: 5 7yrs, chasey, colours, preschoolers

Baby, it’s cold outside (or very hot depending on where you live) and we are exploring indoor activities to stop us from going bonkers. Taking a lead from Amber’s week of pirates and the fact that Amelia is always a big fan of anything pirate related (favourite riddle: Q. “Why are Pirates Scary?” A. “Because they ARGHHHH!”), we decided to put together an impromptu treasure hunt. Amelia hid a handful of costume jewelry around the house and then drew up a pirate’s treasure map (including sea monsters) with x’s marked to show me where to find them.

After I hunted around and found all the bits and pieces it was my turn.

The complexity of this game can be matched to your child’s age - the older the child, the more sophisticated the map and the hiding places could be. Perhaps things could even be mapped out according to how many paces it will take your child to reach the object - this could be fun to try at the beach.

When we were kids we spent hours making our treasure maps. A lot of time was invested in distressing the paper before we even began mapping out our treasure hunts with our specially purchased calligraphy pens. It was important to dye the paper with tea or instant coffee, rumple them up and rub dirt into it to make them look aged. Then, of course, there was the all important step where we would burn the edges with a candle (parental guidance recommended here). The ultimate destination was always marked in invisible ink (lemon juice). You can see that ours are pretty basic in comparison but still much fun was had.

Tags: 11yrs+, 5 7yrs, 5 minute fix, 8 10yrs, maps, pirates, preschoolers, toddlers, treasure hunt

Hannah of Gentlytiptoe pointed us to Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child - a kids’ music podcast just waiting for you to subscribe and enjoy. Each week it features oodles of good tunes including many, many Kiddley household favourites. The show is “Based on the radical notion that music for kids shouldn’t want to make parents gouge out their ears”.

This week’s show includes the brilliant track “Pick up The Toys” by ScribbleMonster & His Pals - the goal of which is to get kids to clean up their room before the end of the song, all the while getting faster and more frenetic. Crazy fun.

Tags: mp3, podcast

Kids Craft Weekly is the best new thing out of the Blue Mountains. Amber takes a fun theme every week and explores a whole bunch of fun craft ideas to keep your toddlers and preschoolers fully entertained. She will send it to you all bundled up in a super cute email newsletter which arrives in your inbox at the start of every week. This week it’s all about pirates but explore the archives to discover a world of bees, mice and the night sky. Some great resources she has also collected together include tips for crafting with kids, the essential useful box, 12 simple, no fuss craft ideas and simple and absorbing activities for young children. We are big fans and are sure you will be too.

Tags: newsletter, preschoolers, toddlers

Some of you might be interested in the idea of ice cream because you are sweltering away in Summer’s high temperatures. Others of us in cooler climates are just interested in ice cream no matter what time of year it is.

For those who don’t own an ice-cream making machine, here are a couple of ideas:

Canadian Living magazine provides a recipe and a great idea for making ice cream in two coffee cans and then using them to play kick-the-can.

And here are some simple instructions for making ice cream in zip-lock bags.

And here are a set of instructions for making ice cream simply using an electric blender - and a list of yummy things you can add to your ice cream for extra excitement.

For further flavour ideas I found honey and lavender, a list of unusual flavours and black sesame ice cream .

Tags: 11yrs+, 5 7yrs, 8 10yrs, bags, cooking, dessert, ice cream, preschoolers, recipes, toddlers