Toddler Craft

It’s the first official day of the school holidays and I thought it was about time that I organised some fun things to do around here. Mostly we just play with whatever Pebble wants to play with, and there is nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all! In fact, that’s my preferred play style. However, if I’m honest I’m definitely hiding behind my computer a lot more these days, while plonking Pebble amongst a sea of toys….. or perhaps, sometimes, occasionally….. in front of ABC Kids. *sigh* Mummy guilt right there. Work is demanding, draining, constant.… anyhoo, I digress….It is school holidays!!! Yay!

I did a quick google for some toddler craft to see if Pebble would be interested in this kind of thing. For an early childhood educator I have a pitifully low supply of crafty bits in my house. However I managed to scrounge up some plastic plates, ribbons, stickers, glue, and scrap paper to make…. paper plate maracas!!!

It’s not the product, it’s the process, right? While these maracas turned out mighty pretty and have a fun secondary play use, it was fun just exploring this craft activity with Pebble. The tricky toddler bits:

• be very careful if using a stapler to connect the two paper plates, make sure there are no hard metal bits sticking out. Also, Pebble didn’t enjoy this part – where mummy had to take control and do some making with out her.
• Make sure you use a kid safe glue. I had a weird moment where she used her fingers to touch the glue stick, then she sucked on her own fingers (as a 17 month old is prone to do). About five minute later I thought I noticed her upper lip was slightly puffy. Was I imagining it? I don’t know. Yes, deranged mummy of one called the poison information line and after washing it off thoroughly and observing for a couple of hours there was no noticeable puffiness. Phew! (I used Bostik Blustik which is non-toxic).
• Pebble preferred the stickers to the cutting and pasting of scrap paper. She’s very familiar with stickers and is able to take control herself, instead of someone else cutting and helping to spread the (potentially lethal! ha!) glue.

All in all it was a fun crafty moment, and hopefully will lead to some fun music play later. For now Pebble won’t have a bar of them herself - she is totally uninterested in them unless I’m madly playing them and waving my arms and head about like a crazy woman. Then they’re hilarious.