Framed Handprint DIY Tutorial

At Christmas I made salt dough handprints for gifts however I didn’t finish them all on time and I never actually gave my mum hers. So I thought I better make it up to her by making something cute for Mother’s Day. I made this framed handprint but I’m so happy with how it turned out that I really want to keep it myself now!

What you need:

·         Frame

·         Wallpaper, wrapping paper or fabric

·         Card/Paper

·         Paint

·         Scissors

·         Glue/double sided tape

·         Baby wipes!

1.    Create a handprint. If only it was that simple! We did some practise handprints first. Sophie liked to feel the paint then make a fist! I worked out that if I tapped the paper with her hand she would then open her hand up allowing me to gently press it onto the paper. We also used a lot of baby wipes to clean up before Sophie could put her pink hand in her mouth!

2.    Once the paint has dried, draw some lines around the handprint and cut it out so that it fits in the centre of the frame leaving space for a border.

3.   Cover the back of the frame with patterned paper. This is actually sticky back plastic that I found at Homesense but you could use wallpaper or wrapping paper.

4.    Attach the handprint to the centre of the patterned background.

5.    Put the frame back together.  

There we have it! Hopefully I will be forgiven for not giving her a salt dough handprint at Christmas. Do you give presents to your Mum for Mother’s Day? What would be the best present you could receive? I would like to change no nappies for the entire day! 

Activities for babies: Scarves in a box

A few weeks ago I ordered some scarves from Amazon because Sophie really loved them at our Baby Sensory sessions. Other than wave them at her, I wasn’t really sure what else to do with them though. So when Ali from a ‘Mum in a Nutshell’ linked up her treasure basket post my problem was solved. She suggested putting ribbons and fabric into a box and letting your child pull them out (to avoid them emptying the pack of baby wipes!).

Here is what we did:

1. I put the scarves into an empty tissue box  //  2. Sophie wasn't quite sure what to do at first  //  3. I showed her what to do and she had a go  //  4. Once she got going there was no stopping her!

This kept Sophie entertained for ages and we have played with it lots of times since. As with everything Sophie gets hold of, she put the scarves in her mouth. She soon decided that she didn’t like the feel of them, made a disgusted face and spat it out!

Sophie also enjoyed it when I held the scarves up high and let go of them or if I waved them around to create a breeze. I think she concentrated so much that she exhausted herself because she fell asleep on the play mat (unless she was just trying to tell me she was bored!).

Have you recycled any everyday objects to create fun activities?

Musical play with the least musical mother... Youtube songs & DIY sound discovery bottles.

I'm really not  musical. I don't play any instruments, I only ever listen to the radio when I'm in my husband's car and I can't sing. However, I do love to butcher a song on Singstar! I don't want this to lack of musical ability to rub off on Sophie so I have tried my hardest to expose her to sounds & rhymes. From very early on I have played this lullaby to her at bedtime - The Elephant's Lullaby. She would smile if she heard it at night but cry if I played it in the day when she was wide awake! 

I quite often use Youtube to play songs to Sophie and I am subscribed to a couple of channels. Although, I have to hide the screen because otherwise she stares at it like a zombie and I am quite keen for her to be screen free for as long as possible.

Source: Youtube

These are our favourites from Story Bots. Be warned they are not to everyone's taste and will get stuck in your head. We recently walked around the zoo singing 'Zeeeeebra, zeeeeeebra, zeeeeeeeeeeebraaaaa!' (by 'we' I mean 'me'. Sophie was asleep) and I often hear my husband singing the 'Big Brown Boogieing Bear' while he is working on the extension. But when she hears that 'StoryBots ta da' before the song starts she beams the biggest smile so it is worth it!

Source: Youtube  //  1. Big Brown Boogieing Bear  //  2. He's a Zebra  //  3. Chicken Bop (but I sing Chicken Butt. Yes I am a child)

We also subscribe to British Kids Songs. Some of these are quite annoying. However they are handy when, despite being a teacher, you can't remember the words to any nursery rhymes and songs. They have a series of channels for different countries with different songs and accents. So being a Neighbours fan my entire life and having withdrawal symptoms from not watching it since Sophie was a newborn, I subscribed to the Australian channel too!

Sources: Youtube  //  1. British Kids Songs  //  2. Aussie Kids Songs

Our favourite songs are:

1. The Wheels on the Bus  //  2. Five Little Monkeys  // 3. She'll be Coming Round the Mountain  //  4. Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree

I tried making a discovery bottle before but Sophie hated the sound of the buttons shaking so I ended up adding water to make it more of a visual discovery bottle. However, I decided to have another go at making sound bottles but ones that would be a little bit quieter so that we could shake them along to the songs! 

What you need:

·         Empty plastic bottles

·         Objects to put inside e.g. straws, cake decorating sprinkles.

·         Old bottle cut to make a funnel

·         Scissors

1. Take the label off the bottles and wash them out.

2.    Fill the bottle with the objects you have chosen. Top tip if you are going to use straws – Put a funnel into the bottle and cut the straws into the funnel.

3.    Put the lid on securely.
4. Shake and play!

Sophie responded much better to these discovery bottles. Perhaps because they make a softer, quieter sound than the buttons. 

She seemed to enjoy holding them and looking at them but she is not able to really shake them yet. It was really interesting to watch her develop her grasp and holding skills. When she dropped the bottle she used her legs to grip it and move it back up to her hands. 

These are so simple to make and kept her engaged for ages and make me feel a tiny bit more musical!

What musical activities do you do with your child? Do you have favourite songs that you sing with your child?

Make sure the lid is on tight and always supervise your baby when using the discovery bottles.