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Celebrating Matariki in the Classroom

Matariki Craft leaderboard

Haere Mai! Today we’re exploring arts & crafts inspired by Aotearoa New Zealand and the dynamic Māori culture. With some basic supplies, and a few simple steps, you’ll soon have a classroom full of creations inspired by the Land of the Long White Cloud.

We’ve got crafts for Matariki, the famous cluster of stars heralding the start of the Māori new year. Make your own feathered Piupiu or experiment with weaving & Raranga techniques. New Zealand’s national identity, the silver fern, has been honoured with clay. And of course, we have the unique and utterly adorable Kiwi. That’s only a hint of what’s to come…

Let’s get started!

 

Folded Stained Glass Matariki Star

Folded-Stained-Glass-Matariki-Star

Paper folding activities are brilliant for fine motor development as well as cognitive strength (improving perception, logical thinking, focus and concentration) all of which benefit children’s mastery of curriculum outcomes.

Celebrate the Matariki Star Cluster with these captivating 8-point stars. Made from stained glass craft paper, they let light shine through the colours, creating mesmerising folded lines and shades from light to dark. Satisfying to look at and make, you won’t want to stop at one!

Step-by-step

Choose 8 pieces of Stained Glass Craft Paper and cut them into squares (alternatively use square shaped paper).

Fold one piece of paper in half (point to point) and then open out.

Fold the paper in half again (the other two points together) and then open out again.

You will now have 2 folds (in a cross pattern from all 4 points) in the paper to guide your next steps.

Turn the paper to face you like a diamond.

Fold the right side corner into the centre (the east point to the middle line).

Fold the left side corner into the centre (the west point to the middle line) creating a kite shape.

Glue these two sides down using a tab of glue stick.

Repeat steps 2 to 8 for the remaining 7 pieces of square paper.

To assemble the star, glue stick each side together, placing each piece on top of the previous one.

The final piece should tuck neatly under the first piece to finish off.

Done! Your Stained Glass Matariki Star is ready.

 

*TOP TIP – If you’ve chosen Stained Glass Paper to craft with and cutting it down into a square, the trimmings make the most beautiful additions to other crafts – feathers for birds or Piupiu skirts, lanterns, stained glass collage and more.

 

Featured Products;

Stained Glass Craft Paper – Pack of 24 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/re5257

Creatistics Glue Stick 25g – Pack of 12 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jn1203

 

 

Celebration Dough Stars

Celebration-Dough-Stars

We use our hands all day, every day and so developing strength and dexterity in those small hand & finger muscles is critical for carrying out all the daily tasks we need to do. Working with dough (and dough tools) is a brilliant way for children to develop their fine motor muscles. Kneading, squeezing, pulling, pinching, rolling and snipping are all powerful ways to strengthen hands and fingers – all while nurturing creativity as children make & create.

To celebrate Matariki, we’re making sparkly dough stars! When your dough stars are finished, you’re ready to squish them up and make them all over again! Any teacher will tell you that the squishing of dough creations is just as much fun as making them!

However, if you’d like to make permanent stars to take home, simply swap the Creatistics dough for Silk Clay or Magiclay which will dry and harden when exposed to air. When you’ve finished playing, simply shape into stars and set aside to dry – don’t forget to poke a hole in the top for hanging thread and beads if desired too.

Step-by-step

Choose your desired dough colours and portion out for each child.

Sprinkle glitter and glitter stars on the table, inviting children to dab their dough on them and mix through as desired.

Use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough to roughly 1cm thick.

Using the star or shooting star cookie cutter, press gently into the dough until its cut all the way through.

Gently remove your glitter star and admire.

Repeat as desired!

*TOP TIP – Creatistics glitter shakers make it super simple for children to sprinkle their own glitter and stars in small ‘bite size’ portions developing their autonomy as their experiment with different sensory mediums.

 

Featured Products;

Creatistics Skin Tone Dough https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs2900

Creatistics Pastel Dough https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs2901

Metal Cutters https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/dn2757

Bio-Glitter https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs1108

Glitter Stars https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cl6586

 

 

Stained Glass Art Stars

Stained-Glass-Art-Stars

There’s just something extra special about stained glass art. The cheerful colours bring joy to the learning environment, and when the sun reaches just the right spot in the sky, it shines through all those beautiful colours to light up the room in festive rainbows.

Super simple to make, these Stained Glass Art Stars can be crafted using a few basic craft materials, and yet they make a huge impact in a classroom celebrating the start of the Māori New Year. Read on to make your very own Matariki stars.

Step-by-step

Using a pencil and ruler, finely mark 1cm lines running the length of the black card.

Carefully cut along the pencil markings, making black card strips.

On a flat surface, arrange 5 strips of card into a star shape, with the ends touching.

To secure your star apply a touch of glue stick where the strips of card meet.

Gently apply glue to one side of the star.

Place Stained Glass Craft Paper or Cellophane onto the star, gently pressing into the glue to hold in place.

Carefully cut away the excess stained glass paper or cellophane, leaving a neat edge that can’t be seen from the other side.

Continue steps 6 and 7 until all the open sections (windows) of the star have been filled with colour and trimmed to fit.

Gently apply glue stick to 5 more strips of black card, and gently lay them over the back of the decorated star, sandwiching the ‘stained glass’ inside.

Using scissors, carefully trim the stars points into clean edges.

Set aside to dry thoroughly.

The stars can be stuck to windows or hung in the classroom by attaching a string or ribbon loop to the top point.

Done! The perfect Stained Glass Star is ready.

*TOP TIP – Cutting the stained glass paper into quarters, or cellophane into smaller pieces will be more manageable for younger ages to work with.

 

Featured Products;

Mount Card Black 220gsm A4 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/whp070

Stained Glass Craft Paper https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/re5257

Assorted Cellophane https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/aus201

Creatistics Glue Sticks https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jn1203

 

 

Metallic Glitter Glue Stars

Matariki Metallic Glitter Glue Stars

Celebrate the start of the Māori New Year with a classroom shining bright with Matariki stars. With a simple cardboard base, aluminium foil covering and glitter glue embellishments you’ll soon be on the way to having your own night sky constellation. Keep as they are to stick to walls and windows or punch a hole to attach hanging thread for dangling from the ceiling, in any which way they’ll be a sight to behold!

Step-by-step

Using thick cardboard, draw or trace the shape of a star with a pencil and carefully cut the shape out with scissors.

Apply a small layer of glue to your star and then carefully wrap with aluminium foil, or foil sheets – folding the foil over the points of the star until both sides are covered (adding dabs of glue as you go will help the overlapping edges stay firm.

Set aside to dry thoroughly.

Use glitter glue to draw lines over the aluminium foil, creating sections and patterns. If using different coloured foil sheets, create glitter glue lines directly over the edges of each coloured paper.

Set aside to dry thoroughly.

Use a hole punch to create a hole, and thread desired length of metallic yarn through to hang.

Done! Your Metallic Glitter Glue Stars are ready.

 

*TOP TIP – Creating stars of different sizes to represent the various stars in the Matariki cluster, transforming your learning environment into the night sky.

 

Featured Products;

Large Poster Board https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/aus081

Foil Roll https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/st0182

Foil Sheets https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/aus040

Glitter Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs6120

Washable School Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0001

 

 

Cardboard Weaving Baubles

Cardboard-Weaving-Baubles

Not just a weaving activity! These Cardboard Weaving Baubles foster the development of creativity, fine motor skills maths knowledge too! That’s right, your students will be learning their times tables as they weave. Simply use the 10 points around the bauble to multiply and weave a pattern. Each point represents the last digit of each of the times tables. Included in each pack are teacher notes and images to follow along.

Pair your baubles with packs of bold primary coloured yarn, and supplement with individual colours of our choosing, in orange, pink, purple, dark blue, light blue, grey or brown. Older students might like to use embroidery thread to create their weaving works, offering a more refined finish. Leave as simple yarn weaving or add some sparkly embellishments as desired. Let your inner creativity guide you along.

Step-by-step

Choose your desired coloured weaving bauble.

Cut long lengths of your chosen yarn/thread, wrapping it around the bauble and tying the end securely at the back.

Start to wrap the yarn around the bauble, letting the notches guide your pattern.

When all your notches have been used, securely tie the yarn off at the back and snip off the excess.

Choose to finish off with some embellishments or keep on weaving.

Choose a contrasting coloured yarn, cut a medium sized length, and tie one end to some yarn in the middle of the bauble, tucking the tail end under to hide.

Weave the contrasting coloured yarn over and under the first coloured yarn, creating a weaving pattern as you make your way around the circle.

When your contrasting yarn runs out of length simply tie another colour on and keep on weaving (remembering to tuck the tails under your weaving design).

When you’ve run out of bauble room to weave, tie off securely and tuck the last tail in to hide it.

Finish off by tying/ or gluing a short length of yarn/string or ribbon to the top of your bauble in a loop to hang it from.

Done! The perfect Raranga bauble is finished.

*TOP TIP – Younger students will find shorter lengths of yarn more manageable, while older students will feel capable to experiment with longer yarn lengths, complex patterns and colour formations.

 

Featured Product;

Cardboard Weaving Baubles https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th906

 

 

Matariki Clay Stars

Matariki Clay Stars

Air dry clay, cookie cutters, wooden stamps, and glitter glue – yes please! So many crafting favourites feature in this extra special Matariki clay star ornament activity. The end results will proudly adorn the classroom and then taken home where they’ll be treasured for years to come. They’re so much fun to make you’ll soon have one for all your loved ones!

Step-by-step

Using a wooden rolling pin, roll out a handful of air-dry clay until it is smooth and flat (roughly 1cm thick to ensure your decorations are sturdy).

Press the star cookie cutter shape into the dough and press firmly until it cuts through the clay.

Gently remove the excess clay (this clay can be used again or used to make extra embellishments including clay beads).

Next, gently press star block print stamp into the clay star and lift, creating an indented pattern.

Using a skewer or the pointed end of a pencil, gently poke a hole in the top of your star (ensuring your hole is large enough to thread your chosen cord or twine).

Lift your decoration and gently smooth down the edges with your fingers (a little bit of water on your fingers will help with super smooth edges).

Set aside for 48 hours, or until completely dry.

When the star ornament is completely dry (clay will lighten and feel firm to the touch) add a thick layer of glitter glue to the surface, letting the glue flow and sit in the indented pattern.

Set aside to dry for 24 hours.

Adding several layers of glitter glue (and setting aside to dry between layers) will add extra shine and lustre to your decorations.

When your ornament is completely dry, thread your desired length of metallic embroidery thread through the star, and tie in place with a knot.

Done! The perfect Matariki clay star decoration is ready.

*TOP TIP – Gently pressing rhinestones into your wet clay decorations will add an extra special touch to your stars.

 

Featured Products;

Air Dry Clay 1kg https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/kc1026

Glitter Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs6120

Rhinestones https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cl7552

Cookie Cutters https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/dn2757

 

 

 

Sparkly Matariki Popstick Stars

Sparky-Matariki-Popstick-Stars

Pop stick crafts have been a part of our childhood for generations – and rightly so! Their versatile open ended possibilities act like a blank canvas, allowing children’s imaginations to craft them into the most amazing things. Working the thin pop sticks (and embellishments) into place will build children’s focus and concentration, developing their fine motor dexterity along the way too. Work planning and design into your creations to build STEM and STEAM focused lessons too!

Keep a natural feel with plain pop sticks or go for a bold statement with coloured pop sticks, which ever crafting style you choose, your pop stick Matariki stars are sure to brighten the sky!

Step-by-step

Count out 5 or 6 Paddle Pop sticks per star and arrange them into their star formation as pictured (the tips of the pop sticks meeting up with each other to form the points).

Use strong craft glue to adhere all the parts of the pop sticks that over lap/touch each other.

Set aside to dry for 24 to 48 hours.

When thoroughly dry your star will be strong enough to handle and decorate.

To decorate, apply a layer of paint and/or strong glue to the front of the star and stick on your desired number of embellishments.

Finish off with some dabs of glitter glue – the more sparkles the better!

If hanging your stars in the classroom, tie a length of string, cord or ribbon to one of the points and firmly tie off making a loop to hang.

Done! The perfect Matariki star is ready.

*TOP TIP – Younger age groups will find Jumbo Pop Sticks and Bio Glitter easier to handle than regular sized pop sticks.

 

Featured Products;

Paddle Pop Sticks – Pack of 1000 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jm67

Glitter Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs6120

Strong Craft Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0004

Glitter Stars https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cl6586

Mixed Rhinestones https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/nr030

Star Sequins https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/sh1057

 

 

Iron-on Bead Stars

Iron-on-Bead-Stars

Iron-on Beads welcome children to create. They work like open-ended craft materials, inviting children to arrange them into any number of scenarios. Perfect to make jewellery or key tags, trinket bowls, coasters, embellishments and so much more – literally anything your imagination desires. And with so many colours to choose from, children can experiment with creative design as they work with colour and pattern making.

And this star shape is perfect to celebrate Matariki! The beads easily arrange on a bead board; just lay on a piece of ironing paper and with a quick iron over, the beads melt together to hold their shape. It’s super easy! Children can also use them as traditional beads, incorporating weaving into their works as they stitch through the bead openings – ideal for beaded jewellery or finishing off a hanging decoration.

Available in so many shades, choose from vibrant colours and the handy vibrant pack, pastel colours and the handy pastel pack or bright neon if you’re feeling like some flare. And for younger age groups, they might find the jumbo sized beads more workable along with their jumbo sized square bead boards.

Step-by-step

Arrange the iron-on beads into a star design on the star shaped bead board.

Warm a household iron to high making sure the steam is off.

Cover the design with a sheet of ironing paper and iron over until the beads start to melt and fuse together into a colourful and flexible shape.

Allow your design to cool before removing from the bead board.

Your Matariki star can be made into a magnet by sticking a self-adhesive magnet to the back, or turn your star into a hanging decoration with string and beads.

Done! The perfect Iron-On-Bead Matariki Star is ready.

*TOP TIP – Hot irons are not for young children. Have an adult help or complete the ironing steps.

 

Featured Product;

Creatistics Iron-on Beads Pack https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/amb200k

 

 

Air Dry Clay Fern Dish

NZ Clay Fern Wall Hanging

Clay is valuable resource, inviting children to form their creative imaginings into solid works to treasure forever. It’s a beautiful way to connect to nature too, ethically using the resources our world offers in meaningful ways.

Air Dry Clay can make all sorts of wonderful works without the hassle of expensive kilns too. It’s also the ideal medium to make small plates and bowls, like these beautiful NZ Fern dishes– acting as desktop paperweights or handy holders for keys, coins, jewellery, and other small items. Not to worry if you haven’t got ferns close by, feel welcome to use any plants or flowers significant to your local area so that your clay dishes will reflect your own deep connection to the land.

 

Step-by-step

Divide 1kg Air Dry Clay packets into roughly 6 portions.

Using a rolling pin, and a flat surface roll out each portion to roughly 1 – 2cm thick.

Lay a cutting of a fern onto the clay and gently roll over the fern so that it leaves an imprint.

Carefully lift the fern off the clay.

Gently cut away excess clay with clay knife.

Gently lift the fern dish off your flat surface and use a little bit of water on your fingers to smooth the edges.

Gently place the clay into a shallow bowl (be carefully not to press the clay into the bowl)

Set aside to completely dry for a few days.

When thoroughly dry, decorate with paint and glitter glue as desired and leave to dry.

When thoroughly dry, coat with PVA Washable School Glue or Crystal Clear to provide a barrier to dirt, tarnish, wear stains and moisture.

Done! The perfect Air Dry Clay Matariki trinket tray is ready.

*TOP TIP – Appyling a dark shade of paint to the fern imprint and a light shade to the background will make the fern detail pop from the background.

 

Featured Products;

Air Dry Clay 1kg https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/kc1026

Glass & Tile Paint https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cb2200

Crystal Clear https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/md025

Creatistics Poster Paint – Green https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0077

 

 

Woven 8 Point Matariki Star

Woven-8-Point-Matariki-Star

Paper weaving uses the same ‘over and under’ techniques of textile weaving, taking basic materials and weaving them into beautiful artworks. Just as stunning as the Matariki star cluster in the early morning sky during New Zealand’s mid-winter months, your classroom will look spectacular covered in stars. They also make the most adorable bunting, simply attach the stars to string or ribbon and hang around the learning environment for smiles as bright as the sky. You can even add a touch of bio- glitter or glitter glue to add a sparkle to your designs.

We’ve added the written step by step guide below; however, you might find working through the many videos online for ‘paper weaving stars’ visually helpful. Paper stars may look and sound tricky to make but you’ll soon have plenty!

Step-by-step

Choose 4 colours of craft paper strips and using a ruler, draw a feint pencil line down the lengths of the strips and then cut along the lines. Take 4 of those strips to make 1 star.

Fold the 4 strips of paper in half, creasing down the middle.

Lay the first strip down in front of you on a table with the fold pointing to the left and the open end pointing to the right.

Take the 2nd strip of paper and pointing the fold towards you open the ends and sandwich the first strip inside the 2nd strip (you will now have an L shape), take the 2nd strip a few cm down the length of the 1st strip.

Take the 3rd strip of paper and pointing the fold to the right, open the ends and sandwich the 2nd strip inside the 3rd strip.

Take the 4th strip of paper and pointing the fold away from you and end towards you, fold the 4th strip of paper around the 3rd strip.

Slide the ends of the 4th strip into the loop pf paper in the 1st strip.

Gently pull the ends of all four paper strips to tighten your weaving. It should look like a pinwheel shape (a square on the inside and the 4 paper strips pointing N, S, E and W).

Starting at the right side lift the top flap of paper and fold it to the left across the middle of the star.

Repeat step 9, moving clockwise around the star lifting the top flat of paper and fold it upwards across the middle of the star.

Finally, you’ll fold down the flap at the top of the star, but this time tuck the end of the flap inside the loop of paper created by the first flap you folded. Gently pull it all the way through to complete this stage.

To make the points of the star, take the top right strip and fold it backwards or under to make a right angled triangle and crease.

Fold that same strip down at a right angle again so that it forms a triangle shape (leaving a tiny gap running down the centre of the triangle will help with the next step).

Fold the triangle you just created in half towards the centre of the star to create 1 star point.

Fold the end of that strip under the first square of the centre it’s sitting on top of and trim off the excess.

Repeat steps 12 to 15 for all the star’s points (you’ll finish with 8 points).

Done! The perfect Woven 8 Point Matariki Star is ready.

*TOP TIP – Using 4 colours of paper will help you to work through each of the steps, keeping track of your weaving as you go.

 

Featured Product;

Craft Paper Strips https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th911

 

 

Paper Weaving

Paper-Weaving

Weaving is a living artform, techniques evolving and adapting through time right up to the present. And with so many different paper options to choose from, your woven paper artworks can be as imaginative as you like. From pastel to fluorescent, bright, coloured, kinder, nature, nature trail or even magazines and newspapers as some of the options, everyone’s Raranga patterns will reflect their own unique style. Weave in straight lines or switch it up with 45 degree angles and formations for more complex patterns. There’s no end to options once you get started.

Step-by-step

To make the weaving frame, use a ruler and lead pencil to draw 1cm lines running the length of your paper (an A4 sheet of paper will fit 20 lines, giving you 21 sections).

Carefully cut along these lines – DO NOT CUT THE WHOLE LENGTH – make sure to leave a 1 to 2cm section at one end.

Use sticky tape or washi tape to attach the frame to your desk to hold it still.

With a contrasting piece of paper (as many colours as you like), repeat step one, drawing 1cm lines down the length of the paper.

Carefully cut the contrasting paper lines the whole length (these long strips will be your weaving paper).

Weave your contrasting paper through the weaving frame, weaving over and under the whole way along.

Carefully push your weaving paper up the frame so that it sits flush with the top.

Repeat step 7, each time gently pushing your paper up so that it sits flush with the previous row.

Continue weaving until your weaving frame is full.

To finish off, use a glue stick to adhere the edges in place (or sticky tape/washi tape).

Snip off the extra ends if desired.

Done! The perfect Paper Raranga artwork is ready.

*TOP TIP – Older students might like to work with even thinner strips of weaving paper (or even A3 paper), while younger age groups will benefit from wider weaving frames and strips.

 

Featured Products;

A4 Coloured Cover Paper https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/teb0001

A4 Kraft Paper https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/teb0087

A4 Pastel Paper https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/teb0801

A4 Skintone Paper https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/re5233

Plastic Ruler https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/teb6038

 

 

Sparkly Shooting Star Wands

Sparkly-Shooting-Star-Wands

Aotearoa proudly boasts a stunning night sky. With little to no light pollution in many parts of both the North and South Island, the night sky appears closer and beautifully clear. If you watch closely, you might be lucky enough to see a shooting star.

These adorable shooting star wands combine papier mache techniques with paper art to make a sturdy prop ideal for both classroom decoration and pretend play! For this craft experience we’ve used the stars from the Papier Mache Christmas Ornaments (20 stars), using the remaining ornaments later in the year for Christmas crafts, but you can easily substitute the stars for cutting out your own with a few layers of thick cardboard, or upcycling delivery boxes.

Step-by-step

Apply a good layer of glue stick to one side of the star and press onto a piece of foil paper, using your fingers to smooth the surface.

Roughly cut around the star, leaving some overhang to fold over the back of the star.

Apply glue stick to the reverse side of the star and press the overhang foil down.

To neaten the reverse side of the star, use the star to trace and cut a star foil, pressing it down on the reverse side to cover the folded edges.

Cut 6 long and thin lengths of tissue paper, and glue them to the back of the star using school glue.

Add another dab of school glue to the back of the star and press a pop stick into the glue and over the ends of the tissue to sandwich them in place.

Set aside to dry.

When thoroughly dry, decorate the front of the star with rhinestones, glitter stars and glitter glue.

Set aside to dry for 24 to 48 hours.

Done! The perfect Sparkly Shooting Star Wand is ready.

*TOP TIP – To turn your wand into a decoration, omit the pop stick and add a loop of ribbon to hang.

 

Featured Products;

Papier Mache Christmas Ornaments https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th929

Metallic Foil Sheets https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/aus040

Creatistics Glue Sticks 25G Pack of 12 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jn1203

All Purpose Washable School Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0001

Mixed Rhinestones 100g Pack https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/nr030

Glitter Stars – 100g Jar https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cl6586

Coloured Tissue Squares https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/aus101

Paddle Pop Sticks Plain https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jm67

 

 

NZ Shrink Film Keychains

NZ Matariki Shrink Film Keychains

Shrink Film works like drawing on a piece of paper – only so much more fun! When you’re finished with your design, simply cut it out, punch a hole in the top (to thread into), and bake in the oven. You’ll see your design shrink before your very eyes! When it’s completely cooled, you’ll see it’s now a durable hard trinket ready to transform into a myriad of things.

Necklaces, bracelets, key chains, bag trinkets or car rear view mirror accessories are all super simple to make. Just thread some beading cord or leather through the hole, add some beads and finish off with a key chain as desired. Keep for yourself or gift to loved ones, these super simple decorations are sure to delight!

Read on to make your very own Matariki Star keychain – or Kiwi, NZ fern or anything your imagination desires. There’s no limit to your creations.

Step-by-step

Draw your star keychain designs onto the shrink using the matte side with coloured pencils or permanent markers (feel welcome to use a star template for precise measurements).

Carefully cut around design and punch a hole to attach the beading cord.

Pre-heat oven to 150°C.

Place your star designs on a lined tray (matte side up) and bake.

Plastic will begin to shrink after 10 seconds, watch carefully! They will shrink to approx. 60% of the original size.

Remove from oven once plastic has flattened and set tray aside to cool completely before handling.

Thread beading cord through the shrink film stars and add desired number of beads.

Firmly tie the cord onto the key chain to hold everything in place.

Done! The perfect Matariki Star keychain is ready.

*TOP TIP – Coloured pencil markings will darken in the oven; a very light shading is all that’s needed for bright vibrant colour.

 

Featured Products;

Clear Shrink Film https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs4000

Coloured Pencils https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0108

Key Chain https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th101-si

Natural Beading Cord https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th345

Wooden Coloured Beads https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/am1770

 

 

NZ Clay Wall Hanging

NZ Clay Fern Wall Hanging

The shape of the New Zealand silver fern has a significant meaning – a sense of attachment to homeland along with the frond’s upright stance standing for strength, stubborn resistance, and enduring power. Not just beautiful, the fern plant has many uses. It’s trunk, foliage, sap and spikes have all being used for countless generations, making this stunning plant the ideal choice for our NZ Clay Wall Hanging. We’ve chosen to use the fern’s fronds just as they’re unfurling to signify the start of something new.

Step-by-step

Using a rolling pin, roll out a handful of air-dry clay until it is smooth and flat (minimum 1cm thick to ensure your creations are sturdy).

Gently press a New Zealand fern (or desired NZ flora) into the clay – a rolling pin can help press the plant into the clay.

Gently lift the fern off the clay, leaving its imprint behind.

Carefully cut your rough clay into a circle or square – using a template or plate can help with precise measurements (excess clay can be used again or used to make extra embellishments including clay beads for hanging decorations).

Gently press a skewer through the top of the clay to form a hole/holes to thread wire or hanging cord into (ensure your hole is large enough to thread your chosen cord or wire).

Lift your decoration and gently smooth down the edges with your fingers (a little water on your fingers can help).

Set aside for roughly 48 hours or until thoroughly dry.

When the clay ornament is completely dry (clay will lighten and feel firm to the touch) decorate with paint and glitter glue, allowing the darker shades to settle into the indented pattern (a light shading first, and going in again with a darker colour can help the pattern to ‘pop’).

Set aside to dry for 24 hours in between painting/gluing.

When your ornament is completely dry, thread your desired length of wire, cord or twine through the decoration, and tie in place with a knot.

Done! The perfect NZ Flora and Fauna inspired Air Dry Clay decoration is ready.

*TOP TIP – Older students will likely enjoy using wire to form a hanging loop, while younger students might find it easier to work with twine/cord or ribbon.

 

Featured Products;

Air Dry Clay 1kg https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/kc1026

Glass & Tile Paint https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cb2200

Crystal Clear https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/md025

Craft Wire https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/the218

 

 

3D Paper Kiwi

3D paper Kiwi

These adorable Kiwi’s offer children the ability to make their own creation bursting with personality. The free form shapes and choice of materials will make sure every bird is unique. We’ve used coloured paper to form our 3D Kiwi, but felt sheets are a terrific alternative for young students experimenting with textiles. Younger children might like to make a two dimensional Kiwi, working with flat paper and omitting the layers with padding inside. The beauty of this paper Kiwi activity is the ability to adapt it to children’s ages and abilities. Read on to make your very own national treasure, unique to New Zealand.

Step-by-step

Put 2 pieces of A4 brown paper on top of each other and carefully draw a large rough egg shape with a circle attached (this will be the Kiwi’s body and head).

Keeping both pieces of paper together, carefully cut along the drawn line.

Fold a darker shade of paper in half and roughly draw a Kiwi’s legs.

Carefully cut the Kiwi’s leg out, keeping the paper folded so you’ll have 2 legs.

Apply glue stick to the perimeter of your Kiwi’s body & head.

Place the 2 legs at the bottom of the body and add a small number of tissues or kitchen roll to the centre.

Gently place the matching body & head shape over the top of the 1st, smoothing down the edges to keep the legs in place and the tissues inside.

On another piece of matching brown paper, roughly draw 2 wings and cut them out.

To make the look of feathers, cut long thin fringing slices to the lower part of the wings.

Apply glue stick to the top of the wings and press onto the body.

On orange or a lighter shade of brown paper roughly draw a long beak (a thin carrot shape), and carefully cut out.

Apply glue stick to the top of the beak and press it down onto the Kiwi’s face.

Apply a small dab of school glue onto 2 x joggle eyes and carefully place them on the Kiwi’s face.

Done! The perfect 3D Kiwi is ready.

*TOP TIP – Free hand drawing rough shapes to make the Kiwi will give each of the creatures their own unique personalities.

 

Featured Products;

Skintone Paper https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/re5233

Creatistics Brown Cover Paper https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/aus143

Creatistics Black Cover Paper https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/aus140

Creatistics Glue Sticks Pack of 12 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jn1204

Joggle Eyes https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th321

All Purpose Washable School Glue Pack of 12 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0001

 

 

Air Dry Clay Kiwi

Air Dry Clay Kiwi

These adorable clay Kiwi’s make beautiful keepsakes, their solid heavy form also doubling as the perfect desk paperweight. The open-ended block of air dry clay adapts to children’s imaginings so they can make their own individual creations. No need for bulky or expensive firing kilns! Simply mould the clay, set it aside to air dry, add some paint and embellishments and you’ll have your very own clay work that’ll last a lifetime.

Step-by-step

Using your hands, roll a good palm sized chunk of clay into a rough ball shape, flat on the bottom to stand upright.

Set aside to dry thoroughly for 48 hours (over the weekend is ideal).

When thoroughly dry, your clay will harden and lighten.

Paint a layer of brown paint onto your Kiwi (using long paint strokes with darker shades to form feathers) and set aside to dry for 24 hours.

Cut a beak and feet from the felt sheets and attach to the clay body using strong craft glue.

Paint on eyes or glue on joggle eyes to bring your Kiwi to life and set aside to thoroughly dry.

Done! The perfect Air Dry Clay Kiwi is ready.

*TOP TIP – Older students might enjoy working with intricate clay work, forming the beak and legs out of the Air Dry Clay rather than adding felt details.

 

Featured Products;

Creatistics Air Dry Clay https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/kc1026

Felt Sheets https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/flt016

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0004

Total Wash Beige Paint https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/fn154

Total Wash Brown Paint https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/fn153

 

 

NZ Eco Plate Birds

NZ Eco-Plate Bird

Made using eco-friendly sugar cane plates and FSC paper, these environmentally conscious birds reflect New Zealand as a leader for sustainable practices – they’re also super cute!

We’ve chosen blue to make our bird, using The South Island Takahē as our inspiration, but there’s so many incredible bird species that call New Zealand their home. Which one is your favourite?

Step-by-step

Fold the Sugar Cane Plate in half, forming a semi-circle that’s able to stand on its own.

Cover the plate with a good layer of paint, choosing the shade of your favourite bird native to New Zealand.

Set aside to dry.

Cut a beak out of coloured paper (we folded the paper and cut a triangle, with the fold opening and closing to form the beak shape).

Cut long lengths of coloured paper to firm the bird’s tail.

Glue the beak and tail to the underside of the bird, hiding the ends of the paper where the eco pate folds.

To form the bird’s feathers, rough circles out of the tissue, with long scissor snips to form fringing to mimic feathers.

Glue your feathers into place with school glue (a few layers of feathers will bring authenticity to your works).

Lastly, glue on two joggle eyes to bring your birds to life.

Set aside to thoroughly dry.

Done! The perfect NZ Eco Plate Bird is ready.

*TOP TIP – Folder older students with competent scissor skills, or adults only – To curl the bird’s tail, open a pair of scissors as wide as possible and place the blades against a strip of paper, gently press the paper onto the blade and scrape it along the strip towards the end. Repeat as desired.

 

Featured Products;

Large White Sugar Cane Eco Plates https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jm950

Small White Sugar Cane Eco Plates https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jm950

Tempera Poster Paint – Set of 12 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jv506

Gloss Paper Squares – Pack of 360 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs5106

Coloured Tissue Paper – Pack of 100 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/me90

All Purpose Washable School Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0001

Joggle Eyes Assorted Stackable Container https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th321

 

 

Kiwi Paper Bookmarks

Kiwi-Paper-Bookmarks

Perfect for book lovers AND for encouraging reluctant readers to turn the page, these sweet little Kiwi’s would love to join in on your reading adventures. We’ve used A4 sheets of Skintone paper cut down to squares to make our Kiwi’s, but any easily foldable square paper will work (Pattern Paper Squares, Origami Paper, Rainbow Paper Squares etc). Perfect for a rainy day, after school hours care or to reignite reading time, these DIY bookmarks will be a hit anytime!

Step-by-step

Choose your desired paper square.

Fold the square in half to form a long triangle – folding tip to tip, rather than edge to edge).

Turn your triangle so that the long length is at the bottom and the tip of the triangle is pointing up.

Fold the left and right corners to the tip of the triangle (this will give you a square shape with two flaps).

Fold these two flaps back down.

Flip down one of the top sheets so that tip touches the long length and crease.

Fold the flaps you created back up and tuck into the bookmark. This will create a pocket that your Kiwi will slot onto the corner of a book.

Cut a beak and feet out of another sheet of paper and attach to the Kiwi bookmark with glue stick.

Draw on eyes, or glue on joggle eyes to bring your Kiwi to life.

Set aside to dry thoroughly.

Done! The perfect Kiwi bookmark is ready.

*TOP TIP – For visual learners, there’s plenty of videos online showcasing how to make corner bookmarks. Search for ‘origami corner bookmark’ and follow the steps, you’ll soon have your very own critter guarding your favourite book.

 

Featured Products;

Pattern Paper Squares – Pack of 500 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0260

Creatistics Glue Sticks 25g – Pack of 12 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/jn1203

Joggle Eyes Assorted Stackable Container https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th321

 

 

Woven Wall Hanging

Weaving-Looms

The Weaving Loom & Wool Kit of 10 includes everything you need to make 10 stunning woven wall hangings. Featuring beautiful calming shades of wool & wool roving to weave through the loom, your students will be well on the way to mastering textile projects. The simple weaving used here can be easily adapted to incorporate Raranga, Tāniko, Araoaki, Whatu and Whiri for advanced students exploring Māori weaving techniques.

Once your students woven wall hangings have decorated the classroom, they’ll surely be treasured at home for years to come.

Read on to work through the steps below to make your very own Woven Wall Hanging, also available as a handy illustrated PDF printout to follow along.

Step-by-step

Choose the colour of wool that you’d like shown at the top of your wall hanging. Wrap this wool around the look starting from the top corner and ending at the bottom opposite corner in vertical rows.

Tie the ends together diagonally in a double knot at the back of the loom.

Slide the wooden dowel under the vertical rows of wool on the front of your loom. This will hold up the strings, making it easier to weave.

Create a row of fridge along the bottom of your wall hanging using a few lengths of wool for each (the more lengths of wool you have will make the fridge fuller).

Lay the middle of the fridge lengths of wool over 2 of your vertical rows of wool and loop the right and left ends down and up through the middle.

Pull down on the ends to form a knot. Continue creating a row of fringe all along the bottom.

Begin weaving rows of wool above the fringe using the large tapestry needle. Change colours of wool as you work to create a lovely pattern. Tip: don’t weave too tightly to avoid warping the edges once you take your wall hanging off the loom.

You can weave by threading the wool under one vertical row then back over the next vertical row or over and under 2 rows at a time to create a different texture.

For each length of wool you weave onto the loom, leave a small length of wool on either side that you can tuck in.

After each row you weave, use the wooden comb to push the wool down the vertical rows to lay flat along the previous row.

When adding the wool roving, weave using your hands instead of the needle and loosen each weave to make it bubble out. You can use the full width of the wool roving provided or separate it into thinner strips.

Once your weaving is close to the top of the loom, remove the wooden dowel.

Turn the loom over and cut along the middle of the back vertical rows.

Tie off each pair of strings in a double knot as close to the weave as possible. Do this along the bottom and the top. This will prevent your weaving from falling apart.

Cut off the loose ends of each pair at the bottom only. Keep the top lengths long to hang.

Take a length of wool and tie it in a double knot around the top strands of wool.

You can trim the fringe along the bottom straight or in a diagonal line or keep it wild.

Done! The perfect Woven Wall Hanging is ready.

*TOP TIP – Stick to calm colour tones or brighten your creations by weaving in through bold primary coloured yarn and bright felt string.

 

Featured Product;

Weaving Loom & Wool Kit of 10 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs8880k

 

 

Cardboard Weaving Loom

Cardboard-Weaving-Looms

Weaving works by interlacing two sets of yarn interlaced at right angles – it sounds tricky, and looks tricky, but once you get started, you’ll see that it’s a super simple and brilliantly effective artform.

For our Cardboard Weaving Loom we’ve used various colours from the Weaving Wool Set of 6, Assorted Acrylic Yarn (includes 6 balls of yarn – black, white, blue, green, yellow, and green) and then supplemented the colours with individual shades including grey, brown, orange, pink, purple, dark blue and light blue. Lots of coloured yarn to choose from ensures students can bring their creative plans to life.

Step-by-step

Start by attaching a length of yarn to the back of the cardboard weaving loom at one end (pointed ends) secure with sticky tape.

Run the yarn through the ‘v’ shape down to the opposite ‘v’ at the other end (horizontally/ top to bottom of the cardboard loom).

Loop the yarn around the back of the pointy ‘v’ and then tun the yarn back up to the next ‘v’ shape at the opposite end.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have threaded through every ‘v’ shape.

Secure to the back of the loom with a piece of sticky tape.

To begin weaving vertically, choose a length of contrasting coloured yarn and attach to the back of the cardboard loom with a knot, or sticky tape.

Thread the contrasting yarn through the 1st yarn, weaving over and under.

You can change coloured yarn at any stage, making sure to tie off in a knot to hide behind the weaving (you can also weave the ends back into the design).

Once you have finished creating your pattern, you can tie off securely and thread the ends back into the design.

Unhook the yarn from the pointy ends of the cardboard loom, cut them in half and tie off securely with a double knot.

Done! The perfect Cardboard Weaving Loom design is finished.

*TOP TIP – To turn your weaving into a bookmark, add some extra lengths of yarn to make a tassel at one end, or turn into a wall hanging with a length of dowel.

 

Featured Products;

Cardboard Weaving Loom – Pack of 10 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th867

Assorted Acrylic Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th060

Black Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/mow283

Grey Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/mow263

Brown Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/mow288

Orange Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/MOW289

Pink Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/MOW262

Purple Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/MOW285

Dark Blue Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/MOW276

Light Blue Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/MOW268

White Yarn https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/MOW261

 

 

Wooden Pendent Threading Kit

NZ Wooden Pendant Threading Kit

Using the same motions as weaving, the Wooden Pendant Threading Kit uses students’ knowledge of ‘over & under’ to make wearable art. The kit includes all you need to make 30 wooden pendants including 6 different pendant designs, embroidering thread, leather cord and embroidery needles. Make a necklace for yourself or as a gift or mix it up with key chains to jazz up your keys or bag. How will you decorate yours?

Step-by-step

Cut a length of embroidery thread and thread it onto the needle.

Begin threading, leaving a length of thread at the back to tie securely.

Keep on threading in and out, forming your desired design (short lines, long lines, cross crosses and more).

Change colours as desired, tying off securely at the back each time.

When your design is finished, tie off securely one last time.

Attach a length of leather cord (long enough to fit comfortably around the wearers neck), and tie of securely.

Done! The perfect Wooden Threaded Pendant is ready.

*TOP TIP – Keep the design simple or make it as intricate as you like by layering different colours and experimenting with Raranga techniques.

 

Featured Product;

Wooden Pendant Threading Kit https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs680k#

 

 

Clay Star Photo Frames

Clay-Star-Photo-Frames

Pre-made from clay, these Star Photo Frames act like a blank canvas for children to decorate. The smooth surface lends itself to all sorts of artistic mediums – paint, markers, glitter, embellishments and more. They can be as advanced or simple as you like for even the youngest of students to get involved. Pop in a photo, drawing, poem, or message and either hang from the supplied ribbon or sit proudly with the included stand at the back. You’ll have a stunning Matariki keepsake to hold in your heart forever.

Step-by-step

Fill the front of your star with colour as desired and set aside to dry.

Apply a thin layer of school glue to front surface and sprinkle with glitter stars and set aside to dry.

Open the backing and remove the protective piece of paper.

Insert a photo or drawing (round, measuring approx. 53mm diameter – the same size as the protective paper), and close the backing.

Done! The perfect Clay Star Photo Frame is ready.

*TOP TIP – Use the round frame protective paper as a template to cut your photo or drawing for the perfect fit.

 

Featured Products;

Clay Photo Frames Stars Pack of 10 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/th995#

POSCA Marker – Pack of 8 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/um500

Glitter Stars https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cl6586

All Purpose Washable School Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0001

 

 

Matariki Glass Lanterns

Matariki Glass-Lanterns

Make your own custom Glass Lanterns, the perfect symbol for lighting & brightening the path for the Māori new year. In packs of 6, these glass lanterns come supplied ready to go with their attached handles. All you need to do is choose how to design yours. Decorate with glass paint or markers or use tissue paper or cellophane to cover with colour. Glue on some sparkly stars and you’re ready to go. Pop in a tea candle or LED safety light and your lanterns will light up the night sky beautifully.

Step-by-step

Give your glass lantern a good clean to ensure the surface is ready for painting (soap and water, or methylated spirits work well), and set aside to air dry for 24 hours.

Paint your designs onto the surface of the lantern using glass paint and markers as desired.

Set aside for 24 to 48 hours to dry thoroughly (over the weekend is ideal).

To fully set your artwork, place the lantern in a cool oven and set the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius. Once temperature is reached baked for 30 minutes then turn off oven and allow to cool before removing.

Use a strong glue to add any embellishments to the outside of the lantern, Star Sequins are ideal to celebrate Matariki.

Set aside to dry for 24 hours.

Add a tea candle or safety light (depending on child’s age).

Done! The perfect Matariki Glass Lantern is ready.

*TOP TIP – Glass & Tile Paint gives terrific coverage, while Glass & Porcelain Makers create precise lines and detail.

 

Featured Products;

Glass Lanterns – Pack of 6 https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/sh1718#

Glass & Tile Paint https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cb2200

Glass & Porcelain Markers https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/CS8000

Star Sequins https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/sh1057

Strong Craft Glue https://www.teaching.co.nz/product/cs0004

 

 

We hope you’ve enjoyed the latest collection of crafts to celebrate all things Aotearoa New Zealand and are bursting with inspiration to get started. See you next time, Kia Ora!

 

 

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6 easy heartfelt, handmade Mother’s Day gifts Mums love and little ones love to make 

8924_MTA_Mothers Day Craft_Header Blog

Every mum is a gift. But on Mother’s Day, it’s their turn to receive some love in the shape of a special gift.  

Help your little learners say “I love you, Mum” with these super simple craft activities. Key tags in candy colours. Wooden flowers that always bloom. Sweet note holders that cradle special messages. These handmade gifts are an easy way for children of all ages to showcase their love and creativity and have been designed to make educators smile too! They’re colourful, fun ideas we take you through step-by-step. 

 

Get ready to dive into a world of glitter, glue and gratitude as we turn this Mother’s Day into a magical moment for educators, children and mums alike! 

 

Mother’s Day Note Holder 

 

8924_Mother’s Day Note Holder

 

We all know that mums are busy bees. So, what better gift to give than a note holder that keeps notes and special messages organised and doubles as a colourful and floral appreciation of all the hard work they put in? 

 

You will need:  

Mum Note Holder 

Pastel Paint 

Pastel Paper 

Felt Flowers 

Bio-Glitter – Set of 8 

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue  

Masking Tape 

 

Step-by-step 

Assemble the note holder by slotting the two MUM sides into the stand. 

Apply your desired shades of pastel paint to the sides and stand and set aside to dry. Repeat paint application as desired.  

Lay a length of thin masking tape across the front of the MUM lettering roughly 2/3rds of the way down. Press down gently.  

Spread a layer of glue to the MUM letters below the masking tape line and sprinkle Bio-glitter to cover the glue. Shake off excess and set aside to dry. 

Use a pencil to roughly draw a small leaf shape onto the pastel paper, fold the paper several times (to a workable thickness to complement scissor skills) and cut out the drawn leaf. You will now have multiple leaves. Repeat as desired. 

Use strong craft glue to adhere the leaves and the desired number of felt flowers to the note holder and set aside to dry. 

Done! The perfect Mother’s Day Note Holder is ready.  

 

*TOP TIP – When shaking the Bio-glitter over the MUM Note Holder, lay a piece of paper under it to catch the excess glitter. You’ll be able to put the glitter back in the bottle to reuse.  

 

 

 

Wooden Flower Bouquet 

 

8924_Wooden Flower Bouquet

 

To show everlasting love for mums on their special day, gift something that lasts just as long with an everlasting flower bouquet! Plus, the original wooden flower bouquet can double as a jewellery display for another crafty day. 

 

You will need:  

 Wooden Flower Bouquet

Creatistics Acrylic Paint Set 

Felt Flowers 

Pastel Pipe Cleaners 

Matt Paper Squares 

White Silk Clay 

Paper Magiclay Candy Colours 

Tacky Glue 

 

 

Step-by-step  

Assemble the Flower Bouquet by slotting the flowerpot into the stand. 

Apply your desired shades of pastel paint to the assembled flower bouquet and set aside to dry.  

Snip 2 x green pipe cleaners into 3rds to make 6 x short flower ‘stems’.  

Turn 6 x felt flowers upside down on a flat surface and squeeze a big blob of tacky glue to the back of each flower. Gently press the ends of the pipe cleaner stems into the tacky glue blobs and leave to dry overnight.  

Weave and twist the flower stems through the pre-cut holes and twist around themselves to keep them in place.  

Use small dabs of tacky glue to secure the paper leaves in place, making a bountiful-looking bouquet of flowers. Set aside to dry.  

Use a small handful of white silk clay with a small amount of candy-coloured Magiclay to knead and press down onto the stand to add texture as desired (handy to press additional embellishments into as desired). 

Done! The perfect Wooden Flower Bouquet is ready. 

 

*TOP TIP – Extend the activity for older students by enlarging the flowers using matte paper squares. Simply draw larger flower shapes or thin strips to loop for petals and glue to the back of the felt flowers before adding the pipe cleaner stem.   

 

 

 

 

Rose Gold Key Tags 

 

8924_Rose Gold Key Tags

 

These personalised Mother’s Day keyrings turn an ordinary key chain into an extraordinary keepsake. What’s more, they’re super colourful and eye-catching, so mums can say goodbye to the days of misplaced keys! 

 

 You will need:  

Rose Gold Lobster Key Tags 

White Silk Clay 

Paper Magiclay Candy Colours 

Leather Cord 

Alphabet & Number Stamps 

Assorted Coloured Tassels 

Dough Scissors 

Plastic Lacing Needles 

 

Step-by-step 

 Knead a portion of white silk clay with small amounts of candy coloured Magiclay to make pastel tones.  

Use a small handful of your pastel silk clay to gently press flat, keeping the thickness roughly 1 – 2cm.  

Use dough scissors to cut out a heart shape (Use a pencil or skewer to roughly mark out the heart shape to guide cutting lines if required). Gently press the edges to smooth them.  

Press the Alphabet & Number stamps into the heart to imprint ‘MUM’ or ‘I LOVE MUM’ etc. as desired. 

Poke a skewer through the top of the heart and wiggle around, making a hole large enough to thread the leather cord. Set aside to dry out.  

With the offcuts from the heart and your remaining pastel coloured silk clay, roll into large round ‘beads’.  

Poke a skewer through the centre of each hole and wiggle around to form a hole large enough for the leather cord to thread through. Set aside along with the heart to dry out for 24 to 48 hours.  

Time to assemble! Cut a length of leather cord roughly 30cm and thread through the heart and secure with a knot. Thread on several beads (plastic lacing needles will assist the cord through the beads if needed) and then tie to the Rose Gold Lobster Key Tag. Tie off with several tight knots. Cut off excess cord.  

Cut another length of cord to attach several beads and one coloured tassel to the lobster keychain, again tying off with several tight knots. Cut off excess cord.  

Done! The perfect Rose Gold Key Tag is ready.  

 

*TOP TIP – For younger age groups feel welcome to omit the beads and use a cookie cutter to help form the silk clay shape.  

 

 

 

Wooden Flower Pop Mum Pot 

 

8924_Wooden Flower Pop Mum Pots

 

The creative possibilities are endless with the blank canvas of a flower-shaped paddle-pop stick and a flower pot. Children can write their sweetest Mother’s Day messages on the pots and then customise the beautiful flowers! 

 

You will need:  

Wooden Flower Paddle Pop Sticks 

Porcelain Flower Pot

Glass & Porcelain Markers 

Creatistics Pastel Paint 

Pastel Pom Poms  

Pastel Buttons 

Creatistics Pattern Paper Squares 

Green Crinkle Paper Shred 

Adhesive Rhinestones 

Green Silk Clay 

 

Step-by-step 

Draw or write messages onto the porcelain pot using Glass & Porcelain markers and set aside a few hours for drawings to air dry.  

Bake the pots in the oven at 150 degrees C for 30 minutes, turn oven off and allow to cool before removing (this ‘sets’ the markers to reduce wear and tear).  

Apply pastel paint to the Wooden Flower Paddle Pop Sticks and set aside to dry. Repeat application as desired.  

Use craft glue to decorate flowers with pastel buttons, beads, pom poms, rhinestones and pattern paper. Set aside to dry.  

Fill the pot with Silk Clay and gently press the flower pop sticks into the clay just enough to stand up. 

Add a few squeezes of craft glue on top of the silk clay and gently press Green Crinkle Paper to cover the clay. Set aside to dry.  

Done! The perfect Flower Pop Mum Pot is ready.  

*TOP TIP – Personalise further by adding a photo to the centre of the Flower Paddle Pop Sticks. Simply print out in a small size and snip around the children’s faces to fit the centre of the flower stick.  

 

 

 

Mother’s Day Yarn Card  

 

8924_Mother’s Day Yarn Card

 

This activity is a two-for-one special! Children can pick between two beautiful options, but no matter which they choose, mums will love this heartfelt card. 

 

You will need:  

Pastel Acrylic Yarn 

White Cards and Envelopes 

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue 

Mini Pop Sticks 

Pastel Coloured Cardboard 

Creatistics Glue Sticks 

Jute Hemp Twine 

 

  • TULIP CARD  

 

Step-by-step 

On an old cardboard box, draw 3 x tulip shapes and cut out carefully (alternatively, use coloured cardboard if you haven’t got any boxes handy).  

Cut a workable length of pastel yarn and either tie around the centre of the tulip or use masking tape to attach yarn in place at the back.  

Wind the yarn around the tulip until it looks full and colourful. Either tie off at the back or use masking place to hold down.  

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each of the tulips.  

Cut a piece of coloured cardboard to fit the front of the card, roughly 14(L) x 9(W)cm, and glue to the front of the card. 

Use strong craft glue to adhere 3 x mini green pop sticks and the 3 yarn tulips to the front of the card, along with a jute hemp twine bow around the pop sticks. Set aside to dry.  

Draw/write MUM a Mother’s Day message inside the card.  

Done! The perfect Mother’s Day Yarn Card is ready.  

 

*TOP TIP – Cardboard boxes are thick enough to hold their shape for young children to wrap the yarn around. Young children might also enjoy working with a larger sized tulip shape to match their fine motor skills. 

 

  • HEART CARD  

 

Step-by-step 

Using a pencil, draw a heart onto the card.  

Cover the entire heart shape with craft glue.  

Snip workable lengths of pastel yarn and lay over the glue, working from the outside of the heart to the inside until all the glue is covered.  

Set aside to dry.  

Alternatively, draw a heart shape onto the coloured cardboard, cover in glue and lay shorter lengths of yarn horizontally across the heart working from the top to the bottom until all the glue it covered. When dry, carefully cut out the heart shape, snipping off the excess yarn at the same time. Your heart is now ready to glue onto the white card.  

Done! The perfect Mother’s Day Yarn Card is ready.  

 

*TOP TIP – This activity is for all ages! Younger children will enjoy working with short pre-cut lengths of yarn, sticking them into glue applied in a heart shape.

 

 

 

Handprint Shrink Film Key Chain  

 

8924_Handprint Shrink Film Key Chain

 

Kids grow up so fast! This Mother’s Day, give a personalised lasting memory with this handprint keychain. It’s a meaningful way to celebrate the connection between children and their wonderful mums. 

 

You will need:  

Clear Shrink Film 

Creatistics Acrylic Paint 

Creatistics Paint Brushes 

Key Chain 

Assorted Colour Tassels 

Natural Beading Cord 

One Hole Paper Punch 

 

Step-by-step 

Use a brush to apply paint to children’s hands (a brush will ensure an even coat of paint for a crisp handprint).  

Press painted hand down onto the shrink film and lift hand off to reveal the print. Set aside to dry. 

Older students might like to write the letter M on either side of the handprint, spelling out MUM with the handprint in place of the letter U. 

Carefully cut around each design and punch a hole at the top.  

Preheat oven to 150°C. 

Place the design on a lined tray (matte side up) and bake.  

Plastic will begin to shrink after 10 seconds, watch carefully! They will shrink to approx. 60% of the original size. 

Remove from oven once plastic has flattened and set tray aside to cool completely before handling. 

Thread the beading cord through the shrink film decoration, add a tassel and tie firmly to a key chain. 

Done! The perfect Handprint Key Chain is ready.  

*TOP TIP – Coloured pencil markings will darken in the oven; a very light shading is all that’s needed for bright vibrant colour.  

 

 

 

We hope you love getting crafty this Mother’s Day and creating these 6 fun activities. If you’d like to download the step-by-step activity pack pdf, click here. Happy crafting, and please share your crafty Easter creations with us @modernteaching. 

 

 

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Have A Crafty Easter With These 6 Egg-citing Craft Activities

Easter blog header

Break out the bunny onesie, because Easter’s coming! It’s time for hat parades, egg hunts, chocolate bunnies and colourful craft egg-tivities!  

Here are 6 egg-cellent, egg-straordinary and egg-stra special craft activities to help little crafters create gifts, ornaments, cards and other seasonal cuteness. They’re easy, and they produce beautiful Easter treasures! Let’s hop right into it…  

 

 

Wooden Weaving Bunny

 

Wooden Weaving Bunny

 

You will need:  

Wooden Weaving Bunny 

Pastel Paint 

Pastel Acrylic Yarn 

Plastic Lacing Needles  

Joggle Eyes 

Pastel Pony Beads 

Green Silk Clay 

White Silk Clay 

Mini Carrots 

 

 

Step-by-step: 

Assemble the Wooden Weaving Bunny by slotting the bunny into the stand.  

Apply your desired shades of pastel paint to the bunny and stand, and set aside to dry. Repeat paint application if desired.  

Cut a workable length of yarn roughly 40cm long and thread one end onto a plastic lacing needle. Tie the other end around a section of the bunny with a firm knot at the back. 

Thread the lacing needle with its yarn through the pre-cut holes of the bunny, weaving in and out all over as desired.  

When there’s only a short length of yarn left, remove the plastic threading needle and tie onto the bunny with a firm knot at the back.  

Repeat steps 3 to 5 with as many colours of thread as desired.  

When you’ve reached the last length of thread, begin by tying the end to the bunny and then slot a pastel bead onto the yarn, setting it in place at the front of the bunny while weaving. Continue adding pastel beads as desired and tie off the end of the yarn firmly at the back.  

Mix green and white silk clay together to form a pastel green and press down onto the stand to cover the surface.  

Use craft glue to adhere joggle eyes, a pom pom tail and a few carrots.  

Done! The perfect Weaving Bunny is ready.  

 

TOP TIP: Younger age groups can swap the beads for ready-to-use foam or felt shapes with a dab of glue. 

 

 

 

DIY Stencil Cards

 

 

You will need:  

Easter Stencils 

Pastel Coloured Cardboard 

Creatistics A4 White Cover Paper 

Pastel Paint 

Creatistics Glue Sticks 

Connector Colour Markers 

Stationery Scissors 

Bio-Glitter – Pack of 12 

 

Step-by-step: 

Pour a small amount of pastel paint onto a flat surface (painting trays, plates, etc). Use a brush or roller to even out the colour. 

Lay an Easter Stencil over a piece of white cover paper and secure in place with a bit of masking tape.  

Gently dab a sponge into the paint (avoiding large blobs).  

Gently dab the sponge over the stencil, making sure to sponge all the sections of paper through the stencil’s cut-out pattern.  

Carefully remove the masking tape and lift the stencil off the paper. Set the paper aside to dry.  

Fold a piece of pastel cardboard in half (two short lengths together) to make a card.  

When the paint has dried, cut out the stencilled shape and use a glue stick to attach to the card.  

Use coloured makers, Bio-Glitter and joggle eyes as desired to add detail to the cards and set aside to dry.  

Done! The perfect DIY Easter Stencil Card is ready.  

 

TOP TIP: For early childhood-aged children not yet confident with scissor skills, pop the stencil directly onto the pastel card to paint the pattern. 

 

 

Sponge Print Fridge Magnets

 

Sponge Print Fridge Magnets

 

You will need:  

Easter Sponges 

Pastel Cardboard

Wooden Pegs 

Self-Adhesive Magnetic Sheets 

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue 

Joggle Eyes 

 

Step-by-step: 

Pour a small amount of pastel paint onto a flat surface (painting trays, plates, messy mats, etc) and use a brush or roller to spread the colour to an even layer. 

Gently press an Easter Sponge into the paint, then lift out of the paint and gently press down onto the cardboard. Lift off once more, leaving the painted print on the cardboard. Repeat as desired with each shape to fill the paper. Set aside to dry.  

Use the leftover paint or POSCA markers to add detail over the dried paint (an orange beak, patterns on the eggs, etc) and set aside to dry.  

Feed the dried painting through a laminator and set aside to cool down.  

Carefully cut around the shapes.  

Use strong craft glue to attach a wooden peg to the back of the laminated shape and joggle eyes onto the chick & bunny and set aside to dry.  

Peel and stick a self-adhesive magnet to the back of the peg.  

Done! The perfect Easter magnet is ready.  

 

TOP TIP: Easter sponges are wonderfully versatile! Sponge the shapes onto cards, wrapping paper and Easter Hats. Or snip the prints out and paste them onto pop sticks for adorable storytelling props! 

 

 

Wooden Diorama Frame 

 

Wooden Diorama Bunny

 

You will need:  

Wooden Easter Diorama Frame  

Pastel Paint 

Pastel Acrylic Yarn 

Pastel Pom Poms 

Glitter Foam Flowers 

Sequin Flowers 

Adhesive Rhinestones 

Green Crinkle Paper Shred 

Joggle Eyes 

Mini Carrots 

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue 

   

 

Yarn Chick, Bunny & Egg Ornaments 

 

Yarn Chick and Bunny

You will need:  

Creatistics Pastel Paint 

Pastel Acrylic Yarn 

Wooden Easter Ornaments 

Joggle Eyes 

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue 

Matt Paper Squares 

Coloured Tissue Squares 

Pastel Pom Poms 

Natural Beading Cord 

Paper Magiclay  

 

Step-by-step: 

Cover the wooden ornament in a layer of pastel paint and set aside to dry. Repeat paint application as desired. 

For the Bunny and Chick, cut a workable length of yarn, wrap it around the wooden ornament, and tie it with a strong knot.  

Wrap the yarn around the ornament until it looks full of colour (if needed, add another length of yarn). Tie the yarn off securely at the back.  

For the Bunny – snip three lengths of beading cord 10cm in length, tie a knot in the middle to make whiskers, and press a small amount of pink Magiclay around the middle to hide the knot and make a nose. Attach in place with craft glue, along with two joggle eyes. Set aside to dry.  

For the Chick – scrunch two tissue squares from the centre to make the wings. Fold an orange paper square in half and roughly draw a foot. Snip the foot out (you should now have two) and snip a small triangle shape along the remaining paper’s fold to make a little beak. Attach the feet, wings, beak and two joggle eyes in place with craft glue. Set aside to dry.  

For the Egg – use the craft glue nozzle to ‘draw’ lines and squiggles on the surface, carefully placing short lengths of yarn over the glue. Finish off with a few pom poms and set aside to dry.  

For each decoration, snip a short length of beading cord, thread it through the pre-cut hole and tie it into a loop to hang. 

Done! The perfect Easter Yarn Ornament is ready.  

 

TOP TIP: Taping the yarn at the back of the ornament with masking tape periodically will provide support for children with emerging fine motor skills. 

 

 

Roller Print & Yarn Bonnet

 

Easter Bonnet

 

You will need:  

Easter Rollers 

Cardboard Easter Hat 

Creatistics Pastel Paint 

Pastel Pom Poms 

Pastel Acrylic Yarn 

Bio-Glitter – Pack of 12 

Tacky Glue 

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue 

Painting Tray 

 

Step-by-step: 

Pop-out each piece from the large sheet of card. 

Use brushes or sponges to apply a thin layer of pastel paint to the pieces and set aside to dry.  

Pour a contrasting-coloured paint onto a messy mat or painting tray and use a brush or roller to smooth the paint to an even layer. Only a little paint is needed to make smooth prints.  

Gently roll the Easter Rollers in the paint, ensuring an even layer of paint over each raised shape.  

Roll the paint-loaded Easter Roller over the cardboard pieces, leaving behind its colourful print. Repeat as desired and set aside to dry. 

Use the strong craft glue nozzle to ‘draw’ wavy lines over the crown and brim pieces, snip lengths of pastel yarn and gently press into place using the glue lines as a guide. Use the craft glue to ‘draw’ lines and shapes to shake Bio-Glitter onto, and small blobs of tacky glue to adhere the pom poms. Set aside to dry. 

To assemble, sticky tape the scalloped crown piece together by the tabs, making sure it will fit the brim.  

Sticky tape the tabs on the bottom of the crown piece to the underside of the brim. 

If desired, sticky tape the tabs on the top circle to the crown piece (making a shelf to hold extra decorations). Set aside to dry. 

Done! The perfect Easter Hat is ready.  

 

TOP TIP: There’s no need for precise designs! The free-form style of this Easter Hat craft is wonderfully open-ended. 

 

 

We hope you love getting crafty this Easter and creating these 6 fun activities. If you’d like to download the step-by-step activity pack pdf, click here. Happy crafting, and please share your crafty Easter creations with us @modernteaching. 

 

 

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Celebrate Summer With 7 Handmade Craft Activities Full Of Sunshine And Fun!

Header Summer blog

From sand art to a paper plate sun… try some quick, cool fun over the long, hot summer. Celebrate the colours, textures and feathery, fluttery creatures of summer with these 7 super-easy craft activities. Designed for little hands to deliver a big result, share your summer craft handmade creativity and tag us @modernteaching! We love seeing your style! So roll up your sleeves and dive in! We’ll guide you through each summer-loving step.

 

 

Sand Art Jar

 

Sand Art Jar

Summer in a jar! This is so simple, dreamy and impactful. Making a humble jar take on summer sand beach vibes is so easy! It will look so cute on a shelf and teaches children about colours, patterns and textures. Follow along step-by-step here.

 

You will need:

Glass Storage Jar

Creatistics Coloured Sand

Dispenser Bottles with Cap

Creatistics Strong Craft Glue

 

Step-by-step:

Take the lid off the glass jar and set aside.

Use a spoon or dispenser bottle to pour layers of coloured sand into the jar one at a time.

Use as many colours and layers as desired until the jar is completely full.

Apply a thin layer of Strong Craft Glue to the rim of the lid and tightly screw onto the jar.

Wipe away any excess glue and set aside to dry.

Done! The perfect Sand Art Jar is ready.

 

TOP TIP – Make mesmerising layers by tilting the jar slightly in different directions when adding each colour of sand.

 

 

Cardboard Tube & Paper Plate Butterfly

 

Cardboard Tube & Paper Plate Butterfly – 1

Make a family of adorable butterflies and watch your heart flutter. These butterflies can be as colourful and imaginative as you like. Why not create a summer theme wall for your butterflies to fly free?

 

You will need:

Cardboard Tubes Assorted

Unwaxed Round Paper Plates

Assorted Joggle Eyes

Multicoloured Pipe Cleaners

Pom Poms

All Purpose Washable School Glue

Collage Paper Shapes

Tempera Poster Paint

Masking Tape

 

Step-by-step:

Using lots of bright colours, apply paint to a paper plate and a cardboard roll and set aside to dry.

When thoroughly dry, cut the paper plate into quarters to make the butterfly’s wings (children old enough to be handy with scissors might benefit from drawn-on cutting lines to follow).

To assemble the butterfly, use strong glue to adhere the four wings to the cardboard roll body and two joggle eyes.

To make the antennae, fold one pipe cleaner in half and adhere two pom poms to the two ends with strong glue.

Stick the antennae to the inside of the cardboard roll with masking tape.

If desired, use strong glue to decorate the wings with scraps of paper, snipping them into shapes as desired and set aside to dry.

When thoroughly dry, personalise further by drawing a mouth and any other features as desired.

Done! Your perfect Butterfly is ready.

 

TOP TIP – To hang in the learning environment, poke a skewer through the back of the butterfly’s cardboard tube body and thread a length of string through.

 

 

 

Birds Nest

Birds Nest

 

This sweet bird’s nest with a family of little birds is so much fun to make and looks great. Where will your summer birds nest live? Have fun with your colourful, feathered friends as children learn about textures, colours and different ‘homes’.

You will need:

A4 Creatistics Brown Cover Paper

Gloss Paper Squares

Short Feathers

Joggle Eyes

All Purpose Washable School Glue

Masking Tape

Creatistics A4 Orange Cover Paper

Acrylic Brown Yarn

 

Step-by-step:

With brown cover paper, cut one rough semicircle shape and set aside.

With your gloss squares, use a round object (measuring cups work well) to trace and cut out circles – one large and one smaller. Two circles will make one bird. Set desired quantity of circles aside.

Take an orange gloss square, fold it in half and cut small triangles along the folded line. These will open out to make the bird’s beak. Set aside.

Snip short lengths of brown yarn (each roughly 5(L)cm) and set aside.

Ready to assemble! Use all-purpose washable school glue to adhere the pieces together – 1 larger circle to make the bird’s body and one smaller to make the head with a beak. Add feathers for wings and yarn to create a cosy nest.

Add two joggle eyes to each bird and set aside to dry.

Done! Your perfect Birds Nest is ready.

 

TOP TIP – Young children with emerging scissor skills might enjoy working with a selection of pre-cut shapes to assemble, or paper eye stickers instead of joggle eyes.

 

 

Pony Bead Snake

Snakes craft, Blue background

Snakes alive! Beads make a great basis for craft activities, developing fine motor skills in young children and encouraging creativity. Watch a slithering (but friendly) snake come to life in this summer craft activity children will love. Slither along step-by-step here…

 

You will need:

Multicoloured Pipe Cleaners

Pearl Pony Beads

Assorted Joggle Eyes

All Purpose Washable School Glue

 

Step-by-step:

Thread the 1st bead onto the pipe cleaner and bend the very end around the bead, securing it in place to prevent the rest of the beads from falling off.

Thread 28 more beads onto the pipe cleaner to form the snake’s ‘body’.

To make the head, thread six beads of the same colour and then curve back around to form a head shape (three beads on each side of the head) and firmly twist the pipe cleaner around itself between two beads at the snake’s ‘neck’.

Bend the remaining length of pipe cleaner back to poke out through the middle of the head to form a tongue.

Use Washable School Glue to adhere two joggle eyes onto the head, and an extra dab of glue as the tail and head to secure for play and set aside to dry.

Done! Your perfect Pony Bead Snake is ready.

 

TOP TIP – These adorable snakes aren’t just for craft! They make wonderful props for children’s dramatic play and recounting of favourite stories.

 

 

Paper Plate Rainbow Sun

 

Sunshine Craft, Yellow background

Here comes the sun! With some crepe streamers and paper plates, little ones can create a salute to the sun! Encourage environmental awareness and how Planet Earth and the sun work together. Children have freedom creating the sun’s friendly face too. Use this craft activity time to teach about weather, heat, clouds and rain (and rainbows!).

 

You will need:

Unwaxed Paper Plates

Tempera Poster Paint

Creatistics A4 Yellow Cover Paper

Assorted Crepe Streamers

Creatistics PVA Washable School Glue

Cotton Wool Balls

POSCA Black Bullet Marker

 

Step-by-step:

Cut one paper plate in half to make the sun and paint it a bright, sunny yellow.

To make the clouds, glue several cotton wool balls to either side of the paper plate’s flat surface and set aside to dry.

To make the sun’s rays snip yellow and orange paper into long tringles, and either glue or sticky tape them onto the back of the painted plate.

Cut strips of crepe paper roughly 30cm in length to make the rainbow, one each of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Arrange the crepe paper into rainbow form and glue or tape the lengths to the back of the sun’s flat surface so they can hang down.

Finish off by personalising your sun further with a smiling face.

Done! Your perfect Paper Plate Rainbow Sun is ready.

 

TOP TIP – To turn your paper plate rainbow sun into a 3D hanging artwork, simply paint another half plate to glue to the back of the sun, punch a hole through the two sides and hang it in your learning environment with a length of twine.

 

 

 

Spinning Paper Cup Windmill

 

Spinning Paper Cup Windmill – 1

This craft activity lets children create an adorable windmill complete with moving paper blades. Not only is this handmade activity fun, but it also helps children understand basic motion and wind energy (and maybe they can see some famous windmills around the world!).

 

You will need:

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Jovi Basic Tempera Paint

Paper Fasteners Split Pins

Cardboard Colour Squares

All Purpose Washable School Glue

POSCA Bullet Marker Pack

Spring Assisted Scissors

 

Step-by-step:

Decorate a paper cup with brightly coloured paint and set aside to dry.

To make the windmill’s blades, cut two lengths of coloured cardboard (each length measures 9cm long, 2cm wide at the ends, and 1cm wide in the centre).

Use a skewer to poke a hole through the centre of each blade and push a split pin through the holes. Use a dab of school glue to secure the windmill blades to the pin and set aside to dry.

Use markers to decorate the dried windmill cup with windows, a door and any other desired features (remember your windmill will stand upside down).

Use a skewer to poke a hole through the front of the cup, roughly 1.5cm from the top (the bottom of the cup).

Push the split pin (with blades) through the cup’s hole and secure it in place, opening the fasteners inside the cup.

Done! Your perfect Spinning Paper Cup Windmill is ready.

 

TOP TIP – Make light work of making windmill blades by cutting out a template for preschoolers to trace around or have pre-cut blades ready for younger years.

 

 

 

Wooden Peg Creatures

Wooden Peg Creatures

Peg-tastic animals and shapes! In this fun activity, creativity and imagination will run wild as children create their own little creature that has a spiky feature or rays. How about a “peg-asus” with pegs for wings (see what we did there!)?

 

You will need:

Wooden Pegs

Cardboard Colour Squares

Scissors

Large Glue-On Eyes

Creatistics Acrylic Paint Pack

Tacky Craft Glue

 

Step-by-step:

With a pencil or marker, draw your desired creature that features spikes, such as a dinosaur, echidna, hedgehog or a sun.

Carefully cut the shape out.

Use Tacky Craft Glue to attach joggle eyes to your creature and set aside to dry.

Using coloured paint, cover the wooden pegs in your desired shade (green for a dinosaur, yellow for a sun, etc.) and set aside to dry.

Use markers to add desired details, such as fur, feathers, scales, facial features, etc.

When the pegs are dry, peg them into position on your creature.

Done! Your perfect Wooden Peg Creature is ready.

 

 

TOP TIP – Young children with emerging scissor skills might enjoy working with pre-cut shapes or paper eye stickers instead of joggle eyes.

 

 

So, hands up who’s ready for hands-on summer craft? Enjoy these 7 handmade summer craft activities and if you’d like to download the step-by-step activity pack pdf, click here.

Happy crafting over summer and make sure to share your crafty summer awesomeness with us @modernteaching.

 

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Ten Frightfully Good Activities For The Spooky Season

Various Halloween themed craft supplies

Halloween is such a fun time of year for spooky crafts and activities, with plenty of opportunities to bring out children’s creativity and imagination. From dressing up in costumes and decorating the classroom or home to scavenger hunts, and arts and crafts, there’s something for everyone to have a wickedly good time! Read on for some quick, easy and festive Halloween projects that will have you howling!

 

Paper Bag Monsters

Spooky bag monster craft project
Paper bag monsters are a versatile craft experience for children to let their imaginations run wild! These plain bags can be decorated in whatever wacky characters come to mind, with children freely exploring the open-ended materials offered and choosing to use them in their own wonderful ways. Add language and storytelling to the experience by creating storylines with their characters or find a cosy spot for children to engage in spooky monster puppet play when their paper bag creations are dry.

 

Featured products:
Paper Bags 
Dot Markers 
Jumbo Creations Box 
Paper Shapes 

 

Ghost Pencil Toppers
frightful ghosts pencil toppers craft project
Add some spooky excitement to drawing and writing with these quick and easy paper pencil toppers. Simply draw a ghost character onto thick paper or cardboard and cut the shape out, punch two holes in the ghost and gently thread the pencil or pen through the holes  and abracadabra, your adorably spooky pencil toppers are ready for action.

 

Featured products:
White Cover Paper 
Coloured Pencils 

 

 

Spooky Book Placeholder
Spooky Book Placeholder
Made from only a few simple paper folds and embellishments, this is one cute creature that’s batty about storytime! Grab yourself a square piece of black paper and follow the folding sequence pictured below.

Bat Bookmark Folding Instructions

Add some little wings, fangs and joggle eyes, and this adorable spooky book placeholder is ready to join in the reading. Let your imaginations run wild and fold all sorts of fun creatures with a spooky twist – bats, pumpkins, cats, frogs, owls, ghosts and more!

 

Featured products:
Matt Paper Squares 
Gloss Paper Squares 

 

Storytelling Pop Sticks
Storytelling Popsticks
Storytelling is an activity rich in language and communication! It’s a time for children to hone their concentration and listening skills, explore feelings and emotions, share their own experiences and learn from others in an interchange of knowledge. Stories can explore aspects of STEM, problem solving, memory recall and provide a place where children can freely express their thoughts and imaginings. We love storytelling!

These adorable props provide visual prompts for children and educators to tell a story. Draw some story characters on thick paper or cardboard, colour them in, cut them out and stick them onto pop sticks (for extra durability, the drawings can be laminated before they’re added to the pop sticks). Follow the characters from a favourite storybook or create your own for all sorts of imaginative tales. Once upon a time….

 

Featured products;
Pop Sticks 
Coloured Pop Sticks 
Coloured Pencils  
Coloured Jumbo Pencils 

 

Spider Tic Tac Toe
Spider Tic Tac Toe drawn in chalk on slate
Also called Noughts & Crosses, Tic Tac Toe is a fun and simple game for young children to build maths skills, including counting, predictability, problem solving and special awareness. Taking turns to lay their pieces on the board, whoever gets three in a row, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, is the winner! This is a traditional game that can be made up with all sorts of odds and ends – to make the game board, use paper and markers or a hard, flat surface and chalk or sticks. To make the playing pieces, simply find four of something that’s different from the other player’s pieces. We’ve made spooky bottle top spiders in two different colours, but you could use stones, shells, wood slices, counters etc.

 

Featured products:
Bottle Tops 
Pipe Cleaners 

 

Loose Parts Dough Creatures
Loose Parts Spooky Dough Creatures
With loose parts play, anything can happen! Children can move loose parts freely, adapting and turning them into anything their imagination desires. A selection of open-ended loose parts makes a wonderfully inspiring invitation for children to explore, experiment, inquire and invent, and with the addition of dough or modelling clay, children are sure to make some fantastical creations!
To make a treasured keepsake that will last, switch the dough or modelling clay for air-dry clay, which will harden beautifully in a day or so, ready to adorn the classroom or live on at home.

 

Featured products:
Modelling Clay Kit 
Creatistics Dough Kit 
Creatistics Dough Set 
Craft Essentials Kit 

 

Happy Halloween Bunting
Happy Halloween bunting
Adorable FREE printable Happy Halloween bunting!

These sweet and spooky characters are sure to bring festive cheer to the learning environment – whether it’s the classroom, after school setting, home learning or weekend fun – the finishing touch to any Halloween party is here. Simply print out as many copies of the bunting as you desire, snip out the shapes, follow the hole punch guide and string up your spooky triangle bunting.
No need to worry about waste either. Paper bunting can be saved and reused next year, snipped up for spooky collage art, popped into the recycling or even shredded and added to the compost to make nutritious soil to grow yourself a real pumpkin!

 

Featured products:
White Cardboard 
Happy Halloween Bunting  FREE PDF Download 

 

Outdoor Story Stones

Outdoor Story Stones
Combine storytelling with the wonder of nature with these adorable story stones. Made from a mix of natural stone and resin, they’re built to last the rigours of play outside, allowing outdoor nature play to guide imaginative storytelling. The sights, sounds and textures of the great outdoors all make wonderful prompts for scenes where anything can take place. Story stones can also be made by adding simple illustrations to stones or small wooden branch cuts.

 

Featured products:
Story Stones – Fairy Tales 
Story Stones – Outer Space 
Story Stones – Under the Sea 

 

Batty Paper Crafts

frightful bat paper craft project with google eyes and gluesticksPaper arts and crafts are fantastic for children learning about colours and shapes. Snipping paper is also a fun way to work on scissor skills. Joggle eyes will help bring children’s creations to life and may even inspire some spooky storytelling! The paper shape pictures can decorate the classroom or be taken home as gifts to share the excitement of the spooky season.
This activity can also be adapted for different age groups to make sure everyone’s safe. Children confident with scissors may like to snip their own shapes out, where younger ones might benefit from a selection of pre-cut shapes to choose from.

 

Featured products;
Coloured Paper 
Joggle Eyes 

 

Spooky Fairground Bowling

Spooky Fairground Bowling craft project using cardboard rolls Fairground bowling games are a timeless tradition for all good parties, and this sweet, spooky version is a hoot. Add some wacky faces to sturdy cardboard rolls and take turns knocking them down with any ball you have handy. These ghosty characters look great with plain white rolls or decorated with paint, markers, coloured paper and all sorts of embellishments for endless design options. For older children, numbers can be added for scoring up the total points knocked over for fun maths practice.

 

Featured products:
Cardboard Tubes 
Craft Rolls 

 

*All these activities can be modified and adapted to suit different age groups, taking away small parts for children under 3 years of age and replacing them with larger safe parts. Where scissors are used, educators may use adequate supervision to suit the needs of the children or offer pre-cut shapes.

 

What are your favourite spooky crafts and activities to celebrate Halloween?

 

 

About the Author
Penny Groen is an Early Childhood Teacher who has been working in Early Childhood Education and Care settings around Sydney for 17 years. She has a passion for working in meaningful partnerships with families and communities, providing a responsive and engaging curriculum where everyone feels welcome to contribute. You can see Penny’s interest in the natural world with all the weird and wonderful experiments growing both inside and outside the classroom. Penny’s also known for equipping children with the tools to explore their interests and celebrate the discoveries each day brings.

 

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Crafts To Inspire Christmas Creativity

Christmas Craft Flatlay

Christmas is such a special time of year, and no doubt in recent times it has become an even more important holiday where families can bond and celebrate. Inspiring joy and inviting groups of students to create festive crafts brings about warmth and connection. The act of making can have such a positive effect on our mental health, so inviting children and adults alike to break out the felt, paper and a pom pom or two will ignite the Christmas spirit as we roll into the festive season.

 

Personalised Christmas Bags

Christmas canvas bag decorated with Christmas baubles
Who doesn’t love a unique and fun reusable shopping bag nowadays, especially since the removal of single-use plastic. There are so many possibilities with a calico shopping bag, as previously seen with the block print stamps. Students will enjoy coming up with festive designs such as reindeers, baubles, Christmas trees and Santa on his sleigh, making this project an individual experience.

Christmas canvas bag decorated with Christmas tree

Once they have decided on their design, students can either cut felt shapes freehand or create paper patterns to pin to the fabric. Students will have fun arranging their felt pieces onto the calico bag before gluing them down. Giving students the option of adding embellishments like buttons, ribbons, pom poms and sequins to their textile arrangement adds a lovely three-dimensional texture to their final composition. Certainly a must-have to stand out from the crowd when Christmas shopping.

 

Featured Products:

Calico Shopping Bag – Pack of 10
Christmas Felt- Pack of 50

 

 

Simple Mosaicking

Christmas Tree and baubles
When thinking about the art of mosaicking, I know sometimes the process can be quite daunting. Especially the idea of using tile adhesive and grout with students. However, these resin mosaic tiles are fantastic as they can be used on all types of surfaces, can be cut with scissors if necessary and can be adhered with craft glue or pushed into mediums like Magiclay. Students can adorn papier-mache shapes such as baubles or cones since the process is not too complex. They can explore patterns when making Christmas coasters and photo frames, and for young children it will develop their fine motor skills as they pick up each little mosaic square. These mosaic tiles shimmer so brightly in the light that they are sure to spark the imagination of all who encounter them.

 

Featured Products:

Mosaic Tiles Christmas Colours
Square Wooden Coasters- Pack of 20

Paper Mache Cones – Pack of 6
Christmas Paper Mache Balls with Gold String

Christmas Pom Poms – Pack of 300

 

 

Fun and Easy Shrink Film

Shrink Film Christmas craft ornaments
This Christmas project certainly brings back a fond memory from my childhood where I made shrinky dinks out of chip packets. The process has certainly come a long way since then with much sophistication. Your students will be absolutely fascinated with this process and will be glued to the oven door as they watch their decorations bend and contort before laying flat.
These Christmas Shrink Film Decorations have lovely patterns and designs where students can use permanent markers or pencils to add colour. I personally like pencils as they enable students to explore ombres and blending, which looks striking when shrunk to a miniature size. Paired with leather thronging for a necklace or placed on a metal key ring, they become a brilliant present or keepsake.

 

Featured Product:

Christmas Shrink Film Decorations- Pack of 12

 

 

Christmas Stamping

Christmas wooden block stamps
Who doesn’t love a stamp, especially when it is adorned with an iconic Christmas object! Stamps are so versatile for this time of year and can be applied to a wide variety of materials. Pair them with acrylic paint, block ink, embossing fluid or ink pads, the medium and colours that can be used are endless and expose students to the concept of repetition. Whether stamping on fabric or paper, the final print can be used to create many different Christmas-inspired delights.

Christmas Craft Cards and pom poms on grass background

These include Christmas cards where prints can be layered on top of paper, fabrics and hessian. Santa portraits can be drawn inside wreath prints and stamps can be repeated over the surface of a card. A lovely way to add colour to your prints is with watercolours or pencils; this not only enhances the print but also allows students to explore different colour combinations. This type of project is always a favourite as people of all ages enjoy giving cards to their loved ones.

Christmas craft brooches on grass background

If Christmas cards are not your thing, stamps can also be pushed into clay to leave an impression on its surface. Whether you use air-dried clay or earthenware, these lovely pieces can be turned into pendants and brooches by adding holes or pin backs. Once dried or fired, you can have so much fun adding colour to these stamp designs and, when complete, a spot of gloss really brings them to life. Students will really treasure these as well as delight in giving them to special people in their lives.

Christmas canvas reindeer block print bag

 

If fabric is more your cup of tea, then these stamps are just delightful. Using fabric paint and a roller, they can be used to create repetitive designs onto T-shirts and calico shopping bags. Students will love coming up with their own compositions with the different stamps and can play with pattern when choosing colours.

 

Featured Products:

Christmas Block Print Stamps- Set of 6

Christmas Pom Poms – Pack of 300

Creatistics Air Dry Ceramic Clay

Calico Shopping bag- Pack of 10

 

Bling up Your Favourite Artwork

Christmas Glitter Frames on
A framed artwork from a young artist would have to be the most special Christmas gift a child can give you. Whether it is a pencil drawing, a watercolour painting or a printout of a digital piece, these glitter photo frames are just fabulous. Imagine combining your students’ artwork with a snow globe. Students will love placing their work on one side and then filling the other side up with water to give their masterpiece a touch of sparkle. Students can make artwork specifically to the size of these frames or artwork can be photographed and resized digitally before being printed out. Who doesn’t love a little glitter in their life?

 

Featured Products:

Glitter Liquid Photo Frame – Pack of 10

Christmas Pom Poms – Pack of 300

 

 

Cute as a Button Reindeers

Christmas craft ornaments sitting on Christmas paper
Can you name all the reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh? These reindeer ornaments are just the cutest and I know your students will think so too. Their most obvious use is to create a reindeer face, whether it be with markers, pencils or watercolours, and it is then placed inside and covered with the glass cabochon. Another alternative to creating the reindeer would be to place a pattern piece of paper under the cabochon and then add eyes and a nose to the surface of the glass with craft materials. Either way, these reindeers can then become pendants or ornaments where they can be further personalised when adding colours and embellishments to the wooden backing.
There will always be that student who will think outside the box and do something a little bit different. Who said it had to be a reindeer? I certainly agree. You can also fill these pendants with small paintings of Christmas icons and adorn your backing to match. The creativity is endless.

 

Featured Product:

Wooden Reindeer Ornaments- Pack of 10

 

 

Versatile Paper

Tissue paper Christmas bauble with festive background
Ah, don’t you just love the smell of paper during the festive season! It is the aroma of a million ideas and possibilities for an abundance of folded, cut and collaged crafts. Whether it be patterned paper or tissue paper, they are equally fun and useful, so it is fantastic when they come in a single handy pack. From origami folded stars to Christmas cards and decoupage Christmas baubles, what is your favourite way to use paper during the festive season?

Christmas Tree and pom poms on grass background
I particularly love to show students how to fold and roll paper into different shapes that can then be used on three-dimensional forms. A cone is the perfect beginning of a Christmas tree where paper can be applied in different ways to create interesting forms. Paper can be fringed or rolled into little cones and layered all the way up to form the tree. I always tell my students that paper is so versatile and that with a little snip and a twist it can become something amazing!

 

Featured Products:

Christmas Paper & Tissue Pack of 300

Christmas Papier Mache Balls Pack of 10
Paper Mache Cones – Pack of 6

 

This year, I hope Christmas brings an extra bit of magic and joy to us all. I hope that Christmas projects and crafts can be enjoyed and used to highlight how special the festive season is to families, friends and communities. I hope that the act of creating and giving can bring us together to regain that feeling of pure happiness that we experience when exploring and expressing ourselves creatively.

 

 

About the Author
Olivia is a specialist Visual Art Teacher in an ELC, primary and secondary school setting. She has a broad breadth of experience with inquiry learning and is an IBO qualified educator. Olivia particularly enjoys developing Visual Art units around STEAM which include electronics, technology, and science concepts. Follow Olivia on Instagram in her quest to inspire creativity @creativemindsinbloom.

 

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Spark The Christmas Imagination

Christmas Craft Images on String Line & Pegs with Christmas themed background

Christmas is such a delightful time of the year. The anticipation of this joyous occasion brings such an amazing atmosphere to the art room as the impending holidays approach. Students of all ages embrace the opportunity to create festive-themed pieces that are treasured on trees and shelves in their family homes. With such a wide array of art and craft that can be produced, the hardest part is choosing what to create!

Christmas Wreath

Christmas wreath yarn craft project.

We hang them with such love and care on our doors during the Christmas period as a symbol of family and eternity, it is only fitting that they should feature in any festive crafting project.
This wreath kit is just perfect as you can make it as is or you can add your own unique touches to it. The creating process will build and develop fine motor skills as each strand of yarn is attached to the cardboard ring. Students can personalise their wreaths with different coloured yarn, extra pompoms, bows, buttons, bells or even felt cut-outs. I have used the centre cardboard circle and some yarn to make a bow. This would be a lovely addition to any Christmas tree.

Featured Products:
Wreath Yarn Kit
Red Acrylic Yarn  
White Acrylic Yarn

 

Paper Angel

Christmas Angel Craft Project.

What a classic, the Christmas angel has been re-imagined in so many ways in classrooms and art rooms alike. Their angelic form and principal position on any tree make them a delight to create.
This version can be produced simplistically or can have all the bells and whistles added to it to make it sparkle bright. The basis for the angel is paper which can be white cartridge paper or tissue paper that is then concertina folded. When using cartridge paper students can use gold and silver pens to add patterns before folding. The heart-shaped doilies are divine for this project, just the ideal shape to fashion wings and an elaborate collar for the angel’s dress before adding a Magiclay head adorned in glitter. A halo can be made from various materials such as armature wire or a tinsel pipe cleaner and is the perfect finishing touch for an angel that will capture many hearts.

 

Featured Products:
Coloured Tissue Paper
Gold Heart Shaped Doileys
Candy Coloured Paper Magiclay 
Creatistics Glitter Shakers

 

Christmas Printmaking

Print Making piece of art on canvas

There are so many different symbols that we associate with Christmas time. Printmaking is a wonderful process to use to give your students’ illustrations a new life. Using the A4 printing foam, a Christmas-inspired drawing and a blunt pencil or ballpoint pen students can transfer their design onto the printing plate which can be cut to any size or shape. The creative process from here is limitless where different backgrounds can be created to apply the print such as tissue paper collages, watercolour washes and textured papers.

Featured Products:
A4 Printing Foam 
Coloured Tissue Paper
Printing Ink

 

Australiana Christmas

Christmas Kanagaroo Craft Project inside a Cloch.

From Santas on surfboards to kangaroos pulling a ute sleigh, an Australiana Christmas is unique and wonderful and is the inspiration for this artwork using a glass cloche. This activity has a lovely depth to it as it combines sculpture and drawing. Students can imagine Australian Christmas scenes, drawing the background on paper to curve around the glass cloche, and then add to their scene with Magiclay models. A task that will have their imaginations running wild with a hint of humour. This piece will be treasured by all and is one that all children will place on the shelf every year during the festive period.

Featured Products:
Candy Coloured Paper Magiclay 
Glass Cloche

 

Gingerbread People

Gingerbread an Christmas Craft Project .

A character that has inspired songs and been in movies, the beloved gingerbread man has personality and style.
The Felt Gingerbread Sewing Kit comes complete to assemble your very own plush gingerbread person. Fantastic for beginner sewing skills with the pre-cut holes, the plastic needle supplied glides through to make each stitch. Once the student’s gingerbread person is filled with stuffing then the creativity can begin. Use the accessories supplied with the kit to bring them to life or give students the option of other craft materials such as buttons, fabric, glitter and felt shapes and pieces to add their own unique touches.

Featured Product:
Felt Gingerbread Sewing Kit

 

Paper Bag Elf

Christmas Craft Paper Bag Elf Activity

It would not be Christmas without Santa’s fabulous little helpers, the elves, busily working away in the toy shop. Inspired by “The Elf on the Shelf” this paper bag sculpture will enhance any students paper techniques. From concertina folds to jack-in-the-box springs, this elf has it all. Two Christmassy-coloured paper bags form the base shapes that are packed with low gsm paper, closed and glued together to form the head and body. Now it is time to add character using patterned paper. This step is where each student can make their own creative choices to decide what their elf will look like. From bows to buttons and hats, each student can give their elf a unique style.

Featured Products:
Christmas Coloured Paper Bags
Handmade Christmas Paper

 

Christmas Cards

Christmas Craft Card Activy displayed on top of brown box

Christmas wishes and joy are spread across the globe in folded pieces of card and paper. Students love giving these to their families as well as their friends. There are so many different materials you can use to create, and these natural coloured cards are the perfect canvas for creative ideas to adorn their surfaces. Buttons are so versatile, and students can imagine them into anything.

 

Featured Products:
Natural Cards and Envelopes
Christmas Coloured Buttons
Christmas Sequins Mix 

How do you spark the Christmas imagination in your learning environment? We’d love to hear from you!

 

About the Author
Olivia is a specialist Visual Art Teacher in an ELC, primary and secondary school setting. She has a broad breadth of experience with inquiry learning and is an IBO-qualified educator. Olivia particularly enjoys developing Visual Art units around STEAM which include electronics, technology and science concepts.

 

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