Craft table at playgroup - suggestions please.

[hazeyjane]

I have to do the craft table at playgroup on Weds, and could do with an idea that wouldn't be too complicated, as will also have to be looking after my (very clingy) 2.6 yr and 16month old dd's - Help Please

Making book marks?

Just need lollypop sticks and card...shapes, glue , feathers or whatever else you have and get them to cut out shapes and stick them and the decorations to the lollypop sticks.

Thankyou, any more?

Mix some cornflour with water and food colouring until it forms a thick paste.

They can drizzle it using a spoon or lolly stick over some paper or just run it through their fingers. It's a bit messy when it dries though, I'm afraid (lots of handwashing and hoovering dried bits up!)

Or spaghetti, lentils and rice collage.

Junk modelling?
Collage - Autumn leaves etc at the moment?
Chalk pictures on black paper as fireworks for Bonfire Night? Bit early?
Musical shakers from yoghurt pots etc
Crowns - circles of card and decorate?

All seem to include glue, I'm afraid!

I would have a look at the Baker Ross website. I used to the do the same job at out toddler group and it got a bit hard doing it week after week. They have crafts from about 20p per child - things like crowns, masks, cards to decorate etc.

You could also do Playdoh (make your own to keep costs down).

I used to print pictures off the internet and get the children to colour them in and decorate with stickers and glitter glue.

I will have a think as I am sure that there was more than that but my mind has gone blank.

Oh I know, fireworks picture - black card, use chalks to do swirly shapes and then smudge, highlight with glitter glue.

Do you allow paint? - Potato prints are good.

Less messy ideas

Get some leaves, pref dry autumny ones, chunky crayons, paper and do leaf rubbing

Milk carton/bottle tops and some glue. Stick onto paper or cereal boxes.

Toilet/kitchen roll tubes or cut up egg boxes. Can paint, decorate, glue stuff to them etc.

But you need to have a bit of a collection already for some of these things - lengths of string, ribbon, fabric scraps, buttons, plastic tops, corks, shiny sweet wrappers etc.

I'm not arty or crafty but my dd has always liked this sort of thing.

Collect lots of spiky leaves ( make sure they're not too crispy)
Cut a hedgehog shape out of paper or card and glue on the hedgehog to make his spikes.

Splodge some poster paint onto a tray or even the table, get the children to make a pattern with fingers or string or wrong end of a paint brush, press paper onto the top to print the picture.

ooh thankyou, lots of lovely ideas here, i am going to have a go at making a crown with dd's tomorrow to see how we get on.

If that doesn't work I'll do the autumn picture, and pick the leaves up on the way to playgroup.

Mercy I'm going to try your idea with dds at home, but have a feeling the other mums might form an angry mob and stone me if i let their kids anywhere near cornflour, water and food colouring

I like the firework pictures idea, but might have that in reserve in case I get picked again near bonfire night.