Mumsnet users share with Frankie & Benny’s the craft activities or kids experiments that have gone wrong

[EllieMumsnet]

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Arts & crafts, cool science experiments, baking...they all sound such fun and great ways to spend an afternoon with your child/children and 99% of the time they are. Sometimes though, something might go a little left; maybe it wasn’t really the kind of trajectory you had in mind for that rocket or perhaps you put a bit too much bicarbonate soda in that science experiment and ended up giving a lesson on explosives instead. With that in mind Frankie & Benny’s would love to know all the craft activities and kids experiments that you’ve tried to do and have gone wrong.

Here’s what Frankie & Benny’s have to say: “We know Easter holidays are a key time for any family to spend time and do activities together. Whether it’s going out to share a meal, going to see a movie or entertaining the kids with home experiments, we all love to try new things. This half term, Frankie & Benny’s is giving away free slime with every kids’ meal and we want parents to share with us their home experiments disaster stories, including those who’ve tried to make their very own slime!”

Perhaps you too have tried to make slime and you’re still finding it in different places all over the house? Or maybe you tried to help your child with their homework, mistook superglue for PVA glue and are still trying to pick bits of your hands? Or maybe you tried a famous sweet and fizzy drink experiment and immediately regretted it?

Whatever craft activities or kids experiments you’ve done that have gone wrong share them on the thread below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Worst mistake was trying to make sugar string baskets. It looked so easy, but just made everything sticky. It didn't turn out looking good, plus we just wasted a whole lot of sugar. Still, at least we tried!

When we attempted to make slime and it just turned out to be a green powder ! We forgot one of the ingredients unfortunately but it was still lots of fun!🤣

Any craft session involving my 2 and 3 year old ends in disaster

I don't remember any epic disasters, just the usual stuff like glitter on the carpet.

My first and last painting at home! It went everywhere even with a cover on the floor! Then also my son just turned to his sister, grinned and painted her head!

We had a chemistry set a few years ago that we bought for the kids.
It was an absolute disaster. Brand new curtains stained orange as well as the kids. They looked like oompa loompas

Hand painting cannot go unsupervised even for 30 seconds

My girl had to making a viking boat that would float for at least 30 seconds at school. Her Dad helped her all week make it and although it looked amazing... it sunk right away!

Just basic colouring...…. but it ended up with a multicoloured lounge when I went to see to the baby!

I am a big fan of almost any home made activity, but regret to say after just one failed attempt using glitter that this is banned given the mess it makes. Fien with slime or glupe or making volcanos with coke and mentos as the ash, but nothing, I repeat nothing anymore with glitter, it isn't worth the hassle

We made playdough in a saucepan then completely forgot about it. It dried solid and I ended up having to throw the saucepan away after attempting to chisel the dough out for 3 days.

made my own bubble mixture out of glycerin and washing up liquid as we were running out of it so quickly. bought lots of bubble guns and toys and in all the fun of blowing bubbles (they were everywhere, couldn't see for bubbles) the dog jumped up to catch the bubbles and knocked the baby over who fell into the glycerin bottle which went everywhere

We used to keep our craft paints and inks etc on a high self in the spare bedroom, but unbeknownst to me, the little one and managed to grab a stool and on tip toes was just able to reach. Planning to paint a picture, he's reached to grab some paints, but knocked it off the shelf, splattering a lovely shade of blue all over the beige carpets.

dd glued her hands together and dh's glasses to the table whilst trying to make a rocket ship!

my son tried to eat his pasta painting

We tried to make a face lotion with as many natural ingredients one time. It took us a long time but ended up a complete disaster. The end result was watery and separate layers of water and oil as we miscalculated the thickener and emulsifier. Nevertheless, our DC loved the preparation and still used the end product!

My favourite has probably been foot print painting last year. I got out our big roll of paper and the poster paints and let them make art in the garden. It ended up with the kids naked, covered in paint, and multicoloured footprints all over the patio not what we'd planned but loads of fun

We made play-doh form a recipe my sister gave me, however we left it to cool came back into the kitchen and found the dog had ate it then had sicked it up as so salty.... what a disaster, ended up with calling the to the vets

Just today - introduced my daughter to Hama beads. Easy peasy no? No because every time I tried to help my daughter cried she wanted to do it her way (fine but at four her way wasn’t getting her very far). It ended up getting tipped back in the box... maybe need to wait six months.

I'll never forget the time we decorated cupcakes and knocked the hundreds and thousands all over the floor. There really were hundreds and thousands...

Hi Ladies

I am writing an email about self esteem and would like to know what is your number one pain is.

We tried to make adorable 3d casts of DS' hands and feet when he was a newborn. Dear god... you wouldn't think it would be hard but it took many attempts and lots of stress to get something like the results we hoped for...
I haven't had anything major (yet!) it seems us parents have the worst disasters when we try something we think'll be nice. So many birthday cake fails, I think it'll be shop bought this year!

Letting the 4 year old make his own Easter bonnet (from a kit). Cue glitter all over the table and newly washed floor, and everything stuck on with glue stick rather than pva meaning it all fell off as soon as he moved!!

Made a big error with using kids to paint stuff crafts in the kitchen not realising they use their hands against the wall. So now I have new colour on the walls. Need to be more eagle-eyed. This is how you learn, though.

Dd is obsessed with slime. For her birthday I bought her a special fancy slime activator as she’d used up all the stuff in her slime box kit. We still find bits of random slime in random places on the house . It’s stained her clothes, my lovely cooking aprons, I find boxes of the stuff everywhere. She’s obsessed. The worst thing is when she puts glitter in the slime. The glitter goes everywhere. Literally everywhere. Glitter is the work of the devil. If there’s anything that will put fear in a parents eyes it’s a child with glitter.