Father’s Day Craft: The Best Dad for Me!
Father’s Day is celebrated at different times around the world. I never knew that until today. The idea for creating a day for children to honour their fathers began with a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd. Sonora adored her father and, while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909, she felt Fatherhood should be recognised also. Through her influence, the Spokane Ministerial Alliance decided to hold the first Father’s Day celebration on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. Father’s Day all started with a woman. Why am I not surprised.
Australia: Sunday 5 September 2010
Belgium: Sunday 14 June 2010
Brazil: Sunday 9 August 2010
Spain: Wednesday 18 March 2010
Sweden: Sunday 8 November 2010
Thailand: Sunday 5 December 2010
United States of America: Sunday 20 June 2010
Father’s Day Paper Craft Card
My children are making this Father’s Day Card for their Dad. I’ve included a free PDF print out if you would like to do it also.
Materials
Glue
Sticky tape
Scissors
Father’s Day Craft Template (click to print)
Instructions
1. Colour all paper doll men on page 1 2. Cut around dotted lines on page 1 (you will have 2 pieces)
3. Pinch line on page 2 between fingers 4. Cut both lines on page 2
5. Tape paper doll men together 6. Thread paper doll men through slots on page 2
7. Tape the end of the paper doll men to form a circle 8. Taple single paper doll man on the indicated section on page 3
9. Fold page 2 in the middle with the words on the outside 10. Fold page 3 with the words on the inside
11. Insert page 3 into page 2 12. Tape pages together on the top, bottom and side (allowing room for the paper doll to slide through)
13. Card complete #one 14. Card complete #two 15. Card complete #three
How it works
Other Be A Fun Mum Link
Father’s Day Gift Ideas: Theme It: Father’s Day
External Links
Panadol & Nurofen = 3D City Skyline Craft
I’ve found something positive about headaches. Empty medicine boxes make for this cool 3D City Skyline Craft. I was inspired by the Love and Lollipops Blog.
Materials
Empty medication boxes of varying sizes
Box or canvas for base
Glue
Paint & Paint Brushes
Instructions
Paint the backdrop as per the diagram below (or anyway your child likes)
Glue the boxes above the road
Paint the boxes (if the boxes are shiny, wrap them in white paper before gluing)
It would be extra awesome if this craft was done in conjunction with a trip to the city.
We Play with Childhood 101
Other Be A Fun Mum Links
Balloon Fight Fun
Simple-Cheap-Easy Activity
1. Materials: newspaper, masking tape and a balloon.
2. Roll a section of newspaper
3. Tape roll together along entire roll
All that is left to do is blow the balloon up and let the fight games begin. I must warn you, this is a fun but LOUD activity. Disclaimer: Enjoy in small doses.
Loud Fun Game ideas:
Hit the balloon - Roll a pair of socks and play golf or baseball – Sword fight (obvious rules apply) – Balloon soccer – Snowball fight using rolled pairs of socks with teams on either side of a bed – Light Saber - French Cricket - Perfect for Party Games
Join in the Childhood101 We Play too.
Other Be A Fun Mum Links
Vintage Paper Hanging Lantern
I kept the leftover paper used in the Vintage Secret Treasure Box to create a Vintage Paper Hanging Lantern.
What you need:
Stapler ** Staples ** Vintage Paper (from a vintage book) ** Ribbon/Wool/String
1. Fold paper back and forth to make a fan / 2. Fold in half
3. Pinch middle and staple or tape / 4. Repeat until you have three and arrange in a circle
5. Staple or tape to complete the circle / 6. Tread the circle on a piece of string or wool
7. Repeat above steps until you have a lantern. Hang.
A heap of these lanters would be perfect for a vintage style children’s party or wedding.
Craft suitable for children aged 6 and up.
Relevant Be A Fun Mum links:
A Pile of Straws
Straws + Sticky-tape + Children = Easy Creative Fun
Tip: Straw boats make great bath toys.
Be A Fun Mum related posts:
Come and join the Childhood101 We Play Link-up.
We Play : Blu Tack
I discoverd Blue Tack Colour. It costs about $3 and is a fabulous moulding material. It’s less messy than play-dough and not sticky like clay. Blue Tack holds its shape and is easy to work with.
The children I was with today (2-5 years) enjoyed this activity with little adult intervention. My older children loved it too! When you are finished, just stick it on a wall for next time. You have to love the easy storage.
It’s a 
activity.
Part of Childhood101 We Play Link-up
Missed last week’s post? Inhibiting Play.
Glass Meets Nature Wind-chime
My sister and I enjoyed doing this craft activity together: Glass Meets Nature Wind-chime. It was simple to do and the finished product looked fantastic. The children were excited so I’m going to do one with them too but with old cutlery instead of ceramic shapes (see note below).
Materials
Stick (hunt the backyard for the perfect stick)
Ribbon (about a metre)
Fishing Line
Glass Beads (think about texture and colour)
Clay or ceramic shape (or use cutlery)
Assemble
Start with tying fishing line to a ceramic shape.
Tread a sequence of beads following the shape.
Repeat on four differing lengths of fishing line.
Tie beaded strings on the stick — an even distance apart.
Add ribbon to the stick and tie a bow at both each end.
Hang
TIP: You can use cutlery instead of ceramic shapes. Choose some with a hanging hole or use a steel drill to make a hole. Op-shops sell old cutlery cheap.
NOTE: If you want to keep this craft , I suggest using utensils tied on wool, string or fishing line. Forks and spoons sound so pretty in the wind and they sparkle too.
LeechBabe did a cutlery wind-chime post here. You won’t believe what she used to tie it all together.
I’ve created a ‘Love the Moment’ moment as I come through my front door.
{Smile}
For more Be A Fun Mum craft ideas click the button below:
I have a deep love for books — especially old books. I’ve been known to spend hours browsing through second hand book stores. There’s something about the feel and smell of an old book, that transports me to another time. I wonder how many hands before me have held the book and what their life was like.
It looks like my love for old books as passed to my daughter Cossie (4). Often, she gazes at the bookshelf. Sometimes she ask to ”just hold” the books; “Mum, I’ll be very, very careful,” she says in a voice filled with awe. So today, I stopped at a thrift shop and picked out some pretty coloured old books — especially for her. And now for the craft.
Vintage Book Treasure Box
You will need:
* Pen knife or Stanley knife
* Thin cutting board
* Vintage book (I purcahsed four books for $4)
* Ribbon
* Craft Glue
Step 1: Give a minute of silence for the author of the book because what you are about to do will rip their heart out if they knew.
Step 2: Right, that done — move on and don’t look back. Find a rectangle object to use as a template (like a small card). It should be small enough to fit on the page with at least a 2cm margin to each side.
Step 3: Turn about 20 pages and place the rectangle template on the centre of the page.
Step 4: You will need to cut around the template but work in small batches. To do this, place a thin cutting board down about 10 pages and press hard with the pen knife till the insert pops out.
Step 5: Work your way down the book until you are at the end. This step will take about 20 minutes. Don’t worry about being too neat.
Step 6: Once you have the secret compartment, thread ribbon through the entire cut out section and tie a bow (or two if you like).
Step 7: Glue the bottom page down to provide a sealed box.
Step 8: Allow your child to colour a special drawing on the botttom of the secret compartment.
Step 9: Don’t throw out the middle pages. I’ll show you (in another post) what to do with the left-over paper.
Note: Boys love secrets too. To make the Vintage Book Treasure Box for boys, use leather or string instead of ribbon.
Other ways to use vintage books:
Vintage weddings. Use the Vintage Book Treasure Box craft in the colour of your wedding. Make the hole in the centre smaller and thread both wedding rings on the ribbon before tieing it up in a bow. Ask your photographer to use some vintage books in your photoshoot or have them as a centrepiece at the reception.
Men: If you give your girl a letter or jewellrey in the Vintage Book Treasure Box, you will get A LOT of brownie points. 
Feature Object: If you don’t want to cut a book, just tie a ribbon around pile of vintage books for a stunning feature object.
Colour Scheme: Use vintage books as the colour scheme guide for a room. There are so many beautiful but subtle vintage book covers. Most specialised paint shops can match colours to an object. I chose these colours: beige, green, blue, red.
Nursery Decoration: Vintage books look absolutely stunning on a nursery shelf or in a child’s bedroom.
Vintage is in!
Be A Fun Mum related links:
The humble egg carton is a wonderful thing. Here are three ways to use it:
If you don’t have painting pots, an empty egg carton makes for a wonderful pallet. It’s a cheap way to distribute paint, especially if there are a lot of children.
Compartmentalise glitter, glue and craft bits and bobs for ease of distribution.
After reading Picklebums fabulous We Play… sorting post, it occurred to me to use the egg carton as a nature sorting tray. Look what we found outside our house.
Make scramble eggs tonight, have fun tomorrow.
Missed last week’s contribution? Play Memories.
Whose House? Paper Craft
Here’s an easy paper craft: Whose House?
You will need
Whose House? Craft Template (click to access PDF file)
Drawing pencils
Sticky Tape
Instructions
1. Allow child to colour in Whose House? Page One.
Whose House? Page ONe
2. Allow child to colour Whose House? Page Two
Whose House? Page Two
3. Adult to cut along three sides of all windows and door of Whose House? Page One to create openings.
4. Place Whose House? Page One on top of Whose House? Page Two and sticky tape sides.
Play Tips
* Follow the numbers until whose house is established.
* Create animal sounds at each opening.
* Make up a story.
* Sing ‘Old MacDonald’ Had a Farm’
* Make your own Whose House?: Use the Whose House? Page One page only and sticky tape a blank piece of paper behind. Open the windows and door and draw in the empty space.
I did this craft with these two boys. It was fun! Gotta love the tounge action.
