Toddler.family Archives – The Pinterested Parent

Do you know the old saying about giving a child a new toy & all they want to do is play with the box? This is mostly true. My daughter usually likes what is in the box too, but she has been amused by a box for days on more than one occasion.

Last week we got her a new toddler trike. She had fun helping Mommy & Nanna put it together & she even rode it a little after it we put it together.

And then she spotted the box…

She wanted to play with the box, so I cut open the front to make her a door so she could play in it.

Mai climbed in & said, “Look Mama, my rocket ship.”

And that is how it all started.

What you will need:

A large box
A couple of cereal boxes
Tape
Newspaper
3 empty wrapping paper tubes
Paint

Paper Mache Paste:

1 part flour
2 parts water

Directions:

Cut the front fold down flap off the box to leave an opening at the top front of the box. — Cut the front fold down flap off the box to leave an opening at the upper front of the box.

Pull the remaining fold down flap up so the seams all touch and tape into place. This will lengthen the box on the sides & back. — Pull the remaining fold down flaps up so the seams all touch and tape into place. This will lengthen the box on the sides & back.

068 — Use a cereal box & form into an upside down “V”. Tape it into place at the top of your box to form a roof.

070 — Tape a wrapping paper roll to the center of each side and one in the back.

074 — Wrap a full sheet of newspaper tightly across the roll. This will help round the sides.

071 — Wrap both side & the back all the way up to the top.

073 — Stuff crumbled paper through the top to help firm it up. Turn the box on it’s side & tape newspaper under the box & block the opening of our rounded section.

075 — Wrap full pages around the whole project and tape securely in place.

Tear strips of newspaper & set aside until you are ready to start forming your paper mache project.

Mix your paper mache paste. I did one cup of flour & 2 cups of water at a time. Mix well.

Dip a strip of newspaper strip into the paste.

Smooth out piece by piece across your project. Use smaller pieces to use in the edges an corners. Smooth well.

A little helper makes things go quicker.

To create the rounded areas along the upper sides, tape crumpled paper to the sides and paper mache over them until it protrudes to the desired amount.

Wrap paper mache strip around corners and edges. To smooth out lumpy areas use small bits of paper to fill in holes & crevices. — Wrap the paper mache strips around the corners and edges. To smooth out lumpy areas use small bits of paper to fill in holes & crevices. Be sure to paper mache along the inside as well to strenghten the bottom of the roof.

IMG_20140601_200735450 — Use another cereal box to cut out side fins for your rocket. Tape them into place and paper mache around the fins, focusing on where the fin meets the rocket. Continue to add your paper strips & paste until you have reached the desired shape. More layers will offer a sturdier project. Do not forget to paper mache around the edges , the door & around the bottom. Let dry.

After your paper mache has dried, paint in colors of your choosing.

Let the paint dry & then it is time for blast off. “Look Mama, the moon.”

I know that there are mixed feelings about children and electronics. I think that they can be a great learning tool, but in moderation. Our daughter has a Nabi Tablet. It has been a wonderful tool in promoting learning for our daughter. She can access her ABC Mouse Learning Center from there and there are also a lot of learning apps that we selected for her. As I said, I think that is a fabulous tool to educate my daughter, but I also don’t want her parked in front of it for hours on end. I thought I could bring one of her favorite lessons to life.

There is one application that has an assortment of objects and a row of baskets that represents a category that each of these objects falls into. She loves this one & is starting to get pretty good at it. I decided to use this idea to create a similar game that she could play sorting various pictures & matching them to their coordinating category.

What you will need:

Paper bowls or another bowl shaped container

Old magazines or computer print-outs of clip art

Scissors

Glue

Posterboard

Directions:

Figure out what categories you would like to use. I chose animals, clothing, toys, food & transportation.

Flip through old magazines and cut out various pictures.

Cut out pictures that fit your various categories.

Put your pictures in a container.

Make a sign for your category with picture examples of the category. Glue it to the inside of the bowl.

Line up your sorting bowls & spread out the picture cutouts in front of them.

Match up your pictures to the appropriate bowl. Here we have a dog, cat & horse matched up to the animal sorter.

Hmm…Where does this go?

Right there..right there

My daughter loves anything that has pictures that she can sort through. She named off all of the cut outs and we sorted through them together. She did the best on her own with the animals and the food. I love this activity. It is cheap & easy to make and it is something we can do together or she can play with on her own.

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Toddler.family

Paper Mache Rocket Ship

Sorting Game For Toddlers