The school holidays are upon us again and while it felt like the kids only went back three weeks ago - wait, they did only go back three weeks ago #facepalm, #COVIDlife…
Okay, so by now you are very familiar with what it means to have the kids around to keep fed and entertained and how to juggle and balance it all. And I don’t blame you for dreading it, but on the up-side there isn’t home schooling to contend with (well hopefully not again *fingers crossed*)
What have you got planned to keep the kids busy?
While we were in the height of lock-down my daughter and I became masters of crafting. Seriously, I used to outsource all craft time to childcare days but when she was with me full time I actually finally got to implementing some craft ideas I had pinned on Pinterest over the last four years. I was so impressed with us! It was fun and the overall success rate was above 80%
Note to self: anything with the word “slime” in it must always be avoided!
Photo Popsicle Puzzles
I want to share with you one of the super easy and fun, personalised crafts we did using photos.
All you need for this are popsicle sticks, a glue stick, scissors, a ruler, a craft knife and of course, a printed photo (I just printed them out on regular paper using our home printer).
Line the popsicle sticks up on the back of image. Outline the edges and then trim the image to size. Glue the sticks to the back of the image and turn it over with the image facing up. Cut each stick free using a craft knife and begin playing immediately - so simple!
My daughter loves these. From choosing which images, the process of making them and then building them over and over. The more photos you use, the more the mix of popsicle sticks grows and the harder it is for them to sort out.
Print your Photos
I’m a big believer of printing photos (or displaying digital ones) so that our children can see them. It’s lovely and all to share photos with friends & family on social media and WhatsApp family groupls but young children aren’t on these platforms and therefore never get to see themselves in photos unless they are physically printed and/or displayed.
We have a digital frame in our kitchen and it’s such a hit. My daughter sees photos from when she was a baby and asks so many questions about those times. It keeps the memories fresh in our minds. She also loves seeing all the faces of her family who are scattered all over the world.
It's also so special for me, as a professional lifestyle family photographer, to see and physically touch the images I have captured of my own family. There is nothing quite like holing professionally printed photos and also imagining how many generations to come will hold those exact photos too.
Let me know how it goes
If you attempt to make thee puzzles and or have any of your own photo crafts, please let me know in the comments (or on Instagram or Facebook) - I would love to see your creations!
Good luck these holidays, Mama. Remember to also take care of you!
xoxo
p.s. Don’t forget to sign up to my email list and download my top 5 tips for photographing your children and be sure to capture these school holidays in the best way!
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