FOOT PRINT STENCILS:
NOTE: We made two sets of stencils. Small footprints to decorate the journal entries and larger ones for the game found below under “FOR FUN.”
Materials: Pencil, construction paper (any type of hard paper like from a cereal box or the back of a notebook would work, too), craft knife (for parent use only), a cutting board, white paper (if you are making the footprints for the game), black or brown paint, a paint sponge or paint brushes, art smock or old clothes, newspaper or plastic to cover the table.
Spies and Detectives
Step 2: (Adult step) Place the paper on a cutting board and carefully cut out the shapes using a craft knife.
MYSTERIOUS NEWSPAPER PAGE:
NOTE: My eldest said this was his favourite craft from this theme day proving easy activities can be fun!
Materials: Old newspapers that can be cut out, glue stick, white paper, access to a computer and printer.
Step 1: Cut out random pictures from a newspaper (you can save the article if you wish) and letters.
Step 2: Let your child choose which picture he/she wants to use and have your child make up a mystery behind the picture.
Step 3: Help your child come up with a title for the news article and search together for the letters to spell the title.
Step 4: Help your younger child (or let your older child do this on his/her own) to write out the news story on the computer. Remember to answer who, what, when, where, why and how!
Step 5: Print out the story.
Step 6: Have your child glue the story title, the photo and the news article to the page.
Crafts
PERISCOPE:
Materials: Two empty cereal boxes of the same size, 2 rectangular mirrors (I found ours at a craft store), two pieces of cardboard, child safe scissors, packing tape. Wrapping paper or other coloured paper, glue or tape, (Optional) stickers.
Step 1: Cut the tops from both the cereal boxes then cut two strips of cardboard to fit inside the box.
DISGUISE LOLLIPOPS:
Materials: A sheet of brown craft foam (you could use brown paper but the foam lasts longer), craft knife (for adult use), a pencil, cutting board, a lollipop.
Step 1: Help your child draw a moustache shape onto the brown foam.
Step 2: (Parent step) Using the craft knife and the cutting board carefully cut out the shape of the moustache.
Step 3: (Parent step) Using the craft knife and cutting board carefully cut a slit through the middle of the moustache.
Step 4: Insert a lollipop stick through the slit.
Step 5: When your child eats the lollipop it will look like he/she has a moustache.
Step 2: Decorate the outside of the boxes. We covered ours in wrapping paper with tape and then used paint and paint sponges. You could also use stickers.
Step 3: Lay a strip of cardboard at a 45 degree angle (you can use a compass from a geometry set to measure) inside the cereal box (on the right hand corner of on box and on the left hand corner of the other box). Tape the cardboard in place.
Step 4: Tape a mirror to each strip of cardboard so that each box now has a mirror angled at 45 degrees.
Step 5: On the outside of the box approximately eye level with the mirror fastened inside the box, cut out a square spy hole. Do this with the other box as well.
Step 6: Place the two cereal boxes on top of each other with the cut openings together. Carefully slide one box into the other.
Step 3: If you are making the footprints for the game cut out some squares of white paper and lay the stencil over the paper. Have your child apply paint to the inside of the stencil which will leave the imprinted shapes onto the paper using either a paint brush or a paint sponge (found at craft shops).
Step 4: Continue to decorate pieces of paper (for the game) or your Family Theme Day Scrapbook and then let the footprints dry.
FINGERPRINT ART:
Materials: White paper, non-toxic stamp pad, coloured pencil crayons or markers or pens.
Step 1: Help your child press his her finger onto an ink stamp pad and then press his/her finger to a sheet of white paper.
Step 2: Help your child wash his/her hands.
Step 3: Give your child the coloured pencils or makers and let him/her decorate the fingerprints turning them into animals or people to create a scene.
Step 1: Draw a simple foot print shape (a half circle for the heel and an elongated oval with a flat side for the base of the footprint). You can make one large foot print or depending on the size of your paper two near each other in walking formation.
Step 7: Test the periscope before moving on to the last step. Peer through the bottom eye hole (if it is on the right hand side of the box the other eye hole would be on the left hand side at the top). If you cannot see anything then the mirrors/cardboard is not at a 45 degree angle. Fix it if you need to.
Step 8: if you are able to see properly then tape the two cereal boxes together.
Step 9: Show your child how you can look through the periscope to see around a corner.