Wet Felted Eggs

We tried wet felting for the first time at StrongStart.

I took a workshop last fall and really enjoyed it.

Then I found this blog that makes it real easy to do with little children.

We made felt eggs.

Unfortunately the little containers I bought did not seal tight

so we had to wrap them in paper towel.

This little guy will show you how to make them.

 Pick your felt and put it in the container

that is about half full of soapy water.

(You do not need much soap)

 Put the lid on tight.

 Shake, shake, shake some more.

This was the perfect time to talk about directions.

Shake it up and down, back and forth, side to side.

And then you have your egg.

At the other end of the craft table we made these little nests for our eggs.

 Start with shredded wheat.

And break it into little pieces.

Add glue and mix together and shape into a ball.

We used our thumb to press an indent into the middle.

Just the right size for our egg to sit in.

I wasn't sure how this activity would go but the children and the grown ups

really enjoyed it.

 It drew children in that normally didn't do crafts.

This little boy really liked making the eggs

but wasn't interested in making a nest.

Bird's Nests

This week you'll find many birds and eggs around the room to play with.  

 Today at the craft table we made our own nests. 

We covered little bowls with saran wrap for prep then the children painted it with glue.

There were feathers to add first. I had a real nest to show how the adult bird used softer materials like feathers, hair or fur to make the nest warm and comfortable.

Then the gooey work began.

 Mixing shredded paper with white glue.

Some children liked it while others definitely did not.

Then we covered the prepared bowl with the sticky paper.

The nests have to dry for a day or two,

 but I did take one off the bowl mold to see how it looks.

 Add a cute little cottonball chick that we made a couple of days ago and we're ready to play.

Chicks and Nests

Today we made chicks in nests at the art table and eggs in nest at the snack table.

Using egg carton sections and cotton balls the children made a little chick to take home and hang for a decoration.

The children love painting and using the smaller paint brushes allows for more control especially when painting a small area.

They then glue in the cottonballs (I found these coloured cottonballs a couple of years ago and haven't been able to find them since).

Then tie on ribbons for hanging.

I'm always excited when I see children who are not limited by what they see on the table and will do their own thing.

Her finished art work is a piece with many chicks.

At the snack table we worked together to make birds nests to eat.
We used shredded wheat and the children had to break them all apart.

Then melted marshmallows and mixed the two together.

We then buttered our hands and made our own little nest.  We added jelly beans for eggs.

The shredded wheat works better than rice krispies because it stays malleable longer so if a child wasn't ready to make theirs or they arrived later then there was still some for them to use.