six0six design: summer camp

Showing posts with label summer camp. Show all posts

The week in review...

This week has been a busy one, over at TheCraftCorner I've been busy preparing everything for the summer camps that will start next week

I wrote a post over on the Craft Corner about Tips to keep the Children busy this summer. Full post here

I was delighted when the Summer Craft Camps were featured in the Sunday Business Post magazine a few weeks ago.

I found this video on The Recycled Orchestra, which I think is a fantastic story of how you can turn no opportunities into a whole world of opportunities

"The world sends us music we send back garbage"

I popped out early this morning to go to the Dundrum Car Boot Sale. Held only 4 or 5 items a year it is always filled to the brim and today was no exception. I got talking to some of the sellers who said they had arrived at 2.45 AM to get a space. I picked up some fantastic old books (no surprise there) and lots of other 'essential' items.

This book, Newnes Household Encyclopaedia, dates from 1931 and some really cool content, including lots of old recipes.

I love the illustrations in this 1885 edition of 'Elementary Treatise on Natural Philosophy' (below)

I also managed to steal some hours of sunshine.

In an attempt to take advantage of the good weather I have been taking longer breaks in the afternoons (when I tend to lag anyway) and working later in the evenings. I actually find its working really well for my productivity.

This is my song of the week

Now get off your [insert relevant electrical device here] and get the hell outside. That yellow thing in the sky is the sun and it wants to say hi.

xx V

Craft Tutorial 4: Paper Mache Animals

Time (inc. painting): 1.5 hours approx

This tutorial is taken from one of the Craft Projects I did with the children at summer camp last week. I also posted this tutorial over on TheCraftCorner website. It's a pretty simple tutorial that you could adapt to make any animal/creature you wish, If you have ANY questions please just ask in the comments section below.

Materials:

Plain Flour, Water

Old Newspapers (tear into strips - do not cut with scissors)

bowl, brushes (for paste and painting) and tray to work on

Cardboard, just get old boxes from your local supermarket

Masking Tape

Paint, we used poster paints

We started off with a cardboard structure held together with masking tape. You can add curves (like at the nose) by bunching up newspaper. Cut holes in the cardboard and add your pre cut ears. Hold with more masking tape and a bit of PVA glue. Leave the neck of the Giraffe open at the base so that the child can put their hand inside and use it as a puppet.

Then tear up sheets of newspaper into strips and coat with your paper mache paste. I always use a simple paste of plain flour and cold water. About 100ml of flour to 120ml of water. Place your first layer of strips onto the structure, make sure you can't see any of the cardboard. Place your second layer in the opposite direction. You can do a third layer if you wish. Brush the whole animal with a final layer of the paste. Leave to dry for at least 24 hours.

Your animal must be bone dry before you start painting. If you have time you can paint on a base coat of white paint to cover up all the newspaper. Then paint on your final coat of paint.

And there you have it, a fabulous creature all of your own. Use balls of twine to give the animals manes or heads of hair, get your children to make up a creature all of their own, they can draw it out and write up a story about it. Make more animal puppets and then you can put on a puppet show. Hours even days of entertainment in this one.