Gentle Child Sleep Consultancy &
Early Years Family Life Coach
Story Time with V & Me - This Tree is Just for Me!
This Tree is Just for Me!
Wasn't that a fun book?
I just love the way it introduces the concept of friendship without actually making the characters actively do anything to find it.
I thought this book would be a great way of linking friendships with Valentine's Day. You could explain to the children that love comes in all kinds of different shapes and forms and that friendship is one form of love.
Some great ideas for Valentine's craft for the children to make and give to family and friends, is to make heart shaped biscuits and get the children to help decorate them.
Here is my family's attempt :)
They were lots of fun to make and really tasty to eat!
We just used a basic sugar cookie receipe that I found online and we opted to make our own icing from icing sugar and food colouring. Add a few sprinkles and you're done.
Super easy and you can include your little ones in lots of steps along the way. Their age and ability will determine what tasks they can manage.
Remember the more you let them try for themselves the more they learn from the experience.
Don't worry too much about the mess. A quick clean and it will be as if the whole thing never happened.
But your children will remember the experience for a very long time!
Another fun idea is to have them make cards to give out.
The important thing here is that the end result does NOT matter. Don't worry about what it looks like. As long as it comes from them and they had free reign to let their imagination go, then the end result is a by-product. The learning happens with the manipulation of the resources and the creation of their own work.
For the younger children (under 5 years) the best thing is to provide the resources and let them get on with it. Make sure you protect your table with plastic or several layers of newspaper and put an apron on them. If you don't have an apron one of dad's old shirts works well.
I strongly recommend being around to supervise, though, otherwise you might find everything painted or glued including the sofa, walls and pets!
Trust me, I've been there before!
My twins decided to finger paint the entire kitchen floor whilst I was outside hanging the washing, and then the cat walked over it and dragged paint all over the house! I found tiny paw prints for days after!
It is also really important to be around to teach the children the correct way to handle equipment, both for safety reasons and so that they learn correctly.
Remember to always use child safe glue, paint and equipment and watch out for little things that might end up in all kinds of openings - mouths/ears/noses!
Here is an idea of an invitation for the younger ones:
I have used a stationery tray to hold all my bits, but any container (or multiple containers) works too. The trick is to make it inviting and provide anything they might want to use so they can just get on with it.
Be aware of over providing resources. This could cause decision fatigue resulting in the child walking away from the activity as they can't decide what to use, and they therefore learn/experience nothing. Rather select resources appropriate for the craft at hand and do a variety of crafts that use a variety of different resources, so that all resources can get to be explored and manipulated.
Please note that I have selected coloured pencils for mark making rather than felt tip pens/markers. This is intentional as the children will need to apply pressure to make marks on the paper when using the coloured pencils, which then strengthens the hand in preparation for writing. Wax crayons also require pressure and can be used too.
Also notice that I have put cotton balls with clothes pegs for painting, instead of a paintbrush. This provides a different experience and texture for the children to explore.
Children love glitter! However this can add microplastics into the environment. I always opt for the biodegradable glitter which is becoming easier to find. Please consider this option if using glitter.
Some children need a little nudge to get started as they might not have an idea. This usually only happens with older children who have seen other's work and have started comparing their work (or had it compared!).
For these children you could either verbally suggest something and allow their imagination to take them to its own conclusion, or you could give them a visual cue and allow them to gather their own resources and see what they come up with.
Either way let them do as much (or as little) as they want on the page and let it be their own work.
Never ask what they have made.
If they don't volunteer the information and you really can't work it out, praise the lovely use of colours, or the interesting shapes, or the fact that they worked so hard on it. Ask them if they enjoyed making it and reassure them that granny will love it, because she will!
Here are 2 very simple crafts, made using things I already had at home. They cost nothing and took only a few minutes to set up and do.
Each card required card stock/thin cardboard, paint and glitter, a basic heart shape cut out of a potato to make a stamp for the first card and a heart cut out of a piece of bubble wrap that came in the latest Amazon delivery, for the second card. Really, really simple but it is enough to give the child an idea to start them off.
You can then help them write a little note inside, which could just be a squiggle (depending on age and ability) which is absolutely fine. Add this to the lovely biscuits and you've got something meaningful to hand over to family and friends.
Children have a way of surprising adults with their incredible creativity when it is allowed to flow. We are often the stumbling block - without meaning to be.
Step back and let them explore and manipulate the materials. You might be surprised by what your little one will create.
Have fun with your children
until next time!
Ciao 4 now
Vi
P.S.
This book is fun to read at any time of the year, not just for Valentine's Day, and here are just a few other ideas that you can do with your children:
1) Have the children plant a tree and discuss the proper care and what it needs to survive - sun, water and soil. Discuss the parts of the tree - roots, trunk, branches and leaves. Discuss why trees are important - help clean the air that we breathe. Discuss the life cycle of the tree from tiny seed to a big tree. Discuss what trees give us - shade, fruit, homes for small creatures and birds, etc. Discuss the different types of trees - evergreen and deciduous.
2) Have the children move like all the different animals in the book (and any others they can think of). Have them make the noises of the different animals. Discuss each animal's habitat and food preferences - don't be afraid to use the correct terminology - herbivores, carnivores and omnivores and discuss what we are. Learn as much as possible about one animal of the child's choosing or learn an interesting fact about each animal in the book.
3) Go for a walk and find an appropriate tree for the children to climb. Allow them to take some risks but always be there to supervise. Children will learn that their actions have consequences by being given the chance to test themselves - but only up to the point that they feel comfortable doing.
4) Take a picnic and a few books and go and find a lovely tree to sit under, or in, and read the books together.
5) Have a discussion about friendship and what it means to be a good friend.
Enjoy!
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