 Our Summer term has arrived and with it brings a little apprehension but hopefully lots of sunshine and positive vibes knowing that each day we are a little closer to coming out of this the other side. We're all so busy trying to keep little ones stimulated indoors, which I know from my own experience can be challenging, but we're all in this together and you're all doing a terrific job! We can't wait to throw open our doors again and welcome lots of old and new faces to Little Starlings, my goodness we're missing you all. We have lots of exciting things planned this term and our topics will be focusing on animals and where they live....What animals might you see at the farm? Discussing what animal babies are called? What noises do they make? Do they have feathers or fur? Lots of exciting things to talk about whilst developing language and understanding. We will also be focussing on Summertime....Where have the children been on holiday? How might they get there by plane or by car? Is it hot or cold on holiday? Fun things we do when we get there, ice-creams and sand castles are always a good place to start and a huge hit with our Starlings children! We can't wait to get started 😊 Our aim as always at Starlings is to gently encourage independence, stimulation within a nurturing, safe environment. Please do continue to check in on our Facebook and Instagram page as they're still lots of ideas & activities to do at home. Also for old & new families please join our closed facebook group, Little Starlings Family, its a really nice space to share ideas, concerns and get to know each other a little better. We'd love you to share your experiences with your starlings family so don't forget to tell us what you've all been up too. Stay safe and we hope to see you all soon! 
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 Who else has a pile of delivery boxes building up? We certainly do, so this week we thought we'd see how all those boxes could be put to good use with a few creative play ideas. Here are 7 things, 1 a day, that you can create with your stockpile of cardboard delivery boxes.  Create your very own little monster pet like these cuties from @cardboardfolk Then practice some motor control skills by feeding your monster all sort of different size and shaped treats by posting toys into their hungry mouth.  Zoom, zoom, zoom into space in your very own rocket! Rockets are great fun to build and they can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Just gather up your largest boxes to make the rectangular body of the rocket. Cut out 1 or 2 circular windows. Then make a pointed cone for the top of the rocket - cover in tin foil if you're wanting to go super authentic. Draw in some control switches on the inside and get ready to blast off!  Or how about sailing "in and out of weeks, through a night and day to where the wild things are" in a little cardboard box sailing boat, complete with paper sail!  If you're feeling particularly creative, why not build a little dolls house or a doll's room like this amazing one from @cardboardfolk or perhaps a bug hotel for the garden like this one from @recycleandplay  If you're tired of your old puzzles, why not make some new ones in your favourite shapes, like these little hearts from @get.creative.with and bunnies from @littlebuttondiaries  Thinking about preschool home schooling ideas as we head back to 'home' school next week, why not build those gross motor skills, with a simple circus style throwing game like this one from @zara_play_tribe  Or help little ones work on their letter recognition, with a multi sensory approach, by filling cardboard letter shapes with textures like rice, beans or sand.
Alternatively get your little ones to paint through pre writing shapes so they can start to get a feel for how letters are formed. For preschoolers the pre-writing shape targets are: vertical line (|) 2 years, horizontal line (-) 2.5 years, circle (o) 3 years and a cross (+) by 3.5yrs. A quick COVID safety note, current research has found that the virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours, so to be on the safe side, leave any boxes aside for this period before getting creative. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/04/how-long-does-coronavirus-live-on-different-surfaces Happy creating and don't forget to share your creations with us xx  Chances are you might have a couple of extra loo rolls around the house at the moment, so we’ve pulled together an activity a day to put them to good use.  1. SHAPE STAMPINGTo get started Shape Stamping is a super simple & really quick activity to set up. Just reshape 4 or 5 rolls into shapes – square, rectangle, triangle, heart & circle are our favourites. Then dip the ends into different coloured paint and off they go. Great for making cards to send to friends or grandparents while we’re in isolation.  2. CREATE A CREATURE Loo Roll creatures are another quick & easy activity to pull together at a moments notice. They’re also great for getting your little ones to explore their creativity. Bunnies, bugs or crazy monster creations, whatever your little ones would like (& craft supplies allow). You will need some coloured card & paper, googly or sticker eyes and any other decorations you have to hand. Set them out on a tray with some glue. Then wrap the rolls in coloured paper, cut out any features like ears or antennas from card ready to glue on, then embellish however you would like.  3. CARS, ROCKETS & THINGS THAT FLYSimilar to creature creating, there is also a huge range of vehicles that can be made from loo rolls. Why not try a racing car (check out the link below for instructions) or how about a space shuttle or our favourite a flying rocket! To make the flying rocket you will need a loo roll, some coloured card & coloured paper, maybe some glitter pens or stickers if you have them. Wrap the roll in coloured paper, cut out 4 rocket wings and decorate. Make a cone of card for the top of the rocket, but leave a good gap to thread the string through. Thread your rocket onto your string, then hook up your string, making sure it’s nice and tight. Do a dramatic countdown & blast your rocket off along the string. See how far you can get it to go. Follow this link for instruction to make racing cars: https://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2013/04/toilet-paper-roll-race-cars.html  4. BIRD FEEDER Attract some wildlife to the garden, for little, eagle eyed nature watchers, with a homemade bird feeder. You’ll need a loo roll, some peanut butter (or coconut oil/sunflower butter), birdseed mix and some string. Start by covering the outside of toilet paper roll with peanut butter (or substitute). Then roll the peanut butter covered toilet paper roll in the birdseed until covered. It works best if you get a really thick covering of seeds. Finally thread a piece of twine through the toilet paper roll and hang somewhere ideally out of reach of squirrels.  5. SEEDLING PLANTERAnother quick and easy idea for the garden is to create some little biodegradable seedling pots out of loo rolls. Plant seeds in them, then as the seedlings grow you can transfer them directly into your garden as the ‘pot’ will decompose in the soil. To make these you will need a parent to help with the snipping. Start by making four cuts in the roll about a third of the way up. Then fold the cut area on the bottom like you would to close a box. Then fill with some light potting soil and add your seeds. Sit them in a waterproof tray or dish on a nice sunny windowsill, keep them regularly watered and watch the magic happen. Once the seedlings are strong enough you can transfer them to the garden.  6. FLYING FISHIf you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, why not try making some of these beautiful windsock fish from Squirrelly Minds. Little ones might need a bit more of a hand with these ones but they are a really nice thing to make together. All you’ll need is a few toilet rolls, some coloured tissue paper (we love the craft it mini tissue squares from Baker Ross), some double sided tape or glue & some string. You’ll find full instructions here: http://squirrellyminds.com/2013/05/03/koinobori-japanese-flying-carp-diy/  7. KALEIDOSCOPEFor something much more complicated, but well worth the effort, why not make your own kaleidoscope. Children will love looking at the beautiful coloured patterns they can create simply by spinning their kaleidoscopes.
This one works better with a paper towel roll but it can still work with a toilet paper roll as well. Head over to this link for detailed instructions: https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1008403/diy-kaleidoscope-craft-for-kids/ We’d love to see your creations so please keep us posted on our Facebook page & group. Happy crafting x |
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